The event had an attendance of 1,890. That is the highest reported attendance at the Korakuen Hall for a pro-wrestling event since April 2015.
In the first match, Fujita "Jr." Hayato faced Kengo. This was a very significant match for Hayato, being that he had not been in the ring since 2017 when he suffered a knee injury, and in 2018 Hayato announced that he was battling cancer, a tumor on Hayato's spine being malignant. A former Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion, he is one of the most popular young wrestlers on the Michinoku Pro roster, and is also a recognizable face outside of the promotion, NJPW, DDT, Dragon Gate, BJW, WAVE, and ZERO1 being some of the other promotions Hayato has been seen in.
Even though Kengo is a former UWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, it is a rare opportunity to see him in singles action these days. Usually he is competing on the tag team scene, where he has also had success, becoming a Tohoku Tag Team Champion and UWA World Tag Team Champion. I recently wrote about the history and value of the Tohoku & UWA World Tag Team Championship.
They showed respect for each other before the match.
They both attempted to go the technical wrestling route in the beginning.
That didn't last long however, as the match quickly became much more physical, which included Kengo targeting Fujita "Jr." Hayato's back.
As the match went on, Fujita "Jr." Hayato's two years away from the ring appeared to take its toll, as he began to easily fall down to the mat after taking elbow shots to the jaw from Kengo, and had a more difficult time standing back up each time.
In the end, Fujita "Jr." Hayato could no longer continue, and the referee ruled the match a KO victory by Kengo.
Next was Rui Hyūgaji going against Tatsuya Hanami.
Rui Hyūgaji is another wrestler who usually sees tag team action on Michinoku Pro shows, likely due to in part to his success as a tag wrestler who has had reigns as a Tohoku Tag Team Champion and UWA World Tag Team Championship, but also has seen singles success with two reigns as Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Rui Hyūgaji is considered by many to be one of the top talents in Michinoku Pro, and in this match he displayed why, showing off his technical ability and strength, even holding Tatsuya Hanami in a stalling suplex for over a minute. On a side note, Hyūgaji is a product of the Michinoku Pro Dojo.
With the ever-present fighting spirit that Tatsuya Hanami displays every time he is in a Michinoku Pro ring, Hanami made sure that it was not an easy night for Rui Hyūgaji.
But in the end, Rui Hyūgaji's 12 years of experience won out, as he defeated Tatsuya Hanami after delivering a diving elbow drop.
In the next match Jinsei Shinzaki, HAPPY-MAN, and HAYATE went against Dick Togo, Ultimo Dragon, and Rasse. This match was filled to the brim with legends:
Jinsei Shinzaki, has wrestled for companies all over the world, including ECW, FMW, AJPW, NJPW, and WWE.
Dick Togo, has wrestled for ECW (where he was a member of the Blue World Order faction), ROH, ZERO1 (where he was a ZERO1 International Junior Heavyweight Champion), DDT (where he has been DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Champion and KO-D Openweight Champion), NJPW (where he was an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion), and WWE. Was a member of the original Kai En Tai (Kai En Tai DX), which was created in Michinoku Pro. Also was one of the first co-holders of the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship.
Ultimo Dragon, has wrestled for AJPW (where he was an AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion and All Asia Tag Team Champion), NJPW (where he was an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion), WCW (where he was a WCW World Cruiserweight Champion and WCW World Television Champion), and WWE. Also held the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Middleweight Championship, and the NWA World Welterweight Championship. Currently is the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion in his second reign, and is the longest-reigning NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion in history.
Add HAPPY-MAN, HAYATE, and Rasse into the mix, and you have what is sure to be a match with a lot of action.
The fans were treated to many interesting highlights during this match.
In the end, HAPPY MAN gained the win for his team with a pinfall victory over Rasse.
Both teams showed respect for each other after the match.
Next it was time for Kenbai's final match in Michinoku Pro. He has been a Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion and Tohoku Tag Team Champion in the promotion.
Kenbai's opponent in his final match for Michinoku Pro was MUSASHI, who he has history with- MUSASHI is the current Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion, and Kenbai was the man who he defeated for the title.
Both competitors went all out in this match.
In the end, MUSASHI showed why he's the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion after hitting Kenbai with a Falcon Arrow and picking up the win.
After the match, Kenbai gave a farewell to the fans.
In the main event, it was the annual year-end special Michinoku Pro match, "Space War". Michinoku Pro fans have come to expect Space Wars to be filled with costumes, chaos, weapons, the ring being taken apart, and The Great Sasuke putting his life on the line while being inside of a barrel. And the fans were not disappointed.
Wrestlers eventually made their way into the crowd.
The Great Sasuke took a dangerous barrel dive.
The Great Sasuke was also dumped through the ring.
After eventually recovering from the barrel dive and being dumped through the ring, The Great Sasuke delivered a Senton Atomico with a ladder around his neck to pick up the win for his team.
Michinoku Pro will return to Tokyo at Shinkiba First Ring on Saturday, February 15 (7:00 PM start time)! Tickets are available at Lawson Ticket, Tickets Pia, e+, Korakuen Hall 5F office- 03 (5800) 9999, Champion- 03 (3221) 6237, and by Michinoku Pro ticket reservation- 019 (687) 2431.
Reserved seats are 5,000 yen (5,500 yen on the day). All other seats are 4,000 yen (4,500 yen on the day).
