Post by Shining Road Review on Oct 21, 2017 11:22:30 GMT -5
The camera slowly zooms in on Solomon Bentley and Kai Harrison, both well-dressed. Solomon rocks the gray suit while Kai goes with the navy blue. They sit on a table on a platform overlooking the mid-level seats of the empty arena. The wrestling ring can be seen in the background.
SOLOMON BENTLEY:
Welcome, everyone to the Shining Road Review! Today we began the Sword of Lite Grand Prix opening round here in the beautiful Mirai Dome in front of count ‘em 9,000 eager fans ready to see the best light heavyweight wrestlers in the world compete to win the tournament and become the first ever MAX-J Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
Upcoming are the highlights. Let’s get started…
Triumphant fanfare began as fireworks and strobelights swirled throughout the arena. The taiko drums pounded as images of the fighters appeared across the POLLOVISION jumbo screen above the entrance way. Takeo Yoshida and Chikashi Enatsu would emerge from the entranceway. Yoshida carried the ceremonial Sword of Lite in its platinum sheath while Enatsu cradled the MAX-J Junior Heavyweight Championship. The fans stood on their feet to applaud and outstretched smartphones recorded their entrance and their respective speeches challenging the fighters to compete with all their might and spirit.
From the get go, we expected the super hero known as the Avenger to win versus “Starboy” Shigeru Toyama, but this of the stars had something to say about that. The Avenger came in for a flying cross body block when Toyama rolled it over and got Avenger with an inside cradle for the three count! The Avenger shook his head with disappointment but exchanged bows with Toyama. Now with this major victory, Starboy will proceed in the tournament.
James Edwards and Kaito Matsushita showcased their striking skills to the joy of the fans. Edwards began with a series of low kicks early on, but “Masakari” Matsushita’s Muay Thai skills came out when he landed a flying knee that sent Edwards reeling! From there the fight began to turn Matsushita’s way, nailing two Yakuza kicks to put down Edwards. He would go for the pin but only get a two-count! Edwards would roar back with an elbow smash and attempt a high kick, but Matsushita ducked and landed a German suplex hold! We all thought things had ended but Edwards rolled out just before the 3-count and nailed the Violent Gospel as Matsushita sat up! It was all over from there as Edwards moves onto the quarter finals.
Next up, Zenki of MAXIMUM JAPAN Pro-Wrestling would step up against the boxer-turned-deathmatch star in Sheik Spectre. These two fought tooth and nail. Spectre nailed the Ma’a Salama and Zenki went down for a 1… 2… and got the shoulder up! Spectre then picked up the Demon Child and hit him with the Fertile Crescent! After that it was 1… 2… foot on the ropes for Zenki! Sheik Spectre became frustrated and decided to go aerial. He jumped off the ropes for a flying lariat when Zenki dived and caught him with the Zanbato in midair! Zenki then picked up Spectre for a Zenki Bomb and the match was over!
Now, we had Ben Chrenshaw as a late entrant filling in for the injured BLADE Takano. He indeed passed his weigh-ins at a shade under 213lb and fought against Kishin Nozaki. Chrenshaw ended the match early with a rear naked choke, taking out Nozaki in less than five minutes! The ref raised his hand and he calmly walked to the back, a man on a mission not satisfied with winning only one match in this thing.
A.J. Knight stepped into the ring with “Inferno Rooster” Kazuo Inoue and caught a surprise roundhouse kick early on that sent him to the floor! The referee examined A.J. and deemed him fit to continue. Inoue attempted to control Knight by taking him to the ground, but the much bigger A.J. used his superior size to push off the Inferno Rooster and eventually get into the full mount where he began raining down punches! Inoue would get a hand on the ropes to break up the onslaught. While Inoue attempted a spinning heel kick, it would bloody A.J.’s nose – a move which only seemed to make the young man angrier! The two would trade slaps back and forth… back and forth… until A.J. kicked Inoue in the gut and hit Knightfall DDT out of nowhere and that was all she wrote!
Matt Pulver and El Chupacabra Jr. appeared set on showcasing a technical wrestling clinic with a lot of early falls. Featuring an arm drag takedown battle eventually won by Chupacabra Jr., the masked wrestler hit a dropkick that sent Pulver tumbling to the apron. Chupacabra would attempt to suplex Pulver into the ring, but Pulver reversed it and suplexed Chupacabra to the outside! Pulver would then hit an Asai moonsault that wowed the crowd! When the action turned back inside, Chupacabra went for the la magistral cradle but only got a two count! Chupacabra then jumped off the second rope for a hurricanrana, but Pulver turned it into a sitout powerbomb! Instead of going for the pin, he took hold of Chupacabra’s leg and applied a kneebar in the center of the ring! The masked man struggled but eventually succumbed to the submission hold!
The GPWS Junior Heavyweight Champion Thunder Mask would take on Nobosuke Okada, the latter of whom was visually shaking prior to the start of this one. Okada would attempt several aerial assaults, showcasing his gymnastics background, but Thunder Mask’s MAX Thunder Driver would end the night and the champion would move on in his quest to capture another junior heavyweight belt.
Finally, Katsuhiko Himura and Akira Nakamura squared off in a rematch from the Nova Cup finals. Nakamura would land a Dragon suplex hold that would get a two-count and then hit a Shining Wizard to… get but another two-count! Himura would storm back into the match with a German suplex hold and then lock on a single leg crab. Nakamura would struggle but his hand would find the ropes eventually. After Nakamura hit Himura with an enzuigiri, he would catch his opponent with a Buffalo Sleeper Hold! Himura wavered… wavered… but muscled back, using his free hand to elbow Nakamura in the gut and then turned around to land the Katana Blaster! It was all over after that point folks.
The footage returns to Solomon Bentley and Kai Harrison in the Mirai Dome.
SOLOMON BENTLEY:
As you all can see, it was an exciting night here. Kai, what can we expect in the quarterfinals?
KAI HARRISON:
Thank you, Solomon. Well, James Edwards will face stiff competition in the surprising Shigeru Toyama. Expect Starboy to break out his high-flying offense for this one while you know Edwards will want to keep it on the ground.
SOLOMON BENTLEY:
Now, we’re hearing a lot about this next match, Zenki versus Ben Chrenshaw. Zenki has already claimed that he will expel the “gaijin assassin” from not only the ring but the entire country!
KAI HARRISON:
Let me tell you something, this is a colossal match. Zenki has already dispatched one foreigner, and I think he’s itching to take out the British born Ben Chrenshaw! But Chrenshaw has his sights set on winning this tournament and after taking out Nozaki in such a short amount of time, you can tell he’s gonna want to do the same to the MJPW superstar. But Zenki is a top junior heavyweight fighter, make no mistake. Across the pond, Ben Chrenshaw typically wrestles in the heavyweight division. Well, guess what? Lord Zenki went undefeated in the J1 Summit until losing in the finals to Mike Musket, the man who would become champion. Zenki can tangle with anyone.
SOLOMON BENTLEY:
Two allies will have to become opponents when Matt Pulver and A.J. Knight will step into the ring representing opposite corners. The friendship is going to have to take a backseat to competition, won’t it?
KAI HARRISON:
You know it, Solomon. Look, Knight will have the weight advantage, as he tips the scales at just barely under the 220lb weight limit, but there’s not a quicker fighter than Pulver around. If he can use that quickness, Pulver may be able to pull it out. This is going to be an interesting match because these guys know each other so well. In the end, it may come down to who has scouted the other guy the best.
SOLOMON BENTLEY:
Finally, Thunder Mask versus Katsuhiko Himura will be quite the showing. This will be the first major test in Himura’s singles career since he graduated from the Nova Division. Can he pull of the upset? Certainly one can dream. Thunder Mask appears locked and loaded and has even said that he will advance to prove that Shining Road has the top junior heavyweight fighters in all of Japan.
KAI HARRISON:
Thunder Mask is a top fighter. He has won this tournament three times, so he knows how to make it through this competition. Himura is still young, only 21 years old. He has flashed talent, to be sure, and his Katana Blaster finisher has taken out numerous competitors so far. But you have to believe that Thunder Mask will be the heavy favorite in this one.
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SOLOMON BENTLEY:
Thank you, Kai. Well, that’s it for the Shining Road Review. As a reminder, tomorrow we will give you highlights of the quarterfinals of the Sword of Lite Grand Prix, 10/23 will be the semifinals, and on 10/28 we will be broadcasting the finals of the Sword of Lite in its entirety live! We’re just getting started around here. You won’t want to miss it!
- RECAP -
SWORD OF LITE GRAND PRIX – Opening Round
Date: October 21, 2017
Location: Mirai Dome, Yokohama, Japan
Attendance: 9,000 fans (90% capacity)
1. Shigeru Toyama defeats the Avenger (9:12) via pinfall with an inside cradle.
2. James Edwards defeats Kaito Matsushita (10:40) via pinfall after the Violent Gospel.
3. ZENKI defeats Sheik Spectre (12:25) via pinfall after the Zenki Bomb.
4. Ben Chrenshaw defeats Kishin Nozaki (4:51) via submission with a rear naked choke.
5. A.J. Knight defeats Kazuo Inoue (10:36) via pinfall after the Knightfall DDT.
6. Matt Pulver defeats El Chupacabra Jr. (15:11) via submission with a kneebar.
7. Thunder Mask defeats Nobosuke Okada (8:29) via pinfall after the MAX Thunder Driver.
8. Katsuhiko Himura defeats Akira Nakamura (15:59) via pinfall after the Katana Blaster.
- PREVIEW -
SWORD OF LITE GRAND PRIX – Quarterfinals
Date: October 22, 2017
Location: Mirai Dome, Yokohama, Japan
1. Shigeru Toyama vs. James Edwards
2. ZENKI vs. Ben Chrenshaw
3. A.J. Knight vs. Matt Pulver
4. Thunder Mask vs. Katsuhiko Himura