Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Digger's Dungeon


Over on my family blog I posted about Wesley and I's day trip to Digger's Dungeon while on our annual Ocean City, Maryland vacation.

If you are a Monster Truck fan and want to check it out, head on over via the link and take a look see.




Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs 
Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time! 

Sunday, June 22, 2025

My Attempt to get my Megumi Kudo card signed

I've been a fan of Megumi Kudo since I first discovered FMW back in the mid 1990's.  I had never seen women wrestlers compete in death match wrestling, and Megumi Kudo was the best of her generation.

Later the company Tokyo Pop released several FMW DVD's here in the States giving his better quality matches to watch.

I have been collecting signed trading cards in earnest since 2003.  Back in 2018 when Mikey, Jay, & I decided to go to WrestleCon in New York I was buying cards on Ebay when I saw this 2001 BBM card of Kudo with an image that most represents her career in FMW.  I think I paid $7 for it and then just hoped that she would be announced to appear.  Sadly she was not brought it. 




Again in 2024 we went to WrestleCon in Philadelphia and she was not brough it either.  In fact I don't think anyone has ever brought her in for a signing.  Recently I was watching the "new" Hayabusa for Zero1 and discovered the Megumi is the general manager for the promotion.

I decided to mail the card to Megumi Kudo in care of Pro Wrestling Zero1 to the address on their website.  I've mailed cards to Japan in the past and have had great success with The Great Muta and The Great Kabuki for example. 

I hand wrote out a letter and then used Google Translate to put it in Japanese and mailed that with the card and $20 for return postage, although it won't cost that much.

It cost $2.98 to mail it to Japan so if I don't get it back I'm out, $23 and the card.  I mailed it out on June 20th, if I get it back I will post it here.

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time! 

Monday, June 16, 2025

The NWA Worlds Championship Reign of Tatsumi Fujinami

Tatsumi Fujinami a legendary Japanese professional wrestler who made his pro wrestling debut on May 9, 1971 and as of this post, 54 years later is still and active competitor in the ring at 71 years old with a dozen matches so far in 2025.

Among his numerous championships, he is a 6 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, WWF World Junior Heavyweight Champion, WWF International Heavyweight Championship, 2015 WWE Hall of Fame inductee, and for 59 days in 1991 he was the recognized NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.


To tell this story though, we need to go back to November 1988 when Ted Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions forming WCW: World Championship Wrestling.  JCP was an affiliate of the NWA and recognized the NWA Championships, WCW did the same when they acquired JCP.

In their first steps to withdraw from the NWA, WCW decides to declare their own World Champion. On January 11, 1991 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Ric Flair defeated then NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Sting to not only win the NWA World Title but become the first WCW World Champion.

WCW did not have a physical belt to represent the WCW World Championship, instead doubles the Big Gold Belt as both the NWA and WCW championship.

March 21, 1991 WCW & New Japan Pro Wrestling promote a joint show at the Tokyo Dome where 64,500 fans watch the IWGP World Champion: Tatsumi Fujinami pin the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair in the main event to capture the championship.


Flair's WCW World Championship was never announced as being on the line.  During the closing moments of the match referee Bill Alfonso was knocked out, during that time Fujinami threw Flair over the top rope, a disqualification at the time.  NJPW Referee Tiger Hattori ran in and counted the pinfall and declared Fujinami the champion.


During his post match press conference in the back, Flair barged in, took the physical belt and told Fujinami to come and get it.  In the United States WCW never recognized the title change stating that Fujinami was disqualified and that Flair was still the champion.  In Japan he was recognized at the NWA World Champion.
 
On May 19, 1991 WCW would hold their inaugural SuperBrawl PPV event in St. Petersburg, Florida featuring the rematch of Ric Flair vs. Tatsumi Fujinami.  During the build to the show WCW acknowledge there was controversy from their match in Japan and that at the end of the match we would know who the World Champion was.


During introductions ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta stated the match was for the WCW World Championship.  Fujinami was announced as the IWGP Champion however he did not come out with the title.  Flair was announced at the WCW World Champion.  No-mention was made of the NWA World Championship.


For this match, Tiger Hattori was the assigned in-ring official while Bill Alphonso would be the official at ringside.  The finish came when Fujinami rolled up Flair in an O'Connor roll and on kick out Fujinami and Hattori collied heads.  Flair then rolled up Fujinami in a school boy and Alphonso jumped in the ring for the 3 count.  Cappetta announced Flair as still the WCW World Champion.  The NWA Officially recognized Flair as the new NWA Worlds Champion.

The NWA & WCW title lineages would separate for good on July 1, 1991 when Flair left WCW and was stripped of the WCW World Championship, they would declare a new champion and physical belt on July 14, 1991 when Lex Luger defeated Barry Windham in a cage at the Great American Bash. 

The NWA would recognize Flair as the NWA World Champion until September 1991 when Flair made his WWF debut with the big gold belt declaring himself the real world's champion.

In the end, we got two outstanding matches between Flair and Fujinami and there appears to be an attempt at creating a good story with a controversial finish.  However, it seems neither side could agree on how they want to tell the story, so in the end we got, what we got. 

However Fujinami is officially recognized as a former NWA Worlds Champion, holding the title for 59 days from March 21, 1991 - May 19, 1991.  He had only 1 defense, when he lost the title back to Flair.
 
Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!