(ALL JAPAN) Tiger struggles against Kabuki, the 'heavyweight wall'! A brutal no-contest. Fuyuki intervenes! Will it escalate into a three-way conflict?

18th February 1986

Weekly Pro (Issue No 131)

Tiger Mask's opponent for the January 28th showdown changed several times, first Kid, then Fuyuki, and finally Kabuki. The match against Kabuki stemmed from an incident at the Mihara event on January 17th, where Tiger Mask caused Kabuki to bleed profusely, leading to an escalation of animosity between the two.

Tiger described Kabuki as "a formidable opponent, a tougher opponent than I've faced before," and was greatly motivated by this assessment.

Kabuki's assessment of Tiger was harsh. "Looking at Tiger now, it seems his move to heavyweight is not feasible. His aerial manoeuvres are predictable. He can always fly, so he needs to learn how to fight in the heavyweight division by choking his opponents and forcing them to submit. Today, I'm going to aim for him to run out of stamina and finish him off quickly. The only thing I need to watch out for is the suplex."  Kabuki, with his twenty-two year career, seems to see Tiger struggling with his move to the heavyweight division.

"I'm going to teach Tiger how to fight in the heavyweight division," Kabuki said, pinning Tiger to the ground from the start and using every arm lock he could find to restrict Tiger's movements. Even the fans who had yelled "This is boring!" were captivated by Kabuki's ten-minute arm lock.

Forced into an unexpected turn of events, Tiger became flustered. Even in his favored stand-up fighting style, Tiger couldn't find his rhythm and Kabuki seized control.

Tiger tried to find a way out by resorting to rough fighting.

A Plancha, an attack on the iron railing, and a flurry of chair blows—blood gushed from Kabuki's forehead, turning the scene into a chaotic free-for-all. The two fighters exchanged blows without any regard for shame or dignity. It was hard to believe the orthodox exchanges of the first half had occurred.

Kabuki said he was "dazed after the bleeding started," but he brilliantly blocked Tiger's body press with both knees. This was the fourth time that day that Kabuki had read Tiger's movements.

Kabuki continued his attack with a brainbuster followed by his signature straight punch from the top turnbuckle. Kabuki went for a confident pin, but unfortunately the referee was absent at that moment, as prior to this, he had been sent flying out of the ring by Tiger. 

While Kabuki was still reeling, Tiger launched a counterattack with a back drop and an atomic drop. The referee, having returned to the ring, was about to count to three.

That's when it happened.

Samson Fuyuki, who had been watching from ringside, rushed into the ring and attacked Tiger. Fuyuki claimed that "Kabuki had pinned him earlier." But Tiger punched Fuyuki, and then Kabuki delivered an uppercut to Fuyuki, and the situation turned into a bloody three way fight. 

The situation suddenly escalated into a bloodthirsty A new conflict is inevitable.

The battleground is undoubtedly a "heavyweight battlefield." 

Worthy opponents Kabuki and Fuyuki await Tiger!

Picture credits: Weekly Pro