Bentley's Beat (10/15): Sword of Lite Grand Prix Preview!
Oct 15, 2017 20:51:45 GMT -5
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Post by Shining Road Review on Oct 15, 2017 20:51:45 GMT -5
Guys and dolls, dolls and guys, and all you cool cats in between, welcome to a special edition of Bentley's Beat!
This week we were off from competition as we get set for next week's action across town in the 10,000 seat capacity Mirai Dome. I saw the new promotional poster for the 2017 Sword of Lite Grand Prix as I was walking out of the Ramen museum today and I guess the tournaments on my mind. I wanted to break down some of the fighters for you guys so you know just who will be competing in this tournament that will crown the world's top light heavyweight fighter!
Remember, there is something extra on the line this year: the winner will be crowned the first ever MAX-J Junior Heavyweight Champion, in addition to receiving the ceremonial Sword of Lite! This is definitely the biggest junior heavyweight tournament yet!
- Shigeru Toyama is a is 24 years old from Tokyo. He stands 5'9" and weighs 185lbs and does a terrific job of incorporating a mixed martial arts background with lucha libre from his two year excursion in Mexico. Palm strikes, knees and kicks are a majority of the offense, but Toyama will use quick Judo-style throws or moves like headscissors or hurracanranas to bring his opponent to the mat and try to submit them. His signature moves include the Starboy Special (a La Magistral into a cross armbreaker), Starboy Special II (Leapfrog victory roll into a heel hook) and a flying knee strike. He is a two-time former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- The Avenger is 5'11" and 203lb and even though he's a superhero, he hasn't had a lot of success in the ring, only winning a handful of matches. During his time away from the ring, he searches the multiverse for other Avengers like him in order to stop the greatest threat to all existence: the multiverse's worst wrestler winning world titles. His finishers are the Caped Crusade (flying body press) and the Superhero Landing (leaping fist drop).
- James Edwards is a 22 year old shootfighter standing at 5'9" and weighing 204lb. He is significantly cross-trained as both a kickboxer and submission grappler. He is a former Heavyweight Champion of the MMA promotion FIGHT-1, Iron Champion of Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling, and Seattle Pro Wrestling World Champion. His finishers are the Violent Gospel (running PK) and the Myth's End (modified triangle hold).
- Kaito Matsushita is 30 years old, 5’9”, 209 lbs and from Kanagawa. With a background in Muay Thai, he started wrestling at age 20. After a moderately successful couple of years he felt that his career didn’t go anywhere and decided to try his hand at MMA. A few years and a subpar fight record later, he retired from MMA. In 2011 he returned to professional wrestling with a new old-school approach and MMA-influenced style from training under Aoki Saito, earning him much success. His M.O. consists of stiff kicks, knees and elbows, as well as brutal submission holds and suplexes. He usually finishes matches with his Dragon Sleeper, Bazūka Kick (Shining Yakuza Kick) and Bridging Dragon Suplex. He is a former GPWS Tag Team Champion.
- Sheik Spectre is 5’10” and 200 lb, Spectre is a 27 year old Extreme-styled wrestler. He is of Arab descent and has spent his career building a reputation as the most extreme of pro-wrestling. He was born in Saudi Arabia, having a hard life growing up with a Spanish mother and Arab father. He grew up boxing and wrestling to build confidence to the school yard bullying. Coming from a well to do family he got the opportunity to travel to America to attend Michigan State. While there he got involved in wrestling events in the area and learned that he had a large interested in pursuing a career in Professional Wrestling. He has grown to have a rather graceful aerobatic style in a short stint in Mexico, but still relies heavily on his Boxing and Grappling skills to put down his opponents. His time in the death match wrestling circuit has given him an affinity for barbed wire gloves and nail covered tables. But has given him some anxiety with fluorescent lighting. His finishers include the Tosbeho (Jab-Cross-Upper Cut Combination) and Ma’a salama (Death Valley Driver). He is a two-time former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- ZENKI is 5'10" and 215lb and a masked wrestler hailing from Hokkaido, Japan. One of the top competitors of MAXIMUM JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING, Zenki has been released from his slumber to save Japan from foreign invaders. Zenki lives now to be the ultimate defender of Japan and aims to save his land from the evil that walks around his native lands. He is a well cross trained competitor who is dangerous both on the mat, on his feet, or in the air as he is a well trained MMA/Lucha Libre who is as confident in the air as he is in the clinch. His finishers are the Zenki Bomb (gutwrench running high-angle sitout powerbomb), Zenki Suplex (bridging wrist-clutch leg hook belly-to-back suplex), and the Zanbato ("Pounce"-style tackle).
- BLADE Takano is a 24 year-old from Tokyo. At 5’8” and 180 lbs, he is a Junior Heavyweight, who relies on kicks, submissions and very explosive and intense offense. His signature moves include Nodachi Bomb (Northern Lights Bomb), Wakizashi (Diving Headbutt) and a Snap German Suplex. He is a two-time former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- Kishin Nozaki is 25 years old from Nagasaki. He stands 6'2" and weighs 225lbs and wrestles a traditional Jr. Heavyweight style. His signature moves include a high-angle Fisherman Buster, a slingshot leg drop and a leg lariat from the second rope. He is a former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- A.J. Knight is a 22 year old fighter standing 6'1" and weighing just under 220lb. One of the bigger fighters in this tournament, he is a strike influenced technician who weaponizes showmanship doing what he can to frustrate and get under an opponent's skin, doing annoying things such as making smart comments, posing for the crowd or starting disparaging chants towards his opponents, as he wears them down with holds and strikes, hoping to catch the opponent unaware with a big move. He was the runner up in Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling's Laurentide Cup. His finisher is the Knightfall DDT (Devil Lock DDT).
- Kazuo Inoue is 23 years old, standing at 5’10” and weighing 185lb, he is an MMA fighter that currently has a 3-1 record in the sport. Recently he upset Zen Hayashi in a boxing match. While he does not often appear in Shining Road, he is attached to the A.R.M.B.A.R. stable. Strikes and submission holds are his most common finishers.
- Matt Pulver is a 21 year old technical wrestler, standing 5'10" and 175lb. A pro wrestling fan from a young age, Matt started training BJJ and Amateur wrestling in his younger days in Leksand, Sweden. He has since wrestled in Japan, Canada, and the United States. He is a two-time World Tag Team Champion of Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling and a regular contender for the King of Lions Championship. His finishers are the Pulverizer (Sol Naciente) and the Hammer of Thor (rip-cord elbow).
- El Chupacabra Jr. aka Javier Sanchez Jr. is a 5’2” 150 lbs. wrestlers who is 22 years old, and hails from Puerto Rico. He spent his youth traveling around with his father to various wrestling organizations to watch him compete, this is where his love for professional wrestling began. He wrestled in High School, always pulling his weight in tournaments but falling short due to his small stature, so his mother dual enrolled him in a gymnastics school where he shined. It wasn’t until his 16th birthday that his father allowed him to start training Lucha Libre and on his 21st birthday that his father passed along the Chupacabra mask after he and his son had an epic ladder match in Mexico City. His signature moves include the Chupar Driver (Samurai Driver), Hurricabra (Reverse Hurricanrana) and a The Sigbin Moonsault (Moonsault from the bottom turnbuckle/rope).
- Thunder Mask is 34 years old, standing at 5’10” and 217lb. One of the most notable masked wrestlers, he has set the standard for the junior heavyweight division. Always a threat for the title, he uses a judo and karate background in combined with head-busting drivers. His primary finishers are the Thunder MAX Driver (spinning Tombstone Piledriver), a moonsault press, and a gutwrench powerbomb. He is a four-time and the reigning GPWS Junior Heavyweight Champion.
- Nobosuke Okada is 21 years old, standing 5’8” and weighing 175lb. A highly-touted gymnast and swimmer during his university days, Okada might just be one of the most talented pure athletes on the roster. He has a somewhat flashy style and many bloggers and analysts say he has superstardom in his future. His finishers are a flying knee and a rolling axe kick. He belongs to the NOVA division.
- Katsuhiko Himura is 21 years old standing at 5’10” and weighing in at 190 lb. An intellectual savant who graduated from Tokyo University at the age of 19 and shunning a prestigious position in the Ministry of Finance to attempt a run at professional baseball, Katsu is the youngest fighter in the promotion. He recently graduated from the NOVA Division after winning the inaugural NOVA Cup, a mixed martial arts tournament. He has become an adept technical wrestler. His finisher is the Katana Blaster (stalling Northern Lights Driver).
- Akira Nakamura is 20 years old, standing at 5’10” and weighing 199lb. Studying Karate and Jiu-jitsu during his university days gives him a marked advantage over many of the younger wrestlers. Graduating from Fujiyama dojo in May 2017, he soon thereafter began fighting in Shining Road. He plans to work his way up from the bottom. His finisher is an STF. He is a member of the NOVA Division.
Man, I can't wait for this thing to get started! Just reading about the fighters has got my motors revved. We have fighters of all stripes - high-flyers, shootfighters, technical wrestlers, and everything in between! We'll see you in one week at the Mirai Dome!
2017 SWORD OF LITE GRAND PRIX
Dates: October 21-28, 2017
Location: Mirai Dome, Yokohama, Japan
Opening Round (10/21)
1. Shigeru Toyama vs. The Avenger
2. James Edwards vs. Kaito Matsushita
3. Sheik Spectre vs. ZENKI
4. BLADE Takano vs. Kishin Nozaki
5. A.J. Knight vs. Kazuo Inoue
6. Matt Pulver vs. El Chupacabra Jr.
7. Thunder Mask vs. Nobosuke Okada
8. Katsuhiko Himura vs. Akira Nakamura
This week we were off from competition as we get set for next week's action across town in the 10,000 seat capacity Mirai Dome. I saw the new promotional poster for the 2017 Sword of Lite Grand Prix as I was walking out of the Ramen museum today and I guess the tournaments on my mind. I wanted to break down some of the fighters for you guys so you know just who will be competing in this tournament that will crown the world's top light heavyweight fighter!
Remember, there is something extra on the line this year: the winner will be crowned the first ever MAX-J Junior Heavyweight Champion, in addition to receiving the ceremonial Sword of Lite! This is definitely the biggest junior heavyweight tournament yet!
Introducing the fighters...
- The Avenger is 5'11" and 203lb and even though he's a superhero, he hasn't had a lot of success in the ring, only winning a handful of matches. During his time away from the ring, he searches the multiverse for other Avengers like him in order to stop the greatest threat to all existence: the multiverse's worst wrestler winning world titles. His finishers are the Caped Crusade (flying body press) and the Superhero Landing (leaping fist drop).
- James Edwards is a 22 year old shootfighter standing at 5'9" and weighing 204lb. He is significantly cross-trained as both a kickboxer and submission grappler. He is a former Heavyweight Champion of the MMA promotion FIGHT-1, Iron Champion of Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling, and Seattle Pro Wrestling World Champion. His finishers are the Violent Gospel (running PK) and the Myth's End (modified triangle hold).
- Kaito Matsushita is 30 years old, 5’9”, 209 lbs and from Kanagawa. With a background in Muay Thai, he started wrestling at age 20. After a moderately successful couple of years he felt that his career didn’t go anywhere and decided to try his hand at MMA. A few years and a subpar fight record later, he retired from MMA. In 2011 he returned to professional wrestling with a new old-school approach and MMA-influenced style from training under Aoki Saito, earning him much success. His M.O. consists of stiff kicks, knees and elbows, as well as brutal submission holds and suplexes. He usually finishes matches with his Dragon Sleeper, Bazūka Kick (Shining Yakuza Kick) and Bridging Dragon Suplex. He is a former GPWS Tag Team Champion.
- Sheik Spectre is 5’10” and 200 lb, Spectre is a 27 year old Extreme-styled wrestler. He is of Arab descent and has spent his career building a reputation as the most extreme of pro-wrestling. He was born in Saudi Arabia, having a hard life growing up with a Spanish mother and Arab father. He grew up boxing and wrestling to build confidence to the school yard bullying. Coming from a well to do family he got the opportunity to travel to America to attend Michigan State. While there he got involved in wrestling events in the area and learned that he had a large interested in pursuing a career in Professional Wrestling. He has grown to have a rather graceful aerobatic style in a short stint in Mexico, but still relies heavily on his Boxing and Grappling skills to put down his opponents. His time in the death match wrestling circuit has given him an affinity for barbed wire gloves and nail covered tables. But has given him some anxiety with fluorescent lighting. His finishers include the Tosbeho (Jab-Cross-Upper Cut Combination) and Ma’a salama (Death Valley Driver). He is a two-time former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- ZENKI is 5'10" and 215lb and a masked wrestler hailing from Hokkaido, Japan. One of the top competitors of MAXIMUM JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING, Zenki has been released from his slumber to save Japan from foreign invaders. Zenki lives now to be the ultimate defender of Japan and aims to save his land from the evil that walks around his native lands. He is a well cross trained competitor who is dangerous both on the mat, on his feet, or in the air as he is a well trained MMA/Lucha Libre who is as confident in the air as he is in the clinch. His finishers are the Zenki Bomb (gutwrench running high-angle sitout powerbomb), Zenki Suplex (bridging wrist-clutch leg hook belly-to-back suplex), and the Zanbato ("Pounce"-style tackle).
- BLADE Takano is a 24 year-old from Tokyo. At 5’8” and 180 lbs, he is a Junior Heavyweight, who relies on kicks, submissions and very explosive and intense offense. His signature moves include Nodachi Bomb (Northern Lights Bomb), Wakizashi (Diving Headbutt) and a Snap German Suplex. He is a two-time former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- Kishin Nozaki is 25 years old from Nagasaki. He stands 6'2" and weighs 225lbs and wrestles a traditional Jr. Heavyweight style. His signature moves include a high-angle Fisherman Buster, a slingshot leg drop and a leg lariat from the second rope. He is a former GPWS Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
- A.J. Knight is a 22 year old fighter standing 6'1" and weighing just under 220lb. One of the bigger fighters in this tournament, he is a strike influenced technician who weaponizes showmanship doing what he can to frustrate and get under an opponent's skin, doing annoying things such as making smart comments, posing for the crowd or starting disparaging chants towards his opponents, as he wears them down with holds and strikes, hoping to catch the opponent unaware with a big move. He was the runner up in Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling's Laurentide Cup. His finisher is the Knightfall DDT (Devil Lock DDT).
- Kazuo Inoue is 23 years old, standing at 5’10” and weighing 185lb, he is an MMA fighter that currently has a 3-1 record in the sport. Recently he upset Zen Hayashi in a boxing match. While he does not often appear in Shining Road, he is attached to the A.R.M.B.A.R. stable. Strikes and submission holds are his most common finishers.
- Matt Pulver is a 21 year old technical wrestler, standing 5'10" and 175lb. A pro wrestling fan from a young age, Matt started training BJJ and Amateur wrestling in his younger days in Leksand, Sweden. He has since wrestled in Japan, Canada, and the United States. He is a two-time World Tag Team Champion of Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling and a regular contender for the King of Lions Championship. His finishers are the Pulverizer (Sol Naciente) and the Hammer of Thor (rip-cord elbow).
- El Chupacabra Jr. aka Javier Sanchez Jr. is a 5’2” 150 lbs. wrestlers who is 22 years old, and hails from Puerto Rico. He spent his youth traveling around with his father to various wrestling organizations to watch him compete, this is where his love for professional wrestling began. He wrestled in High School, always pulling his weight in tournaments but falling short due to his small stature, so his mother dual enrolled him in a gymnastics school where he shined. It wasn’t until his 16th birthday that his father allowed him to start training Lucha Libre and on his 21st birthday that his father passed along the Chupacabra mask after he and his son had an epic ladder match in Mexico City. His signature moves include the Chupar Driver (Samurai Driver), Hurricabra (Reverse Hurricanrana) and a The Sigbin Moonsault (Moonsault from the bottom turnbuckle/rope).
- Thunder Mask is 34 years old, standing at 5’10” and 217lb. One of the most notable masked wrestlers, he has set the standard for the junior heavyweight division. Always a threat for the title, he uses a judo and karate background in combined with head-busting drivers. His primary finishers are the Thunder MAX Driver (spinning Tombstone Piledriver), a moonsault press, and a gutwrench powerbomb. He is a four-time and the reigning GPWS Junior Heavyweight Champion.
- Nobosuke Okada is 21 years old, standing 5’8” and weighing 175lb. A highly-touted gymnast and swimmer during his university days, Okada might just be one of the most talented pure athletes on the roster. He has a somewhat flashy style and many bloggers and analysts say he has superstardom in his future. His finishers are a flying knee and a rolling axe kick. He belongs to the NOVA division.
- Katsuhiko Himura is 21 years old standing at 5’10” and weighing in at 190 lb. An intellectual savant who graduated from Tokyo University at the age of 19 and shunning a prestigious position in the Ministry of Finance to attempt a run at professional baseball, Katsu is the youngest fighter in the promotion. He recently graduated from the NOVA Division after winning the inaugural NOVA Cup, a mixed martial arts tournament. He has become an adept technical wrestler. His finisher is the Katana Blaster (stalling Northern Lights Driver).
- Akira Nakamura is 20 years old, standing at 5’10” and weighing 199lb. Studying Karate and Jiu-jitsu during his university days gives him a marked advantage over many of the younger wrestlers. Graduating from Fujiyama dojo in May 2017, he soon thereafter began fighting in Shining Road. He plans to work his way up from the bottom. His finisher is an STF. He is a member of the NOVA Division.
Man, I can't wait for this thing to get started! Just reading about the fighters has got my motors revved. We have fighters of all stripes - high-flyers, shootfighters, technical wrestlers, and everything in between! We'll see you in one week at the Mirai Dome!
2017 SWORD OF LITE GRAND PRIX
Dates: October 21-28, 2017
Location: Mirai Dome, Yokohama, Japan
Opening Round (10/21)
1. Shigeru Toyama vs. The Avenger
2. James Edwards vs. Kaito Matsushita
3. Sheik Spectre vs. ZENKI
4. BLADE Takano vs. Kishin Nozaki
5. A.J. Knight vs. Kazuo Inoue
6. Matt Pulver vs. El Chupacabra Jr.
7. Thunder Mask vs. Nobosuke Okada
8. Katsuhiko Himura vs. Akira Nakamura