Shelter In Place Tour/QUARANTINE April/May 2020

We’re a day away from the first stop on the “Shelter in Place” Tour, with Warrior Pro Wrestling going live from the Baron Wrestling School. A conference call took place today involving the two main eventers- familiar foes Doc Wyatt and John Logan who will main event the show for a shot at Vic Baron’s World Heavyweight Title.


Doc Wyatt:


John Logan:


Random Notes:
Tank mentioned on the conference call that everyone on the card has been tested and cleared for COVID-15. Sources say Virgil Wyatt was able to pull strings to ensure testing was done by everyone involved in the show, presumably motivated by his son being in the main event. No word on if there were contingencies from Virgil for providing testing… Head Trainer Austin Baron and head official Dean Walter will be officiating the show, and Baron will be the management lead to limit the number of people present for the show… On that note, there will be no managers/seconds present for any of the matches…

Night Two of the “Shelter in Place Tour” takes place tonight from Mexico City where we’ll have some exciting lucha action on display. We see the first match from El Macho since he lost his mask, the return of ZDM, the singles debut of Jack Gold, and a “Primo vs Primo” for the Lucha POWER Championship!


The show will kick off at 5pm PT LIVE ON TWITCH.



Hexagon Jr./Diego Guerrero/El Macho vs ZDM (La Guerra)
A potential show stealing opener as a newly unmasked El Macho teams up with two exciting up and comers against the legendary rudo trio, ZDM. There is a lot of history between ZDM and the Lucha POWER roster, and this match will no doubt add another chapter, and perhaps renew a dormant rivalry...

Doctor Dorado vs Jack Gold
Jack Gold will make his official singles debut as a member of the Lucha Power roster against the wiley veteran Doctor Dorado. There are rumors Macho has big plans for the former Warrior Pro rookie if he can stay focused and live up to his potential, and Dorado could be an excellent test to see just how far away the promising high flier is.

Nightmare Clown vs Dungeon Dominguez
After an impressive near year long reign as champion, Dungeon Dominguez looks to get back in the title picture amongst rumors that his former employer, Paco Pequeno, has been in contact with the big man. His is also looking to earn a win after losing to Pantero Negro Jr. Little is known about Nightmare Clown other than his thirst for violence- which could make this singles match a blood bath very quickly. The winner should see themselves on the short list for a title fight, and the loser might very well need a hospital bed.

Lucha POWER Championship: Pantero Negro Jr (c) vs Lobo Muerte
A match that has been teased since El Macho re-opened the doors to the promotion over a year ago. Lobo has dazzled crowds in La Guerra and Warrior Pro, but always seems to come up just short at claiming the top prize of Lucha POWER. Meanwhile his older cousin has been on his own journey to lay his claim as one of the top rudo’s in all of lucha libre. The lure of the gold finally cracked an unstable alliance and now we see two of the very best square off. To say this match carries high expectations would be an understatement.


SEE ALL THE ACTION LIVE TONIGHT ON LUCHA POWER PRESENTS!

Dragon Fire Japan wraps up the final night of the “Shelter in Place” tour with a one night tournament featuring top talent from inside the company as well as top names from some rival promotions. The tournament will be broadcast LIVE TOMORROW AT 5pm PT


But first, a brief history of Dragon Fire Pro Wrestling Federation on the eve of their United States televised premiere:

Formed in 2003 and based in Osaka, Japan, Dragon Fire Japan was founded by Shintaro Ito when he broke off from Japan All Around Pro-Wrestling (JAAWP) after an illustrious 20 year career in the company. The backbone in the early days of Dragon Fire Japan revolved around Ito and Dragon Mask II feuds that, while not as technically impressive as their matches in JAAW, still drew large audiences. The promotion enjoyed a ton of early success but a reliance on aging stars made most shows top heavy, with little interest in a poorly pushed under-card. As the careers of both Ito and Dragon Mask wound down, Ito doubled down on past their prime outsiders, even bringing in Tank McDaniel for a championship run. The company struggled to create new stars from its inception, and with little other talent on the roster, as well as retirements from both Ito and Dragon Mask, the company fell on dark times. By 2010 the company performed in front of a few hundred people as rumors swirled that they would be purchased by ZIP Japan.

In 2012, Ito finally pivoted the company towards younger stars- making deals with American companies for the rights to up and comers such as John Logan, Gears of War, and Pantero Negro Jr as well as investing heavily in their own dojo. By 2015, the company dropped all its traditional belts and replaced them with single night tournament shows, showcasing both singles and tag team wrestling. The the influx of young global up and comers combined with a host of promising home grown talent started to pay dividends, Dragon Fire became one of the hottest promotions in the country. Now with the backing of a wealthy board of directors, Shintaro Ito has his promotion poised to be a major player in the Japanese wrestling landscape

To get a full breakdown of Dragon Fire Japan’s top talent check out their bio’s HERE.


Tomorrow’s tournament bracket has also been released:

Bracket A:
Hideki Nomo vs Kenta Aoki

Koji Tanaka vs Sonoda Denji (SHTCWA)

Winner vs Winner

Bracket B:
Nishimura Endo (Lightning Pro) vs Masahiro Suzuki

Bo “The Animal” Leslie vs Park Hyun-woo

Winner vs Winner

Bracket A Winner vs Bracket B Winner


And last but not least, as a part of announcing the brackets, Dragon Fire also announced that Park Hyun-woo has signed an exclusive deal with the promotion. The acclaimed Korean shootfighter has turned to pro wrestling for his next paycheck, but can't seem to stop himself from legitimately knocking his opponents out with devastating and rather real knee strikes. The big man had been working in iWe but after seeing limited dates, had been looking for a change of scenery when his contract ran out earlier this year.

Last week’s Dragon Fire Japan show proved an entertaining introduction to American audiences. The tournament provided a string of entertaining matches, one legit MotY candidates, and a few shocking upsets. It was also a fitting end to the Warrior Pro Wrestling sponsored “Shelter in Place” tour, and with its success the possibility that we might see more cross promotional tours in the future.


Scroll down for full matches, recaps and post show news and notes…



Koji Tanaka vs Sonoda Denji


Recap:
The first match of the tournament was a shocker. Tanaka, who many picked as a favorite to win the whole thing was dominated early by Denji and never recovered, eating a series of brutal knees to the head that spelled a quick end to the night.

Winner: Sondada Denji
Rating: **




Bo “The Animal” Leslie vs Park Hyun-woo


Recap:
This match was everything you’d imagine it would be, two big tanks beating the hell out of each other. Both men traded big blows early and often, until a step up enziguri from the newly signed Park proved the match ender.

Winner: Park Hyun-woo
Rating: ****




Nishimura Endo (Lightning Pro) vs Masahiro Suzuki


Recap:
If Suzuki going out as definitively as he did was the shocker of the night, this was a close second. Nishimura Endo entered the night with a brutal reputation as a dominate offensive weapon, but none of that seemed to matter against the veteran Suzuki. Perhaps the size differential through Endo off, or maybe Suzuki’s low base proved difficult to overcome. Whatever the reason, Suzuki looked comfortable avoiding Endo’s big strikes, and a pair of bone crushing lariats provided the match ender.

Winner: Masahiro Suzuki
Rating: ***



Hideki Nomo vs Kenta Aoki


Recap:
In the lead up to this tournament, a common theme was peoples view’s that the future of the company will rest on these two fighting over the top spot, and many predicted this match might end up an instant classic. It didnt quite go to plan, but the finish was jaw dropping. Aoki ate all the offense early and it seemed we might be looking at yet another early round squash. But then, out of nowhere, Aoki nailed the Aoki Crusher that would KO Nomo into the ropes. The referee would be forced to stop the match as doctors attempted to untangle Nomo’s body out of the ropes.

After a few minutes Nomo was awake and able to leave the ring under his own power.

Winner: Kenta Aoki
Rating: ***




SEMI FINALS:

Masahiro Suzuki vs Park Hyun-woo


Recap:
Brutally physical, this match saw both men trading elbows for the better part of the contest. In the end, Park was able to use his size advantage to pin Suzuki to the match and end the contest with a brutal series of knees to the head.

Winner: Park Hyun-woo
Rating: ****




Kenta Aoki vs Sonoda Denji


Recap:
Easily the match of the tournament, and a good candidate for MotY. Denji controlled the match early, in what looked both like his first match and the better part of Aoki’s. But the latter stages proved to be insane. Both men traded brutal combinations of sitting and running knees, with neither man able to fully put the other away. After countless nearfalls, it was Denji that would finally pick up the victory when he hit a top rope flying knee, into a ripcord knee, followed by a sitting “Death Magnetic” knee.

Winner: Sonoda Denji
Rating: *****



FINALS:

[bPark Hyun-woo vs Sonoda Denji[/b]


Recap:
A competitive match early, but you could tell the war Denji went through took its toll as the finals wore on. Park looked fresh throughout, and smartly waited out the match until Denji was obviously fatigued. Once he found his opening, a brutal enziguri finished off the tournament at allowed Park to be the true last man standing.

Winner: Park Hyun-woo
Rating: ****




After the Show notes:

Hideki Nomo was diagnosed with a shoulder stinger, and shouldn't miss much if any time… Management was very impressed with Sonoda Denji and there are rumblings that he could be brought back for future shows… Nishimura Endo was overheard rumbling that he wanted a rematch with Suzuki “as soon as it can be booked”… Shintaro Ito was said to be pleased with the event as a whole, and that the company would be looking to run another show in late May/early June. He also seemed open to the idea of re-instituting a Heavyweight champion at some point over the summer but remained non-committal.  He also refused to comment on "rumors" that he is related to Lightning Pro owner Shima Ito, referring to him as "That Grey Machine."

With so much going on in the world of pro wrestling right now, The Wrestling Monitor remains your best place to get updated on all the major news. Here is your Friday update on what you need to know...








There remains no love lost between the Santana Family and Lucha POWER, but that friction might be bleeding into the ranks of Lucha POWER. A multi-man match that pitted Lucha POWER champion Pantero Negro Jr vs El Macho himself was met with strong words from the Lucha POWER owner. The match itself also proved interesting as Pantero submitted Macho as Felix Jr. looked on. Once has to assume a match between Felix Jr and El Macho is inevitable, but a bigger question might be looming- does El Macho have control of his own locker room?