Cover The Sleaze #3

 

Oh this could be the most consistent run I have with writing stuff, so lets dive into another episode of Cover The Sleaze with some retro stuff as well as some fresh stuff from this year. Have fun!

Gajo vs. Takahiro Tababa (Big Bear Produce, 02/22/2025)

Just three months ago Gajo made his long awaited comeback! His last match was in 2022, when he lost the NWA Intercontinental Tag strap at ZERO1 to Junya Matsunaga and Takafumi. Today the big fella clashed with Takahiro Tababa, who is a well known favourite of the sleaze fans. Funny enough Gajo made his in-ring comeback in December last year for Tababa's promotion IMPACT Fighting Federation.

And this just fun! The fight started immediately after Tababa tried to surprise Gajo with a run, but Gajo hit Tababa and bombed him away. Scenes! The match itself is only seven minutes long, but you get the ultimate experience from a great battle. You get awesome strikes and kicks, blood literally everywhere, and even shoot headbutts.

These are two genuine killers who worked like they really want to kick each other butts. I loved the intensity of Tababa's kicks, Gajo's brutal strikes absolutely carnaged Tababa and almost put him in two halves with his spear for the win. This was a war!
RATING: 7/10

Uchuu Power X & Uchuu Power XX vs. Shunji Takano & Nobutaka Araya (PWC, 01/27/1994)

Pro Wrestling Crusaders was a promotion founded in 1993 after the closure of Super World Sports by the Takano brothers. This match was the main event of a Korakuen Hall show between promotion founder Shunji Takano and Nobutaka Araya against the Cosmic Powers of "Jimmy Hart of Japan" KY Wakamatsu, who declared war on Takano weeks before this match happened. 

The match was promoted as a Nail Barricade Death Match, where the turnbuckles were wrapped in barbed wire and some barbed wire and nail boards were placed as well. This was an intense brawl all over the place. The crowd at Korakuen Hall was super into it and the evil duo did not hesitate to absolutely hurt their opponents, made them bleed after less than five minutes into the fight. KY Wakamatsu yelled into his megaphone a big "AAAAAH" to cheer his unknown fellas to victory. 

To be completely honest, this was a slow brawl until Takano hit a top rope knee-drop and partner Araya missed a moonsault, which looked absolutely ridiculous. KY pretended Takano from getting into the ring again by wrapping him up with barbed wire. The Uchuu Power's won the match with a flaming shotei, which looked quite cool, but yea nothing really happened here.
RATING: 3/10

Asian Cougar vs. Kamen Shooter Super Rider (DDT, 03/25/1998)

WATCH

Dramatic Dream Team was hands down one of the most interesting promotions in its early stages. The first few years brought us absolute insane bangers and you should absolutely check stuff out from 1997 to 2001. One of the first cornerstones of DDT was Kamen Shooter Super Rider: A Satoru Sayama student and a shoot-style spaceman, who is still rocking the rings of Japan with an age of 62. His opponent was Asian Cougar, student of legendary Gran Hamada and he is better known as Kuuga today and yes he is an awesome wrestler.

This was an incredible smooth affair between these two masked guys. Super Rider was a real shooter here yet again while Asian Cougar not only showed his great high flying, but also working Rider's leg on the mat pretty smoothly. It did not took long until we saw Cougar flying around Kitazawa Town Hall. He hit a beautiful plancha over the top rope to Rider, who needed some time after it to take a breath.

Rider's kicks were absolutely vicious and I enjoyed them every time he unwrapped a series of them to Cougar's teared up body. Cougar was tremendous here and absolutely motivated just three years into his career. He bursted out several moves over the top rope and even included a table spot, unfortuantely the table did not broke in half, but still great effort.

Speaking of effort: Rider himself flew through the ropes to and finished Cougar off after a gritty snap suplex and a german suplex hold for the three count. This match was a real showcase for Cougar in one of his first matches for DDT.
RATING: 6/10 

Rion Mizuki vs. Karate Mummy vs. MIKAMI vs. Tomonori Chiba vs. Yamada Man Pondo (Kabukicho Pro, 10/15/2017)

WATCH

Kabukicho Pro Wrestling is a small indy promotion founded by Rion Mizuki. They only held ten shows in ten years of its existence and this show is just a one match show in the streets of Kabukicho. The aforementioned Rion Mizuki was one of the participants in the match as well as MIKAMI, Tomonori Chiba, Yamada Man Pondo and Karate Mummy, who came in a bit late.

Chiba and Mummy started the match with some kicks to the body until Chiba alligned himself with Pondo and these two began to attack Mizuki badly. MIKAMI had pretty cool scenes with Karate Mummy, they even went into the fans with a cutter type of move. It became an all-out-war between all five combattans, although Pondo and Chiba worked together pretty well against Rion Mizuki.

Mummy tried to choke MIKAMI with his chain, the latter turned the tables around but got trapped between the dynamic dou of Pondo and Chiba. Mummy helped them so it became like a handicap match from now on.

MIKAMI was the real highlight reel here, as expected should I say, even hit a moonsault of a small ladder to Karate Mummy. And just after that move Rion Mizuki pinned Karate Mummy after a diving crossbody on Mummy from the aforementioned tiny ladder.
RATING: 4.5/10