ZIP JAPAN Archive Thread

Fatal 4 Way elimination match
- Yumi Yamaguchi vs Hanako Yoshii vs Suki ZIP vs Vicki Violence

A great match to get things started, action packed from bell to bell. Vicki went on a rampage early on, and eliminated Suki ZIP after a nasty Sliding V Elbow. Yumi was busted open and Vicki continued working her over with a fork, before Vicki got caught by a Yoshii flying armbar. Eventually Yumi got the better of Lady Armbreaker with a picture perfect Kinshasa in the center of the ring. Lovely stuff.

- Mr Suplex vs Mad Bomber

Superb effort put forth by both men in this one, both former champions with something to prove. Suplexes and powerbombs galore, including a huge avalanche German from Mr Suplex and a Mad Rush Bomb on the floor. The last few minutes were excellent, finishing up when bomber hit a second Mad Rush Bomb. Definitely an early shout for MOTN.

- Minoru Hoshino vs ECKO

ECKO got a 2 count early on with a spinning tombstone, before Minoru made a nice comeback with a couple of superman punches and ranas. In the end ECKO scored a nice 2.9 with a dragonrana before finishing Hoshino off with a beautiful tombstone. Solid juniors action, ECKO just too good for his opponent tonight.

- Nails n Grinds (Jimmy Nails/Mickey Grinds) vs Green Crush (Takeshi Kiriyama/Asano Kaneshiro)

An intense and hard fought tag team match, between two well oiled tandems. Green Crush were getting the advantage here, with Asano nearly pinning Grinds after a huge running powerslam, but Nails broke up the pin and kept Kiriyama busy while Grinds hit a textbook bridging German on Asano for the victory. Good match, great finish.

- Rebecca Roxx vs Psycho Witch

Roxx coming off the biggest win of her career against Mizuno here, to face one of her biggest rivals, Psycho Witch. Witch busted Roxx open early forcing Rebecca to reach deep into her reserves of fighting spirit. She was hitting big suplexes and beautiful crossbody blocks but just couldn't put Witch away. Pyscho Witch worked over Rebecca's surgically repaired neck ruthlessly with guillotine chokes, and earned a hard fought victory with a brutally tight Dragon Clutch. Really good effort from both women here.

Archive triple threat match from 2006
- Akira Shinjo vs Gorobei vs Kintaro

This non-title match took place in the early days of Gorobei's record 3 year Heavyweight title run, with a young Shinjo just having returned from several months off after a serious biceps injury. Shinjo felt the brunt of Gorobei's offense, and was eliminated after being CRITICAL'd by Gorobei's Spin Cycle finisher. Kintaro was waiting in the wings for an opening,and took it with aplomb, pinning the champion after a super Kinniku buster. An unexpected and exciting result that ultimately led to a lengthy feud between Kintaro and Gorobei.

- Touma Tanaka vs Newfie George

Tanaka's toughest test since joining ZIP JAPAN saw him finally break out his patented Crash and Burn finisher, but it only resulted in a 2.9 count. George fought back ferociously, busting open Tanaka with a knuckle arrow and getting a 2.9 of his own after a dangerous looking Fisherman Buster. Kiss the Cod for 2.9 and then Tanaka nailed a huge Kamikaze diving headbutt for another nearfall. George picked up an epic win after nailing Tanaka with a huge lariat after a vicious strike exchange. The way these two traded so many nearfalls down the stretch was phenomenal, making this my pick for MOTN.

To determine #1 contender for the ZIP JAPAN Junior Heavyweight Championship
- Ichiro Katagiri vs Saburo Hamada

A couple of really nice spots in this one, but the best was Katagiri nailing an Avalanche Urunage for a 2.9 and Hamada immediately following up with a Perfect Driver for a 2.9 of his own. Katagiri's experience ultimately proved decisive and he picked up a big win after a second Orbital Explosion to become #1 contender. Katagiri will face Tetsuo K for the Junior Heavyweight Championship at the next show.

To determine #1 contender for the ZIP JAPAN Tag Team Championship
- Doogan Bros (Donnie Doogan/Dougie Doogan) vs Rekless Endangerment (Johnny Rekless/Danger Daniels)

Rekless Endangerment were definitely the underdogs here, giving away a lot of size to their opponents. The juniors gave it their all against the Doogan Bros but came up just short. Dougie went on a dominant streak at the end of the match, hitting a pair of reverse elbow smashes on Johnny Rekless across his knee, before finishing him off with the Hammer Smashed Face. Doogan Bros get another shot at TFS's Tag Team Titles in a big rematch from WrestleQuest.

ZIP JAPAN Joshi Championship match
- Eun-jin Choi vs Momoe Ito (C)

Eun-jin Choi won the biggest match of her career to earn this spot, but Momoe Ito has been on an unstoppable tear in recent months. Choi dominated the early part of the match, keeping Momoe grounded and working her legs to soften her up for the Choi Kneebreaker. Around ten minutes in, Momoe found her stride, with a Double Lotation and a Phoenixplex that both got nearfalls. In the end, the second Momoe Latch of the match gave Momoe Ito another Joshi title defense and she celebrated with a big ol spinaroonie in the ring.

ZIP JAPAN Heavyweight Championship match
- Maki Yoshida vs Justin Starr (C)

Starr came into this one looking to prove that his title win was not a fluke, and he did so emphatically against the seasoned veteran Maki Yoshida. Starr started off like a house of fire, and never slowed down, controlling the pace of the match entirely. Starr secured his first Heavyweight Title defense after a beautiful Swinging Frankensteiner off the top rope, in what was ultimately a surprisingly one sided match.