From: dlf@aber.ac.uk (David Leslie Fenerty)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling
Subject: Re: Wrestling TidBits   -   08/13
Date: 13 Aug 92 18:28:13 GMT
Organization: University of Wales, Aberystwyth

In article <BsxFKs.qs@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> hekunze@jeeves.uwaterloo.ca (Herb Kunze) writes:
>
    [Lots of Yamada/Liger stuff deleted]

>     In early 1986, Yamada was still working great matches on
>   the undercard.  Japanese promotional philosophy is that you
>   can't just repackage a wrestler as a star after having him
>   work prelims for so long; they usually send the wrestler on
>   tours of other areas and when he returns he can be promoted
>   differently.  So, Yamada went to England.  Yamada won the
>   World Heavy Middleweight title from the Black Tiger on
>   September 26, 1986, losing it back in April, 1987.  Yamada
>   then went to Calgary Stampede.
> 
    Not sure about this bit. I remember well Riger coming to 
    Britain, he was billed as Fuji Yamada. I didn't know anything
    background - we're pretty wrestling-isolated in Britain - but
    he made an appearance on national television at this time for
    the Heavy Middleweight title, against Britain's most exciting
    wrestler (IMHO) The Master of Disaster, Mark "Rollerball"
    Rocco - an absolute mega-heel. Commentator Kent Walton said that
    Yamada had taken the title from Rocco some months beforehand, 
    and that Rocco, as ex-champion, was no.1 contender and was 
    getting his rematch.
    The match we saw was one of the best ITV has ever shown (but then 
    I'm a big Rocco fan). Rocco, in a pre-match interview, was
    electric - he claimed to have beaten Yamada's teacher, Antonio
    Inoki, and now he was going to dish out a lesson for his pupil.
    (Probably all BS about Inoki). Rocco's entrance to the ring was
     spectacular - as his name was announced, the spotlight switched
    to a door at the top of the stands where Rocco burst through in
    his regular gear - stars-and-stripes leotard, Japanese headband,
    and a black leather, studded glove. He ran down to the ring and
    swung at Yamada with his glove, and the match began.
    It was breath-taking from start to finish. Yamada got the first
    of the three falls after doing a belly-to-back suplex and holding
    on to press Rocco's shoulders to the mat for the three-count.
    Rocco retaliated by hitting Yamada with a water bottle, and trying
    for various submission-holds (including a scorpion deathlock), all
    the while shouting out the names of Japanese wrestlers and what
    he could do to them. Yamada eventually submitted (I think) to a
    boston crab.
    Yamada rallied for the final fall in the eighth round, only to
    miss a dropkick and go flying out the ring, apparently with a back
    injury. Rocco suplexed him back into the ring and got the win.
    Now a champion again, Rocco took the microphone, taunted the 
    booing crowd and paid tribute to Yamada's skills, but maintaining
    that Rocco was the world's number one.

    They met again on S4C's Reslo (Welsh television). Rocco successfully
    defended the title, winning with a belly-to-belly superplex
    from the top rope.

    I saw Yamada once more on British TV, this time winning a match
    by DQ against Skull Murphy, who had punched him in the balls (replay
    showed this bump actually take place - impressed?)

    I can't say I've heard of Black Tiger anywhere on the British
    wrestling scene.
>                                                           Herb... 

    Just my 2p worth,
                     Dave the Scouser
                     (RSP-W jobber).
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling