International Wrestling Association Japan Est. 1994

IWA Ninth Anniversary Show / WMF Tenryu Fight 2003 September 29th / November 20th 2003 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Now that its reputation has been rehabilitated, IWA Japan is attracting some great talent for its biggest events. This latest anniversary show featured Steve Williams and NOAH's Jun Akiyama - who finally ended Freddie Krueger's reign of rubber-faced terror. In addition to the IWA, this tape features Hayabusa's WMF. As well as the expected FMW refugees, WMF features Minoru Fujita, Jinsei Shinzaki and Genichiro Tenryu (him again) on a really wild card. The Team No Respect dance is back, too. I can't be the only one who likes it. IWA Japan Ninth Anniversary Show: Keizo Matsuda & Tiger Jeet Singh vs Ryo Miyake & Steve Williams… Yukihide Ueno vs Kappa Kozuo (IWA Junior Heavyweight Title Match)… Makoto Hashi & Jun Akiyama vs Boogie Man & Freddie Krueger… WMF Tenryu Fight: Michiko Ohmukai vs Emi Sakura (highlights)… Tomoya Adachi vs Minoru Fujita (WMF Junior Heavyweight Title Match)… Kintaro Kanemura, Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Goemon vs Jinsei Shinzaki, Masashi Ikeda & Kazuya Yuasa… Big Hayabusa (Genichiro Tenryu) & Mammoth Sasaki vs Mr. Gannosuke & Hido (streetfight). This also features a Zero-One TV Special, in which Masato Tanaka roams the streets of Toyko, daring members of the public to eat brains and batter each other with Singapore canes. Lovely stuff.

IWA Eighth Anniversary Show October 1st 2002 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
After years in the wilderness, IWA Japan returned to polite society with this show - the return to prominence booned by an unlikely wrestler vs promoter feud between Tiger Jeet Singh and IWA boss Mr. Asano. Battleranger & G-Valion vs Masahiko Kochi & Imamura… Freddie Krueger & Leatherface vs Boogie Man & Giant Drago… Takasugi & Apollo Sugawara vs Gypsy Joe & Doctor Death… Etsuko Mita vs Yoshiko Tamura (AWF Women's Title Match)… Masayoshi Motegi vs The Great Takeru (IWA Junior Heavyweight Title Match)… The Great Kabuki, Ryo Miyake & Mr. Asano vs Tiger Jeet Singh, Yuji Kito & Gorgeous Matsuno (Matsuno's debut)… Shoichi Ichinomiya & Jun Izumida vs Takashi Uwano & Keizo Matsuda (IWA Tag Team Title Match)

IWA Final Battle '95: Tag Team Death Match Tournament December 9th 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
In a similar vein to the King of the Death Matches Tournament (should that be 'squirting out of the same vein'?) this is a wild, wild tag team tournament from Korakuen Hall. The Head Hunters vs Terry Gordy & Keisuke Yamada… Shoji Nakamaki vs George Takano (barbed wire thumb tack death match)… Cactus Jack vs Tarzan Goto (glass bottles death match)… Terry Funk & Keisuke Yamada vs Freddie Krueger & Boogie Man… Shoji Nakamaki & Leatherface vs Terry Gordy & Hiro Matsuda… Cactus Jack & Tiger Jeet Singh vs Terry Funk & Keisuke Yamada… The Great Kabuki & Benkei Daikokubo vs Shoji Nakamaki & Leatherface… Cactus Jack & Tiger Jeet Singh vs Tarzan Goto & Mr. Gannosuke (IWA Tag Team Title Tournament Final)

IWA Kawsaki Dream: King of the Death Matches Tournament August 20th 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
The first ever death match tournament and the most talked-about tape ever, held at the Kawasaki Baseball Stadium. Mick Foley delivered an all-time great performance throughout the tournament, and Victor Quinones 'thanked' him by splashing out on military grade explosives for the time bomb death match tournament final. Unlike Tiger Jeet Singh, the gore continues to age well. Tiger Jeet Singh vs Mr. Gannosuke (barbed wire chain death match)… Terry Funk vs Leatherface (barbed wire chain death match)… Cactus Jack vs Terry Gordy (barbed wire baseball bat, thumbtack death match)… Shoji Nakamaki vs Hiroshi Ono (barbed wire barricade, thumbtack death match - all Quarter-finals)… Akihito Ichikara vs Takashi Okano… Kamikaze vs The Iceman… Terry Funk vs Tiger Jeet Singh (glass box death match)… Cactus Jack vs Shoji Nakamaki (bed of nails death match - Semi-finals)… The Head Hunters vs Silver King & El Texano (IWA World Tag Team Title Match)… Dan Severn vs Tarzan Goto (NWA World Title Match)… Cactus Jack vs Terry Funk (no-rope, exploding barbed wire, time bomb death match - Final)

IWA Five Death Matches March 7th, April 3rd & May 1st 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Arguably the best IWA tape ever, compiling highlights of three consecutive Korakuen Hall shows - full versions of two are available below. Silver King & El Texano vs Takashi Okano & Yoshihiro Tajiri… The Head Hunters vs The Iceman & Kendo Nagasaki (scramble bunkhouse death match)… Cactus Jack & Leatherface vs Shoji Nakamaki & Hiroshi Ono (no rope, barbed wire, thumb tack death match)… The Iceman & Keizo Matsuda vs Keisuke Yamada & Daisuke Taue… Terry Funk & Hiroshi Ono vs The Head Hunters… Cactus Jack & Crypt Keeper vs Nakamaki & Leatherface (no rope, barbed wire bricks death match)… Kyoko Ichiki vs Niitana… Takashi Okano, Yoshihiro Tajiri & the Lion vs Silver King, Super Astro & Tudor the Turtle… Shoji Nakamaki vs Crypt Keeper (barbed wire ladder bunkhouse death match)… Head Hunter A vs Head Hunter B (barbed wire, broken glass crush death match)

IWA Glass Crush Death Match May 1st 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
The main event here is possibly the bloodiest match of 1995. It's certainly the blubberiest. Daisuke Taue vs Apollo Sugawara… Keisuke Yamada vs Paragyle… Leatherface vs Hiroshi Ono… Yoshihiro Tajiri, Takashi Okano & the Lion vs Silver King, El Texano & Tudor the Turtle… Shoji Nakamaki vs Crypt Keeper (barbed wire ladder bunkhouse death match)… Head Hunter A vs Head Hunter B (barbed wire, broken glass crush death match)

IWA Bricks Death Match April 3rd 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Apollo Sugawara vs Togai… Niitana vs Shinarai… The Iceman & Hiro Matsuda vs Keisuke Yamada & Daisuke Taue… Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Takashi Okano… The Head Hunters vs Terry Funk & Hiroshi Ono… Shoji Nakamaki & Leatherface vs Cactus Jack & Crypt Keeper (barbed wire bricks death match)

IWA Duel of the Wilds January 8th 1995 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Features the first meeting between Cactus Jack and Terry Funk on Japanese soil. In any sensible nation it would've been the last. You'll need a strong stomach; borrow one if necessary. Tomoe Araya vs Cynthia Moreno… Daisuke Taue vs Aguila Negra… Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Jiraiya… Takashi Okano vs Gran Apache… Shoji Nakamaki & Hiroshi Ono vs Leatherfaces (bunkhouse scramble death match)… Nobutaka Araya vs Tracey Smothers… Terry Funk vs Cactus Jack (no rope barbed wire, bunkhouse scramble death match)

IWA Hell Death Match December 13th 1994 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Daisuke Taue… Cynthia Moreno vs Shintani… Jiraiya & Miguel Perez vs Aguila Negra & Takashi Okano… Dick Murdock vs Joe Gomez… Nobutaka Araya vs Kendo Nagasaki… Shoji Nakamaki & Hiroshi Ono vs Leatherface #1 & #2 (double hell spike nail death match)

IWA Texas Bronco Homecoming November 17th 1994 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Every Texas connection is milked for all its worth on this commercial tape, with appearances by Terry Funk, Dick Slater, Leatherface, and - of course - El Texano of Los Cowboys. Super Astro vs Takashi Okano… Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Aguila Negra… Silver King & El Texano vs Miguel Perez & Super Astro… Hiroshi Ono vs Shoji Nakamaki (barbed wire chain death match)… Terry Funk vs Leatherface (cage match)… The Head Hunters vs Dick Slater & Nobutaka Araya (IWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Final)

IWA Fire on Earth November 13th 1994 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Aguila Negra… Super Astro vs Takashi Okano… Dick Slater vs Joe Gomez… Silver King & El Texano vs The Head Hunters… Leatherface vs Miguel Perez (barbed wire baseball bat death match)… Nobutaka Araya & Shoji Nakamaki vs Terry Funk & Hiroshi Ono (fire death match)

IWA Graveyard October 16th 1994 £7 vhs / £8 dvd
The 'graveyard' is actually a bed filled with shards of broken glass. Event not sponsored by MFI. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Gran Apache… Joe Gomez vs Abe… Gran Apache vs Takashi Okano… Leatherface vs Crash the Terminator (barbed wire baseball bat death match)… Brian Christopher & Doug Gilbert vs Nobutaka Araya & Dick Slater… The Head Hunters vs Shoji Nakamaki & Hiroshi Ono (broken glass, barbed wire barricade death match)