Wrestle Association "R"

[Agahnim Demen]

In the early months of 2005, various independant promotions of Japan were said to have been 'bought out' by an anonymous buyer.

Only a few weeks after these actions, in a large press conference, Genichiro Tenryu and his brother-in-law Masatomo Takei hinted at a possible resurrection of Wrestle Association "R", five years after its demise. They also hinted at a recent income of money that inspired the rebirth of the company, but gave no clue as to the source of said income. Tenryu assured the fans that unlike Super World of Sports, this company would be based upon the strong tradition of Pro Wrestling in Japan, and would showcase the strongest and most spirited Wrestlers from across Japan. They claimed to be starting a revolution in Japanese Pro Wrestling.

Several weeks after the press conference, posters were released to the press. The posters announced the first Wrestle Association "R" tour, "WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO", with the companies motto; "PRO-WRES SUPER REVOLUTION".

Several wrestlers were featured on the poster; Genichiro Tenryu, Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshihiro Takayama, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoru Sayama, Kazuyuki Fujita, Riki Choshu, The Great Sasuke, Yoshihiro Asai and Tatsumi Fujinami. The tour was said to come to its climax in Tokyo's Sumo Hall.

WRESTLE ASSOCIATION "R"

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

PRO-WRES SUPER REVOLUTION

Edited March 14, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

26th February 2005

Another press conference is held in association with the re-opening of Wrestle Association "R". Genchiro Tenryu along with his brother-in-law Masatomo Takei, Junior legends Jushin Thunder Liger and Tatsumi Fujinami, attended the conference.

Tenryu stated that in recent years he has felt as if he was losing the Mr. Puroresu that once defeated the likes of Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba. He added that in those days, he beat them at their own game; and with all due respect to Baba-san, he intended to do the same once more. He stated that he would revitalise his own career and revolutionise Pro Wrestling as it is in Japan.

Takei admitted that the closure of Pro Wrestling Dragon Gate and North Eastern Pro Wrestling were not a coincidence where the rebirth of Wrestle Association "R" is concerned. Many of the workers who were apart of those promotions will be welcomed into WAR with open arms. He concluded by saying that he would be taking the presidencial role within WAR, and would be handling a lot of the talent that come and go from the company.

Liger added that he would not exclusively be working for Wreste Association "R", and that New Japan was still a high priority of his, along with continual appearances in Osaka Pro. He claimed that he was looking forward to bringing a strong Junior spirit into WAR, that would hopefully lead to a bright future for the division.

In a comment that shocked many of the press, Tatsumi Fujinami stated that he had been friends with Tenryu for many years now, having worked with WAR in the past. As a part of New Japan he said that his wrestling future was becoming increasingly questionable, especially with the uprising of many of New Japans younger workers. Fujinami is confident that in WAR he will be able to work to his full potential and achieve all he can, not be held down by younger workers who he said were beginning to dominate the shows in NJPW.

Tenryu concluded the press conference by announcing that this new era for WAR brought many new challangers, and that many of them deserved an equal shot at the J-1 title he once held. He felt that the J-1 Tournmament which would be apart of this initial tour would give them that opportunity, but he warns all who participate that he would be participating in the tournament.

The upcoming dates and locations were then announced by Masatomo Takei.

None of the four would answer any questions as to the source of the recent income that allowed for Wrestle Association "R" to be re-opened, and the closure of Dragon Gate and Michinoku Pro.

"WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT"

Takamatsu City Gymnasium

02/03/05

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Sapporo Teisen Hall

09/03/05

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

16/03/05

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO 2005 ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

Edited March 3, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

27th February 2005

Soon after the revival of Wrestle Association "R" was announced, Riki Choshu held a conference wherein he made clear that due to the recent events within Japanese Pro Wrestling, the opening of "BIG MOUTH" was cancelled. Choshu further stated that he would now be devoting his time to WAR, along with many workers who were originally planning on working with BIG MOUTH.

28th February 2005

Masatomo Takei announced a few matches for the upcoming WAR tour, along with a few of the wrestlers who may be a part of the J-1 Tournament. The actual eight who will be selected for the tournament will be announced on the first date in Takamatsu.

J-1 Tournament Contenders

Genichiro Tenryu

Kensuke Sasaki

Riki Choshu

Kazuyuki Fujita

Katsuyori Shibata

Yoshihiro Takayama

Jinsei Shinzaki

Nobutaka Araya

Osamu Kido

Ryuma Go

Shiro Koshinaka

Tatsumi Fujinami

Yoshiaki Fujiwara

"WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT"

Takamatsu City Gymnasium

02/03/05

1. Taiji Ishimori & Nobuhiko Takada v Susumu Yokosuka & Koji Ishinriki

2. The Great Sasuke & Satoru Sayama v Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami

3. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki, Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Sapporo Teisen Hall

09/03/05

1. Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

16/03/05

1. Genichiro Tenryu & X v Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 3

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 4

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

Tournament Semi Final Bout 1

Tournament Semi Final Bout 2

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

Tournament Final Bout

Edited March 3, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

1st March 2005

The full card for the Takamatsu City Gymnasium WAR show on 02/03/2005 was released to the press.

"WAR: RAISING TENRYU 2005 ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT"

Takamatsu City Gymnasium

02/03/05

1. Junior Exhibition Match: Darkness Dragon v Milano Collection AT

2. Junior Exhibition Match: Masao Orihara v CIMA

3. Taiji Ishimori & Nobuhiko Takada v Susumu Yokosuka & Koji Ishinriki

4. Different Style Fight: Minoru Suzuki v Masaaki Satake

5. Osamu Kido & Super Shisa v Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa

6. Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami v The Great Sasuke & Satoru Sayama

7. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki, Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

A brief explanation of the "Different Style Fight" rules were given in that it will consist of one thirty minute round, to be concluded by submission, knock out or on the referees decision. Certain members of the press have stated that the rules had several similarities with that of a K-1 style fight. The purpose of the Junior exhibition matches were not heavily touched on, however it has been said that they may simply be an introduction for what people can expect from the WAR junior division.

Edited March 2, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

WAR: RAISING TENRYU SERIES 2005 2/03/05

The attendance for the Takamatsu City Gymnasium was almost unmistakable as a full house, in what was a very significant night for Genichiro Tenryu and the WAR promotion.

One of the initial surprises for the night was the appearance of Akira Maeda in an announcing role, but it is unknown at this time whether this one just a one off, or if Maeda is actually in an regular contracted role for Wrestle Association "R". He was working alongside regular Joshi announcer Kiyoharu Ujiie, in what could be considered as being slightly more unusual than the appearance of Maeda.

1. Junior Exhibition Match: Milano Collection AT v Darkness Dragon

Right off the bat, K-ness made his way to the ring to mixed reactions from the crowd, but the fans were strongly behind Milano Collection AT upon his arrival. In what could easily be described as an all action sprint, Milano and K-Ness were trying their hardest to impress the crowd. Milano went up top for a lot of his repetiore, almost dominating a uncharacteristically ground based K-Ness, with the exception of a top rope springboard leg drop to a downed Milano. The match came to its conclusion just after the seven minute mark when Milano used a fishermans suplex variation to put K-Ness away. Although quite short, the match was still a very successful debut for the WAR junior division, and a great start to the event.

2. Junior Exhibition Match: Masao Orihara v CIMA

Former WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Holder Masao Orihara recieved quite a warm reaction from the Takamatsu crowd, but CIMA was certainly the fan favourite this night. This match took a little while to get going, in what seemed to be some miscommunication between the two, but things eventually started to pick up. Both workers made regular use of the top rope with springboard clotheslines and dropkicks in an exciting back and forth bout. A T-Bone suplex followed by the Mad Splash from the top by CIMA put Orihara away just ahead of the eight minute mark.

3. Taiji Ishimori & Nobuhiko Takada v Susumu Yokosuka & Koji Ishinriki

The third successive junior match of the night gave the impression of WAR having quite a strong junior division. The fans were very mixed for this junior tag match, with Ishimori and Yokosuka recieving the best responses when they took to the ring. They notably seemed happier to see Takada however, as opossed to the silence Ishin Riki was met with at all times. This match was quite mediocre for the most part however, with Ishinriki grounding Ishimori for a lot of the match. The pace began to pick up whenever Yokosuka was in against Takada or Ishimori. Yokosuka hit Ishimori with a big powerbomb, followed by a leg drop from the top rope that almost put Ishimori down, and the fans really got behind Ishimori at this point. After fighting back for a while, Susumu tagged in Ishin Riki. Taiji knocked Ishinriki down with a calf kick and followed it up with his jumping somersault elbow that nearly got three on Ishin Riki. Taiji caught Ishinriki on his way up and held him down for three with a La Magistral.

4. Different Style Fight: Minoru Suzuki v Masaaki Satake

Eiji Ezaki (Hayabusa) was a guest announced for this bout, where he revealed that the rules for this match were practically identical to that of a K-1 fight, but with elbows and closed fists being endorsed. Suzuki dominated Satake for most of the bout, grounding Satake and keeping him down with elbows for some time; elbows that eventually cut Satake open just under the eye. Minoru went for some kind of knee lock, but Masaaki was quick to escape and was anxious to get to his feet. The crowd were very much behind Satake at this point, having been down and in the reception of countless elbows for over two minutes. He fought back with several sharp kicks to the legs of Suzuki, and went in for a takedown of his own. However, Suzuki managed to reverse the takedown attempt, getting behind Satake and locking in a rear naked choke that he used to take Masaaki to the ground. The referee called an end to the match after a few seconds of the choke, when Satake didn't seem to be able to respond.

5. Osamu Kido & Super Shisa v Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa

Kido was surprisingly active in this match up, almost managing to keep up with his unusual partner in Super Shisa. Koshinaka and Hoshikawa seemed to be working very closely in this match, and appeared to work well together as a team. The two dominated Shisa for the majority of the match, constantly keeping Shisa from getting the tag to Kido. Shisa managed to get to the top and hit a standing Hoshikawa with a moonsault, that enabled Shisa to eventually get the tag to Kido. Kido received quite a generous reception from the fully booked Takamatsu Gymnasium. Hoshikawa managed to tag in Koshinaka who managed to get the upper hand on Kido, who would eventually tag Shisa back in. In an impressive display of resiliance, Shisa managed to kick out of a big powerbomb from Koshinaka, but the following Hip Attack proved to be too much for Shisa.

6.Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami v The Great Sasuke & Satoru Sayama

The fans were very excited to see Sasuke and Sayama teaming together, and were behind both of them for the entirety of the bout. Sayama showed tremendous resiliance against onslaughts from both Kashin and Murakami, managing to escape a shoot style take down from Murakami. Sasuke flew to the outside on a couple of occassions to hit Kashin and Murakami respectively when they tried to roll to the outside for some recovery time. Sasuke and Sayama utilised an entertaining and impressive looking Spinning Back Kick combination on both Kashin and Murakami simultaneously. Kashin was constantly looking to work on the arms and legs of both Sasuke and Sayama, with Murkamai just doing whatever he could to harm them. Sasuke eventually hit Murakami with the Sasuke Special while Sayama distracted Kashin, which was enough to get the three count.

Sayama took the microphone, and stated that he was very excited to be back in the ring again, and looked forward to always raising the bar in the WAR junior division for as long as he can. Sasuke added that he was sad to see Michinoku Pro go, but he was confident that it was the righ decision, and that he may be dedicating more time to wrestling than he was previously.

Masatomo Takei came out to the ring to announce who the eight members of the J-1 Tournament would be; Genichiro Tenryu, Riki Choshu, Yoshihiro Takayama, Jinsei Shinzaki, Kensuke Sasaki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kazuyuki Fujita and Minoru Suzuki. The tournament would come to its conclusion on 06/06/05 in the famous Tokyo Sumo Hall, where Takei said he hoped the International Junior Heavyweight Title would be up for grabs, but the wrestlers would have to demonstrate an interest in becoming a leader for the WAR Junior division as well as in ring skill and a strong junior spirit. He asked the crowd to enjoy the final match of the evening to conclude.

7. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takayama and Kazuyuki Fujita vs Kensuke Sasaki, Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami

The crowd was very excited about this main event, with "TENRYU!", "CHOSHU!" and "KENSUKE!" chants occuring regularly throughout the match. Tenryu seemded to be in great shape and was very active throughout the match, which was perhaps a bit shorter than the fans would have liked, lasting almost twenty five minutes. Sasaki and Choshu went up against Fujita and Takayama in the early minutes of the match, where they wore themselves out using all their big moves early on. Fujinami came in against Takayama, and showed great fighting spirit, but began to waver when Tenryu finally came in. Choshu, Sasaki, Fujita and Takayama began brawling outside, and Tenryu hit the 55-year-old on Fujinami to finish him off. Tenryu lifted Fujinami and raised his arm, before they all headed to the back.

"WAR: RAISING TENRYU 2005 ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT", 02/03/05

Takamatsu City Gymnasium

3,046 Fans

1. Junior Exhibition Match: Milano Collection AT beat Darkness Dragon with a fisherman suplex variation. (7:38)

2. Junior Exhibition Match: CIMA beat Masao Orihara with the Mad Splash. (8:24)

3. Taiji Ishimori & Nobuhiko Takada beat Susumu Yokosuka & Koji Ishinriki, when Ishimori rolled up Ishinriki with a La Magistral. (11:57)

4. Different Style Fight: Minoru Suzuki beat Masaaki Satake when Satake passed out to the rear naked choke. (8:57)

5. Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa beat Osamu Kido & Super Shisa when Koshinaka hit Shisa with the Hip Attack. (14:22)

6. The Great Sasuke & Satoru Sayama beat Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami when Sasuke caught Murakami with the Sasuke Special. (16:09)

7. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita beat Kensuke Sasaki, Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami when Tenryu hit Fujinami with the 53-year-old. (24:58)

Edited February 3, 2006 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

4th March 2005

Tatsumi Fujinami expressed his pleasure at being made a participant in the J-1 Tournament at a small press conference . He stated that this would be the perfect opportunity to strengthen his career, something he doubted would have been possible if he remained in New Japan. It seemed that there was some resentment with regards to Fujinami's departure from New Japan, but that Fujinami and Inoki were still good friends. He ended the conference by claiming that he hoped to get the chance to face Tenryu during the tournament, to get some revenge for his recent 02/03 tag match defeat.

5th March 2005

More matches were announced for the upcoming tour;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Sapporo Teisen Hall

09/03/05

1. Katsuyori Shibata v Shigeo Okumura

2. Genichiro Tenryu & Nobutaka Araya v Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa

3. Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami

4. Kensuke Sasaki & Jinsei Shinzaki v Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

16/03/05

1. Genichiro Tenryu & X v Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1: Minoru Suzuki v Jinsei Shinzaki

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2: Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & X v Kensuke Sasaki & Satoru Sayama

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 3: Yoshihiro Takayama v Riki Choshu

Tournament Quarter Final Bout 4: Genichiro Tenryu v Tatsumi Fujinami

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

Tournament Semi Final Bout 1

Tournament Semi Final Bout 2

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

Tournament Final Bout

Edited March 3, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

7th March 2005

Genichiro Tenryu spoke with the press to discuss the direction of the promotion, and his own feelings on his career. He touched heavily on the history of the company and where he sees it going from here on;

"...as many of you are aware, in 1990 I left All Japan with several friends of mine to create the promotion "Super World of Sports". My mistake with this promotion was not to stress to the fans the meaning of it, or its direction, and as such it fell through. In 1992 I had a fresh start when WAR was originally created and made clear that there was nothing aritificial about it; WAR was hard hitting, empassioned puroresu, but many only saw it as a mildly entertaining alternative to All Japan and New Japan. I was all too aware that in this state the company wouldn't last, and in the year 2000 it all came to an end. However when I was backstage at the 02/03 show, I was reminded strongly of the first WAR show on the fourteenth of April 1992; reminded strongly of the desire and passion that built the promotion. Whilst the 02/03 show was admittedly not the greatest show to have come from my promotion, I feel it was a strong new beginning.

In my career I have always strived for the highest peaks of success, always pushing the boundaries and going that extra mile for myself, and for the fans. I am the only Japanese man to hold victories over both Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, I was the first man to have held both the Triple Crown and IWGP Heavyweight Titles; many times I have triumphed over New Japan and All Japan. However with WAR it seemed as if this victory I strived for over both Baba and Inoki on the promotional scale was always an arms reach away. Now I know that I can't stand back while puroresu losing its meaning, and I will do whatever it takes to bring a revolution to pro wrestling in this company, hold true to the name "Mr. Puroresu" and show people what pro wrestling in Japan really means. WAR will conquer puroresu for the sake of the sport, and for the fans."

He also announced the full card for the upcoming 09/03 show;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Sapporo Teisen Hall

09/03/05

1. Masaaki Mochizuki v Taiji Ishimori

2. TARU & Tatsutoshi Goto v Osamu Kido & Yoshiaki Fujiwara

3. Magnum TOKYO & Darkness Dragon (Do FIXER revival) v Milano Collection AT & Super Shisa

4. Katsuyori Shibata v Shigeo Okumura

5. Genichiro Tenryu & Nobutaka Araya v Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa

6. Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami

7. Kensuke Sasaki & Jinsei Shinzaki v Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki

Edited March 14, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

WAR: RAISING TENRYU SERIES 2005 09/03/05

The Sapporo Teisen Hall was the location for this event, the second show on the WAR rebirth tour; and the seats seemed to be filled from the ringside to the rafters.

1. Taiji Ishimori v Masaaki Mochizuki

Little time was wasted as Taiji Ishimori made his way to the ring, followed shortly by Masaaki Mochizuki. The larger of the two in Mochizuki dominated for much of the match, keeping Ishimori down for as long as possible; with the exception of the occassional burst of speed from Taiji. Mochizuki had many close pin attempts before Ishimori caught him by surprise in the La Magistral for the three count. Mochizuki looked irrate as he left the ring.

2. TARU & Tatsutoshi Goto v Osamu Kido & Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Fujiwara and Kido began the match working on TARU, but when he managed to get the tag, Goto began to isolate Fujiwara. Goto and TARU took turns at keeping Fujiwara grounded and in the wrong corner. Fujiwara managed to burst out of the corner and catch TARU with a stiff clothesline before getting the tag to Kido. TARU managed to tag in Tatsutoshi, but began brawling with Fujiwara; allowing Kido to hit the Kido Clutch on Tatsutoshi Goto for the three count.

3. Do FIXER vs Milano Collection AT and Super Shisa

Super Shisa followed Milano Collection AT to the ring, before Do FIXER made their entrance; dancing for some time upon their entry to the ring before the match began. Shisa and Darkness Dragon started the match first in a fast paced, back and forth competition of one-upsmanship, before K-ness tagged in Magnunm TOKYO to really wear down Super Shisa. Shisa managed to tag in a fresh Milano who went to work on both TOKYO and K-Ness. After gaining the advantage over Do FIXER, with K-Ness now the legal man, Milano tagged Shisa back into the match. Shisa and K-ness had a spirited battle before Shisa managed to keep Darkness Dragon down for the three count with the Shisa clutch. Milano and Shisa mocked Do FIXER by dancing in the ring for a while after the match, when TOKYO grabbed a microphone and told the two that there was a third member of Do FIXER that Milano knew all too well.

4. Katsuyori Shibata v Shigeo Okumura

A very one sided match up from start to finish, Okumura had little in the way of offence from the when the bell rang at the start of the match to when he tapped to the Cross Camel Clutch of Shibata's at the end. Backstage after the match, reporters caught up with Shibata who had this to say;

"I am very disappointed that Takei didn't make me a part of the J-1 Tournament. I proved out there why I am more than worthy to be a part of it, and that I am definetly J-1 material. WAR needs young talent like me as the top of its promotion, to help solidify its future; not old has beens like.. Takayama and Choshu."

He pushed the camera away from his face before storming off.

5. Genichiro Tenryu & Nobutaka Araya v Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa

Tenryu held the advantage for most of this match, giving little up to Koshinaka or Hoshikawa. He occassionally let Araya in to work over Hoshikawa before demanding to be tagged back in. Later in the match, Tenryu tagged in Araya to allow him the chance to finish of Hoshikawa, but Hoshikawa managed to shrug him off and get the tag to Koshinaka. Naohiro held back Tenryu on the outside while Shiro hit Araya with the hip attack to take him down for the three count. After the match, Tenryu entered the ring and gave Araya a stiff punch to the jaw before turning his back on him and walking off.

6. Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami

An unmasked Ultimo Dragon in Yoshihiro Asai received some mixed reactions from the crowd, but they were fairly behind him for the duration of the match, along with his partner Dragon Kid. It seemed that Asai and Dragon Kid had grown apart in recent times, but this match seemed to reveal that they were in good spirits together. Kashin and Murakami seemed to be working very well together however, functioning successfully as a cohesive unit; perhaps due in part to their somewhat similar styles. Murakami and Kashin managed to isolate Asai for a great period of time, focusing very methodically on his arm. Yoshihiro managed to turn the tide of the match however, after pulling off a springboard Asai moonsault on an unsuspecting Murakami. Asai tagged in Dragon Kid, who began a fast paced assault on both Murakami and Kashin, while Asai rolled to the outside to recover. The referee went to the outside to check on Asai, who seemed to be greatly favouring his arm, when Murakami hit Dragon Kid with a metallic object thrown to him by Kashin, allowing Murakami to pick up the win. Backstage after the match, Asai seemed to be very angry about the way in which Murakami won the match, and demanded a singles match against him on the next date of the tour.

7. Kensuke Sasaki & Jinsei Shinzaki v Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki

The longest match up of the evening was certainly the most physical of them all. It seemed that Sasaki and Suzuki still had some unfinished business from their past rivalries, as they really gave it their all in an intense and brutal battle. Shinzaki was arguably out of place in this match up, but certainly prove why he was chosen as a participant in the J-1 Tournament, producing just as physical a performance as was given by any other in this match. Sasaki dominated the ring against Takayama and Suzuki for a great length of time, but was eventually worn down by both men, who kept him in their corner for some time in the later half of the match. A few thuderous lariats allowed for Sasaki to get the tag back to Shinzaki who had a physical battle with Takayama, pulling out a moonsault, a top rope bulldog and a number of powerbombs to try and keep Takayama down. However on this day it seemed Takayama was the stronger of the two, surviving the offence of Shinzaki, and finshing him off with a running knee strike and the everest german suplex that got the three. Shinzaki seemed disappointed by his loss, but backstage after the match he promised revenge at the J-1 Tournament; after he takes out Suzuki.

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT, 09/03/05

Sapporo Teisen Hall

2,271 Fans

1. Taiji Ishimori defeated Masaaki Mochizuki with the La Magistral. (7:02)

2. Osamu Kido & Yoshiaki Fujiwara defeated TARU & Tatsutoshi Goto when Osamu Kido caught Goto with the Kido Clutch. (12:23)

3. Milano Collection AT & Super Shisa defeated Magnum TOKYO & Darkness Dragon when Shisa caught K-Ness with the Shisa Clutch. (13:35)

4. Katsuyori Shibata defeated Shigeo Okumura when he made Okumura tap with the Cross Camel Clutch. (9:12)

5. Shiro Koshinaka & Naohiro Hoshikawa defeated Genichiro Tenryu & Nobutaka Araya when Koshinaka hit Araya with the Hip Attack. (13:58)

6. Kendo Kashin & Kazunari Murakami defeated Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid when Murakami hit Dragon Kid with a foreign object. (14:44)

7. Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki defeated Kensuke Sasaki & Jinsei Shinzaki when Takayama hit Shinzaki with the Everest German Suplex. (22:29)

Edited February 3, 2006 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

11th March 2005

Wrestle Association "R" held a press conference with a number of its top names to discuss the tour. Many of the workers had something to say about their position within WAR.

Shiro Koshinaka claimed that he felt this new revival of WAR would be the best place to continue his career at this point, having been in the WAR promotion in its older days, and being a former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Title holder with Tenryu. He mentioned that he had built a friendship with Junior worker Naohiro Hoshikawa since arriving in WAR, and hoped to build upon it, and perhaps revive the old Heisei Ishingun stable that he claimed was nWo and Black New Japan well before either of those stables were around.

Yoshihiro Takayama responded to the statement made by Katsuyori Shibata at the 09/03 show. He said that he knows what must be going through the mind of Shibata, as he was once young and determined; but he warned Shibata not to treat his elders with disrespect. Takayama added that if Shibata truly beleives that he is 'passed it' then he challanges him to a match at the next event, wherein if he can defeat Takayama, he can have his J-1 Tournament spot.

Nobuhiko Takada spoke briefly about his place in WAR, and the future of the HUSTLE promotion. He claimed to believe that the HUSTLE promotion has a certain significance, that he feels will aid WAR in the future; helping take down its competition a peg or two. He will still appear on HUSTLE shows, and be active there in a backstage capacity, but would now be seen wrestling exclusively for Wrestle Association "R".

Finally, Milano Collection AT discussed his feelings about the junior division of WAR and responded to the comment made by Magnum TOKYO at the 09/03 event. He promised to strive as hard as physically possible to set a particular standard for the WAR junior division, but to look as good as physically possible when doing it. In response to Magnum TOKYO's threat of a third Do FIXER member he would know; Milano said that this didn't frighten him and that he challanges Do FIXER to a battle. He gave no clue as to who his team members would be or if he planned on reforming the Italian Connection.

Furthermore, no clues were given as to who the 'X' is on the upcoming WAR shows; but Masatomo Takei promised it would shock the wrestling world.

A few additional matches were announed for the upcoming tour;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

16/03/05

1. Genichiro Tenryu & X v Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

2. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1: Minoru Suzuki v Jinsei Shinzaki

3. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2: Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki

4. Satoru Sayama v Kendo Kashin

5. Tournament Qualifier: Yoshihiro Takayama v Katsuyori Shibata

6. Yoshihiro Asai v Kazunari Murakami

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & X v Kensuke Sasaki & Satoru Sayama

2. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 3: Yoshihiro Takayama v Riki Choshu

3. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 4: Genichiro Tenryu v Tatsumi Fujinami

4. Milano Collection AT + 2 v Magnum TOKYO, K-Ness & ?

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

Tournament Semi Final Bout 1

Tournament Semi Final Bout 2

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

Tournament Final Bout

Edited March 8, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

14th March 2005

Masatomo Takei and Akira Maeda met with the press to discuss the direction of the promotion. Takei stated that on the final date of the Raising Tenryu tour at the Tokyo Sumo Hall he would like to see all of the Wrestle Association "R" titles up for grabs; the same titles that were used on the initial years of WAR.

The Japan J-1 Title is the grand prize of Wrestle Association "R". It only has one previous holder in Genichiro Tenryu after he defeated Nobutaka Araya in the final of a seven man tournament on the 14th of January 1998.

The World 6-Man Tag Team Title was the first title created for Wrestle Association "R" to award, due to the great standard of teams within WAR. The first holders of the 6-Man Tag Team Titles was the team of the late Hiromichi Fuyuki alongside Gedo & Jado; who defeated the team of Genichiro Tenryu, Animal Hamaguchi & Kouki Kitahara in the final of an eight team tournament.

The International Junior Heavyweight Title was introduced due to the outstanding number and quality of Junior Heavyweights in Wrestle Association "R". This title was up for grabs in an 8-man tournament, and was won by Gedo after he defeated 'Lion Heart' in the final.

The number of quality Junior workers was so much so, that the International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title was introduced. It was first held by Gedo & 'Lion Heart' who defeated Lance Storm & Yuji Yasuraoka in the final of a 5-team round-robin tournament.

Akira Maeda said that while the company was only once again finding its feet, he was confident that it would keep on growing from here on. He stated that he, Takei and Eiji Ezaki would be paying very close attention to the roster of Wrestle Association "R" on the run up to the final date of this tour, in order to properly assess who should be viable for title shots. Maeda admitted that there were certain Juniors he was looking at personally for the Junior Titles;

Kazunari Murakami

Kendo Kashin

Jushin Thunder Liger

Naohiro Hoshikawa

They also announced the remaining match for the upcoming 15/03 show;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

16/03/05

1. Magnum TOKYO v Super Shisa

2. Yoshihiro Asai v Kazunari Murakami

3. Tournament Qualifier: Yoshihiro Takayama v Katsuyori Shibata

4. Satoru Sayama v Kendo Kashin

5. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1: Minoru Suzuki v Jinsei Shinzaki

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2: Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki

7. Genichiro Tenryu & X v Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

Edited March 3, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

WAR RAISING TENRYU SERIES 2005 16/03/05

Maeda and Ujiie welcomed the fans before taking their seats at the broadcast table in the Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium. The pair were really hyping up the debut of 'X' at the announce table, as well as the various J-1 tournament bouts to be held throughout the evening.

1. Magnum TOKYO vs Super Shisa

This match seemed to be a continuation of the Junior Exhibition theme that began at the opening WAR show. Magnum TOKYO came to the ring with Darkness Dragon who joined him for a bizarre dance before Super Shisa made his way down. TOKYO was very cocky and confident throughout, using his strength advantage to ground Shisa. However, TOKYO was so confident that he chose to take a short break from the action to dance to the crowd; and Shisa took advantage of the situation with a reverse hurricanrana. Shisa made a suplex attempt, but TOKYO slid through and reversed it into a reverse DDT that caught a weakned Shisa off guard, and was enough to get thee three count. K-Ness and TOKYO danced some more before making their way to the back.

2. Yoshihiro Asai vs Kazunari Murakami

Asai seemed to be in good shape coming into this match against the much younger Murakami. Murakami fought well against Asai, using his shooting experience to gain the upper hand at times, however the experience of Asai turned out to be too much for him; and Asai put him away with the Asai DDT. Kashin came to the ring to help a rather angry looking Murakami to his feet.

3.Tournament Qualifier: Yoshihiro Takayama vs Katsuyori Shibata

Takayama seemed very focused going into this match, but Shibata too seemed to be ready for what he was up against. Shibata fought well against Takayama, at times going blow for blow with the more experienced Takayama. However when the match reached the ten minute mark, Shibata began to really show signs of tiring and soon after fell for the three count due to a vicious running knee kick from Takayama. This meant that Takayama would still be participating in the J-1 Tournament. Backstage after the match, Shibata seemed to be very disappointed in his own performance, and vowed to never show such weakness again.

4. Satoru Sayama vs Kendo Kashin

Before the match got underway, Kashin grabbed a microphone and claimed that Sayama was well past his prime, and that he would prove it here. For much of the match it seemed as if Kashin was holding to his word, as he went to work in the arm of Sayama. It soon turned out however, that his arm work had been for nothing, when Sayama began to hit Kashin with numerous kicks and a spinning back kick. Murakami came to the ring just when Sayama seemed to have gained the advantage; when Murakami had the referee distracted, Jushin Thunder Liger ran into the ring and struck Sayama with a running palm strike. Kashin quickly took advantage of this situation, and rolled up Sayama in a unique pinning combination to get the three count.

Backstage after the match Liger stated that he would not be overshadowed by Sayama, that he would lead the Junior division of WAR, and that he will do whatever it takes to achieve this.

5. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1: Minoru Suzuki v Jinsei Shinzaki

This match is the first bout in the J-1 Tournament. Shinzaki and Suzuki appeared to be mentally prepared for their match, with Shinzaki looking to gain vengeance for his loss to the team of Takayama and Suzuki the week before. The two fought a very physical battle, with Suzuki appearing to be somewhat cocky; sticking his tongue out at Shinzaki during submission holds. This wouldn't distract Shinzaki though, who hit out at Suzuki with his trademark praying rope walk jumping chop attack, and powerbomb. Suzuki was resiliant however, and manage to survive the onslaught of Shinzaki before striking back with a variety of maneuvers himself. Shinzaki also seemed to be displaying great tenacity and fighting spirit as he powered out of Suzuki's submission holds. The eventually came to its end when Suzuki ran at Shinzaki and avoided a lariat, only to rebound and catch Shinzaki in a spinning choke sleeper hold. Shinzaki lasted some time in the hold, but could only last so long, giving the semi final spot to Minoru Suzuki.

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2: Kazuyuki Fujita v Kensuke Sasaki

The second match of the J-1 Tournament was a rematch of a controversial New Japan IWGP Heavyweight championship bout that occurred the year before, and as such the two seemed to be very anxious to come to blows. Sasaki came at Fujita with a lot of high impact offence early on in the match, but this gave Fujita the opportunity to wear down Sasaki with a sleeper hold; a this put the two in a similar situation as that which ended the controversial IWGP Heavyweight Title match, with Fujita on his back holding Sasaki on top of him in a sleeper hold. It seemed that Fujita had learned from his past mistake though, and managed to move before the three count took place. Fujita seemed to have the upper hand as the match reached the fifteen minute mark, but in a burst of energy Sasaki managed to hit Fujita with three successive lariats before putting him down with the Northern Lights Driver to get the three count.

7. Genichiro Tenryu & X v Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami

The crowd seemed excited as Eiji Ezaki began announcing the entrants for this match up, eager to see who it was that would 'shock the wrestling world'. Choshu and Fujinami were the first to enter, followed by Tenryu who stopped half way down the aisle, before turning back and pointing to the entry way. Ezaki then announced the next competitor as being 'Lion Heart' who was none other than Chris Jericho from the WWE; who was once a competitor in Wrestle Association "R" in its earlier years under the 'Lion Heart' name. Lion Heart started the match against Choshu; the two began exchanging strikes before Choshu struck Lion Heart with a huge Riki Lariat, that led to Lion Heart tagging in Tenryu. Tenryu managed to weaken Choshu, but Choshu was not without offence, battling against Tenryu with fierce tenacity. Choshu eventually tagged in Fujinami, who was eager to battle Tenryu and came at him with a number of quick strikes and moves. Tenryu, seemingly overwhelmed, tagged Lion Heart back in, who managed to gain the advantage over Fujinami. Fujinani managed to bring Choshu back into the fight, and he had a back and forth battle with Lion Heart. Lion Heart hit Choshu with a low kick, staggering him, and ran to the ropes; only to be elbowed in the back by Fujinami. Lion Heart staggered forwards and walked right into to a recovered Choshu and a Riki Lariat. Choshu covered Lion Heart for the three count, while Fujinami ran over and stopped Tenryu from breaking up the pin.

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT, 16/03/05

Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium

3,000 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Magnum TOKYO defeated Super Shisa with a reverse DDT. (7:59)

2. Yoshihiro Asai defeated Kazunari Murakami with an Asai DDT. (8:02)

3. Tournament Qualifier: Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Katsuyori Shibata with a running knee kick. (11:47)

4. Kendo Kashin defeated Satoru Sayama with a pinning combination. (13:14)

5. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 1: Minoru Suzuki defeated Jinsei Shinzaki with a choke sleeper hold. (14:33)

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 2: Kensuke Sasaki defeated Kazuyuki Fujita with the Northern Lights Bomb. (16:25)

7. Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Genichiro Tenryu & Lion Heart when Choshu hit Lion Heart with a Riki Lariat. (21:57)

Edited February 3, 2006 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

18th March 2005

Another press conference was held featuring a number of Wrestle Association "R" workers, who had this to say;

Masaaki Satake expressed his great disapproval at the recent behaviour of Katsuyori Shibata, branding him egotistical and overconfident. He challanged Shibata to a 'Different Style Fight' and stated that it wont be anywhere near as easy as his match against Okumura, and that he will humble Shibata.

Satoru Sayama, better known to many as the original Tiger Mask, struck back at Jushin Thunder Liger, who interfered in his recent match against Kendo Kashin. Sayama said he felt that the actions of Liger made him appear childish and foolish, and that as such he warranted no respect. Sayama went on to say that he felt a junior division under his lead would be prosperous for the future of WAR.

Wrestle Association "R" owner Genichiro Tenryu announced that over the next few days he and Takei would be going on an overseas scouting excursion to try and find potential talent to recruit for the WAR roster. In the original years of Wrestle Association "R" it used to feature a great number of foriegn or 'Gaijin' workers. He assured the press that he would return in time for his match against Fujinami at the next show.

Some more matches were also announced for the current tour;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

1. Nobukazu Hirai v Tatsutoshi Goto

2. Milano Collection AT +2 v Magnum TOKYO, K-Ness & ?

3. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 3: Yoshihiro Takayama v Riki Choshu

4. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 4: Genichiro Tenryu v Tatsumi Fujinami

5. Jushin Thunder Liger & Lion Heart v Kensuke Sasaki & Satoru Sayama

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Kendo Kashin v Satoru Sayama & The Great Sasuke

2. Tournament Semi Final Bout 1: Kensuke Sasaki v Minoru Suzuki

3. Tournament Semi Final Bout 2: Takayama/Choshu winner v Tenryu/Fujinami winner

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

J-1 Tournament Final Bout

Edited March 4, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

19th March 2005

The press caught up with 'Lion Heart' Chris Jericho leaving a restaurant in Japan, where they spoke to him about his appearance on the recent WAR event. Jericho said that he still kept in contact with Tenryu and Takei since working there originally in the mid 90s. He added that he spoke with Vince about his current position in the WWE, and he allowed for some leeway where his contract was concerned. Apparently Vince McMahon and Genichiro Tenryu still have a good relationship since Tenryu appeared in the WWE in the mid 90s. Jericho also added that he would be making regular appearances for Wrestle Association "R" and planned on capturing the Japan J-1 Heavyweight title, as when he was originally a member of the WAR roster he was a junior heavyweight. He also plugged the next WWE RAW show.

20th March 2005

Milano Collection AT announced who his partners would be at the next event, and officially named them the new or 'Nuovo' Italian Connection;

Taiji Ishimori, who would now be known as Ishi Mori..

..and Masaaki Mochizuki who would now be known as MOCHI.

Edited March 4, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

22nd March 2005

This picture was taken from the 21/03/05 WWE RAW show;

.. where Genichiro Tenryu appeared as Chris Jericho's tag team partner to face Edge and Christian at the upcoming WrestleMania show. The press tried to catch up with Tenryu, Takei and Jericho at the airport in Japan when the three returned, but they had no comments to make about what this appearance actually meant. Many are speculating that it simply means that the Genichiro Tenryu has decided to work for both Wrestle Association "R" and World Wrestling Entertainment, however others have argued that it could reveal much about the income that started this resurrection of Wrestle Association "R" and perhaps also the buying out of Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling and Michinoku Pro.

Takei did however reveal some more matches for the current tour, including the first actual confirmed match for the Sumo Hall show.

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

23/03/05

1. Masao Orihara v Super Shisa

2. Nobukazu Hirai v Tatsutoshi Goto

3. Milano Collection AT, Ishi Mori & MOCHI (Italian Connection) v Magnum TOKYO, K-Ness & ?

4. Masaaki Satake & Shigeo Okumura v Katsuyori Shibata & Shiro Koshinaka

5. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 3: Yoshihiro Takayama v Riki Choshu

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout 4: Genichiro Tenryu v Tatsumi Fujinami

7. Jushin Thunder Liger & Lion Heart v Kensuke Sasaki & Satoru Sayama

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

1. Masao Orihara, Susumu Yokosuka & Katsuyori Shibata v Super Shisa, Nobuhiko Takada & Masaaki Satake

2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Kendo Kashin v Satoru Sayama & The Great Sasuke

3. Tournament Semi Final Bout 1: Kensuke Sasaki v Minoru Suzuki

4. Tournament Semi Final Bout 2: Takayama/Choshu winner v Tenryu/Fujinami winner

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

1. Different Style Fight: Masaaki Satake v Katsuyori Shibata

2. J-1 Tournament Final Bout

Edited March 5, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

WAR RAISING TENRYU SERIES 2005 23/03/05

The Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium was the location for this Wrestle Asssociation "R" show to be headlined by the third and fourth quarter final matches of the J-1 Tournament.

1. Super Shisa vs Masao Orihara

This match seemed to be a continuation of the Junior Exhibition theme that has appeared on this tour. Orihara seemed to have the advantage throughout this match, but Shisa showed great fighting spirit, striking back at Orihara to eventually pick up the win via the Shisa Clutch.

2. Nobukazu Hirai vs Tatsutoshi Goto

Two heavyweights going at it this time, the announcers seemed to favour Goto due to his age and experience advantage over Hirai. Hirai fought well against Goto, but the experience factor began to kick in as the match came to its close, as Goto hit Hirai with two big Backdrops to get the three count.

3. Masaaki Satake and Shigeo Okumura vs Katsuyori Shibata and Shiro Koshinaka

Satake and Okumura seemed to work well together on this match, sharing somewhat similar styles, with Koshinaka and Shibata teaming for the first time, and seeming to have some problems communicating. This became more obvious as the match continued, and eventually resulted in Satake catching Shibata with a big powerslam from the second turnbuckle that led to a three count. Shibata seemed irrate backstage and promised that he would extract revenge on Satake's body in the Different Style Fight match in the Sumo Hall.

4. Milano Collection AT, Taiji Ishimori and MOCHI (Italian Connection) vs Magnum TOKYO, Darkness Dragon and '?' (Do FIXER)

Milano, Ishi Mori and MOCHI came out in their usual attire, but with MOCHI and Ishi Mori sporting the Italian white, red and green. Do FIXER were then announced; the third member revealed to be Masato Yoshino, formerly YOSSINO of the Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling Italian Connection. The match was fast paced and exciting, with both teams providing some interesting and original offence. It reached its conclusion when Yoshino reversed a Hip Toss from MOCHI into a Tornado DDT that allowed Masato to pick up the victory, while K-Ness and TOKYO distracted Milano and Ishi Mori.

5. Lion Heart and Jushin Thunder Liger vs Satoru Sayama and Kensuke Sasaki

Liger was fighting in a very aggressive manner during this match, especially when he was up against Sayama; taking the match outside at times, and throwing Sayama to the guard rails. Lion Heart and Sayama put up an entertaining battle before Sayama tagged in Sasaki, who turned up the intensity and physicallity of the match. While Sayama and Liger brawled on the outside, the physicallity of the match seemed to become too much for Lion Heart, who was hit by the Northern Lights Bomb by Sasaki that lead to the three count.

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout: Yoshihiro Takayama v Riki Choshu

This was an extremely stiff and intense match between two of Japanese Pro Wrestlings toughest workers, with neither individual giving the other any chance to take a breather. Takayama caught Choshu with several big knee strikes, and almost got the three count with an Everest German, but Choshu still had the strength to power out. Choshu struck back at Takayama, tieing him up in the Sasori Gatame for a great length of time, however Takayama managed to get to the ropes. It would be in vain however, as when he got to his feet, Choshu hit him with three successive Riki Lariats that put him down for the three count.

7. Tournament Quarter Final Bout: Genichiro Tenryu v Tatsumi Fujinami

'The Dragon' Tatsumi Fujinami seemed very focused coming into this match, as he had his losses to Tenryu in tag matches to work against and rebuild from. He put up a strong fight against 'Mr. Puroresu' Genichiro Tenryu, locking him up in the Dragon Sleeper at times. Fujinami showed great resiliance, but it seemed that on this night Tenryu had the best conditioning, using his experience to eventually take the fall from Fujinami with the Powerbomb Pin.

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT, 23/03/05

Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium

3,346 Fans

1. Super Shisa defeated Masao Orihara with the Shisa Clutch. (6:58)

2. Tatsutoshi Goto defeated Nobukazu Hirai with a Backdrop Suplex. (8:34)

3. Masaaki Satake & Shigeo Okumura defeated Katsuyori Shibata & Shiro Koshinaka when Satake hit Shibata with a Powerslam from the second turnbuckle. (12:04)

4. Magnum TOKYO, K-Ness & Masato Yoshino (Do FIXER) defeated Milano Collection AT, Ishi Mori & MOCHI (Italian Connection) when Yoshino hit MOCHI with a Tornado DDT. (16:48)

5. Kensuke Sasaki & Satoru Sayama defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Lion Heart when Sasaki hit Lion Heart with the Northern Lights Bomb. (14:12)

6. Tournament Quarter Final Bout: Riki Choshu defeated Yoshihiro Takayama after hitting him with a Riki Lariat. (14:51)

7. Tournament Quarter Final Bout: Genichiro Tenryu defeated Tatsumi Fujinami with the Powerbomb pin. (18:20)

Edited February 3, 2006 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

25th March 2005

Jushin Thunder Liger was interviewed by Nikkan Sports, where he discussed his feelings about Satoru Sayama. He admitted that Sayama was a very important piece of history in puroresu, and a great influence on the junior division. He said that to many around the world, Sayama is the respresentation of Junior wrestling in Japan, but that he was sullying his own reputation by continuining to work well past his prime. He said that it was time for Sayama to pass the torch on to someone else where being the face for Japanese Juniors worldwide was concerned, and that he would take this torch forcibly if need be. He challanged Sayama to a singles match in Tokyo.

26th March 2005

In another interview, Yoshihiro Asai and Dragon Kid challanged any two members of Do FIXER to a tag match. The two said that they watched the Six Man Tag that occured on the 23/03 show, and felt that by working together they could bring the fans the best in Junior action that Wrestle Association "R" has to offer.

[Agahnim Demen]

27th March 2005

Magnum TOKYO announced to the press that he accepts the challange of Team Dragon, but demands that the match be for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. He added that his partner for the match would be Darkness Dragon, as he felt that Yoshino would have other immediate concerns.

28th March 2005

Wrestle Association "R" President Masatomo Takei announced to the press that a match between Satoru Sayama and Jushin Thunder Liger would take place at the Sumo Hall show in Tokyo, and that it would be for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title. He added that the match between Do FIXER and Team Dragon would be for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title.. he said that he would like to stress that this was not a result of the demand by Magnum TOKYO, merely something that Takei felt would be good for WAR.

Where the J-1 Tournament was concerned, Takei stated that interest had been expressed from heavyweights around Japan in fighting whoever wins the Japan J-1 Title. Particular interest had been expressed from Toshiaki Kawada, who became a freelance worker earlier in March and has been a friend of Genichiro Tenryu for many years. Takei said that the excursion to the United States was worthwhile, that he spoke with many workers in the United States who were interested in becoming regular members of the Wrestle Association "R" roster.

He also announced more matches for the 30/03 show in Hakodate;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

30/03/05

1. Shiro Koshinaka v Nobutaka Araya

2. Milano Collection AT & MOCHI v Magnum TOKYO & Masato Yoshino

3. Masao Orihara, Susumu Yokosuka & Katsuyori Shibata v Super Shisa, Nobuhiko Takada & Masaaki Satake

4. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita v Tatsumi Fujinami & Jinsei Shinzaki

5. Jushin Thunder Liger & Kendo Kashin v Satoru Sayama & The Great Sasuke

6. Tournament Semi Final Bout 1: Kensuke Sasaki v Minoru Suzuki

7. Tournament Semi Final Bout 2: Riki Choshu v Genichiro Tenryu

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

1. WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Magnum TOKYO & Darkness Dragon (Do FIXER)

2. Nobutaka Araya & Nobukazu Hirai v Shiro Koshinaka & Tatsutoshi Goto

3. Different Style Fight: Masaaki Satake v Katsuyori Shibata

4. WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger v Satoru Sayama

5. J-1 Tournament Final Bout: Winner of Sasaki/Suzuki v Winner of Tenryu/Choshu

Edited March 9, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

WAR RAISING TENRYU SERIES 2005 30/03/05

Attendance seemed quite impressive in the Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium, for this, the second last show of the Raising Tenryu Tour. On this night, the two semi final matches of the J-1 Tournament would take place to establish who would be fighting it out in the Tokyo Sumo Hall on 06/04 for the Japan J-1 Heavyweight Title.

1. Shiro Koshinaka v Nobutaka Araya

This match up is taking place through request from Araya, who seeks to regain the respect that he lost from Genichiro Tenryu, when he dropped the fall to Koshinaka and Hoshikawa when tagging with Tenryu earlier in the tour. Araya seemed somewhat distant during the match however, allowing Koshinaka to pick up the eventual win with relative ease through a Hip Attack from the top turnbuckle. Araya vowed to somehow get revenge on Koshinaka, and regain respect, when he was backstage after the match.

2. Milano Collection AT & MOCHI v Magnum TOKYO & Masato Yoshino

TOKYO and Yoshino look to solidify their reputation as two of Wrestle Association "R"'s top juniors in this match, with Milano hoping to get at Yoshino; a former Italian Connection member from their Dragon Gate days. The match was very exciting and fast paced, and seemed to be a back and forth battle throughout, with no team wanting to let anything slip. Questionable tactics eventually led to the defeat of the two Italian Connection members; with TOKYO finishing MOCHI with a running powerbomb, and Yoshino assaulting Milano on the outside. Backstage afterwards, Milano Collection challanged Yoshino to a singles match in the Sumo Hall on 06/04.

3. Masao Orihara, Susumu Yokosuka & Katsuyori Shibata v Super Shisa, Nobuhiko Takada & Masaaki Satake

Orihara, Yokosuka, Shisa and Takada go against each other again in an attempt at overcoming each other to climb the ladder of the WAR Junior division, while Satake and Shibata look to settle more personal matters. Shibata dominated Shisa for some time, in an effort to taunt Satake, but Satake managed to get a measure of revenge on Shibata, getting a successful take down on the arrogant youngster. The match came to its conclusion when Takada slipped behind Orihara and finished him off with a german suplex pin. Shibata tried to attack Satake after the match, but his partners held him back.

4. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita v Tatsumi Fujinami & Jinsei Shinzaki

Four of Wrestle Association "R"'s top heavyweights battle ot out for heavyweight division supremacy after their departure from the J-1 Tournament. Fujinami and Shinzaki were seen as the underdogs in this competition, both of them with a size disadvantage against Takayama and Fujita. It seemed that this time however, the experience of Fujinami was enough for him to overcome the opposition as he managed to finish Fujita with a tiger suplex pin. Backstage after the match, Fujinami expressed his happiness at this victory, as he feels the need to work back towards success after his succession of losses to Tenryu.

5. Jushin Thunder Liger & Kendo Kashin v Satoru Sayama & The Great Sasuke

In what was becoming a rather personal battle at the top of the Wrestle Association "R" junior division, Liger hoped to prove his worldwide superiority over Sayama. This rivalry didn't reach its conclusion awhen this match reached its end however, after an exciting battle, when Sayama pinned Kashin after a Diving Headbutt. Backstage afterwards, Kashin and Sasuke said they both wanted a match against whoever wins the International Junior Heavyweight Title.

6. Tournament Semi Final Bout: Kensuke Sasaki v Minoru Suzuki

This was a very physical and intense fight between Sasaki and Suzuki, who had old rivalries from New Japan to settle. Sasaki was very impressive throughout the match, managing to fight out of numerous holds and submissions locked on him by Suzuki to gain the upperhand; after several hard hitting high impact moves, Sasaki eventually wrapped up Suzuki in the Strangle Hold Gamma, and the referee stopped the match, feeling that Suzuki could no longer continue. Suzuki seemed very angry at the referees decision, but in an unusual turn of events, when offered, he shook the hand of Kensuke before heading backstage.

7. Tournament Semi Final Bout: Riki Choshu v Genichiro Tenryu

The crowd seemed very excited in anticipation for this match up, the Revolution Warrior Riki Choshu going up against the Sky-Rising Dragon Gen'ichiro Tenryu. Many members of the press felt that Revolution Warrior Choshu would be a fitting figure head for the promotion due to the Wrestle Association "R" monicker, 'Pro-Wres Super Revolution'. Both of these workers are very experienced, with Tenryu being only one year Choshu's senior, but with Choshu debuting professionally two years before Tenryu in 1974. Both workers have fought each other many times in the past, and it showed in this match as both workers had the others moves scouted carefully; Tenryu finding his way free of the Sasori Gatame, and Choshu escaping from a Powerbomb Pin. Tenryu eventually managed to get the advantage over Choshu for just a moment, and hit him with what he was now calling the 55-Year-Old to get the three count. Both workers seemed emotional after the match, as they shook hands and embraced before heading backstage. Backstage afterwards, Tenryu warned Sasaki to look out, because the Sky-Rising Dragon was on its way up, and there woud be little he could bring to put a stop to its ascent in the Sumo Hall.

WAR: RAISING TENRYU ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT, 30/03/05

Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium

3,409 Fans

1. Shiro Koshinaka defeated Nobutaka Araya with a Hip Attack. (7:09)

2. Magnum TOKYO & Masato Yoshino defeated Milano Collection AT & MOCHI when TOKYO pinned MOCHI with a Running Powerbomb. (11:34)

3. Super Shisa, Nobuhiko Takada & Masaaki Satake defeated Masao Orihara, Susumu Yokosuka & Katsuyori Shibata when Takada hit Orihara with a German Suplex Pin. (14:37)

4. Tatsumi Fujinami & Jinsei Shinzaki defeated Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazuyuki Fujita when Fujinami caught Fujita with a Tiger Suplex Pin. (14:52)

5. Satoru Sayama & The Great Sasuke defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Kendo Kashin when Sayama hit Kashin with a Diving Headbutt. (13:21)

6. Tournament Semi Final Bout 1: Kensuke Sasaki defeated Minoru Suzuki with the Strangle Hold Gamma. (14:45)

7. Tournament Semi Final Bout 2: Genichiro Tenryu defeated Riki Choshu when he hit the 55-Year-Old. (17:31)

Edited February 3, 2006 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

31st March 2005

Wrestle Association "R" President Masatomo Takei made an announcment regarding the upcoming Tokyo Sumo Hall show on 06/04. He began by stating that those who did not achieve success in the J-1 Tournament would be placed in a six man tag match for the WAR Six-Man Tag Team Title, namely Choshu, Suzuki, Takayama, Shinzaki, Fujinami and Fujita. He said that by doing this, it would ensure that the title would always be at a high standard.

After some deliberation, he added that on the upcoming Sumo Hall show, Kendo Kashin and The Great Sasuke would be going head to head in a sort of Number One Contenders Match for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title. He also granted Milano Collection AT his request, in a match against Masato Yoshino on 06/04.

Toshiaki Kawada told the press that he would be in attendance for the 06/04 WAR show, and would be paying particular attention to the Japan J-1 Heavyweight Title Bout. He didn't say whether or not he was in negotiations with Tenryu or Takei over a spot in the Wrestle Association "R" roster.

This is how the 06/04 show is beginning to shape up;

WAR: RAISING TENRYU IN TOKYO ~ J-1 TOURNAMENT FINALE

Tokyo Sumo Hall

06/04/05

1. Milano Collection AT v Masato Yoshino

2. WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Yoshihiro Asai & Dragon Kid (Team Dragon) v Magnum TOKYO & Darkness Dragon (Do FIXER)

3. Nobutaka Araya & Nobukazu Hirai v Shiro Koshinaka & Tatsutoshi Goto

4. The Great Sasuke v Kendo Kashin

5. Different Style Fight: Masaaki Satake v Katsuyori Shibata

6. WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger v Satoru Sayama

7. WAR Six-Man Tag Team Title: Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami & Jinsei Shinzaki v Yoshihiro Takayama, Kazuyuki Fujita & Minoru Suzuki

8. Japan J-1 Heavyweight Title ~ Tournament Final Bout: Kensuke Sasaki v Genichiro Tenryu

Edited March 9, 2005 by Ganon Dun

[Agahnim Demen]

1st April 2005

Genichiro Tenryu had a major announcement to make regarding the 06/04 Sumo Hall show. He claimed that over the past months he had been training a young warrior that he felt would be a powerful and significant addition to the Wrestle Association "R" roster. At 6'4" and weighing 240lbs, he is in the best shape of his life as he approaches his 26th birthday on the 2nd of April. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion with a record of 7-3-0 and his name is Andrei Arlovski.

This Belarus native would be making his Wrestle Association "R" debut on the 06/04 Sumo Hall show in Tokyo, where he would be facing off against Yoshiaki Fujiwara in one on one pro wrestling competition.

Tenryu added that he and Takei recently met with Bill Goldberg, who would also be in attendance for the 06/04 Sumo Hall show.

He closed his statement by telling the press that he was looking forward to WrestleMania XXI, as it'll be his first WrestleMania since WrestleMania VII in 1991, where he and Koji Kitao defeated the 'Demolition' team of Crush and Smash.

In other Japanese pro wrestling news, rumours have been circulating around the media that Pro Wrestling NOAH has been coming across severe financial problems, but there has been no official word on the matter. Some have argued that further evidence of this is the fact that Kawada has not shown any interest in joining up with NOAH, but this is merely speculation as of yet.

Edited March 9, 2005 by Ganon Dun