As part of my ongoing effort to review all things related to the Dragon System in Japan, I’ll be going through the history of Toryumon (which complements my complete archive of Dragon Gate reviews at Open the Garoon Gate. You can find my comprehensive Toryumon blog, Raising the Dragon, by clicking here. Or you can just follow this series here on PWPonderings!
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January 16, 2000 – Tokyo, Japan
Masaaki Mochizuki and Chocoball KOBE co-host this episode, and as I expected, it begins with a new intro that features more than just Crazy Max.
Kenichiro Arai vs. Ryo Saito
This is the first match in Kenichiro Arai’s trial series to get to SUWA and the NWA Welterweight title. Saito’s hair is buzzed and blonde, making him look SO WEIRD. The match is joined in progress with Arai in control. He hits three bodyslams for 2. He chops Saito against the ropes. He hits a back elbow for 2. He hits a back kick for 2. He hits a big boot for 2. Saito comes back with an overhead suplex. He hits mounted elbows. He hits the Fisherman Express for 2. He puts on a Boston crab. Arai powers out and gets a roll up for 2. Saito gets a sunset flip for 2. Arai puts on the Boston crab. Saito gets to the ropes. Arai hits a headbutt to the back. He misses the diving headbutt. Saito puts on the Cycling Yahoo but Arai gets to the ropes. Arai hits an armbreaker and puts on an armbar. Saito gets to the ropes. He grabs a triangle choke but Arai gets to the ropes. Arai puts on an anklelock. Saito gets to the ropes. He gets a schoolboy for 2. He gets a small package but Arai counters for 2. Saito hits a German suplex for 2. Arai hits headbutts. He hits the diving headbutt for the win at 8:57 shown of 13:05. This was a much better showing from Saito than his match against a Yasushi Kanda. He had me thinking he could definitely win, and looked great even in losing.
Rating: ***¼
Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Chocoball KOBE
KOBE charges at the bell but Mochziuki kicks him to the mat. Mochizuki hits a high kick. He hits a pair of bodyslams and puts on a Boston crab. KOBE gets to the ropes. He fires back with strikes. He passes Mochizuki’s guard and hits mounted punches. Mochizuki rolls over and returns the favor. KOBE slugs him to the mat. He misses a back fist. Mochizuki slugs him. He hits a chest kick. KOBE misses an enziguiri but manages to slip on a triangle choke. Mochizuki hits a powerbomb to escape, and it gets 2. KOBE reapplies the hold so Mochizuki sets him up top. He hits an avalanche armbreaker and puts on the bukogatame for the win at 3:57. Interesting shoot style match, minus the avalanche move, obviously.
Rating: **
Magnum TOKYO, Dragon Kid & Masaaki Mochizuki vs. CIMA {CM}, Sumo Fuji {CM} & MAKOTO {CM}
Everyone brawls to start. SUWA helps Crazy Max attack the Toryumon heroes. In the ring CIMA hits Kid with a back elbow. He hits a senton. Kid hits a back heel kick. Mochizuki hits chest kicks on Fuji. Fuji goes to the eyes and hits a shoulder tackle. Mochizuki kicks his face. He hits an enziguiri. He hits a back kick. TOKYO hits CIMA with a head scissor takedown. He dropkicks CIMA to the floor. Kid hits MAKOTO with a hiptoss. He hits a head scissor takedown. He hits the Bermuda Triangle. Mochizuki hits Fuji with leg kicks and puts on a leglock. Fuji gets to the ropes. He goes to the eyes. He hits a back elbow for 2. He and MAKOTO hit a modified Hart Attack. CIMA hits TOKYO with a few dropkicks. He and MAKOTO hit a dropkick sandwich. TOKYO kicks the crap out of Fuji. Fuji hits Kid with palm strikes to the face. CIMA puts on a Boston crab. Kid gets to the ropes. MAKOTO hits the Ace Crusher for 2. Kid hits Fuji with a DDT. He dropkicks MAKOTO. He hits CIMA with a Frankensteiner. TOKYO hits Fuji with the X Factor. He hits a handspring elbow. He hits the Gyrating Frankensteiner. He kicks Fuji to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Kid hits a dropkick. He hits a suicide dive. Mochizuki hits CIMA with a missile dropkick. MAKOTO hits a leg lariat. TOKYO hits a missile dropkick. He hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. He hits a brainbuster for 2. MAKOTO blocks the Viagra Driver and hits an enziguiri. He hits an implant DDT for 2. Kid hits a stunner. CIMA hits Mochizuki with the Venus. Mochizuki avoids the Iconoclasm and hits an axe kick. CIMA blocks the Sankakugeri and hits another Venus and the Iconoclasm. TOKYO hits an ugly hurricanrana. Mochizuki hits the Sankakugeri for 2. He hits Fuji with a high kick. Fuji hits palm strikes. He hits a huge chokeslam for 2. He hits Kid with a double chokeslam for 2. Kid blocks a chokeslam and hits a hurricanrana. He goes for the Dragon Rana but SUWA throws a chair at him. CIMA hits the Venus. MAKOTO bites him and hits his avalanche head scissor takedown. CIMA hits a superkick and Fuji hits a lariat for 2. Fuji and CIMA hit stereo planchas. MAKOTO hits Kid with a facebuster for 2. Kid hits a DDT. TOKYO hits a back suplex. Mochizuki hits a dragon suplex. TOKYO hits the Viagra Driver. Kid hits a phoenix splash. TOKYO hits CIMA with a quebrada. Kid hits MAKOTO with the Rewind Hurricanrana. He hits the Dragon Rana for the win at 20:41. This got ultra-mega nuts down the stretch. Kid is still jelly legged half of the time, but the other five guys in the match held it together enough to make this astonishing.
Rating: ****
After the match SUWA rushes the ring and rips Kid’s mask off, making him bleed from the mouth in the process. Yasushi Kanda and Susumu Mochizuki come in the ring wearing Crazy Max shirts, but they steal TARU’s bat and attack Crazy Max. They rip off the shirts and the crowd falls in love with them. Genki Horiguchi attacks Kanda and Mochizuki but they fight him off. Ultimo Dragon then runs out in a tuxedo and beats them down. WHAT IS GOING ON!?!? I’m not sure why Dragon targeted Mochizuki and Kanda, but it sure made them look like bigger heels than Crazy Max.
January 26, 2000 – Takamatsu, Japan
Chocoball KOBE vs. Minoru Fujita {MP}
Fujita gets a leglock to start but KOBE gets to the ropes. KOBE opens up with strikes. Fujita goes back to the leg. He hits a bodyslam. KOBE smacks him into the corner. Fujita avoids a kick and attacks the leg. He hits a dragon screw and puts on another leglock. KOBE gets to the ropes. Fujita hits a shinbreaker and puts on a figure 4 leglock. KOBE gets to the ropes. Fujita hits an elbow. KOBE hits a leg lariat for 2. He puts on a cross armbreaker. Fujita gets to the ropes. KOBE puts on a rear naked choke. Fujita rolls over so KOBE puts on an armbar. He gets back to the cross armbreaker but Fujita gets to the ropes. KOBE hits an armbreaker. Fujita hits a reverse DDT. He hits a missile dropkick to the back. He hits a brainbuster for 2. He hits another shinbreaker. He dropkicks the knee. He hits a dragon screw. KOBE blocks a figure 4 leglock and hits a spinning back fist for 2. He goes for chest kicks but Fujita catches one and puts on a reverse Viper Hold for the win at 6:46. This was logical, short and to the point. KOBE had some skills.
Rating: **¾
January 28, 2000 – Osaka, Japan
Chocoball KOBE vs. Daiyu Kawauchi
KOBE smacks Kawauchi to his knees to start. Kawauchi hits a spear. He goes after the arm. KOBE gets to the ropes. Kawauchi hits a backbreaker. He stomps on the back and hits a side slam for 1. He puts on a half crab while standing on KOBE’s back. KOBE gets to the ropes. Kawauchi hits a lariat for 2. KOBE hits an enziguiri. He hits mounted punches and puts on a cross armbreaker. Kawauchi immediately gets to the ropes. KOBE puts on an armbar. Kawauchi gets to the ropes. KOBE puts on the rear naked choke. Kawauchi rolls over so KOBE puts on the armbar and then the cross armbreaker. Kawauchi gets to the ropes. He hits a side slam. He hits another for 2. He hits a facebuster, bouncing KOBE’s head on the mat. He hits another side slam for 2. KOBE hits the spinning back fist for 2. Kawauchi hits a dragon screw. KOBE catches him with a kick and hits another spinning back fist. He punts Kawauchi’s head and puts on the Bukogatame for the win at 7:59. This was pretty much the exact same match as the previous one, but Kawauchi got a little carried away with that side slam in this and didn’t measure up to Fujita. When do you ever see me say ANYONE can’t measure up to Fujita? This was certainly a different time.
Rating: **¼
January 30, 2000 – Yokkaichi, Japan
CIMA {CM} , Sumo Fuji {CM} & MAKOTO {CM} vs. Magnum TOKYO, Masaaki Mochizuki & Tiger Mask IV {MP}
Mask and MAKOTO go at it to start. Mochizuki and Fuji tag in because they hate each other. Fuji goes to the eyes. Mochizuki hits chest kicks. Fuji hits a shoulder tackle. Mochizuki hits a back kick. TOKYO hits CIMA with a head scissor takedown. He hits a facebuster. Fuji elbows Mask for 2. He pulls on the mask. Mask armdrags MAKOTO. He hits a monkey flip. Mochizuki hits Fuji with leg kicks. He puts on a half crab. CIMA makes the save. Everyone brawls on the floor. TARU and SUWA get involved. CIMA uses a chair to decimate TOKYO’s leg. The action stays intense on the floor despite being there for a long time. In the ring TOKYO kicks MAKOTO but can’t capitalize. He hits a goofy senton for 2. CIMA and MAKOTO hit Mask with a dropkick sandwich. CIMA goes after the mask but can’t quite manage to get it off. He hits TOKYO with a senton and a dropkick for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch and does some awesome cheating with the help of Fuji. Fuji hits a few bodyslams. TOKYO comes back with kicks. Mochizuki keeps the kick pressure up. Fuji hits a vertical suplex. Crazy Max clobbers Mochizuki to the mat. They work his back for 2. CIMA hits a low blow. He hits the double knee kick. He hits a DDT for 2. Mochizuki catches Fuji with the Sankakugeri. Mask tags in and hits CIMA with a crossbody. TOKYO hits a dropkick. Mask hits Fuji with a plancha. TOKYO hits the Gyrating Frankensteiner on CIMA. He hits a brainbuster for 2. CIMA hits a suicide dive. MAKOTO trips Mochizuki. He hits an enziguiri. He hits a low blow. He hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. Mask hits Fuji with a crossbody for 2. Fuji hits a powerslam. He hits another for 2. Mask puts on a cross armbreaker. CIMA makes the save. TOKYO kicks Mask by mistake. CIMA hits the Venus. He hits a superkick. He hits another Venus and the Iconoclasm. Fuji hits palm strikes. MAKOTO hits the Vampire Head Scissor Takedown. CIMA hits another superkick. Fuji hits a lariat for 2. Mask and Mochizuki hit Fuji with a missile dropkick sandwich. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. TOKYO hits the Viagra Driver for 2. He hits a quebrada on CIMA. Mochizuki beats the crap out of Fuji. SUWA stops the Sankakugeri with a thrown chair. Fuji hits a lariat. Mochizuki hits a kick to the face and the Sankakugeri. He hits the Twister for the win at 20:55. This was as fun as the six-man tag earlier in the show, with smarter wrestling from Crazy Max and the added benefit of Mask being confident where Dragon Kid was wobbly.
Rating: ****¼
