The Last Match: 80's Big Men

It has been a very long time since I wrote a The Last Match blog post.  Recently though I came across match footage of The Big Boss Man's last match and it was in Japan.  So I took a look see and sure enough he did, so I thought it was time a new The Last Match post.

Big Boss Man Ray Traylor

August 31, 2004 Tokyo, Japan IWA Japan 10th Anniversary Show

Semi Final: defeated Freddy Krueger

Finals: was defeated by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan for the vacant IWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hard to believe the final matches of Ray Traylor's career were in Japan, although at only age 41 when he passed away less than a month after these matches, I don't think he intended them to be.  After his WWE fun finished in 2002 he didn't wrestle again until March 2004 when he was brought to Japan for IWA.  His final tour was August 28th through the 31st.  You can find his last match on YouTube. 

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

May 12, 2019 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Destiny World Wrestling

defeated by Gursinder Singh

In a career that spanned 40 years I best know Hacksaw for the 2 x 4 carrying, cross eyed, flag carrying all American WWF mid card guy.  It wasn't until many years later that I saw his Mid-South run where he was on top of the territory.  When he entered WCW I would have like to have seen him return to his Mid-South style rather than continue his WWF character.

One Man Gang

March 28, 2009 Franklin, Pennsylvania International Wrestling Cartel: Night of Legends

defeated by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

Also known as Akeem the African Dream, Gang wrestled for 32 years debuting in 1977 with runs in Mid-South, World Class, before going to the WWF.  He debuted as the One Man Gang in 1987 and in 1988 debuted the Akeem character, joining the Big Boss Man as the team the Twin Towers.  He left the WWF in 1990 wrestling on the independents until 2001 with a couple of short stints in WCW where he won the WCW United States Championship.

Earthquake

July 19, 2003 Tokyo, Japan All Japan Pro Wrestling

teamed with George Hines & Robbie Brookside defeated Hiroshi Hase, Masayuki Kono & Shigeo Okumura

John Tenta ending his career in Japan is fitting as he began combat sports career as a sumo wrestler in the Japan Sumo Association and in pro wrestling with All Japan Pro Wrestling.  He joined the WWF in 1989 in a very memorable segment sitting on Dino Bravo while he did pushups and then attacking the Ultimate Warrior when he attempted the same.  After a good run with the WWF he followed Hogan to WCW where he had a string of gimmick names and then had to walk around with half  beard for a few months.  His last WWF run was a member of the oddities under a mask as Golga before ending his career back in Japan with All Japan. 

Until Next Time!

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Tommy Dreamers 1995 tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling

While I was working on my Limitless Wrestling book I was researching Tommy Dreamer for his bio in the book.  While looking for something unique to notate in the book I saw that Dreamer did a tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1995 while he was in ECW. 

The first night of the tour was January 2, 1995 and the final night was January 29th.  He wrestled in twenty three matches winning six of them.  He compete in a battle royal, the All Asia Tag Title League, multi-man matches and singles bouts.

He scored wins in singles matches against Mighty Inoue, Ryukaku Izumida, and Manakea Mossman.  In the All Asia Tag Team Title League he was partnered with Johnny Smith finishing with six points.  During the tour he also teamed with Johnny Ace and the legendary Stan "The Lariat" Hansen battling teams like The Fantastics: Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton, The Can-Am Express: Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas, Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori and others.  

One six man tag team match saw him team with Johnny Smith and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams against Holy Demon Army: Akira Taue, Toshiaka Kawada, & Yoshinari Ogawa.  The final night of the tour Dreamer and Stan Hansen teamed to defeat Abdullah the Butcher and Giant Kimala.  

Dreamer would return to Japan for IWA in 1996, WAR in 1997, FMW in 1997, 1998, & 1999.  He wouldn't return to Japan again until 2006 & 2009 for WWE events.  SMASH1 brought Dreamer to Japan in 2010, while WNC: Wrestling New Classic booked him for two matches in 2012.  In 2014 TNA ran a show in Japan that The Great Muta main evented, Dreamer teamed with Abyss earlier on the card losing to The Dudley Boys.  In 2015 he returned to wrestled for Tokyo Gurentai One Night Stand, and again in 2016 for One Night Stand 2.  Which is his last time in Japan to date.

Although Dreamer never tagged with Hansen or Smith again, he did team up with Steve Williams on August 3, 1996 in a losing effort to Brian Lee & Taz at the ECW Arena.  

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Until next time!!

Hayabusa

 Sadly on March 3rd Eiji Ezaki better known to the world as professional wrestler Hayabusa died from a subarachnoid hemorrhage at the age of 47.

I first saw Hayabusa when he teamed with Jinsei Shinzaki in a tag team match against Rob Van Dam and Sabu at ECW's Heatwave 1998 for the ECW World Tag Team Championships.  Thanks to PWI and other publications I had heard of Hayabusa before and was anxious to see him in action.

Initially my reaction was that he was the Japanese version of Sabu.  They even wore the same gear in the ring, except Sabu didn't have a mask.  I would learn that Hayabusa was not a carbon copy of Sabu and in fact may have been even more extreme than the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death defying maniac himself.

A still from ECW Heatwave 98

In October 2000 Tokyopop started releasing DVD compilations featuring the matches of Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling or FMW.  One release was nothing but Hayabusa matches showing violent and bloody feuds with "Gladiator" Mike Awesome, Mr. Gannosuke, Atushi Onita, and more.

Hayabusa competed in some of the most violent and bizarre matches I have ever seen.  Later in his career he competed as H wearing no mask and basically daisy duke style cut off jean shorts.  As H he wrestled Mr. Gannosuke, who at this point was dressed as Hayabusa wrestling under the name Darkside Hayabusa, in an anal bomb explosion match.  Essentially a roman candle was jammed up H's butt and lit it...yes this happened in a wrestling ring.

On October 22, 2001 at the FMW PPV Power Splash 2001 Eiji once again wrestling as the masked Hayabusa was wrestling against Mammoth Saski and went a springboard moonsault.  This was a move he had performed probably hundreds of times, a move that several other wrestlers have performed hundreds of times, and yet on this day his feet slipped on the ropes and he landed on his head breaking his neck paralyzing him.

Moments after the  botched springboard moonsault that ended his career.

FMW closed down shortly thereafter amidst controversy.

Hayabusa would regain some feeling in his legs and in mid 2015 would walk to and enter the ring with only the assistance of a cane.

You should take some time and go to YouTube and watch some of Hayabusa's art, is art of wrestling.  I've taken the liberty to give you some links of matches.

Hayabusa vs. Sabu 

Exploding Deathmatch: Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka vs. Mr. Pogo & Terry Funk

Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome & Terry Funk

FMW Sixth Anniversary Show - Complete show

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Later Readers!