-- In a press conference held in Tokyo, Kingdom of Japan Pro-Wrestling outlined the first annual "EMPEROR'S CUP" tournament, which will be held on March 08 in Tokyo, March 10 in Osaka, and March 15 in Tokyo once more. The three shows will be partly sponsored by the TX Network, which owns several terrestrial channels across all of Japan, including TV Tokyo. The partnership between KJPW and TXN will make way for pro-wrestling's triumphant return to terrestrial television for the first time in years, as all three shows will air over the month of March across TXN's various broadcasting channels. Additionally, the tournament finals on 3/15 will be available WORLD-WIDE as an Internet Pay-Per-View through Niconico and Ustream.
KJPW CEO and Acting President Shigesato Ishiyama, along with TXN executives were present for the event; but were overshadowed by the gathering of over half of the company's roster, including Kazuma Fujita, Naoki Fukuda, Kenji Tanamura, along with representatives of SPIRIT International. TAKU, who at the time of the press conference was still non-contracted to KJPW, appeared as well, making his entry into the tournament.
After announcing the initial partnership between KJPW and TXN, Mr. Ishiyama spoke about the importance of this tournament, saying it would unquestionably determine the strongest wrestler in Japan. He stated that the question of "who is the best?" has always been on the minds of fans and even the wrestlers themselves, who strive for the seemingly unending pursuit of strength. However, he said that there should naturally be a physical prize at stake. Therefore, Mr. Ishiyama announced that the winner of the EMPEROR'S CUP tournament will be awarded the HONORED EMPEROR'S CROWN (HEC) Heavyweight Title. Mr. Ishiyama showed off illustrations of the championship belt, as its still in the process of being forged. Ishiyama joked about the prize, saying it might have been too much to pay for a title belt, but said that it will be a jewel befitting the winner of the EMPEROR'S CUP..
Mr. Ishiyama finally revealed the first round lineups for the tournament, which begins on 3/08 in Korakuen Hall. Of course, eight matches will make up the first round, with each winner moving onto the second round on 3/10. The first round features some huge matches, including Kazuma Fujita facing Naoki Fukuda in the night's main event! Requesting the match himself, Fujita told reporters that he wanted to silence critics by facing the man he expected to be the biggest threat in the tournament, the "Invincible Mastodon" Naoki Fukuda! Naoki likewise praised his teacher, but said that he feels Fujita poses more of a threat than he lets on, and promised not to lower his guard at any point. With wry smile, Fujita said he wouldn't have it any other way, and promised he and Naoki would send Korakuen Hall ablaze with their match.
Going down the lineup from the main event, Masafuji Yoshida will face SPIRIT International's Seiji Ebisawa, coming off their recent run-ins together. Yoshida said this was an immense opportunity for himself to step up as a singles wrestler for the first time in his career, and vowed to beat Ebisawa soundly to avenge previous defeats. Ebisawa said he respected Yoshida as a pro, but promised a repeat performance from recent weeks, vowing a victory over the Sumo. Go Taniguchi will face former DYNAMITE wrestler turned KJPW roster member Yujiro Higuchi in the proceeding match, featuring two of the tallest wrestlers on the roster (second only to Mamoru Sekishima.) ARMADA's Harumi Sakai will face TAKU, who while still technically being a freelancer at the beginning of the press conference, suddenly announced he was signing his contract today, and vowed to win the EMPEROR'S CUP in dominating fashion! TAKU unceremoniously left the room, having felt his message was effectively stated. The incident left some tension in the room as the press conference was brought to a screeching halt. Naoki Fukuda in particular was visibly frustrated by his friend's behavior, and told Sakai to "knock some sense into him."
After a moment, the press conference resumed, with Mr. Ishiyama revealing the first half of the opening round. In his first singles match since returning to pro-wrestling, Kenji Tanamura will face SPIRIT International's Katsumi Gakusha in a unique contrast of styles. Tanamura said he felt the live-or-die atmosphere of the tournament would allow him to thrive, and vowed an exciting fight. Gakusha mockingly agreed with Kenji, saying the match being exciting was a foregone conclusion simply because he was involved, and said Tanamura's technique was no match for his sex appeal... If Tanamura vs. Higuchi is about height, then the next tournament match is about MASS, as the 140kg Chikao Kessin meets the 120kg Mamoru Sekishima! While Kessin may have the experience edge, Sekishima has come into his own recently with a brand new look, and new found confidence as part of "MONSTER HEAD DUO" with Tetsuji Kawamura... Speaking of which, Kawamura's first round opponent was originally slated to be SPIRIT International's Shino Hiriyama. However, SI withdrew Hiriyama as a participant, instead asking to bring in an American export. Katsumi Gakusha revealed Tetsuji's opponent to be none other than SEAN KING, a long-recognized ally of one of Kazuma Fujita's fiercest rivals, James Goodwin! The announcement was something of a surprise to the roster, including Fujita himself, who seemed alarmed at the very mention of Goodwin's name. Having made his name in violent deathmatches, Sean King was stressed to be more than a serious threat. Kawamura however shook the hype off, saying that without the hardcore environment, King could not win, and vowed to topple the monster! Proceeding that to round out the eight tournament matches will see Riki Ichiro do battle against ARMADA's Yuichi Miwa in another unique mix of styles! As always, Riki was naturally hot-tempered, and nearly got into an altercation with Miwa, who largely kept his cool through out.
Wrapping up the press conference, Mr. Ishiyama reiterated the importance of the tournament, and said that KJPW would begin making bigger moves following the EMPEROR'S CUP, with its first full series taking place between 3/29 and 4/06. He asked fans stay tuned to the company's official blog and Twitter for further details.
1st Annual EMPEROR'S CUP ~ THE GAME OF KINGS ~
March 08, 2013 (TXN)
Tokyo - Korakuen Hall (2,100)
0. Kazuki Sendo, Tsutomu Nishioka & Yutaka Awano vs. Yusaku Kitajima, Shinji Uchikawa & Yukio Kisanuki
1. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Riki Ichiro vs. Yuichi Miwa
2. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Tetsuji Kawamura vs. Sean King [SI]
3. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Chikao Kessin vs. Mamoru Sekishima
4. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Kenji Tanamura vs. Katsumi Gakusha [SI]
5. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: TAKU vs. Harumi Sakai
6. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Go Taniguchi vs. Yujiro Higuchi
7. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: Masafuji Yoshida vs. Seiji Ebisawa [SI]
8. Emperor's Cup - Round 1: "Mr. Iron Man" Kazuma Fujita vs. Naoki Fukuda
March 10, 2013 (TXN)
Osaka - BODYMAKER Colosseum Second Hall (1,200)
* Emperor's Cup - Second Round
March 15, 2013 (TXN)
Tokyo - Korakuen Hall (2,100)
* Emperor's Cup - Semi Final and Final Round
No comments:
Post a Comment