This review was commissioned by Eric T. over on my Ko-fi account.
It’s really something to watch people codify an entire genre of pro wrestling in real time. Here, in UWF’s first year, we get Yoshiaki Fujiwara and the original Tiger Mask, now working as Super Tiger, presenting the template for an entire style of pro wrestling (and combat sports in general). In this bout, we get one of the foundational templates for mixed martial arts in the decades to come: the striker vs. the grappler.
In this almost primordial state of shoot style, it’s not quite as complex as it would come to be. In some ways, this is a fault, especially when we watch Super Tiger flounder on the mat as he does. I love Fujiwara and it’s fun to see him work to get into holds to try and tap out Tiger, but if I’m being honest, Tiger doesn’t do much to make those struggles interesting. It’s also a much slower and more methodical approach to matwork here, far closer in tradition to classical catch wrestling than it is to the more updated style we would get from something like 90s RINGS.
The flipside to that though is simplicity brings clarity. The sheer commitment to the narrative on display here is stunning. Fujiwara gets Tiger on the mat, and it’s a day in the park for him. But when these two crash together on their feet, Tiger’s kicks are deadly. It’s to their credit how quickly that establish that dynamic as well with the first few leg kicks from Tiger crashing like thunder in Korakuen Hall.
Where Tiger lacks on the mat too, we can at least enjoy the wickedness of Yoshiaki Fujiwara. While not his most gleeful performance, there’s a quiet menace to this man closing in on a downed target. Watch as he crowds Super Tiger in the corner, with this cool malice to him that just radiates off the screen. Despite being cast as the lesser of the strikers too, Fujiwara delivers on that front as well. There’s a few of his signature worked headbutts in there but his punches absolutely rock. There’s these evil liver punches that call to mind Sangre Chicana in the 93 La Fiera apuesta that just get across how spiteful and mean that man is.
And to Super Tiger’s credit, this is far from a bad performance. Where he succeeds best is in his role as the situational babyface. His work on the sell is very compelling especially for how audible it is. These scary gasps when Fujiwara has a choke on or an actual panicked yelp when Fujiwara is about to lock in his signature armbar. It does a lot to paint him in a sympathetic light even if his reliance on the rope breaks signals cowardice to my own broken brain.
Super Tiger also delivers strongly in the closing moments. After getting tied up and bullied on the mat, it’s a real joy whenever he gets to unload those kicks of his. It’s such sweet payback, complemented by a small choice like giving those liver punches back in kind to Fujiwara. After seeing him so cool through the rest of the match too, Fujiwara’s panic begin to settle in as Tiger unleashes on him is so good. It’s such a varied and expressive performance from Fujiwara in those closing moments. The delay on his sell when he goes down, the frustration on his face, the sort of smug last gasps of life as Tiger literally beats the snot out of him. That final climax, seeing Tiger just whoop this dude and beat him to within an inch of his life is so good. Adding to it too, the commercial tape capturing a perfect freeze frame of Tiger’s expression when the bell rings. Ecstasy and relief.
Rating: ****1/4
