(ALL JAPAN) This is Tenryu's chance to prove it's "our time"! A comprehensive review of the highlights of "Dynamite Wars."
3rd September 1985 (Issue No.108)
The All Japan Pro Wrestling showdown!! The Dynamite Wars has been a series of dramatic high points in the early stages.
August 23rd at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, will feature Terry Funk vs Stan Hansen, and Riki Choshu vs Tiger Jeet Singh. Both are sure to be brutal and bloody battles.
There's no need to explain the feud between Terry and Hansen, but it's important to note that although Terry made a comeback fueled by a desire for revenge against Hansen and they faced each other in a match at last year's Strongest Tag Team, this will be their first singles.
Terry has now transformed into a heel in the WWF. In order to avenge his grudge against Hansen, Terry's determination to use the same villainous techniques that terrified New Yorkers in front of Japanese fans is brave but tragic.
At the Nagoya tournament on June 5th, Choshu was ambushed with a saber attack by Singh, suffering a laceration to his forehead that required seventeen stitches. It is typical of Choshu to want to get revenge so quickly, and having managed to force this card into existence, he can truly say, "Vengeance is mine."
Choshu isn't just going to smash Singh's forehead, he's also going to break one of his arms and one of his legs and banish him from the country.
At the Utsunomiya event on the 29th, The Funks will face off against Hansen and Ted DiBiase. Both Hansen and DiBiase grew up with the Funks, but unlike Hansen, DiBiase was a model student. DiBiase seems to have some resolve, and having teamed up with Hansen, it looks like he will be unveiling his villainous tactics for the first time in Japan.
On this day, Ashura Hara, "the Second Assassin", continues his "lonely battle" against his former master, Animal Hamaguchi. Even if he is his master, if he does not defeat him, he will lose his way in life.
Coincidentally, two bitter master-disciple showdowns will take place on this very day.
The biggest climax of the early stages will be the event at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on August 31st.
What an incredible line-up!
The Great Kabuki has made his plans clear and will face special guest Killer Toa Kamata. We'll likely see the best of American wrestling, but Kabuki, who returned to Japan in anger at the rampage of the Japan Pro Wrestling Army, will likely slaughter Kamata and turn his blade on them.
As these will all be first-time matches, they are definitely ones to watch.
Hara will face off against Killer Khan.
"Choshu, Tenryu, fight me!" is the goal Hara shouted out, and in order to achieve that goal, it's a wall that must be broken down, but will Khan really allow it? With his family now settled down and brought over from America, Khan looks set to become a solid, thick wall.
The first showdown between the Funks and the team of Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu is sure to be fascinating. The depth of Dory, who completely swallowed up Dynamite Kid, is surely something unknown even to Choshu, who has experience fighting Harley Race. Choshu is capable of breaking through any solid wall, no matter how thick it is, but how he deals with this is sure to be another step in his growth.
The first meeting between Terry and Choshu is definitely not to be missed. Terry is too wild and reckless to be called a past NWA World Champion, but he might actually have a good rhythm with Choshu. Both are pure in slightly different ways, but they also share the same hot-blooded, headstrong personality. This may turn out to be the highlight of the day and steal the show.
Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu will be challenging for the PWF World Tag Team Championship, for which Hansen has nominated DiBiase to replace Bruiser Brody. The Kakuryu duo* have had matches against DiBiases that have been on equal terms or better, so they probably won't feel the pressure that the Super Beast duo* puts on them. However, in terms of wrestling skill, DiBiase is superior to Brody. Hansen is also a great team player, but if he becomes even more uninhibited than he has been, it could be a real problem.
Hansen's confidence, having defeated Baba to become a double PWF champion, has also become a central force. It seems that this has only made a man who was already on a roll even more cocky, but it seems that we are now in an era where it is the responsibility of the Kakuryu duo to clean up Baba's mess.
One concern is Tsuruta's right elbow, which has just undergone surgery. He showed such an incredible ability to recover that even the doctors were amazed, but his rehabilitation period has not been satisfactory.
The injury was triggered by a blow from Hansen, but holding on to it would be dangerous. If he stubbornly unleashes a lariat, it could be his downfall.
From the middle of the tour onwards, there will be three title defenses: at the Nagareyama event on September 7th, Tenryu will face Singh in a UN title match; at the Matsumoto event on the 14th, the Kakuryu duo will face Khan and Yatsu in an inter-trade tag team match; and at the final event at Korakuen Hall, Race will challenge Tsuruta in an inter-trade title match.
"Why isn't Choshu showing up?"
The Kakuryu duo, and Tenryu in particular, seem very dissatisfied, but depending on how things develop from here, it seems this could also lead to Choshu stepping in.
Notes
Kakuryu duo: The name came from "Tsuru" (crane) and "Ryu" (dragon). However, “Tsuru" is pronounced "Kaku" in the Chinese reading, which is used in compound words. Tsuruta didn't like this as “Kaku” was is not his surname, but the name stuck as it sounded better.
Super Beast duo: Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody
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