Post by Admin on Jan 11, 2022 19:05:26 GMT
Hello!
What is up everybody, this is Veronica and I'm bringing you the News and Notes for this week as we head into the first Paradigm since the Kazoka Grand Prix!
We have a little bit of a different format going forward, and I'm more than excited to talk about it. First, let's talk about the Grand Prix that took place this past weekend in Osaka, Japan! It was standing room only at the Kyocera Dome as we at SWWS made our first ever appearance in Japan!
On Night One, we got to see the RUSH Rumble. Johnny Sykes debuted a new look and attitude at the #1 spot. He found himself in dangerous territory with the likes of Akira Sakai and SHIRYO entering the mix. Daniel Horror matched up with Sykes for the first time, but it was MIMIC that made a shocking return to Osaka, eliminating himself AND Sykes. We also got to see the debut of the Rogue Horsemen consisting of Kevin Reznor, Zach Rhodes, and Kain Reyes dominate a good chunk of the match. It appears they have an issue with Ramesses and Mitchell Ryan. We'll have to see what happens there.
The Final Four was an interesting one, with Spence Sanders, Reyes, Rhodes, and Takeo Aki. Aki has been a long-awaited return for Pro Wrestling RUSH and it was amazing to hear the reaction he got. The final two consisted of Aki and Sanders, with Aki stunning the unbeaten SWWS star to win the Rumble. He had an emotional speech following the contest, and there wasn't a dry eye in the building.
The opening match itself for Night One was Reginald Baroni teaming with Michelle Jenkins to face Runa Olsen and a mystery partner. Those cryptic videos were finally answered as Jason Long made his debut with the company. The former Maverick stunned the audience, having a fantastic debut as the team of Olsen and Long came away with the victory. We have a feeling that Jason Long is going to be a game changer, even more than he already is.
Next up, we had the KWDIAMONDS Trios Championship change hands when the Atomic Blondes defeated the Bright Battle Battalion in an amazing contest. The six women involved were absolutely incredible, but it was some amazing teamwork that gave the Blondes a taste of Championship gold on the huge stage. Much love for everyone in that contest.
In a match to decide the KWDIAMONDS Goddess Champion, Katsumi Kumagai battled Athena Daze. A lot of passion and determination were shown by both women during this match. So many near falls, so many what-ifs. In the end, Daze stunned Kumagai with a sliding German Suplex to pin Kumagai, however it was the shoulders of Daze that were down as well. I'm not a fan of double pins, but I have to admit that these two women brought the best out of each other AGAIN and I cannot wait to see a rematch between these two for the title.
In a HUGE match, Ava defended the SWWS World Championship against Seung. The mind games worked early on, but the hard work of the Champion really set a tone for the rest of the night as Ava was able to surprise the Busan Beauty with a crucifix pin to retain the championship. They're not done, not by any stretch.
During the intermission, there were a lot of fun commercials that were airing, including one full of outtakes with the SWWS stars announcing that they are moving Blitzkrieg and Paradigm to Wednesday nights! Tammy Huynh always steals the show.
After intermission, we saw the SWWS World Tag Team Champions the Vilaro Legion retain the Championships against The Hot Fungers and The COBRA Battalion. Hot take here, but Chuck Funger is destined for huge things in this business. The fact that he was kept out of the match tells me that both the Legion and the Battalion wanted no part of that man. Huge props to the COBRA Battalion though as they managed to keep the match clean for the entirety of the contest. The Vilaro Legion seem to be running on all cylinders though, and are expected to be a gigantic threat going forward thanks to Marisol Vilaro's direction.
The next match was the SWWS Paradigm Tag Team Champions as the Crimson Bouquet successfully defended the titles against Sini-Sector. We had no idea who was going to be representing the faction, but it was an amazing battle between the two teams. In the end, it was Lillie and Violet Dos-Straps that found their way to victory, sealing the deal with the Forget Me Not. I love that move, love both teams. Fantastic match.
The KWDIAMONDS Speedstar Championship was decided as Seiya managed to come away with the victory over Keiko Maeda, Jun Nishioka, and Yuki Ozaki. Rule of thumb for the Speedstar Championship matches are simple, don't freakin' blink! I must have missed about 10 moves between the two when I was looking at a paper. Sorry guys, but this was so fast paced, so incredible to watch. Seiya continues to prove her dominance, can anyone slow her down?
We had our main event of Night One with Theodor Pavel successfully defending the SWWWS World Heavyweight Championship against Touma Ito and Donny Mason. Donny Mason is a freaking beast, and a wonderful guy on top of it. He had a fantastic showing for someone who is still new the business. Touma Ito is one of a kind, one of the best technicians and showmen inside of the ring, but it was definitely Theodor's night. Theodor managed to find the right opportunity to force a pass-out submission on Donny Mason to end the contest, but damn if it wasn't an incredible contest to close out the show. Also, major kudos to Touma Ito and his singing ability! The band was back together for one night, and he put on one hell of a show without having Nicholas Gabriel getting in the way.
Night two brought the DIAMOND Rumble to the pre-show. Unlike the night before, a Championship opportunity against Ava was on the line. A lot of amazing competitors were in this contest, and it got really interesting at the end when Mei Koyama, Melodie, Kamille Sokovic, and Elaria were in the final four. Eclipse Champion Galina Davidova made her presence known, essentially helping Mei Koyama eliminate Sokovic last. You know those two are on a collision course, but congratulations to Mei on scoring the victory AND A title shot against Ava coming up! Amazing match, a lot of fun. We need more Jiyuu, Tammy did great. KAOS is frightening in that ring, so much happened tonight.
The opening match of Night Two featured BLOOD defending the RUSH Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against Gavin Paine and Pio Costa. It was the match of two stories. BLOOD continuing their dominance, and the amazing effort put in by Costa and Paine. In the end, it was Endo and Aoki that came away with the victory. One cannot deny the chemistry that Paine and Pleasure 2.0 has. They put on one hell of a match.
We had a touching moment where two longtime rivals, MYOJIN and Colton Saint actually shook hands backstage. It wasn't so long ago that these two wanted each other's blood, and now they appear to be on the same side. Good on Shouta for being the voice of reason backstage, because it was clear that Saint wasn't comfortable going into his match with Kraken later in the night.
We had an eight woman tag team contest! The Inevitable's Kimberly Chase and Alandra teamed with Tano Tower to face the BLOOD Diamonds and The Foundation in a match that had the crowd rolling in laughter and eery 'OUCH' moments. While we were happy to see Kimberly score the victory for the team, you have to believe that they wanted to put down the BLOOD Diamonds. This didn't happen, and you know they're not finished yet. Still a wonderful match.
Lexi Gold battled Kaede Ito. This was our first time seeing the younger Ito in action in SWWS, and she really impressed everyone. Gold tried to get the momentum going early, but it was the severe leg shots from Ito that limited her mobility inside of the ring. In the end, Ito looked to be more prepared for the match, scoring the victory with a very unique version of the DDT. I don't know the name of it, or how to even explain it. It was crazy.
This brought us to Colton Saint vs. Kraken with Nicholas Gabriel in his corner. Zane made her return to a Kazoka Office event in the corner of Saint. She had the unfortunate task of having to throw in the towel on Saint's behalf if need be. This match hurt. Saint even threw in Zane's SC Zane Pop to the mountain of a man, but ended up hurting himself doing the move. This turned a dangerous tide as Kraken took advantage, eventually applying the vicious Full Nelson that forced Zane to throw in the towel. Horrifying result, seeing Saint stretchered out like that..
We went to intermission while Saint was being carted off. It was very somber, and even the most jaded fans were sick to their stomach.
Coming back, we saw a wonderful moment when White Rose captured the KWDIAMONDS Princess Championship. The only title to allude her, and she came away with the incredible victory over Sae Tachikawa. Following the contest, it so many of the Joshi stars came out to congratulation Rose on the victory. It was uplifting, it was a fantastic battle between two amazing competitors. That's what pro wrestling should be this year, I'm hoping we continue this trend.
Now we have the Eight Man Tag Team Contest. Matthew Knox, Don Tirri, Shiko Masuno, and Hisamitsu Obushi took on Ryu Iwakura, Hisayuki Higoshi, Yuri Amagawa, and the legendary Sen Kentaro. The story going in was whether or not Tirri and Knox could put aside their differences with the Kazoka Office by teaming with two key members of that company. They were able to do it, following some convincing. It was really nice to see everyone work together, eventually scoring a victory over Kentaro in his final contest as a professional wrestler. Following the match, Kentaro kissed the canvas and said his goodbyes to everyone at ringside. It was a special moment, and we're so happy for Kentaro to be able to finally relax going forward. Thank you Kentaro!
This led to Nicholas Gabriel making his in-ring debut against the Shining Star themselves, MYOJIN. This wasn't even a match, let's be honest here. Gabriel was horrible, and MYOJIN made him pay for it. Two moves is all it took to put down Nicholas, but it was the the Orion that made Gabriel cry, which I LOVED!!! THANK YOU SHOUTA!!!
Then we got to the Main Event of Night Two, the biggest match of the night. Amida Kumagai retained the RUSH Grand Championship against Kazuyoshi Kuga. This match went all over the place. Two big guys hellbent on beating each other down. Kuga looked like a man possessed as he targeted the back of Kumagai, but it was resilience of the Human Boulder that sent Kuga down for the three count in an incredible match. Nothing bad to say about either one of these men.
Following the match, Andrej Jankovic showed up and made his intentions clear. He wants to be the RUSH Grand Champion. He wants to dethrone the Boulder. It wasn't until Jankovic brushed off Kumagai's wife that the Champion responded with a faceoff. These two have been very close to battling it out many times, and I feel like this match HAS to happen soon. What a way to close out the show.
All together, it was a wonderful time in Osaka. Aside from what happened to Colton Saint, this was a very positive event. We're excited to come back soon, in faaaact.. We'll be in Tokyo in March for the Golden Wars. The flagship event for the Kazoka Office will take place in the middle of March, and a lot of us are really anticipating to see what happens next.
Let's go over some notes from the event.
- Jason Long has signed with SWWS. The terms of the deal are not public, but evidently, it's going to be heavy on major events and occasional Blitzkrieg events. We will actually talk WITH Long on the upcoming Blitzkrieg in a sitdown interview to see what's going to happen with him.
- Touma Ito got a hero's welcome when he went backstage following the contest. Even SWWS talent were extremely impressed with Mr. Nine Stars following the match with Theodor and Donny. He didn't seem too concerned with talking to Nicholas Gabriel. Could there be even more dissention there than we initially thought?
- Speaking of Ito, we have penned a contract with his sister, Kaede Ito about coming to SWWS for more dates. A lot is still in the air, but she has made it clear that she wants to compete in the United States periodically. Also, part of the deal includes her being in an upcoming film produced by Goliath Studios, so there's a good chance.
- Lexi Gold was reportedly fined for not making media appearances. I can verify this, but we have received word from Gold that she will be putting in more dates for our events, including non-televised shows. So, check her out when in the next couple weeks out in southern Cal!
- Matthew Knox and MYOJIN are set to face off soon on Blitzkrieg. This match was rumored a few days ago, and we can confirm it as it will be part of a Top Contender's Tournament. Another member of the roster, Ramesses, is set to be in the tournament as well if he agrees to put his ranking in the Superior Six on the line. Other names have floated around, including Spence Sanders, Donny Mason, Daniel Horror, and Jimmy Johnson. We don't have confirmation on those names yet.
- As of this writing, Colton Saint is still being treated in Osaka for a possible tear in his trachea from the Full Nelson by Kraken. Possible other injuries as well, but we know he's still there, and we're praying that he gets back home soon!
Tomorrow night on Paradigm, we're going to see more of what's going to be the fallout from Osaka. We know Lexi Gold and Marisol Vilaro will be there in Culver City, but what's going happen between the two? Is tomorrow night going to be the night that Ava defends the SWWS World Championship against Mei Koyama? We're not exactly sure yet, but we know both women will be there for the show.
We can also verify that the BLOOD Diamonds, the Inevitable, The Crimson Bouquet, KAOS, and the Sydney Experience will be there as well. With the tag team division heating up, it's only a matter of time before Violet and Lillie begin to see more problems surface for them.
One final thing, I've been wanting to do this since Night Two and I figure this is the chance to really ask the question. We have a poll asking Who had the best night at the Kazoka Grand Prix? You can pick up to 4 people (I think).
Anyways, this is Veronica and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow night at Paradigm!!! Thank you!!!
What is up everybody, this is Veronica and I'm bringing you the News and Notes for this week as we head into the first Paradigm since the Kazoka Grand Prix!
We have a little bit of a different format going forward, and I'm more than excited to talk about it. First, let's talk about the Grand Prix that took place this past weekend in Osaka, Japan! It was standing room only at the Kyocera Dome as we at SWWS made our first ever appearance in Japan!
On Night One, we got to see the RUSH Rumble. Johnny Sykes debuted a new look and attitude at the #1 spot. He found himself in dangerous territory with the likes of Akira Sakai and SHIRYO entering the mix. Daniel Horror matched up with Sykes for the first time, but it was MIMIC that made a shocking return to Osaka, eliminating himself AND Sykes. We also got to see the debut of the Rogue Horsemen consisting of Kevin Reznor, Zach Rhodes, and Kain Reyes dominate a good chunk of the match. It appears they have an issue with Ramesses and Mitchell Ryan. We'll have to see what happens there.
The Final Four was an interesting one, with Spence Sanders, Reyes, Rhodes, and Takeo Aki. Aki has been a long-awaited return for Pro Wrestling RUSH and it was amazing to hear the reaction he got. The final two consisted of Aki and Sanders, with Aki stunning the unbeaten SWWS star to win the Rumble. He had an emotional speech following the contest, and there wasn't a dry eye in the building.
The opening match itself for Night One was Reginald Baroni teaming with Michelle Jenkins to face Runa Olsen and a mystery partner. Those cryptic videos were finally answered as Jason Long made his debut with the company. The former Maverick stunned the audience, having a fantastic debut as the team of Olsen and Long came away with the victory. We have a feeling that Jason Long is going to be a game changer, even more than he already is.
Next up, we had the KWDIAMONDS Trios Championship change hands when the Atomic Blondes defeated the Bright Battle Battalion in an amazing contest. The six women involved were absolutely incredible, but it was some amazing teamwork that gave the Blondes a taste of Championship gold on the huge stage. Much love for everyone in that contest.
In a match to decide the KWDIAMONDS Goddess Champion, Katsumi Kumagai battled Athena Daze. A lot of passion and determination were shown by both women during this match. So many near falls, so many what-ifs. In the end, Daze stunned Kumagai with a sliding German Suplex to pin Kumagai, however it was the shoulders of Daze that were down as well. I'm not a fan of double pins, but I have to admit that these two women brought the best out of each other AGAIN and I cannot wait to see a rematch between these two for the title.
In a HUGE match, Ava defended the SWWS World Championship against Seung. The mind games worked early on, but the hard work of the Champion really set a tone for the rest of the night as Ava was able to surprise the Busan Beauty with a crucifix pin to retain the championship. They're not done, not by any stretch.
During the intermission, there were a lot of fun commercials that were airing, including one full of outtakes with the SWWS stars announcing that they are moving Blitzkrieg and Paradigm to Wednesday nights! Tammy Huynh always steals the show.
After intermission, we saw the SWWS World Tag Team Champions the Vilaro Legion retain the Championships against The Hot Fungers and The COBRA Battalion. Hot take here, but Chuck Funger is destined for huge things in this business. The fact that he was kept out of the match tells me that both the Legion and the Battalion wanted no part of that man. Huge props to the COBRA Battalion though as they managed to keep the match clean for the entirety of the contest. The Vilaro Legion seem to be running on all cylinders though, and are expected to be a gigantic threat going forward thanks to Marisol Vilaro's direction.
The next match was the SWWS Paradigm Tag Team Champions as the Crimson Bouquet successfully defended the titles against Sini-Sector. We had no idea who was going to be representing the faction, but it was an amazing battle between the two teams. In the end, it was Lillie and Violet Dos-Straps that found their way to victory, sealing the deal with the Forget Me Not. I love that move, love both teams. Fantastic match.
The KWDIAMONDS Speedstar Championship was decided as Seiya managed to come away with the victory over Keiko Maeda, Jun Nishioka, and Yuki Ozaki. Rule of thumb for the Speedstar Championship matches are simple, don't freakin' blink! I must have missed about 10 moves between the two when I was looking at a paper. Sorry guys, but this was so fast paced, so incredible to watch. Seiya continues to prove her dominance, can anyone slow her down?
We had our main event of Night One with Theodor Pavel successfully defending the SWWWS World Heavyweight Championship against Touma Ito and Donny Mason. Donny Mason is a freaking beast, and a wonderful guy on top of it. He had a fantastic showing for someone who is still new the business. Touma Ito is one of a kind, one of the best technicians and showmen inside of the ring, but it was definitely Theodor's night. Theodor managed to find the right opportunity to force a pass-out submission on Donny Mason to end the contest, but damn if it wasn't an incredible contest to close out the show. Also, major kudos to Touma Ito and his singing ability! The band was back together for one night, and he put on one hell of a show without having Nicholas Gabriel getting in the way.
Night two brought the DIAMOND Rumble to the pre-show. Unlike the night before, a Championship opportunity against Ava was on the line. A lot of amazing competitors were in this contest, and it got really interesting at the end when Mei Koyama, Melodie, Kamille Sokovic, and Elaria were in the final four. Eclipse Champion Galina Davidova made her presence known, essentially helping Mei Koyama eliminate Sokovic last. You know those two are on a collision course, but congratulations to Mei on scoring the victory AND A title shot against Ava coming up! Amazing match, a lot of fun. We need more Jiyuu, Tammy did great. KAOS is frightening in that ring, so much happened tonight.
The opening match of Night Two featured BLOOD defending the RUSH Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against Gavin Paine and Pio Costa. It was the match of two stories. BLOOD continuing their dominance, and the amazing effort put in by Costa and Paine. In the end, it was Endo and Aoki that came away with the victory. One cannot deny the chemistry that Paine and Pleasure 2.0 has. They put on one hell of a match.
We had a touching moment where two longtime rivals, MYOJIN and Colton Saint actually shook hands backstage. It wasn't so long ago that these two wanted each other's blood, and now they appear to be on the same side. Good on Shouta for being the voice of reason backstage, because it was clear that Saint wasn't comfortable going into his match with Kraken later in the night.
We had an eight woman tag team contest! The Inevitable's Kimberly Chase and Alandra teamed with Tano Tower to face the BLOOD Diamonds and The Foundation in a match that had the crowd rolling in laughter and eery 'OUCH' moments. While we were happy to see Kimberly score the victory for the team, you have to believe that they wanted to put down the BLOOD Diamonds. This didn't happen, and you know they're not finished yet. Still a wonderful match.
Lexi Gold battled Kaede Ito. This was our first time seeing the younger Ito in action in SWWS, and she really impressed everyone. Gold tried to get the momentum going early, but it was the severe leg shots from Ito that limited her mobility inside of the ring. In the end, Ito looked to be more prepared for the match, scoring the victory with a very unique version of the DDT. I don't know the name of it, or how to even explain it. It was crazy.
This brought us to Colton Saint vs. Kraken with Nicholas Gabriel in his corner. Zane made her return to a Kazoka Office event in the corner of Saint. She had the unfortunate task of having to throw in the towel on Saint's behalf if need be. This match hurt. Saint even threw in Zane's SC Zane Pop to the mountain of a man, but ended up hurting himself doing the move. This turned a dangerous tide as Kraken took advantage, eventually applying the vicious Full Nelson that forced Zane to throw in the towel. Horrifying result, seeing Saint stretchered out like that..
We went to intermission while Saint was being carted off. It was very somber, and even the most jaded fans were sick to their stomach.
Coming back, we saw a wonderful moment when White Rose captured the KWDIAMONDS Princess Championship. The only title to allude her, and she came away with the incredible victory over Sae Tachikawa. Following the contest, it so many of the Joshi stars came out to congratulation Rose on the victory. It was uplifting, it was a fantastic battle between two amazing competitors. That's what pro wrestling should be this year, I'm hoping we continue this trend.
Now we have the Eight Man Tag Team Contest. Matthew Knox, Don Tirri, Shiko Masuno, and Hisamitsu Obushi took on Ryu Iwakura, Hisayuki Higoshi, Yuri Amagawa, and the legendary Sen Kentaro. The story going in was whether or not Tirri and Knox could put aside their differences with the Kazoka Office by teaming with two key members of that company. They were able to do it, following some convincing. It was really nice to see everyone work together, eventually scoring a victory over Kentaro in his final contest as a professional wrestler. Following the match, Kentaro kissed the canvas and said his goodbyes to everyone at ringside. It was a special moment, and we're so happy for Kentaro to be able to finally relax going forward. Thank you Kentaro!
This led to Nicholas Gabriel making his in-ring debut against the Shining Star themselves, MYOJIN. This wasn't even a match, let's be honest here. Gabriel was horrible, and MYOJIN made him pay for it. Two moves is all it took to put down Nicholas, but it was the the Orion that made Gabriel cry, which I LOVED!!! THANK YOU SHOUTA!!!
Then we got to the Main Event of Night Two, the biggest match of the night. Amida Kumagai retained the RUSH Grand Championship against Kazuyoshi Kuga. This match went all over the place. Two big guys hellbent on beating each other down. Kuga looked like a man possessed as he targeted the back of Kumagai, but it was resilience of the Human Boulder that sent Kuga down for the three count in an incredible match. Nothing bad to say about either one of these men.
Following the match, Andrej Jankovic showed up and made his intentions clear. He wants to be the RUSH Grand Champion. He wants to dethrone the Boulder. It wasn't until Jankovic brushed off Kumagai's wife that the Champion responded with a faceoff. These two have been very close to battling it out many times, and I feel like this match HAS to happen soon. What a way to close out the show.
All together, it was a wonderful time in Osaka. Aside from what happened to Colton Saint, this was a very positive event. We're excited to come back soon, in faaaact.. We'll be in Tokyo in March for the Golden Wars. The flagship event for the Kazoka Office will take place in the middle of March, and a lot of us are really anticipating to see what happens next.
Let's go over some notes from the event.
- Jason Long has signed with SWWS. The terms of the deal are not public, but evidently, it's going to be heavy on major events and occasional Blitzkrieg events. We will actually talk WITH Long on the upcoming Blitzkrieg in a sitdown interview to see what's going to happen with him.
- Touma Ito got a hero's welcome when he went backstage following the contest. Even SWWS talent were extremely impressed with Mr. Nine Stars following the match with Theodor and Donny. He didn't seem too concerned with talking to Nicholas Gabriel. Could there be even more dissention there than we initially thought?
- Speaking of Ito, we have penned a contract with his sister, Kaede Ito about coming to SWWS for more dates. A lot is still in the air, but she has made it clear that she wants to compete in the United States periodically. Also, part of the deal includes her being in an upcoming film produced by Goliath Studios, so there's a good chance.
- Lexi Gold was reportedly fined for not making media appearances. I can verify this, but we have received word from Gold that she will be putting in more dates for our events, including non-televised shows. So, check her out when in the next couple weeks out in southern Cal!
- Matthew Knox and MYOJIN are set to face off soon on Blitzkrieg. This match was rumored a few days ago, and we can confirm it as it will be part of a Top Contender's Tournament. Another member of the roster, Ramesses, is set to be in the tournament as well if he agrees to put his ranking in the Superior Six on the line. Other names have floated around, including Spence Sanders, Donny Mason, Daniel Horror, and Jimmy Johnson. We don't have confirmation on those names yet.
- As of this writing, Colton Saint is still being treated in Osaka for a possible tear in his trachea from the Full Nelson by Kraken. Possible other injuries as well, but we know he's still there, and we're praying that he gets back home soon!
Tomorrow night on Paradigm, we're going to see more of what's going to be the fallout from Osaka. We know Lexi Gold and Marisol Vilaro will be there in Culver City, but what's going happen between the two? Is tomorrow night going to be the night that Ava defends the SWWS World Championship against Mei Koyama? We're not exactly sure yet, but we know both women will be there for the show.
We can also verify that the BLOOD Diamonds, the Inevitable, The Crimson Bouquet, KAOS, and the Sydney Experience will be there as well. With the tag team division heating up, it's only a matter of time before Violet and Lillie begin to see more problems surface for them.
One final thing, I've been wanting to do this since Night Two and I figure this is the chance to really ask the question. We have a poll asking Who had the best night at the Kazoka Grand Prix? You can pick up to 4 people (I think).
Anyways, this is Veronica and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow night at Paradigm!!! Thank you!!!