I attended Michinoku Pro's 2019 Tokyo Conference Vol. 4 on July 6 at Shin-Kiba First Ring in Tokyo. This event was highlighted by a tag team main event featuring former Michinoku Pro Tohoku Tag Team Champions, a Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship match, and multiple matches featuring Michinoku Pro talent facing talent from the Chiba-based 2AW.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Michinoku Pro is an Iwate-based promotion that has existed since 1993, and primarily has events in the Tōhoku region.However, they also occasionally have events in Tokyo, and when they do, they also present the Kantō region with a roster of talent that consists of names that fans in that region know, as well as ones they SHOULD know.
The opening match was Michinoku Pro Wrestling's Koji Kawamura going against 2AW's Tatsuya Hanami. At first, both men attempted to out-technical wrestle each other, with the more experienced Kamawura havng the upper hand. Hanami is the stronger and faster of the two, and he tried to use this to his advantage. It wasn't enough however, as Kamura's experience overcame this and he made Hanami tap to a boston crab submission. Along with being a member of the Michinoku Pro roster, Kamamura has also appeared in ZERO1 and DDT.
Next was six man tag team action as The Great Sasuke (w/ Pretty Ohta & Gorgeous Matsuno), Brahman Shu, and Brahman Kei faced Jinsei Shinzaki, Kenbai, and HAPPY MAN. All six competitors are a very big part of Michinoku Pro. Along with being members of the Michinoku Pro roster, Braham Shu & Kei are also seen regularly in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, where they are former Tag Team Champions. Kenbai is a great talent with 13 years of experience who has impressive speed and agility- he has wrestled for many promotions in Japan, Mexico, and the UK, and all fans should definitely take an opportunity to see him in action. HAPPY MAN is a talented comedy wrestler with a secret identity- he wears a hood over his head that covers his hair but not his face, and if his opponent manages to remove HAPPY MAN's hood, he covers his face. Shinzaki and Sasuke are the two biggest names on the Michinoku Pro roster- they both have wrestled for companies all over the world, including ECW, AJPW, NJPW (where Sasuke is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion), and WWE. An interesting WWE-related note about Sasuke is that before WWE rebooted the lineage of the WWE/WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in 1997, the championship was originally created in 1981, and was captured by Sasuke twice in 1986.
Any time Brahman Shu and Kei are involved in a match, it can be expected that things are going to become insane, and this match was no different. Spitting, spraying, and throwing water at the fans and other wrestlers before and during the match, almost everyone in Shin-Kiba was soaked by the time the match was over- and the fans loved it. The Brahmans interact with fans during their matches more than anyone else does, which is probably the biggest reason why they are very popular in Michinoku Pro. One of their favorite things to do during a match is place a suitcase between an opponent's legs while their opponent is sitting in a corner of the ring, with a side of the suitcase facing the other corner; then grab a bowling ball, and throw the ball into the suitcase from the opposite corner. The Brahmans also involved a traffic sign in the match. This was a comedy-style match (as all matches involving the Brahmans are), with every wrestler in the match (as well Pretty Ohta and Gorgeous Matsuno) making the fans in attendance laugh. Comedy adds to the fun of match when it performed by wrestlers who can wrestle, and the Michinoku Pro roster definitely fits that definition. The Brahmans picked up the win for their team by taking advantage of HAPPY MAN wanting to hide his identity- they removed HAPPY MAN's hood and pinned him while he was preoccupied with covering his face.
The next match was another Michinoku Pro Wrestling vs. 2AW match, as Michinoku Pro's Taro Nohashi faced Kaji Tomato from 2AW. A former Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion, Nohashi has been with Michinoku Pro for 14 years and is one of the favorites of Michinoku Pro fans. His strength and experience posed a big challenge to Tomato as Nohashi used power moves and submissions. But Tomato's biggest asset is his speed, which he used to eventually outmaneuver Noashi and get the win.
In the semi-main event, the Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship was on the line, as Yapperman 1, Yapperman 2, and Rasse defended the championship against 2AW's Shu Asakawa, Ayumu Honda, and Kyu Mogami. There was a lot of high flying action from the wrestlers of Michinoku Pro, while 2AW's team opposed it with power moves. In the end, the Yappermen and Rasse came out on top and retained the Championship.
In the main event, the team of MUSASHI & Kengo went up against the team of Rui Hyūgaji & Ayumu Gunji. There was a lot of tag-team experience in the ring for this match, with all four men having had held the Michinoku Pro Tohoku Tag Team Championship at some point in their careers. Gunji took a lot of punishment during this match, as he was a victim of power moves, submissions, and double-teaming. Rui Hyūgaji eventually got the hot tag and cleaned house, but soon after became a victim of double teaming from MUSASHI & Kengo as well. MUSAHI picked up the win for his team after pinning Gunji.
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