Toryumon TV 8 or Young Dragon Cup 1999

Ryo Saito comes to Toryumon TV!

It’s 2000 so Toryumon slapped a new intro video on the show. It only features Crazy Max wrestlers, making me think it will change again next month. Adding to that theory is the fact that every Crazy Max member is co-hosting the show. They discuss the Young Dragon’s Cup, though none of them are in it (since none of them are rookies).

December 11, 1999 – Mexico City, Mexico

Before we get to Premium Live Match Volume 5 we get a look at the 3rd annual Young Dragon’s Cup. We just get a few clips from the tournament matches.

Yasushi Kanda vs. Fantasy [Quarterfinal Match]
Fantasy pushes Kanda around the ring. He misses a Swanton Bomb. Kanda hits the side slam. He hits the flying elbowdrop in 45 seconds shown of 4:54.

Stalker Ichikawa vs. Kung Fu Jr. [Quarterfinal Match]
Ichikawa fakes a pair of dives before hitting a suicide dive. Fu hits a springboard bicycle kick in 33 seconds shown of 3:54.

Susumu Mochizuki vs. Sonic [Quarterfinal Match]
Sonic hits Mochizuki with armdrags. Mochizuki hits a lariat. Sonic misses a splash. Mochizuki hits the Yokosuka Driver and a northern lights suplex for the win in 52 seconds shown of 11:24.

Ryo Saito vs. Super Mega [Quarterfinal Match]
This is Ryo Saito’s TV debut! He refuses a handshake and hits a pair of armdrags. He hits Japanese armdrags too. He misses a dropkick. He hits a head scissor takedown. Mega slams him but misses a moonsault. Saito hits a hurricanrana for the win at 1:00 shown of 5:56. In three of the four quarterfinal matches the Toryumon guys won by dodging a move off the top rope and then hitting something of their own. Why would they book so many of the same finishes all in a row?

Yasushi Kanda vs. Kung Fu Jr. [Semifinal Match]
Kanda shoves Fu into the post. He whips him into the crowd. Back in the ring Fu does goofy lucha stuff. Kanda hits a low blow. He hits the flying elbowdrop for the win at 1:04 shown of 5:20.

Susumu Mochizuki vs. Ryo Saito [Semifinal Match]
Mochizuki smacks Saito. Saito hits a dropkick and a German suplex for 2. Mochizuki goes to the eyes. He hits a low blow. Saito hits another German suplex for 2. Mochizuki hits another pair of low lows and a lariat but the referee disqualifies him at 1:09 shown of shown of 13:49. Mochizuki bugs out and hits Ichikawa with the Yokosuka Cutter after the match. He hits Saito with a DVD for the hell of it. He and Kanda have firmly established themselves as a heel tag team.

Yasushi Kanda vs. Ryo Saito [Tournament Finals]
The match starts with Kanda in control. He hits a bodyslam. They trade chops in an exchange that Kanda wins. Saito hits a head scissor takedown. He hits a plancha. In the ring he hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on a Boston crab. Kanda gets to the ropes. Saito hits what has to be the ugliest moonsault I’ve ever seen for 2. Kanda goes to the eyes. He hits a back elbow. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. He hits a powerslam for 2. He hits a diving elbowdrop for 2. Saito comes back with an armdrag. He hits an overhead suplex. They trade roll ups. Saito hits a back heel kick and a fisherman suplex for 2. He hits a German suplex for 2. Kanda hits a side slam for 2. He hits a German suplex but can’t get the bridge. He hits a swinging uranage and the flying elbowdrop for the win at 10:45. This was very basic, which was probably best given Saito’s inexperience, as witnessed by his awful moonsault.
Rating: **¼

After the tournament Kanda and Susumu go nuts and attack everyone with Kanda’s trophy. They cut an angry promo after the fact.

Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi & El Hijo del Santo {CMLL} vs. Blue Panther {CMLL}, Bombero Infernal {CMLL} & Kenichiro Arai
The match starts with Infernal putting Kid in a leglock. Arai hits headbutts while Kid is in the hold. The crowd chants for Santo, but they can’t have him because Panther keeps him from getting in the ring. Kid catches Arai with a leg lariat. He hits a handspring elbow. Horiguchi hits Panther with an elbow for 2. Santo gets a victory roll for 2. He hits Inferno with a dropkick. Kid hits Panther with a weird handspring kick. Panther blocks the Dragon Rana and puts on a half crab. Horiguchi makes the save. Kid hits a head scissor takedown. Horiguchi rolls Arai up for 2. Arai headbutts him to the floor. Kid hits a dropkick. Horiguchi sends Inferno to the floor and follows him out with the topé con hilo. Santo gets a sunset flip on Panther for 2. He hits a facebuster and a weak dropkick. He hits a suicide dive. Arai hits Kid with a chinbreaker. He hits a few headbutts. He hits the diving headbutt for 2. Kid hits a leg lariat and Horiguchi hits a fisherman buster. Kid hits the Rewind Hurricanrana for 2. He hits the Dragon Rana for the win at 10:56. Kid was preoccupied with trying out new things and Arai wrestling as a heel was odd to watch since he’s so clearly a babyface in Japan. Also, the CMLL guys were all but useless. Add to that that this was actually a 2/3 falls match but it was presented on television as a one fall match and you’ve got yourself a big bowl of confounding.
Rating: *½

December 18, 1999 – Kobe, Japan

Magnum TOKYO vs. CIMA {CM}
The match is joined in progress with both guys recovering on the mat. TOKYO gets to his feet first and lays in some kicks. CIMA and TOKYO both for la magistral but neither can get it. TOKYO hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. CIMA blocks a missile dropkick. TOKYO hits a springboard knee kick. He hits a crossbody off of the barricade. Back in the ring TOKYO hits a drop toehold into the corner. CIMA blocks a DDT and hits a superkick. He hits a head scissor takedown into the corner. He hits the Venus. TOKYO blocks the Iconoclasm with a reverse DDT. He hits a brainbuster for 2. CIMA comes back with the Venus. He hits it again. He hits the Iconoclasm. TOKYO hits a Frankensteiner. He hits a low blow for 2. He hits the Viagra Driver for 2. CIMA gets a backslide for 2. CIMA hits a facebuster for 2. He hits the Iconoclasm. TOKYO blocks the Mad Splash with his knees. He gets a la magistral for 2. He hits a lariat for 2. The 15:00 time limit runs out and we have a draw. Down the stretch it became pretty obvious that they were going to a draw, as it just became movepin attempt movepin attempt movepin attempt.
Rating: **½

SAITO vs. Daiyu Kawuchi
Kawuchi hits a shoulder tackle. SAITO hits a dropkick. He hits a suicide dive. Kawuchi hits a side slam for 2. He hits a sidewalk slam and puts on a Cobra Clutch. They trade roll ups. Kawuchi hits another sidewalk slam. He hits a variant of that slam for 2. Enough with the slams dude. SAITO dodges a diving kneedrop and gets a sunset flip for the win at 10:40, heavily shaved down obviously. There was barely anything here to review aside from SAITO getting destroyed and coming back with a quick roll up.
Rating: *

Sumo Fuji {CM} vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
The match starts with Fuji in control. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. He chokes Mochizuki with his wrist tape. Someone in a clown mask is standing at ringside. Mochizuki hits an enziguiri and a leg lariat. He hits the Sankakugeri. He hits chest kicks on the floor. The man in the clown mask threatens a chair shot on Fuji but decides not to in the end. In the ring Mochizuki hits a brainbuster for 2. He hangs Fuji in the Tree of Woe and hits chest kicks and a dropkick. He hits a double stomp off the top. He hits a springboard double stomp to the back. He stretches Fuji but the sumo star gets to the ropes. Mochizuki blocks a low blow but Fuji hits a powerslam for 2. Fuji hits the chokeslam for 2. Mochizuki hits an axe kick. He hits the Sankakugeri for 2. The referee gets knocked out. Mochizuki hits an overhead capture suplex for 2. That referee bump didn’t end up leading to anything, as he had revived far too soon. Mochizuki hits high kicks. Fuji hits the palm strikes. He hits a lariat in the corner. He hits a chokeslam for 2. He hits a lariat to the back. Mochizuki kicks his arm. He goes for the Sankakugeri but the masked man throws a chair at him. Fuji hits another lariat and another chokeslam for the win at 15:28. Not bad at all, though much less polished action that we’ve come to expect from these two eleven years later.
Rating: ***

After the match Fuji jaws with Mochizuki so Mochizuki attacks him. Officials have to rush in to separate the two. And who is the masked man?!

MAKOTO {CM} vs. TARU {CM}
MAKOTO had been taking his place in Crazy Max for granted, acting like a maniac and attacking his teammates, specifically TARU, on more than one occasion. Now TARU is out to teach him some respect. The match is joined in progress. TARU hits a big boot and an axe kick for 2. MAKOTO hits a spin kick for 2. He hits a leg lariat for 2. TARU hits a lariat for 2. MAKOTO hits a hurricanrana for 2. TARU hits a low blow. He puts on a cross armbreaker. MAKOTO gets to the ropes. TARU hits a moonsault for 2. MAKOTO hits a low blow and a powerbomb for 2. He hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. TARU hits the T-Crush. MAKOTO blocks the TARU Driller with a reverse DDT. He bits TARU and hits an avalanche head scissor takedown. He hits an implant DDT for the win at 14:40. And with that MAKOTO cemented his place in Crazy Max. They only showed the last four minutes of this and it was pretty dull.
Rating: **

After the match CIMA says he and Fuji will team with MAKOTO against TOKYO, Kid and Masaaki at the upcoming Korakuen Hall show. He forces TARU and MAKOTO to shake hands. Masaaki rushes the ring and attacks Fuji again. They have to be pulled apart by the usual suspects again. The segment ends with Crazy Max stealing a t-shirt with their logo from a fan and putting it on MAKOTO.