Deathmatch Interest Thread 2 (NSFW)

[Ro_y Disco]

For anyone fancying a bit of CZW to get in the mood for them coming over here next year, I noticed at the weekend that the free Tubi streaming app has some compilations on there (as well a bunch of 3PW matches rebranded as "Extreme Legends"). Nothing ground breaking, but an easy watch.

[Richie Freebird]

Match 5. Big Japan's blue haired bad boy Toshiyuki Sakuda (who had travelled all the way from Okinawa for this nonsense) vs Carnage Cup 10 winner Lane Bloodie (formerly and betterly known as IWA veteran Insane Lane) vs the Alabama Assassin Jay Blade. Lane was hailed as a much loved icon and Deep South Original by the commentators. Lane does seem to be enjoying being quite active on the scene again lately after a spell off. He did go through a period of feeling dismayed at promoters, other wrestlers and fans for not being held in high enough regard as a deathmatch legend a while ago (I don't know the full story) but he does seem in better spirits again these days, which is lovely to see. 

The match? Good God. This one reminded me of a Cannibal Corpse song come to life. Have you ever heard the tune "Savage Butchery"? Well that's how this match played out. There were all kinds of light tube and bat contraptions splayed around the ringside area, including a rather cool light tube strapped ladder (which we'll get to later). Right from the off, these lads made it clear that they came to smash glass over each other's heads. Insane Lane even sidewalk slammed a massive pile of tubes into a prone Jay Blade in the early going, which was pretty reckless and stupid, given that there was a foreseeable chance that a shard could have punctured his armpit. Lane clearly didn't give a single damn tonight.... he was here to raise hell. 

Like all great American deathmatches, this one spilled to the floor and descended into chaos. Sakuda and Blade battled all over the forest, finding a pile of fan made weapons to slice each others' foreheads with. You had yous classics like toothpick spiked bats, there were open scissor blade bats, and a totally new one to me, "cut up triangles of beer can material wedged into a pool noodle" bats. You can say many things about IWA fans but you can't say they aren't creative.

Chairs and tubes were flying around with dirty intentions, and there was a cool looking bump that Jay took into the tubed up ladders. Jay was to take a hellish amount of punishment in this one... a safety pin board was produced and brandished, and we got a rather cool live double feature (twin camera angles) of Sakuda leaping from a chair in the ring to boot the pins into Blade's face and chest in the corner. 

I don't want to say Lane was stiffing his opponents in this match, or being uncooperative, but he did have a very noticeable size and strength advantage and did seem to be reversing a lot of move attempts to stay in control of his own story here. It looked like Lane was trying to smash Jay Blade into the ladder strapped up with tubes in the corner of the ring at one point. I'm not sure if it was a minor botch or a genius reversal / counter, but Blade rolled through and the dungareed dealer of death went flying into the contraption, tree of woe style. York Terry proclaimed "he's hanging there like a fuckin'..... upside down scarecrow". These lads have me in stiches.

Speaking of stitches, poor old Jay Blade probably needed some after Toshiyuki Sakuda had finished with his face. The Okinawan mercilessly full on pierced young Jay's cheek with a giant safety pin, and then yanked on the whole thing like he'd hooked a beautiful fresh Shiozake Salmon. I remember first seeing a cheek piercing spot years ago, I think it was DJ Hyde vs Thumbtack Jack at ToD, and I was out of my seat in disbelief. These days, Sakura chucks it around mid match in a first round fight as if it was a wrist lock. Madness come to life. 

Unbelievably, Blade opted to keep his new face jewellery in for the rest of the match, at one point taking a drop toe hold to a chair that had a metal light tube end and some leftover shards in. He was in real pain after that bump, you could feel the agony as he held his face and rolled around like a South American football icon. 

There was another brilliant bump when Blade took a flying cross body from Sakura from the apron to the floor, where a massive quadruple contraption of light tube log cabins were setup over chairs. Glass, flesh, blood and guts went flying around the woods..... 2 count. I was sure this was the finish bump but the nutter kicked out. Back in the ring, somehow Blade regained control after the savaging he had taken, and produced a massive, 30-to-40 light tube bundle, all tied together with tape.

Jay sandwiched the huge bundle between both guys and hit a spinning springboard stomp to blast the bundle and pin the big man Insane Lane. This match was totally bonkers. Chaotic, messy, gory, but tremendous fun. The 3 men shook hands and raised each others' arms after the bell (Blade still with the safety pin in his mouth), and promoter Kevin Brannan hailed Lane for working one of the first tournaments exactly 20 years ago. Lane took the mic and was almost in tears as he proclaimed that after years of being told deathmatch was killing the business, the fans still show up for a show with deathmatch style and nothing else. He clearly enjoyed his afternoon and seemed to be truly moved that the scene was still clinging on after so many years. 

Apologies for the longer write up on this one but there was a hell of a lot to cover. I fully recommend this show if you like this style of wrestling. Everything has been totally cool so far. Stay tuned my friends, there is more to come. Again, sorry for the degradation in picture quality for the remainder of this show. My official (paid) download failed so I am working on a Russian bootleg that will only cooperate at 480p max. 

 

Edited December 1, 2025 by Richie Freebird

[Richie Freebird]

Okay fight fans, its main event time. There was a significant amount of ring clearing and setting up for this match, and in the interim, the sun had set and the darkness had descended onto the trees of McKenzie Tennesee. The lighting setup was reasonable when compared to last year's "can anyone put their car headlights on please". The ropes were gone, the no-rope exploding barbed wire was in. We were in for a mad one here. The match was bumped up from tomorrow's card to main event night one, as concerns about weather cast doubt onto the spectacularity of the gimmick. 

So here we are, its super heavyweight Deathmatch Genie Satu Jin vs the flamboyant maniac Bobby V. Every time I head V's name I can't help but imagine early 60's teen idol Bobby Vee walking out singing "like a rubber ball I'll come bouncing back to you". There would be some heads bouncing in this match, but not like a pleasant, bubble gum sing-along love song. More like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  

The first 5 minutes of the match was spent trading haymakers and teasing Irish whips in the centre of the ring. The lack of ropes in this type of stipulation does limit what you can do, especially with a big man like Satu Jin in the mix. After sufficient batterings, Jin grabbed Bobby and started chest-butting him, pounding away until he was sufficiently weakened, then it happened. Jin hoisted his man and dropped him right over the first explosion set up. Boooom. Bobby V got lit the fuck up. Just look at this....

Bobby got into it again and the lads started flattening chairs with head first power slams and an impressive sliced bread number 2 by V. This was a really difficult move to pull off with no turnbuckles and a big, immobile man like Jin involved, but it looked class. Hats off both men. More rough-housery ensued and V got bumper car'd right into the second explosion. Man, this looked even more brutal than the first. Bombs away big time in McKenzie Tennessee tonight. Wow.

The commentary team were well on form here, really selling the mushroom cloud hanging over the ring. As the savegary continued and Jin started busting big bundles over Bobby's head real stiff, York Terry just shouted "fuck off" into his headset. I knew exactly what he meant. Bobby's head was like a plate of raw mince at this point. The more tube bundles that got broken, the more barbaric it got. Referencing lightbulb sales, Terry proclaimed "Thomas Edison will be jizzing in his grave right now". Wholesome stuff as always from the mad men of the Deep South. 

Ladders and chairs appeared and both men gave and took a tremendous slapping from each. At one point Bobby absolutely fed Jin a ladder top "lawn dart" style and flattened him. Jin missed what would have been a spectacular senton from a ladder when Satu mercifully rolled away at the last instant, leaving V to catch a self inflicted, flying back cracker with nobody home.

Back in the ring, Jin pulled out his sickening saw tooth cleaver and hacked further away at poor Bobby's cranium. The lighting was extremely poor for this spot, but you could really feel the wince inducing pain as the violent teeth sliced away at Bobby's dome through the Tennessee darkness. Stomach turning action here, a fitting main event so far. 

Satu tried (and thankfully failed) to light up a fire cracker wrapped bat. Bobby must have been thanking his lucky stars that he didn't have to take that madness to his nutsack (as looked to be the intention). Jin took out his frustrations on V's face with a very stiff bundle shot, adding more blood and guts to the violent charade. Eventually, Bobby got back to his vertical base and threw a superkick Satu's way. After some classic big man will-he-won't-he fall style wobbling..... big Jin fell right back into the barbed wire for atom bomb number 3. Holy shit, holy shit.

Jin is a big lad, and fell right through the wire, taking the full explosion, barbs and all, into a full on back bump right to the floor. Everyone in attendance was eating this up, it looked absolutely spectacular. The team made the right decision to close night 1 with this rather than risking rain on night 2. The explosions and plumes of smoke they left behind looked amazing. The men looked fucked. 

So, after taking the bump of the night, Satu admirably climbed back aboard what was left of the ring, only for Big Bob to hook his neck and run right off the ring for a diving Super Diamond Cutter to the floor, through one last explosion and through a table to boot. One, two, three. The underdog who had taken so much slicing, dicing and being blown up had come back and done it. What an end to a brilliant show. The build was excellent, the matches escalated with each one as they should, and the payoff was sensational. 

Again, go and see this show if you like this style. This one was a beauty. I did see ToD this year, and whilst it had some great moments, the heavy rain kind of dampened the show. That0 crazy tarpaulin deathmatch really didn't hit the mark for me either. The balance of chaos and order was just right here. This show topped ToD in every way for me, and that's no offence to CZW who had very difficult conditions to wok in. As far as this show goes - Well done to all involved, they put on a modern classic here. 

I'm really enthused to hear ToD will be coming to the UK in 2026. Really can't wait for date and venue details. I hope its outside as per US tradition. As soon as I mentioned ToD out loud,  my Mrs. right away said "I'm not going to that". I may have to check nuts and ride to it alone if its in the North West. Here's praying that it is within fair travelling distance from where I am. Mad love to you all for reading. Have a great day everyone. Thanks again. 

[Kfogg1991]

Yeah I audibly showed excitement for that announcement about TOD coming here for the first time.

I can't believe it will be the first tbh it seems like a obvious successful idea with the huge rise in deathmatch wrestling here in the UK and the pool of names from here too.

I do hope we will get the best and biggest names from the czw side surely they have to roll the big guns out for it you'd think anyway.

But what a winner 2026 TOD UK for the win!!!!

[Dai]

Do they have restrictions on what sort of stuff they can and cant use over here? I have never been to a British wrestling show, but the TOD would seriously tempt me. 

[Big Benny HG]

Not that you'd notice.

When other US deathmatch promotions have come over to put on shows before (e.g. Game Changer Wrestling, ICW No Holds Barred), or when British promotions have run their own stuff (e.g. RISE, Kumite Combat Wrestling, Bleeding Gums) it's every bit what you'd see in the US.

Any restrictions tend to be with particular venues (for example, with RISE shows, Archive in Leeds doesn't allow glass, whereas Peddler Warehouse in Sheffield does).

Interestingly, US deathmatch wrestlers have noted that the thinner-type light tubes available/used in the UK are actually more dangerous than the US standard 

[waters44]

I really don’t know how I feel about lighttubes now. I used to love the spectacle of them and nothing made my heart burst than seeing Korakuen filled with spooky dust

But recently I’ve seen three terrible cuts due to the tubes and I’m starting to wonder if maybe it’s not worth it anymore (lots would argue it never was!).

The wrestlers need to at least get smarter with them. I’ve seen people take tube shots to the side which just seems madness to me. More often than not they’re very nonchalant with them and I think the threat of serious injury needs to remembered. 

For example last year in BJW Toru Sugiura had a tube leaning against him and Kazumi Kikuta kicked him causing the tube to smash by his neck and he ended up with a big cut. A couple of cm to the side and he’s brown bread. Pic below (not gory)

Spoiler

I was catching up on some ICW NHB and Jameson Shook pretty much got stabbed in the stomach with a tube at a recent show. Again you shudder to think of what could have happened. 

So stick with the back bumps and smashing over the back and head - let’s try and avoid an actual death in a deathmatch because honestly I think it’s been pretty close recently 

Edited December 7, 2025 by waters44

[Dai]

Id still say light tubes still get the best reaction for probably the least damage/danger to the person, even in 2025. Not sure they are risking anything more these days compared to what theyve been doing for years before. I mean, Im sure Ive seen Miyamoto do the "lean lighttube on sitting person and soccer kick it" spot in BJ even back in the days of DVD trading. There will always be silly spots where people take it too far (like that Hoodfoot stabbing one), but not sure if its a lightube specific issue. 

 

Ive been rewatching the King of the Death matches back recently, and you know what the worst "bang for your buck" weapon is? Barbed wire. It nearly always looks shit when used, it produces no sound, the bumps dont look impressive, the crowd never really reacts, but it looks like it kills. This may even go far as back as mid 90s ECW, as when I watched a Cactus/Sandman no rope barbed wire match, the crowd dont really pop at anything barbed wire related. Random tangent, but barbed wire spots, and nearly every no roped barbed wire match has visually crap bumps.

[waters44]

It’s a risk and reward thing for me, I really don’t think the look of that move is worth the risk of it going wrong. If you want to do that then hit the tube higher like Ciclope does with his back fist thing, it still looks decent enough. It’s not just that move I’m picking on, taking tubes to the stomach and side, not taping wrists, just general carelessness, it could all lead to something really serious.

Agree with barbed wire unless there’s some decent explosions involved like Richie’s pictures above!

Anyway let’s all get excited for the NGI this weekend! I might even stay up for the first hour as they usually start off with a bang to get the crowd going.

Fighting for glory are -

Bear Bronson
Drew Parker
Jack Harrop 
Lil Sicko 
Mr Danger
Otis Cogar
SLADE
The Bev

Thats a great lineup as far as I’m concerned! Shame there’s no Dr Redacted but I’ll take this. Hoping Bear Bronson wins it and would love a Bear / SLADE final. Mr Danger is one to watch as he is a bit of a nutter and loves to throw himself around 

[Merzbow]

Bear Bronson has found his calling, he wasn't doing any deathmatch stuff before AEW was he?

[waters44]

50 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

Bear Bronson has found his calling, he wasn't doing any deathmatch stuff before AEW was he?

Not that I know of. Enjoy it while you can because apparently TNA are interested in him!

[Merzbow]

A really interesting interview with Onita after he spoke with WWF, most of it never came to pass and there's likely some bullshit knowing him but the interest in Shamrock stands out as that did eventually take place with a cage match against another WWF guy, Vader.

Quote

Here's an Atsushi Onita interview following his meeting with Vince McMahon and WWF.

 

— During this emergency trip to the US, you held meetings with WWF executives, including Chairman McMahon, and finalized a business partnership between FMW and WWF. Could you tell us again about your impressions of the meetings?

Onita: This was my first visit to the WWF office (Titan Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut), and I was deeply impressed by the history and tradition of the WWF organization. It wasn't just that the office building was impressive; their operational capabilities and organizational strength were incredibly solid. I spoke with Chairman McMahon Jr. and two vice presidents (Jim Ross and Bruce Prichard), and it seems they are very well-organized in their negotiations as well. In terms of operational efficiency, I think Japanese organizations have a lot to learn from them.

 

- Mr. Onita, you mentioned that you were captivated by professional wrestling after seeing a magazine featuring the WWF's two great heroes, Sammartino and Morales. After reaching an agreement with the WWF executives, did Madison Square Garden appear particularly special to you?

Onita: I definitely felt the prestige of a venue that has produced so many legendary matches. But I wasn't intimidated at all. I felt a stronger sense of accomplishment that FMW, which started from nothing, had come so far in eight years to receive a partnership offer from the mighty WWF. The heir to a major organization (Chairman McMahon Jr.) probably can't even imagine the hardships we went through back then.

 

—Given that the WWF sought FMW's cooperation as a key to their expansion into Asia and Japan, you must have felt a special sense of accomplishment…

Onita: That's certainly true, but I shouldn't be satisfied just because they sought negotiations. I think all the Japanese organizations that have done business with the WWF before have been overwhelmed by the major organization's prestige, and the WWF has taken the lead in those partnerships. But I wouldn't agree to negotiations like that from the start. Even during the discussions, I asserted our business interests and made suggestions that they might have found uncomfortable.

 

—For example, what kind of suggestions?

Onita: The conversation brought up examples of failed ventures, such as the joint show with SWS and the unsuccessful "Mania Tour" of Japan. While acknowledging WWF's tremendous success in both America and Europe, it was pointed out that they hadn't achieved similar results in Japan. It was suggested that WWF, seeing Japan as a major market for professional wrestling, was considering holding a large-scale event at a venue like the Tokyo Dome right away, but that this was a risky approach. Therefore, even if a joint show with FMW were to happen, it should initially be a more modest event to build a track record, rather than a massive show at a huge venue.

 

—Regarding that joint show, is it likely to happen?

‬‬‬‬

Onita: I received a job offer in November.

 

— It looks like it will be a project like a full-scale confrontation between FMW and WWF.

Onita: I think it would be good to realize various combinations. We also requested participation from organizations other than FMW and WWF. We have contacted Michinoku Pro Wrestling and received a positive response.

 

— According to our reporter Yoshikawa, who asked Sasuke about this matter, he said, "We also have connections with WWF regarding life matters, and we have a good relationship with FMW, so there's no problem with cooperating. We will cooperate fully." He made a very positive statement. What kind of joint show will it be...?

Onita: With Michinoku Pro Wrestling joining, various variations will be created, and we might be able to bring out the potential of FMW and WWF wrestling.

- There are quite a few good wrestlers like The Undertaker and Bret Hart. We're also contacting other organizations besides Michinoku Pro Wrestling, so we really don't know what kind of joint show it will be yet.

Onita: We still need to have detailed discussions with WWF. The WWF side seems to be considering bringing this proposal to America and having the first nationwide showing of the electric current explosion match...

 

- I think WWF became interested in FMW because of the amazing added value of the electric current explosion match.

Onita: That's probably right. It's true that the topic of the electric current explosion match came up many times during the meeting with the WWF side. Previously, it was considered impossible to hold such extreme death matches in the United States due to various regulations, but the situation has changed considerably, and depending on the plan, there is a good possibility of it happening. It seems it might even be possible at MSG.

 

— There are already concrete discussions surfacing that it might happen in October.

Onita: It's not officially decided yet, but there have been discussions about it. However, I want the first barbed wire death match in America to be a match involving Japanese wrestlers. In a way, it would be historic, and I think it would effectively convey the intensity of a barbed wire deathmatch.

 

—By the way, one of the key points of interest for WWF is the development of a mixed martial arts style. The acquisition of Shamrock, in particular, is a major achievement for WWF, but do you have any plans to bring Shamrock to the FMW ring using this partnership?

Onita: WWF is trying to make Shamrock a major asset for the future, aren't they? I'm certainly interested. In terms of both fighting ability and name recognition, there aren't many wrestlers like him.

 

—So, is it safe to assume that there's a strong possibility of joint shows or even individual appearances on the FMW mat, regardless of stylistic differences?

Onita: I can't say anything definite about the possibility, but stylistic differences are just superficial. You'll understand if you look at FMW's activities so far. We've had mixed martial arts in a completely different way than other organizations, including world heavyweight boxing champion (Leon) Spinks and Olympic judo medalist (Grigori) Verichev, and we've combined that with barbed wire and street fights. I believe there's nothing that can't be done in the FMW ring. So, if Shamrock were to step into the FMW ring, I think there would be many more ways to utilize him than you might imagine. We could involve him with FMW, or we could prepare an opponent that brings out Shamrock's strengths without necessarily involving him with FMW.

 

— It sounds like a joint show with FMW is something to look forward to.

Onita: At the press conference in April, I announced that I might be partnering with WWF, but I'm sure the fans and the media were skeptical. It's true that I said at that press conference that a joint show would be great, but it depended on the discussions with McMahon whether it would become a partnership or fall through. But I managed to finalize the agreement on equal terms. Atsushi Onita gets things done when he sets his mind to it (laughs). We still need to have further discussions with WWF on various aspects, but just watch. Anyway, I'm going to make the pro wrestling world more exciting.

 

[BomberPat]

A WWF/FMW/M-Pro joint show at that time would have been absolutely fascinating, and definitely seems like it was plausible - there was talk of Onita facilitating a Funk/Foley explosion match, but I can see a combination of Vince getting cold feet, plans changing, and Onita being Onita all getting in the way. Even in that interview, him saying he wanted the first American barbed wire deathmatch to be between Japanese wrestlers hints at him wanting to work his way into a spot that the WWF was never going to give him.

[Merzbow]

Yeah WWF ended up working with M-Pro in the end anyway outside of this joint venture, but that didn't go well when the very outspoken Great Sasuke mouthed off a bit in the Japanese press. At least we got that odd Undertaker vs Hakushi match out of it.

[SuperBacon]

This popped up in my recommendations today, and thought it might interest this thread.

Not sure if it's new or a re-upload.