Sould the FMW tapes be inducted?

[Sephiroth]

I am sure plenty of my fellow crappers can relate to this one. It was in the late 90's or early 2000's that I first stumbled onto these little gems. I had heard some absolutely insane sounding story's about the differences between wrestling in the USA and wrestling in Japan, but had never actually seen any footage. Then one day, these tapes caught my eye at the video store-yes, we still used those primitive devices called video tapes back then! They were marked down dirt cheap, so I purchased a couple. I was expecting to get a taste of what pro-wrestling is like on the other side of the Pacific ocean, and oh boy, was I not let down!
For one thing, I learned that apparently in Japan the announcers suck! These tapes were hosted/announced by two absolutely colorless no names, only one of whom as actually Japanese and spoke pretty decent english. And apparently in Japan they are nowhere near as protective of the business ala kayfabe as they are here, because in between matches these two geeks would hand out trade secrets like how to perform armbars or whip people off the ropes. And evidently the announcers in Japan are even bigger pervs than Jerry Lawler, because they performed these segments accompanied by bikini clad girls who looked like they were on loan from street walking. Oh yeah, and in Japan, announcers have hairy balls-I'm not kidding, one of them revealed that about himself.

Apparently in Japan also, interview segments are extremely abbreviated. Unlike here in the states, where interviews can drag on for as long as fifteen or twenty minutes, apparently in Japan the interviews last less than forty seconds each! And apparently the wrestlers have nothing better to do than comment on the weather, because I recall one interview actually consisted of a female wrestler saying "Looks like it cleared up outside!"

Now don't get me wrong, these tapes were not all a complete crapfest. I did indeed get a taste for just how sick wrestling can get in Japan. Some of the matches looked absolutely brutal in how cut open the wrestlers would get, and I certainly had never seen the ring explode or wrestlers hacking at each other with knives and saws before. My eyes were especially opened up to the idea of SERIOUS female wrestling. I had never seen such a wide variety of female wrestlers before, nor had I ever seen women doing all the same stuff the men did, and beyond! These weren't just kitty-slap and hair pulling displays, these women were going through tables, jumping into piles of barbed wire, and showing off some genuinely impressive skills!

However, that did not change the fact that some of the wrestlers themselves were beyond silly. I had never seen Leatherface imitators carrying chainsaws that shot sparks in a wrestling ring before! And while there were some truly awesome native Japanese talents in these tapes like Hayabusa and Tanaka, there were also some utterly hideous blubberballs who's lack of skill was only matched by the jiggle of the breasts-seriously, I remember being both amazed and disgusted at the wide array of male cleavage on display in these tapes.

I sincerely doubt I am the only one who purchased these FMW tapes, and I would love to hear some memories from my fellow crappers. This one may not be related to the WWE, WCW, or TNA, but I think it has wrestlecrap written all over it!

[El Pollo Guerrera]

As one of the few who bought those FMW videos at retail price when they were first released (all 14 tapes... my local comic shop ordered them especially for me ;D ), I have to say the following:

FMW was awesome.

The American commentary that was dubbed over the matches was atrocious.

I'd love to see the announce team of John Watanabe and Eric Gellar inducted as wrestlecrap but I don't think that there was a big enough audience to do so. Watanabe and Dan Lovranski wasn't that much better, but at least they stopped with the poopy jokes!

And Leatherface? In my opinion, no more silly than an undead sorcerer that gained his power from a magical urn...

[Triple Kelly]

I only saw the ones with ECW vs. FMW and I quite liked them, barring the horrible English-speaking commentary. Never saw the previous tapes which, I have heard from most fans, are awful for the most part.

[Young Game]

Is this, perhaps, one of the FMW videos you watched? If so, I've got two words for ya: HEADHUNTER MOONSAULT!
That was seriously one of the funniest botches I've ever seen.

The bonus Taka Michinoku match was pretty awesome, though.
I also liked the fact that two of their characters were based on Horror movie icons.

[GenerationX7]

Maybe they should. I don't really know. I never seen these tapes. Though I did see only one Japanese women's wrestling match. It was when Cheerleader Melissa was in Japan for I think for the first time.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

May 30, 2010 0:08:38 GMT -5 Young Game said:

This tape had...

1) Cactus Jack vs. Kintaro Kanemura in a barbed wire match with 'pits' of wire outside the ring,

2) Terry Funk and Mr. Pogo vs. Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka in an exploding ring match, and

3) Megumi Kudo vs. Combat Toyota in an incredible electrified barbed wire match.

It is one of the best videos of the series.

[Shameful_Lobsterhead]

May 30, 2010 6:01:18 GMT -5 El Pollo Guerrera said:

May 30, 2010 0:08:38 GMT -5 Young Game said:

This tape had...

1) Cactus Jack vs. Kintaro Kanemura in a barbed wire match with 'pits' of wire outside the ring,

2) Terry Funk and Mr. Pogo vs. Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka in an exploding ring match, and

3) Megumi Kudo vs. Combat Toyota in an incredible electrified barbed wire match.

It is one of the best videos of the series.

Amen to that, I use to have them on tape but now I am looking on DVD for the ones I had and it is challenging I will admit.

[Sephiroth]

May 30, 2010 6:01:18 GMT -5 El Pollo Guerrera said:

May 30, 2010 0:08:38 GMT -5 Young Game said:

This tape had...

1) Cactus Jack vs. Kintaro Kanemura in a barbed wire match with 'pits' of wire outside the ring,

2) Terry Funk and Mr. Pogo vs. Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka in an exploding ring match, and

3) Megumi Kudo vs. Combat Toyota in an incredible electrified barbed wire match.

It is one of the best videos of the series.

This was indeed one of the better videos they put out. The Funk+Pogo/Tanaka+Hayabusa match was mind bogglingly sick to me at the time, but again, I had never seen Japanese matches before. The Foley/Kanemura match was also great, but would have been better if Foley's opponent were not nicknamed (and rightfully so) "Doughboy." And the Kudo/Toyota match really blew me away back then. I had never seen women wrestlers do such insane stunts in the ring, and I remember watching it with my jaw hanging.

On that note, this tape also featured some of the lamest announcing and interviews of the entire series. The "hairy balls" comment I ref'd in my original post was stated on this one, I believe. And I remember being astonished at the silliness of Super Leather and his "blaaaargh!" of doom.

Might add I was also astonished at the amazing lameness of some of the previews for other Tokyopop video series that were included on each tape. I recall one consisted of a bunch of Japanese schoolgirls chasing around a bunch of ghosts that not even Scooby Doo would have troubled himself with.

[mongomcmichael]

I have the FMW Judgment DVD featuring Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee in the main event and the Yokohama Deathmatch one with two female wrestlers going at it in a barbedwire deathmatch.

It'd be considered Weird World of Wrestling, but lord knows the last time its been updated.

[dada3345]

"Cactus Jack, white-trash's answer to a samurai." Was the highlight of the tape for me.

[bagsley]

May 30, 2010 0:08:38 GMT -5 Young Game said:

Is this, perhaps, one of the FMW videos you watched? If so, I've got two words for ya: HEADHUNTER MOONSAULT!
That was seriously one of the funniest botches I've ever seen.

The bonus Taka Michinoku match was pretty awesome, though.
I also liked the fact that two of their characters were based on Horror movie icons.

I bought this DVD at FYE for 75 cents. I have to agree on both of your points. The botched moonsault is awesome. I always enjoyed seeing Mike Awesome in Japan. Thats where he seemed to give it his all.

[SAJ Forth]

May 30, 2010 18:09:50 GMT -5 mongomcmichael said:

I have the FMW Judgment DVD featuring Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee in the main event and the Yokohama Deathmatch one with two female wrestlers going at it in a barbedwire deathmatch.

It'd be considered Weird World of Wrestling, but lord knows the last time its been updated.

Wasn't he Shooting while doing this?

[mongomcmichael]

Somewhat. During the match between H. and Hayabusa II (long story how that feud came to be, don't ask), HBK started to count them out outside the ring, but Hayabusa II kept pleading with him to not count.

OH, before I forget, there was one particular Wrestlecrap moment when they showed clips that showed the story of the Hayabusa feud and one of them featured Hayabusa getting a firecracker shoved up his ass and exploded.

And you thought Vince's Kiss My Ass Club was horrible...

[Sephiroth]

Jun 3, 2010 20:32:55 GMT -5 mongomcmichael said:

Somewhat. During the match between H. and Hayabusa II (long story how that feud came to be, don't ask), HBK started to count them out outside the ring, but Hayabusa II kept pleading with him to not count.

OH, before I forget, there was one particular Wrestlecrap moment when they showed clips that showed the story of the Hayabusa feud and one of them featured Hayabusa getting a firecracker shoved up his ass and exploded.

And you thought Vince's Kiss My Ass Club was horrible...

and yet, some people might try to argue that this was not wrestlecrap

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Jun 3, 2010 21:13:20 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

and yet, some people might try to argue that this was not wrestlecrap

No, I will agree that the Anal Bomb match was wrestlecrap.

[M. Dirrty]

for those who don't know about Strangle mania.

It's these said tapes with the Insane Clown Posse doing hilarious commentary over it. these tapes are over a decade old, but still entertaining.

heres a match from Stranglemania 2:

(language warning)

[summerslam]

May 30, 2010 0:08:38 GMT -5 Young Game said:

Is this, perhaps, one of the FMW videos you watched? If so, I've got two words for ya: HEADHUNTER MOONSAULT!
That was seriously one of the funniest botches I've ever seen.

The bonus Taka Michinoku match was pretty awesome, though.
I also liked the fact that two of their characters were based on Horror movie icons.

This is the only FMW video i have i got mine from a flea market for $2.00 and it was alright.

[Sajoa Moe]

I found one of these on DVD for a dollar at FYE. I got through two matches with the American commentary before I switched to the Japanese commentary. Too many gay and fart jokes.

Also, there was one match that really bothered me that I never watched all the way through, in which the arena was completely dark, but the lights would flash every time there was a bump or weapon shot. How is that entertaining?

[SAJ Forth]

Jun 2, 2010 0:57:16 GMT -5 dada3345 said:

"Cactus Jack, white-trash's answer to a samurai." Was the highlight of the tape for me.

That needs to be seen.

[Johnny Flamingo]

I highly recommend this DVD. Had Megumi Kudo's retirement match (probably the best female wrestler of all time).

Also has an option to turn the commentary off and just watch the show. Kind of cool watching the show with no commentary and hearing the full reactions of the crowds.