FMW: Story Of The F 3rd Stage
Posted by Justin Baisden on 05.14.1997
It's all about Hayabusa
FMW STORY OF THE F 3RD STAGE
We’ll get a couple things out of the way first. The first thing being that I haven’t a clue what happened in the first two stages of this string of matches. The second thing is that my understanding of things in FMW is not quite as expansive as is my knowledge of New Japan or All Japan so FMW purists please don’t kill me if I miss something or screw something up. I’d like to thank the king of all things FMW, that being "BAHU" over at FMW World for the information his site provided me as it concerns background on a couple of these matches.
This is a compilation of matches that took place between January and July of 1998. I’m assuming this was the best stuff out of that time period which is a little scary because there’s only one super stand out match on this tape.
MR. GANNOSUKE vs MASATO TANAKA (FMW Independent World and Brass Knuckles Titles)
If Tanaka isn’t in ECW (what’s left of it at least) he’s wrestling in FMW. Come to think of it, I don’t think he’s ever worked in a fed outside of those two. I think the loose translation for "Gannosuke" is "Man Breasts." DANG… those things are just out of hand. It’s not like Gannosuke is out of shape; he’s just got some flabby pecs. ANYWAY… onto the match. Gannosuke breaks a staff and stabs Tanaka in the right arm. Stab, stab, jab, stab, scream, scream, stab, scream. Gannosuke grabs a piece of table and tries to hit Tanaka but he slides under Gannosuke, grabs the piece of table and shatters it over Gannosuke’s head. Tanaka goes for a Death Valley Driver but Gannosuke slips out and goes for a German suplex, however Tanaka rolls through it and hits a BIG TIME lariat for a two count. Tanaka plants Gannosuke with a Tornado DDT for 2 and ¾. Tanaka hits a Thunderfire Powerbomb for 2 and ¾. Tanaka charges in for a running elbow but it’s reversed into a Fujiwara armbar. Tanaka reaches the ropes but Gannosuke stays on the attack. He hits a Falcon Arrow followed up with a lariat for 2 and ¾. Gannosuke hits a praying powerbomb for 2 and 9/10. He hits The Gannosuke Driver (Fire Thunder Driver) for 2 and 9/10. Dang… for a small crowd, this is great crowd heat. Gannosuke heads to the top but gets cut off and hit with a superplex. Tanaka hits a DVD for 2 and ¾. Tanaka goes for a frog splash but Gannosuke gets the knees up and follows up with a powerbomb for 2 and ¾. He goes for another but Tanaka slips out and hits The Roaring Elbow for 2 and 9/10. He goes for another but Gannosuke reverses into The Gannosuke Clutch for the three count and The Double Titles. Once you get past the crap at the beginning, the rest was great stuff. ***1/4
MR. GANNOSUKE vs JINSEI SHINZAKI
In case you may not know, Shinzaki was also known as "Hakushi" when he was in the WWF. They really dropped the ball with this guy. Shinzaki has one of my favourite gimmicks. The whole white warrior monk is one of the coolest gimmicks that I’ve ever come across. He’s also got some moves that, as far as I can tell, are unique to his moveset including the mranma hinery (360 dragon screw leg whip), that awesome backflip giri and my personal favourite submission hold, the straight jacket submission. I mean come on, how cool is it to choke someone out with his or her own arms? Ah well… enough praise. Onto Monk vs Man Breasts. Gannosuke jumps Jinsei before the bell. He and Yukihiro Kanemura powerbomb Jinsei from the apron, through a table onto the hardwood floor. OH MY GOD!!! Jinsei bleeds hardway from the back of the head. This is not pretty. In the ring and Gannosuke makes absolutely sure that he gets "Dick of the year" by hitting the bleeding Jinsei with a praying powerbomb. Dang… that’ll draw some heat. Gannosuke goes for a German suplex but Shinzaki fires off a low blow followed up with a backflip giri. Shinzaki hits a bodyslam and a SICK pump double stomp, which gets a MONSTER POP from the crowd. Um… is there meaning to that move that I’m not aware of? Shinzaki goes for a praying powerbomb but it’s reversed into The Gannosuke Clutch for 2 and ¾. OOOHHH… close one. Gannosuke goes for a running giri but gets caught and hit with mranma hinery. Jinsei to the top but he misses the praying headbutt. Gannosuke tries to capitalize with The Gannosuke Driver but it only gets 2 and 9/10. He hits The Falcon Arrow for 2 and 9/10. Gannosuke goes for another Falcon Arrow but Shinzaki slips out, dropkicks Gannosuke in the knee and applies the straight jacket submission. I’m sure Gannosuke would tap out but HE’S ALL TIED UP!!! HA HA HA!!! He does get to the ropes though. BOOOOOO! Gannosuke is in a world of trouble and Shinzaki puts an end to this one with The Praying Crucifix Powerbomb. This was another above average effort. Like the last match, the beginning wasn’t all that good (though the powerbomb spot was impressive, if a little sick) but the rest was fast paced fun for the whole family. Well… maybe just for wrestling fans. ***1/2
HAYABUSA vs MASATO TANAKA (Independent World and Brass Knuckles Titles)
YES!!! HAYABUSA FUCKING RULES IT! He’s easily my favourite high flyer. I can’t think of any other wrestler aside from The Great Sasuke that has such a varied high flying offense. The great part is Hayabusa doesn’t fall into the "spot machine" category. He is a very well rounded wrestler who can hold his own on the ground when need be. Despite general hatred at the "H" gimmick he took up a while ago, it did force him to create a more rounded offense and incorporate harder hitting moves like the "H Thunder" into his moveset. This match is way before the H but he still displays excellent work in this match. Hayabusa goes after Tanaka’s right arm while Tanaka goes after Hayabusa’s legs. The point of each attack should be pretty obvious to everyone. They play up the submission game for a good ten minutes of the match. In the grand scheme of things, this offense didn’t pan out for either guy, which deducts from the match but when you’re going to make a match long, it’s got to be done. They break out the bigger stuff as Tanaka hits a tornado ace crusher followed up with a Tornado DDT for 2 and ¾. Tanaka to the top but Hayabusa cuts him off and hits a super belly to belly suplex. Tanaka rolls out and Hayabusa hits a gorgeous somersault plancha. Back in the ring and it’s near fall after near fall. Hayabusa brings it with a slingshot legdrop, a fisherman’s buster, a tiger driver, a twisting senton, a tiger suplex, a Falcon Arrow and The Firebird Splash. Everything ranges from 2 and ¾ to 2 and 9/10. These are all heart wrenching near falls. Hayabusa tries to end it with The Stardust Press but Tanaka crotches him and hits a SUPER INVERTED SUPLEX! OH MY GOD!!! Now it’s Tanaka’s turn as he brings all sorts of pain including a running Death Valley Driver, a Thunderfire powerbomb, and another running DVD. Everything gets a near fall. THIS CROWD IS OFF THE WALL! Tanaka goes for another DVD but Hayabusa slips out, hits a released Dragon suplex and follows up with another Falcon Arrow for 2 and 99/100. Hayabusa hits a roundhouse kick but it’s no sold and Tanaka connects with The Roaring Elbow for 2 and 9/10. He hits yet another Thunderfire Powerbomb for 2 and 9/10. Tanaka goes for a running elbow but it’s ducked and Hayabusa fires off a shotei. WHOA… now that’s something you don’t see out of Hayabusa. Hayabusa goes for The Falcon Arrow but Tanaka slips out and hits THE SHOTGUN (vertical suplex into Stunner, it looks as painful as it sounds). 1… 2… 2.999999! Tanaka goes for The Roaring Elbow but Hayabusa reverses into TIGER DRIVER ’91. WHAT THE HELL??!! It’s not enough though as Hayabusa hits THE BRAINBUSTER FALCON ARROW! 1… 2… THREEEEEE! This match had exactly what the first two were lacking, that being a good build up to the mega spots at the end. It was really strange and truly unexpected watching Hayabusa pull out Tiger Driver ’91. But hey… if you’re going to put someone away, you might as well use a mega move. ****1/2
GEDO/JADO vs HAYABUSA/MASATO TANAKA (FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Titles)
Now despite what some people may tell you, Gedo isn’t that bad a wrestler. Now personally, I don’t think that he deserved to go to the finals of Super J Cup 1995 or the finals of the Big Japan Hyper Jr. Battle but I’m not a booker so there’s no sense in bitching… too much that is. Present day Gedo is actually a very well rounded wrestler and he’s dropped A LOT of that extra weight that people complained about while he was competing in junior tournaments in the mid nineties. As for Jado, well… he sucks! Plain and simple, he’s the weaker link to the team. As for this match, it’s a lot of flash but very little substance. There was a double team that struck me as odd, that being Hayabusa and Tanaka pulling out the old KDX Dream Sequence. I guess TAKA and Funaki didn’t patent that move. Ah well… Tanaka plays face in peril and Gedo and Jado pull out various double teams including a superbomb. Tanaka finally makes the hot tag after reversing a double backdrop into a double DDT. Hayabusa cleans house, smoking Jado with a springboard senton atomico followed by a quebrada moonsault for 2 and ¾. Hayabusa hits a Tiger Driver for 2 and 9/10. He hits a fisherman’s buster for 2 and ¾. He hits a slam followed up with The Firebird Splash but Gedo makes the save. Hayabusa goes for The Stardust Press but takes a powerbomb for his trouble. Tag to Gedo and they hit a powerbomb – frog splash combination for 2 and 9/10. Gedo goes for a lariat but eats a roundhouse kick. Tag to Tanaka who goes for The Roaring Elbow but it’s reversed into an inside cradle for 2 and 9/10. Gedo goes for a lariat but it’s ducked and Tanaka goes for the DVD however Jado slips out and goes for a superkick but Tanaka no sells it and destroys Jado with The Roaring Elbow for the three count and a successful tag title defense. Well… it was fun to watch but many a spot does not a great match make. ***1/4
KODO FUYUKI/YUKIHIRO KANEMURA vs HAYABUSA/MASATO TANAKA (FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Titles)
OH JOY… look who it is; Kodo "I’m a fat yellow pig" Fuyuki. And you know what? I didn’t just make that up. Fuyuki actually came out a few weeks ago and stated that he and Shinya Hashimoto (a plump fellow) should team up and be called "the fat pigs" or something extremely close to that. You know how Legion Of Doom would pull their pants over their guts to cover it up? Well Fuyuki doesn’t bother with that. He lets it all hang out. YEAH!!! His big belly power doesn’t exactly help his matches out either. Some might say his only good move is a powerbomb and a lariat. Some might say that… including me. As for Yukihiro "can’t keep a name longer than six months" Kanemura, I think he has an identity crisis. He changes his name all of the time. As for his ring work, I’ve got no complaints. Given the right opponent, Kanemura can put on a kick ass match. This match is the complete opposite of the last match. There’s very little flash to it at all. Unfortunately it’s not that much fun to watch as the heels beat down Tanaka for a good FIFTEEN MINUTES! Jump to the end as Tanaka hits all of his trademark spots including the Tornado DDT and the devastating Shotgun but it can’t get the job done. Hayabusa brings the flying stuff with the twisting senton and The Firebird Splash but that’s not enough either. Tanaka goes for a DVD on Kanemura but he slips out and hits a BIG TIME lariat. Fuyuki jumps in and hits a brutal lariat for 2 and 9/10. This match is all over the place, I don’t even know who the legal man is anymore. Kanemura jumps in, smashes Tanaka over the head with a table and then ends it with a top rope senton to capture the Tag Titles. Oy… first half was boring, last half was confusing. **1/2
GEGO vs RICKY FUJI (Rocky Mountain Championship)
Oh lord… I HATE FUJI! This guy managed to steal a spot from a talented wrestler at all three Super J Cup tournaments. Just about any junior in the world with some name recognition is better than Fuji. The real kicker is THIS GUY’S CANADIAN! AAAHHHH! To top it off, he’s facing still pudgy Gedo, which means this match is going to suck donkey balls. The first half is a big brawl, punch, kick, rake, punch. Ugh… the first actual move in the match is A FUCKING SLEEPER! Oh forget it, this isn’t worth my time. This was a bad brawl and an even worse attempt at a wrestling match. ¾*
MASATO TANAKA vs TETSUHIRO KURODA
Kuroda’s a very accomplished wrestler. He’s got a devastating left armed lariat (don’t see that too often) and I don’t think I’ve seen a bad match with him now that I think about it. These two had a stellar match at FMW’s "Magnitude 2000" show if you want to give it a look. I’ll probably do a review for that show sometime down the line. Onto this match as Tanaka beats the high holy hell out of Kuroda with lots of fun stuff including a BRUTAL Shotgun for 2 and 9/10. Kuroda manages to make the comeback with that nasty left-handed lariat. Kuroda pulls out my new favourite move as he hits ROLLING DRAGON SUPLEXES! WOW! My boy Benoit better step his game up. Kuroda goes for a lariat but Tanaka ducks and goes for The Roaring Elbow, however Kuroda ducks that and hits a bridging Half Nelson Suplex for 2 and 9/10. WOW WOW WOW! Kuroda goes for another lariat but it’s blocked and Tanaka lays in some elbow strikes. Tanaka hits another Shotgun and fires off a running elbow smash for the victory. There was a ton of action in this one that I didn’t cover because it basically surrounded Tanaka beating the crap out of Kuroda in various ways. As for the match itself, the crowd heat was high up there and the match was a lot of fun to watch when Kuroda was in control with his various suplex variations. ***3/4
THE GLADIATOR vs YUKIHIRO KANEMURA
Just so people know, The Gladiator is better known as Mike Awesome. If you thought Awesome’s stuff in ECW was great; you’ve got to get his stuff from 1995 – 1998 FMW. Awesome was an absolute monster in FMW because at six feet, six inches, he easily towered over everyone else. Also, because of the lack of restrictions on moveset, he was allowed to use all sorts of disgusting variations on the powerbomb that would make you cringe. Unfortunately for Kanemura, he had to fall victim to Awesome’s continuous onslaught throughout the whole match. The only beef that I had with this thing is you just knew that Kanemura has NO CHANCE IN HELL of winning this thing. The match was basically a display of Awesome’s kick ass stuff including a springboard plancha, mega frog splash, a running powerbomb and the second most disgusting spot of the match with a running powerbomb from the apron, through a table onto the hardwood floor. EEEWWW! KANEMURA IS DEAD! I say second most disgusting because Awesome ends the match with a TOP ROPE CRUCIFIX POWERBOMB WHICH LANDS KANEMURA ON HIS HEAD!!! OH MY GOD! This was a squash in every sense of the word. Kanemura got all of three moves in the whole thing. Awesome was crazy over with the crowd and got mega pops for all of his stuff. It’s no surprise that Awesome had to thumb down his moveset when he came into ECW and even more so when he got into WCW. If this match were used as an indicator, everyone he faced over here would be either crippled or dead. **3/4
Final Analysis: Unlike the FMW DVD’s that are floating around now a days, this tape is a great showcase of what FMW is all about. Eight matches on the tape, four of them were ***+ and one was ****+ by my count. That’s not too shabby if I do say so myself.
From experience watching this fed, there are a few guys that are capable of putting on really great wrestling matches: Hayabusa, Gannosuke, Tanaka, Kuroda, and Kanemura. I left out Shinzaki because he works out of Michinoku Pro and only makes sporadic appearances. Kodo Fuyuki has shown a resurgence of workrate in the past six months or so. He’s had some stellar matches with Hayabusa (what a surprise) including a sixty-minute Iron Man match from September 2000. The undercard is a write off but I’ll bitch about that (and you can be sure I will) when I do a review of a FMW show that takes place in 2000.
