Tenryu Project “Genichiro Tenryu Retirement Revolution FINAL TOUR”
a review by Kevin Wilson

Date: March 6th, 2015
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 279

As many of you know, Tenryu has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the year.  Tenryu of course will still wrestle quite a few times between now and then, as he continues putting on his own events.  To say I have low expectations would be an understatement as Tenryu Project doesn’t use the best wrestlers but let’s see how it goes.  Here is the full card:

- Kikutaro vs. Shota
- BUKI vs. Dragon JOKER
- Kazuki Hashimoto vs. Ryuji Hijikata
- Great Kojika and Ryuichi Kawakami vs. NOSAWA Rongai and Ricky Fuji
- UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Kengo vs. Choden Senshi Battle Ranger
- Arashi and Genichiro Tenryu vs. Kotaro Nasu and Toru Sugiura

Remember I am using a slightly different review style, you can get the details here.

Kikutaro vs. Shota
They grapple to start, wristlock by Shota but Kikutaro reverses it.  They trade hammerlocks and then headlocks with neither getting an advantage. Kikutaro kicks Shota in the corner and he hits a scoop slam followed by a rolling senton. Shoulderblocks by Kikutaro and he drops a knee on Shota for a two count. Back up they trade chops, atomic drop by Shota and he hits a crossbody for two.  Shota drops Kikutaro on the ropes and jumps down on his back before hitting a side Russian leg sweep.  Irish whip by Shota but Kikutaro hits a powerslam. TKO by Kikutaro, cover, but it gets two.  Kikutaro goes for a suplex but Shota reverses it, Shota goes for a diving crossbody but Kikutaro rolls through it for a two count.  Both wrestlers hit low blows, Kikutaro goes for a roll-up but Shota sits down on it and picks up the three count! Nice that Shota was given the win but not much to the match.  Kikutaro didn’t do a lot of comedy here and played it pretty straight which was different, and there weren’t any slow points even though it stayed pretty basic.  A decent way to start the show.

BUKI vs. Dragon JOKER
They trade strikes to start and Dragon JOKER hits an enzigieri.  Snapmare by Dragon JOKER and he kicks BUKI in the back for two.  Short armbar by Dragon JOKER and he then applies a hammerlock. Elbows to the arm by Dragon JOKER and he goes back to the arm but BUKI gets to the ropes. Dragon JOKER kicks BUKI in the arm and he hits a DDT.  Back kick by BUKI and he hits a chokeslam for two.  Dropkick by BUKI, snapmare, and he goes for a sliding lariat but Dragon JOKER ducks.  Dragon JOKER and BUKI trade elbows, knee by BUKI but his cover gets a two.  Dragon JOKER kicks BUKI back and hits a lariat, he picks up BUKI and delivers a strike combination followed by a running knee for a two count.  Low blow by Dragon JOKER and he applies an inside cradle for a two count.  Dragon JOKER picks up BUKI and he delivers a jumping knee for another two.  Dragon JOKER goes to the apron but BUKI gets his knees up on the swandive attempt.  Sliding lariat by BUKI but it gets two, he runs the ropes and hits another sliding lariat, getting the three count! The arm work had potential but once it was dropped the match just slugged along.  Dragon JOKER is much more entertaining than BUKI, BUKI is pretty low level and it showed here. Skippable match, needed more Dragon JOKER flying around.

Kazuki Hashimoto vs. Ryuji Hijikata
They trade arm work to start, Hijikata gets Hashimoto into the ropes but gives a clean break.  Hashimoto gets Hijikata in the ropes next but gives him a little slap before backing off, and the two trade elbows.  Hijikata wins the slap battle and he kicks Hashimoto in the back.  Hijikata slaps Hashimoto down again and he applies a keylock.  Hijikata gets a cross armbreaker but Hashimoto quickly gets a foot on the ropes.  Dropkick by Hijikata and he dropkicks Hashimoto in the arm.  Hashimoto rolls out of the ring but he returns after a moment, more kicks by Hijikata and he applies a short armbar.  Hashimoto gets to the ropes again and he quickly applies a kneelock, but Hijikata slaps his way out of it.  Jumping kick by Hashimoto in the corner and he drops Hijikata with a backdrop suplex.  Hashimoto kicks Hijikata in the leg and he apples an ankle hold, but Hijikata gets to the ropes.  More kicks to the leg by Hashimoto and he hits a dragon screw leg whip.  Ankle hold by Hashimoto with grapevine, and Hijikata has to submit! A very ground-based match but not a bad one.  The limb work was varied, although I do wish they had done a bit more as both are great strikers as well.  Not quite exciting enough to recommend but if you like either wrestler you’ll probably enjoy it.

Great Kojika and Ryuichi Kawakami vs. NOSAWA Rongai and Ricky Fuji
I’m really excited about this match. That isn’t actually true. Kojika and Fuji start off and they trade basic holds with nothing being accomplished.  Fuji tags in Rongai and Rongai hits Kojika in the arm.  Kojika pushes him back and he tags in Kawakami.  Kawakami and Rongai tie-up and Kawakami works on Rongai’s arm.  They lock knuckles, Rongai throws Kawakami in the corner and he tags in Fuji.  Fuji snapmares Kawakami and he applies a chinlock, but Kawakami gets to the ropes.  Fuji tags in Rongai and Rongai trades elbows with Kawakami.  Vertical suplex by Kawakami, cove, but it gets two.  Kawakami scoop slams Rongai and he hits a scoop slam.  Kawakami tags in Kojika and Kojika punches Rongai in the corner.  Rongai gets away and tags in Fuji, snapmare by Fuji to Kojika and he hits a knee drop.  Fuji tags in Rongai and Rongai stomps down Kojika in the corner.  Rongai runs Kojika around the ropes until Kojika gets tired and falls to the mat.  Rongai tags in Fuji and Fuji punches Kojika in the corner.  Knuckle lock by Kojika and he tags in Kawakami.  Kawakami chops Fuji in the corner and he hits a double arm suplex.  Cover, but it gets two.  Rolling fireman’s carry by Fuji and he tags in Rongai.  Kawakami knocks down both of them, he picks up Rongai but Rongai hits a Shining Wizard.  TKO by Kawakami and he makes the hot tag to Kojika, Kojika picks up Rongai and Rongai is hit with a double chop.  Double shoulderblock to Rongai, Kojika picks up Rongai but Rongai sneaks in an inside cradle for a two count.  Chokeslam by Kojika on Rongai, and he gets the three!  So Kawakami is really good but that is about it.  Kojika wrestles all the time now and I have no idea why, and Rongai/Fuji are serviceable but that is about it.  Kojika really needs to retire at this point, he drags down everything he is in.

(c) Kengo vs. Choden Senshi Battle Ranger
This match is for the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.  This was the only match on the card with potential to surprise me (yes, because of my love of masked wrestlers) so let’s see how it goes.  They quickly take it to the mat but Kengo gets away and rolls out of the ring.  He returns after a moment and Kengo clubs Battle Ranger to the mat.  Shoulderblocks by Kengo in the corner but Battle Ranger elbows him back.  Battle Ranger jumps on the second turnbuckle but Kengo dropkicks him in the knee.  Kengo applies a kneelock, he drags Battle Ranger’s leg over to the post and rams his leg into it.  Kengo kicks Battle Ranger in the leg back in the ring and slams his leg into the mat.  Kengo applies a modified STF and he elbows Battle Ranger in the leg.  Kengo chops Battle Ranger in the chest and he dropkicks Battle Ranger in the leg.  Kengo goes off the ropes but Battle Ranger catches him with a backbreaker.  Kengo rolls out of the ring, Battle Ranger goes to the apron and he hits a poor man Asai Moonsault.  But it was the first high spot on the show so I guess there is that.  Back in the ring, Battle Ranger covers Kengo but it gets a two count.  Battle Ranger puts Kengo on the top turnbuckle and they both die as they accidentally fall out of the ring. What a train wreck, that is a new one for me.  They get back in the ring like nothing happened, drop toehold by Battle Ranger and he rolls up Kengo for a two count.  Michinoku Driver II by Battle Ranger, but it gets a two count.  DDT by Kengo and he hits a side Russian leg sweep before applying a leglock.  Battle Ranger gets to the ropes, and back up they trade chops.  Kicks by Kengo, cover, but again it gets two.  Vertical suplex by Kengo, he goes up top and hits a frog splash to Battle Ranger’s leg.  He goes up and hits a regular frog splash, and he picks up the three count!  Battle Ranger you may know better as Policeman in Osaka Pro or Battle Ranger in FMW.  Aside from that Frankensteiner botch that blew my mind this one was disappointing.  I liked the leg work and how Kengo incorporated it at the end of the match, that was great. But as much as I love masked wrestlers, Battle Ranger isn’t any good anymore and Kengo isn’t good enough to carry him. Just lackluster overall with some bright spots sprinkled within.

Arashi and Genichiro Tenryu vs. Kotaro Nasu and Toru Sugiura
Tenryu and Sugiura start off, Sugiura pushes Tenryu into the ropes and gives a clean break.  Tenryu applies a leg lock on the mat but Sugiura gets to the ropes.  Back up, Sugiura tags in Nasu and Nasu chops Tenryu in the chest.  Tenryu fires back with a lariat, cover, but Sugiura breaks it up.  Tenryu chops Sugiura in the corner and he applies an abdominal stretch, but Sugiura gets to the ropes.  Sugiura elbows Tenryu against the ropes but Tenryu punches him to the mat.  More punches by Tenryu, Irish whip, and Sugiura dropkicks Tenryu.  Sugiura tags in Nasu, chops by Nasu and he kicks Tenryu into the corner.  Running elbow by Nasu but Tenryu chops him to the mat.  More chops by Tenryu, kicks by Nasu but Tenryu hits another punch.  Tenryu tags in Arashi so he can earn his money and they both lariat Nasu.  Tenryu picks up Nasu and hits another lariat, cover, but it gets two since apparently it doesn’t matter who is legal.  Tenryu waits for Nasu to get up and kills Nasu with a lariat, and this time he gets three.  There is a reason this promotion is called “Tenryu Project,” this show is more about his amusement than ours.  Tenryu is 65 and has trouble bending over, but at least he can still throw a lariat and find wrestlers that will bump around for him. This wasn’t good, and Arashi didn’t do much to contribute.  A fitting main event for this show but still a below average match.

Final Thoughts:

I can’t think of any reason that anyone needs to watch this.  If you are a Tenryu mark, knock yourself out, otherwise this is just a low level indy event with low level indy wrestlers.  There were some good moments here and there but they were so spread out there isn’t one match or one section of a match that I can point to as something people need to seek out.  Some indy shows have hidden surprises, this event is not one of those shows, safe to avoid.

Grade:  F

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event reviewed on 4/28/15