IGF Debut Show

IGF Debut Show

Date: June 29th, 2007
Location: Sumo Hall
8,426 Fans in Attendance

As if we didn't have enough promotions in Japan, now we have another one. Started by Antonio Inoki, IGF (Inoki Genome Federation) seems to be a promotion with a mixture of shoot-style and regular wrestling matches with a wide variety of styles. Most the wrestlers are Freelancers as for now IGF will only be running shows sporadically. The main event for their debut show is Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle for the 3rd Generation IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Long story short, Lesnar was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in New Japan during 2006 but he never returned the belt when he left, so the match will be for a title that he has no right to have since it is New Japan's belt. This might led to a unification match down the line with Nagata, who is the real IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but we will have to wait and see on that one. Here is the full card:

- Munenori Sawa vs. Yuki Ishikawa
- El Blazer vs. Rocky Romero
- Alexander Otsuka vs. Kevin Randleman
- Michiyoshi Ohara vs. Taka Kunou
- Hidehisa Matsuda and Yuki Kotake vs. Kiyoshi Tamura and Ryuki Ueyama
- Josh Barnett vs. Tadao Yasuda
- Mark Coleman vs. Naoya Ogawa
- IWGP 3rd Generation Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

Inoki will be on commentary for the event, and all matches are shown in full. Lets get started.

Munenori Sawa vs. Yuki Ishikawa
They trade strikes to start the match. Sawa gets Ishikawa into the corner but Ishikawa fights his way out of it and takes Sawa down with a leg lock. Sawa gets to the ropes and both wrestlers get back to their feet, Sawa gets Ishikawa into the corner again and this time nails a high kick. Ishikawa slowly gets back to his feet, takedown by Ishikawa, Sawa goes for a cross armbreaker but Ishikawa reverses it into a reverse chinlock. Sawa wiggles out of the hold and tries to go for the arm again, but Ishikawa mounts him and connects with a series of punches. Ishikawa picks up Sawa and the two trade elbows, kicks by Sawa and Ishikawa hits an enzigieri. A ten count starts but Sawa gets back to his feet at 5. Leg kicks by Sawa and he applies a side headlock, reversed by Ishikawa and he applies an armbar on the mat. Sawa reverses it with a modified reverse chinlock, mixing in strikes while keeping the hold applied. Ishikawa elbows out of it and both wrestlers get back to their feet. They trade slaps, takedown by Ishikawa and he punches Sawa repeatedly in the midsection. Sawa punches him off and kicks Ishikawa repeatedly in the back until Ishikawa falls out of the ring. After a moment Ishikawa gets back in the ring and the wrestlers trade elbows. Headbutt by Ishikawa and he connects with a forearm, but Sawa fires back with a strike of his own. Backdrop suplex by Ishikawa, he picks up Sawa and he delivers a second one. Cover by Ishikawa but it gets a two count. Ishikawa picks up Sawa and goes for a suplex, Sawa lands on his feet, but Ishikawa applies a crossface chickenwing and releases the hold so he could deliver an enzigieri. Hard kick to the head by Ishikawa and Sawa stays down for an 8 count. Ishikawa applies a stretch hold to Sawa but Sawa gets a foot on the bottom rope. Back up, Sawa hits a flurry of kicks, ending with a spinning kick that knocks Ishikawa off his feet. Knees by Sawa and a high kick sends Ishikawa to the mat. Ishikawa gets back up at 5, Sawa applies a waistlock and delivers a dragon suplex hold for a two count cover. Shining Wizard by Sawa and he follows that with a soccer kick. The referee checks on Ishikawa and he is out cold! Your winner by TKO: Munenori Sawa

Match Thoughts: If all the matches are like this I might have trouble rating them, as while I respect shoot style it is not my favorite style of wrestling. I had a few problems with this match, but generally it was well worked and there were no obvious miscommunications or missteps. The dragon suplex seemed out of place in a match that was mostly strikes and submission holds though, as it seems that if you are doing a strike/10 count knockout style match that you wouldn't go so far away from that for one spot. But in general the strikes looked good and it was a solid win for the younger wrestler. Score: 5.5

El Blazer vs. Rocky Romero
Romero charges El Blazer as soon as the bell rings and delivers a jumping knee. Kicks to the leg by Romero, Irish whip, but El Blazer avoids his strike attempt and goes out to the apron. Leap frog over Romero by El Blazer to get back into the ring and he hits a multiple rotation headscissors. Irish whip by El Blazer from the corner and he delivers a dropkick El Blazer goes for a suplex but Romero blocks it. Go behind by El Blazer, he goes off the ropes but Romero kicks him in the stomach as he goes for a handstand rebound off the ropes. The referee starts the count but El Blazer is up at 8. Kicks to the leg by Romero and he hits an armbreaker. Stomps by Romero to El Blazer's leg and he drops a knee onto it. Romero elbows El Blazer in the arm and kicks him down to the mat. El Blazer rolls to the corner but Romero picks him up and brings him back to the middle of the ring. El Blazer fights off Romero and goes off the ropes but Romero applies an octopus hold with extra pressure put on the arm. After a moment El Blazer gets to the ropes, Romero picks him up and hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Key lock by Romero and he applies an armbar until El Blazer makes it to the ropes. The referee starts the count again but El Blazer is up at 8. Romero kicks El Blazer in the corner, Irish whip, but as he reaches the opposite corner El Blazer does a quebrada, landing himself on the apron. Swan dive missile dropkick by El Blazer, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but when Romero charges him he flips back to the mat. Super kick by El Blazer and he hits a 619 over the top rope. El Blazer then dropkicks Romero again before going to the top turnbuckle and nailing a rope-running dropkick that got a reaction out of the otherwise quiet crowd. El Blazer goes for the swan dive hurricanrana but Romero catches him and powerbombs him into the turnbuckles. Romero puts El Blazer up on the top turnbuckle and joins him, but El Blazer blocks the superplex attempt and punches him off. Romero springs back up however, jumps back to the top turnbuckle and finally hits a superplex. El Blazer rolls up Romero as they hit the mat however and gets a quick two count. Romero waits for El Blazer to get up and hits a high kick followed by a tiger suplex hold for a two count. Romero quickly applies the cross armbreaker and El Blazer has no choice but to submit! Your winner: Rocky Romero

Match Thoughts: Now I liked this one better as it was a little more pro wres. I am not sure why (many) Internet fans don't like Romero as he looked very solid here, as did El Blazer. El Blazer seemed like a really odd fit for this show and really he had no chance at all of winning this match. Romero focused on the arm well during the match (well as much as he could in a six minute match) and his power moves such as the corner powerbomb looked good as well. It was too short to be too meaningful but overall it was enjoyable, I just wish they had given at least the illusion that El Blazer could pick up the win. Score: 6.0

Alexander Otsuka vs. Kevin Randleman
They tie-up to start the match as they jockey for position, armdrag by Randleman but Otsuka applies a reverse chinlock on the mat. Randleman rolls out of it and punches Otsuka in the ribs but Otsuka applies a key lock. Again Randleman gets out of it and both wrestlers are back to their feet. Takedown by Otsuka but Randleman grabs his leg and switches positions. Randleman blocks an Otsuka's headscissors attempt and just as Otsuka grabs his leg Randleman gets to the ropes to force a break. Back up, uppercuts by Otsuka but Randleman applies a side headlock. Otsuka back suplexes his way out of the hold, cover, but it gets a two count. Front facelock by Otsuka but Randleman gets to the ropes and Otsuka releases the hold. Back on their feet Randleman goes for a single leg takedown but Otsuka applies a headscissors. Randleman lifts Otsuka up to get out of the hold, Otsuka quickly applies an ankle lock but Randleman grabs the bottom rope. Randleman applies a front facelock but Otsuka elbows out of it. German suplex by Randleman but it gets a two count. Waistlock by Otsuka but Randleman reverses it. Otsuka goes for Randleman's arm but Randleman lifts him up and powerbombs him to the mat. Cover and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Kevin Randleman

Match Thoughts: The shortness of these matches is starting to get on my nerves, as while a few short matches here and there is ok I do tend to have trouble getting into five minute matches. Everything they did was fine but it felt like they were building to something that never happened. The match was just suddenly over. Even shoot-style matches have build-up and emotion, and this match had neither one of those things. So while I think both wrestlers looked good (I was especially impressed with Randleman) they could have used them a lot better as the match came across as just a pointless exhibition. Score: 4.5

Michiyoshi Ohara vs. Taka Kunou
Kunou pushes Ohara into the ropes to start the match but he gives a clean break. Ohara gets Kunou to the mat and goes for a front facelock, Kunou reverses positions with him but Ohara gets to the ropes and Kunou gives him a break after a quick kick. Back up, Ohara pushes Kunou into the ropes and forces him to the ground. He tries to get into the mount position but Kunou gets into the ropes. Ohara doesn't releases him though and delivers a series of headbutts before getting off. Takedown by Kunou and he goes for the cross armbreaker, but Ohara reaches the ropes. Back up, Kunou gets Ohara to the mat and applies an ankle lock but again Ohara gets a hand on the bottom rope. Kunou kicks Ohara as he gets up and applies a guillotine choke, but Ohara reaches the ropes. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kunou but Ohara locks his hands to block the hold. Choke by Kunou but Ohara falls too close to the ropes and the referee forces Kunou off. Ohara hits a running headbutt as Kunou argues with the referee, and Kunou gets up at 9. Slaps by Ohara but Kunou comes back with knees. Kunou goes for a takedown but Ohara blocks it and powerbombs him to the mat. The referee counts again but Kunou is up at 6. Ohara goes for a cross armbreaker but Kunou lands in the ropes. Running headbutt by Ohara, cover, but Kunou immediately grabs the bottom rope. Ohara picks up Kunou and hits a tombstone piledriver, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Michiyoshi Ohara

Match Thoughts: What a weird little match. The ending came out of nowhere, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but like other matches on the card it seemed like just as things were heating up the match ended. The first few minutes were pretty rough as they were not as fluid trading holds as other wrestlers on this card have been. The running headbutts by Ohara were fun and should be done more often. I have to give them some credit as they really popped the crowd with the powerbomb, as up to that point they had not really been doing much so it seemed like a huge spot. Kunou did nothing here to impress me (or anyone else) and due to the length and overall lack of quality the match fell flat. Score: 4.0

Hidehisa Matsuda and Yuki Kotake vs. Kiyoshi Tamura and Ueyama
This is under U-STYLE rules, where they use a point system which they unfortunately explain in Japanese and not English. The match starts with each team having 8 points, and each time a team uses a rope break or is knocked down they lose a point. You can lose the match by knockout, submission, or by using a rope break/getting knocked down when you are out of points. Kotake and Tamura start things off. They trade kicks that don't fully connect, they jockey for position and Tamura pushes Kotake into the ropes. Takedown by Tamura but Kotake gets back to his feet. They trade mid-kicks and Tamura ducks a heel kick attempt by Kotake. Tamura delivers a kick that knocks Kotake to the mat but Kotake quickly gets back up so that it doesn't count as a knockdown. More kicks by both wrestlers but Kotake throws Tamura to the mat. Tamura gets back to his feet and both wrestlers tag in their partners. Matsuda and Ueyama trade strikes, Matsuda gets Ueyama to the mat but Ueyama reverses positions with him. Ueyama goes for a cross armbreaker but Matsuda rolls out of it. Back up, takedown by Matsuda and he goes for the ankle, but Ueyama gets out of it and tries to get in the mount position. Matsuda pushes him off and grabs the ankle but Ueyama rolls out of it. Punches to the midsection by Matsuda and he goes for the cross armbreaker, he then applies a headscissors but Ueyama reverses it into a headscissors of his own. As Ueyama gets a choke synched in Matsuda is forced to grab the ropes, so his team now have seven points remaining. Back up, takedown by Matsuda and he goes for the leg, he gets a leg locked applied and Ueyama uses a rope break, tying them at seven points apiece. On their feet again, knees by Ueyama and he makes the tag to Tamura. Takedown by Tamura on Matsuda but Matsuda gets in the mount position. Cross armbreaker attempt by Matsuda but Tamura gets out of it and both men are back to their feet.

Matsuda grabs Tamura by the leg and sends him to the mat, but Tamura reverses positions with him and goes for the arm. Waistlock by Matsuda and he goes for the guillotine choke, but Tamura gets out of it. Matsuda tags in Kotake and he trades kicks with Tamura. Ueyama tags himself in as Tamura reels back and he trades slaps with Kotake. A jumping knee to the head by Ueyama sends Kotake crashing to the mat, but he gets to his feet at a eight count (his team now has six points). Kotake and Ueyama trade kicks, Kotake gets a cross armbreaker applied and Ueyama is forced to use a rope break, tying them at six points again. Back up, Ueyama is back on the attack but Kotake punches him against the ropes. High kicks by Kotake in the corner but Ueyama knocks him back. Kotake tags in Matsuda, takedown by Matsuda and he goes for the leg, but Ueyama reverses positions with him and hits a flurry of slaps. Matsuda stops him by grabbing the arm and applying a choke with his legs, but Ueyama rolls out of it after a moment and applies a key lock. Matsuda has to use the ropes to break the hold, giving his team five points. Ueyama tags in Tamura and Tamura applies a single leg crab hold to Matsuda. Matsuda inches to the ropes and reaches them, forcing a break but knocking his team to four points (it is now six to four). Mid-kicks by Tamura, the last of which knocks Matsuda to the mat. He is up at nine but his team is down to three points. Matsuda grabs Tamura and goes for a choke into a cross armbreaker, and Tamura uses the ropes to break the hold, making it five to three in points. Matsuda tags in Kotake and he trades kicks with Tamura. A kick to the leg knocks down Tamura but he makes the tag to his partner as he falls so that it doesn't count as a knockdown. Ueyama immediately goes for the leg of Kotake and Kotake uses a rope break to release the hold, sending his team down to two points. As soon as they get back up Ueyama delivers a knee to the head that floors Kotake, Kotake gets to his feet at six but his team only has one point left. Back up, kicks by Kotake and he takes Ueyama to the mat before applying the cross armbreaker. Ueyama manages to get out of the hold and applies an armbar, and Kotake quickly grabs the ropes to force a break, making the score five to zero (the screen didn't update it, but it was obviously a rope break by Kotake). Tamura and Matsuda trade strikes, leg sweep by Tamura and he applies a cross kneelock. In the middle of the ring and no rope breaks left anyway, Matsuda has no choice but to submit! Your winners: Kiyoshi Tamura and Ueyama

Match Thoughts: Considering the type of match it was I thought the match came across very well. Most of the strikes looked good and Tamura's selling of Kotake's kicks to his leg was tremendous. Towards the end some of the striking looked questionable (such as the last knee that knocked down Kotake) but overall I have no serious complaints in that department. Obviously the match was a little slower developing then most pro wrestling matches as there was a focus on strikes and submissions, but it never seemed to drag. Also this is the first match that went more then eight minutes, so it was nice to see a match actually get time to develop. The point system is interesting, and while I don't think I would enjoy an entire card of matches like this, as a special attraction it worked very well and the crowd was pretty into it throughout. Score: 7.0

Josh Barnett vs. Tadao Yasuda
Yasuda gets Barnett into the ropes to start the match and he slaps Barnett in the chest before giving a break. Barnett takes Yasuda to the mat and gets in the mount position but Yasuda wiggles to the ropes in order to get a break. Barnett goes for a takedown, Yasuda blocks it but Barnett still gets Yasuda to the mat. He goes for a choke but Yasuda already has his foot in the ropes. Back up, they struggle for position and Barnett gets Yasuda down, but again Yasuda gets a foot on the ropes and he rolls out of the ring to think things over. Yasuda returns after a moment, takedown by Yasuda but Barnett reverses positions with him and Yasuda quickly grabs the bottom rope. Front facelock by Barnett, he picks up Yasuda and drops him to the mat. Ankle lock by Barnett, but Yasuda can barely reach the ropes and he forces a break. Barnett hits a series of knees and elbows before getting Yasuda in the mount position. Barnett goes for the cross armbreaker but Yasuda blocks it. Headscissors by Barnett and he finally gets the cross armbreaker applied, forcing Yasuda to tap out! Your winner: Josh Barnett

Match Thoughts: Well they made it pretty clear that Yasuda had no shot of winning, and why you'd have so many matches with an obvious outcome on your debut show is something I don't understand. To make matters worse, no one has ever accused Yasuda of being a good worker and Barnett needs a better foil to put on an entertaining match. Throw in the fact that the match was only four minutes long and you get yourself a pretty bad match. If the point was to build up Barnett as a future title holder (assuming the promotion keeps a title to defend) then that is fine, but they needed to pick an opponent that would play off of him better and not look like a talentless lug in the ring. Score: 3.5

Mark Coleman vs. Naoya Ogawa
Coleman tackles Ogawa back into the corner to start the match, strikes by Coleman and he pushes away the referee when he tries to get him off. More punches and knees by Coleman but finally the referee gets him off. Coleman charges Ogawa but Ogawa moves and he works over Coleman in the corner. He pushes the referee out of the way as well as he continues kicking Coleman in the legs but the referee eventually pushes him back. Choke by Ogawa in the corner, the referee gets Ogawa off but Coleman comes out of the corner with a shoulder tackle. Coleman applies a side headlock on the mat but Ogawa get a foot on the bottom rope and Coleman slowly releases the hold. He immediately puts it back on however and the referee has to do another five count to get him to release it. Kicks to the leg by Coleman, he gets in the mount position and pummels Ogawa in the head. Side headlock by Coleman but the referee forces him to break due to his earlier illegal punches. Belly to belly suplex by Coleman, he picks up Ogawa and hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Coleman picks up Ogawa but Ogawa quickly applies a sleeper. Coleman throws Ogawa off of him to get out of the hold, front facelock by Coleman but Ogawa hits an STO. Coleman slowly gets up but Ogawa hits him with another STO as he reaches his feet. Trunk bundle sleeper hold by Ogawa and the referee calls for the bell as Coleman falls unconscious! Your winner: Naoya Ogawa

Match Thoughts: Not a bad match as at least the crowd really got into it since Ogawa has this unexplainable aura to him and Coleman was game for a fight. They were probably smart to keep this one short as they had enough time to do what they needed to do. Ogawa was the clear winner anyway and there was no need to potentially kill the crowd with a long match that Coleman might not have been able to handle. The ending was sudden but the sleeper is a respected enough move that it can be done with little warning. I wouldn't consider it a great match but it was perfectly watchable. Score: 6.5

(c) Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
This match is for the IWGP 3rd Generation Heavyweight Title. Angle charges Lesnar to start the match and punches him back into the corner. Waistlock by Angle and he hits a release German suplex. Lesnar rolls out of the ring but Angle follows him out and hits an uppercut. Another uppercut by Angle and he slides Lesnar back into the ring. Knee by Lesnar to the midsection of Angle and he hits a second one. Irish whip by Lesnar but the two collide with neither man going down. Angle charges Lesnar but Lesnar catches him and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Choke by Lesnar while Angle is against the ropes, he pushes Angle into the corner and hits a series of shoulder tackles. Back up, punches by Angle and he goes off the ropes, Lesnar kicks him in the stomach and goes for the Verdict, Angle grabs the top rope to block it but Lesnar dumps him over the top rope to the floor. Lesnar joins Angle on the outside and clubs him in the back before sliding him back into the ring. Vertical suplex by Lesnar and he kicks Angle in the midsection. Back up, Angle comes back with a few uppercuts and punches Lesnar into the corner. Irish whip by Angle, reversed, and Lesnar hits a second overhead belly to belly suplex. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Lesnar picks up Angle and applies a front facelock, but after a moment Angle muscles out of the hold and tosses Lesnar to the mat. Lesnar is up first, club to the back by Lesnar but Angle returns with punches. Angle punches Lesnar into the corner but Lesnar fires back, knocking Angle against the ropes. Irish whip by Lesnar, he kicks Angle in the stomach and goes for a powerbomb, but Angle slides down his back and applies the ankle lock. Lesnar kicks out of the hold, Angle charges Lesnar and knocks him down with a shoulderblock. Two German suplexes by Angle, he waits for Lesnar to get up and goes for the Angle Slam, Lesnar avoids it and goes for the Verdict, but Angle reverses it with a DDT. Cover by Angle but it gets a two count. Ankle lock by Angle but Lesnar gets out of it and hits a release German suplex on Angle. Cover, but it only gets two. Shoulder tackles by Lesnar in the corner, Irish whip, but Angle avoids his charge and hits the Angle Slam. Cover, but Lesnar barely kicks out in time. Ankle lock by Angle but Lesnar rolls him up for a two count. Angle goes for a clothesline but Lesnar ducks it and delivers the Verdict. Cover, but Angle somehow gets a shoulder up. Frustrated, Lesnar applies the ankle lock to Angle but Angle reverses it into an ankle lock of his own. Angle applies the grapevine while keeping the ankle lock on, and Lesnar has no choice but to submit! Your winner and new title-holder: Kurt Angle

Match Thoughts: You know what? It wasn't a great match and they went in a different direction then every other match on the card, but I still found it enjoyable. Maybe it is that little part of me that loved Angle and Lesnar when they were battling in WWE, but I had an easier time getting into this match then many of the other ones. It had its faults of course, such as Angle only going to the ankle lock to weaken the leg and the strikes looking ten times worse then all other strikes on this event. The match also seemed really out of place on a card of mostly submission and shoot-style matches, as this was the only match on the official card with an Irish whip or a 2.9 count. But the crowd was really into it, the match had a big match feel and Lesnar has some beautiful suplexes. Throw in the fact that this was the only match that the winner wasn't a forgone conclusion and the end result is an acceptable main event for Inoki's debut show. Score: 6.0

Final Thoughts:

As far as debut shows go, this one is a real mixed bag. None of the matches get anywhere close to being "must see," and since it is more shoot-style then most mainstream wrestling there is a chance that many fans will find it too boring. My main gripe on this card is the shortness of the matches... having a few short matches is fine as long as it makes sense but only one match here went over 15 minutes and six of the eight matches were under ten minutes. That simply is not enough time for a match to fully develop. The crowd here was hit and miss as they loved some things but were deathly silent during others. The main event wasn't bad but it did not fit in at all with the rest of the card so fans of the shoot-style will probably not like the main event. Overall I will recommend it if you miss Brock and Angle or are a fan of the more realistic style of wrestling, but nothing here was great and most of it was perfectly skippable.

Mildly Recommended

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review completed 7/8/07