Six years ago, Seiji Ebisawa became the first ever Power Source tournament winner, beating Stephen Priest in the finals. Four years ago, Yuki Nomura became the second Power Source tournament winner beating Tenshin Komatsu in the finals. Two years ago Tenshin Komatsu won the 2007 Power Source defeating Nobuyori Shimizu in the finals, and one year ago Seiji Ebisawa became the only man to win two Power Source tournaments as he defeated Akuma Toyota in the finals. The winner of the Power Source has a 75% win percentage challenging for the C-1 Heavyweight Championship after winning the tournament. Now, in 2009, nine men remain in the hunt with only one man being able to declare himself the 2009 Power Source champion.
A large video package aired before the event began highlighting all nine men remaining in the tournament. The issue between Tetsuhisa NAKAI from Pro-Wrestling FURY and the remaining Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON wrestlers was given a large focus of the video including the wild incident from the 17th. Each wrestler declared what they hoped to prove in the finals. Saigo answered that he would be proving that an elite Junior-Heavyweight could defeat Heavyweights. Kenjiro Amagawa's was to prove he was the right man for leading AVENIR. Mikio Tsuruya's point to prove was to show that he was the better of the Backdrop Brothers. Tetsuhisa NAKAI's was to prove he was the "strongest", a subject often mentioned in CRIMSON...Yoshiaki Matsuda's was to prove that he was the rightful challenger to Akuma Toyota. Shinsuke Takahashi's point harkoned back to his past, as he aimed to prove everyone that discounted him wrong. Takayuki Ariwa's mirrored NAKAI's, as he aimed to prove that Yankizoku was the "strongest" faction in the world. "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop's point to prove refered to his C-1 Heavyweight Championship loss to Akuma Toyota as he would prove it was a fluke loss. The final one was Nobuyori Shimizu whose only point to prove was that Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON itself would never allow an outsider to hold the C-1 Heavyweight Championship ever again. A large graphic was placed at the end of the video package hyping up that the winner of the tournament would face the C-1 Heavyweight Champion on July 27th.
After the video package ended, the first match of the 2009 Power Source finals would be to decide who would win Block B. The former Backdrop Brothers found themselves at odds once again, but this time Hayato Saigo was thrown in, as all three men had tied at six points. As expected, Saigo and Amagawa realized they had a common enemy, and targeted Tsuruya. However, Tsuruya with the help of rampant Yankizoku interference helped turn the tides. Yankizoku's influence would prove to be vital for Tsuruya, as Tomizaki and Tatsuko engineered an accident between Saigo and Amagawa causing the two to clash into each other. From there, the friendship between Amagawa and Saigo broke apart, allowing Tsuruya to stay alive. Yankizoku would further enter the match at the end of the match. Yankizoku yanked Kenjiro Amagawa out of the ring, and against his will held him as Keoni Murata blasted his former pupil Hayato Saigo in the back of the head with his Surfboard, leading to Tsuruya hitting the Akuji Backdrop Driver for the three count! Yuki Nomura once again reiterated the rules of the match after the fall had been registered, announcing Mikio Tsuruya as the winner of Block B, and by virtue of not being beaten, Kenjiro Amagawa the runner up! The fans packing the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium heavily booed, but there was little they could do to change the result.
The nationally famous team of ShinoMura continued their silent march towards a C-1 Tag Team Championship challenger, as they took on the TEXAS ROUGHRIDERS team of Rui Kuriyama, and the missing until tonight SLAYER. SLAYER who had not been seen for the entire tour was left on the apron for a large portion of the match. Before the bout, Kuriyama had berated SLAYER for "vanishing", which led to late in the match where Kuriyama tagged SLAYER in, and forced him to fight off ShinoMura alone. Despite his awesome power, two on one was too much for SLAYER, leading the monster junior to be pinned by Shino Hiriyama and his Perfect German Suplex Hold...Kuriyama further berated the confused masked man, saying that tonight had been "punishment"...
The first round of the final eight left in the 2009 Power Source kicked off with arguably the biggest match of the entire first round. Pro-Wrestling FURY's Tetsuhisa NAKAI engaged in battle with Pro-Wrestling DYNAMITE's former ace Yoshiaki Matsuda. The two men fought in what could be described as a "strong" bout, as neither man held anything back from the other and threw bombs the entire fight. NAKAI kept trying for the Koukai Vice, but Matsuda's great knowledge of submissions kept NAKAI from fully locking the hold in. With his favorite submission maneuver disabled, NAKAI resorted to pull out power, using several lariats to try and down Matsuda. However, Matsuda refused to be felled so easily, and fought back with his own vicious kicking attack. The crowd rolled with every blow and the two appeared to be very equally matched. However, NAKAI hadn't played his trump cards yet, as he snapped off a Guh Punch, catching Matsuda square in-between the eyes. While the blow wasn't a knockout blow, it stunned Matsuda enough as NAKAI blasted Matsuda with a short range lariat, before hoisting him up onto his shoulders and hitting the Devil Eruption! Matsuda was caught surprised, as Tetsuhisa NAKAI registered the three count to move to the semi finals! Yoshiaki Matsuda spoke over a microphone post-match, as Matsuda called his quest to challenge Akuma Toyota a "failure" and that he would be leaving Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON effective immediately! Matsuda thanked the Iwate fans for being so kind, before bowing deeply and leaving the ring...
With Tetsuhisa NAKAI advancing, the question of who would face him in the semi finals took center stage. Winner of Block D, Mikio Tsuruya from Yankizoku faced off against the man who placed in the runner up position of Block D, Shinsuke Takahashi from AVENIR. Mikio Tsuruya was at his most violent in his second match of the night, using every underhanded dirty tactic he could think of to wear down the spry Takahashi. However, Takahashi fought back with his own dirty tactics to even the score such as raking Tsuruya's eyes immediately after Tsuruya had raked his own. With dirty tactics not working, and Yankizoku having been barred from interfering by the rest of AVENIR, this forced Tsuruya to face the "genius" of Shinsuke Takahashi head on. Shinsuke Takahashi displayed why his reputation has grown so enormously so quickly, as he blazed through Tsuruya with precise attacks, and used the White Flash to down Tsuruya...for a two count! Mikio Tsuruya, who has gotten somewhat "lost" since his personal change displayed his own heart by refusing to be downed by Takahashi so easily. However, Takahashi had a clear advantage in the match despite Tsuruya's attempts. Takahashi aimed for his White Flash, but Tsuruya suddenly ran at Takahashi and walloped Takahashi with his ever increasing midsection! Tsuruya displayed his clever heel ingenuity by grabbing the referee, screaming "WHAT IS THAT" with a point to the distance. Of course, the referee turned to look (along with some of the fans...) allowing Tsuruya to PUNT Takahashi in the groin! With Takahashi mortally wounded, Tsuruya grabbed him from behind and drop him vertically on his head with the Akuji Backdrop Driver, covering for the three count! AVENIR protested the result, with Hiroshi Kuroki and Sojiro Sayuki even going as far as pantomiming Tsuruya's punt, but the referee claimed to have seen nothing...
Virtually the sequel to the last match, the third 2009 Power Source final eight match would pit Yankizoku against AVENIR, as Takayuki Ariwa the winner of Block C took on AVENIR's leader and runner up of Block B Kenjiro Amagawa. Both men were high school amateur rivals along with Mikio Tsuruya and as of late had been in a tag team war against each other, meaning no love was lost in the match. Kenjiro Amagawa's technically proficient overall style faced off against Takayuki Ariwa's wild beast power and brutality. Takayuki Ariwa displayed a rare act of generosity as he commanded Yankizoku to the backstage area as he aimed to face Kenjiro Amagawa one on one. However, once the bell rang there was little in Takayuki Ariwa for generosity as Ariwa lunged at Amagawa with ferocity, aiming to beat Amagawa by any means necessary. For Kenjiro Amagawa, the match quickly spiraled out of control as he began to evade Ariwa's wild attacks with everything he had, but Ariwa continued to persue with a single track mind: To take Amagawa out as quickly as possible. Amagawa shifted tactics, and began to target Ariwa's legs with dropkicks and low kicks, but Ariwa continued to power right through the attacks as if they did not hurt. Amagawa attempted to close the distance and take Ariwa down with a dragon screw leg whip, but Ariwa lowered his center of gravity before clubbing Amagawa behind the head with a vicious elbow that sent a dull sound registering throughout the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium. With Amagawa stunned, Ariwa pounced and began to unleash all his biggest moves. The Angelos, Hammerfall, and even an attempt at the Splash Mountain, but Amagawa regained some of his composure and fought out of the Splash Mountain. Amagawa landed behind Ariwa and used the positioning to dump Ariwa on his head with a Shoulder-Life Backdrop Hold! However, it wouldn't be enough to put Ariwa away. Amagawa signaled, aiming for the Ankle-Hold Backdrop Suplex, however Ariwa began to viciously throw elbows to escape Amagawa's clutches. Once Amagawa's hands loosened, Ariwa spun inside, landed several crushing knee strikes before hulking Amagawa onto his shoulders! Amagawa realized what was about to happen, the only problem was that by that point Ariwa had already pressed Amagawa above his head! With a jerking motion, Ariwa sent Amagawa FLYING across the ring, landing in a horrific crush on the mat from a release Splash Mountain! Ariwa covered, and was given the three count over the leader of AVENIR!
Only one match remained in the first round of the 2009 Power Source finals, as two men with some prior history faced off. Block D winner the "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop took on the Block A runner-up Nobuyori Shimizu. Shimizu came in with the game plan to keep the match simple and wear down Bishop before going for his decisive maneuvers, however, Jake Bishop had other ideas as he BLASTED Shimizu less than three minutes in with the Texan Bomber! Shimizu used the momentum to roll outside of the ring, but Bishop pursued with single-minded intensity. Bishop began hurling Shimizu around ring-side much like he had done to Yoshiaki Matsuda on the final group stages night, busting Shimizu open heavily. Bishop pressed his advantage, trying to put Shimizu away, but Shimizu's trademark resiliency kicked into gear, keeping the former two time C-1 Tag Team Champion from being easily defeated. Bishop aimed to finish Shimizu off with a second Texan Bomber, but Shimizu countered with a rare jumping high kick right to a charging Bishop's face! With Bishop stunned, a bleeding Shimizu launched a volley of elbows to Bishop's head leading to a thrilling exchange of finishing moves from both men. However, neither would go down easily, forcing Shimizu to use his most powerful move, hosting Bishop up before DRIVING him head first into the mat with a Thunder-Fire Powerbomb for the three count! However, after the match a storyline began to develop as Shimizu began clutching at his surgically repaired shoulder as Toshiro Noguchi rushed to his side...The Iwate fans held their breath as Shimizu was helped to the back by Noguchi, while still refusing to move his shoulder...
Upon his full time return to Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON tours, Sojiro Sayuki made a grand stage challenge for the C-2 Openweight Championship against Masakazu Fujimoto. Finally, Sayuki was given his first taste of personal battle against the massive champion, as Sayuki teamed with fellow AVENIR member Hiroshi Kuroki to take on the team of Masakazu Fujimoto and Ikuji Royama. Despite being over matched in size, and on paper by strength, the AVENIR team fearlessly charged right into their STRONGEST CRIMSON ARMY opponents with their heads held high. However, it wouldn't be enough, as Fujimoto used his Mt. Fujimoto Bomb on Kuroki for the three count fall...After the match; Fujimoto accepted Sayuki's challenge, making the match official for sometime soon!
Out of all the nine wrestlers who faced off today, one was the most surprising names to be a challenge to Pro-Wrestling FURY's Tetsuhisa NAKAI, but Yankizoku's Mikio Tsuruya had the opportunity to cement himself ahead of not only his former best friend Kenjiro Amagawa, but be the first man on the Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON roster to hand Tetsuhisa NAKAI his first loss in a CRIMSON ring. NAKAI struck hard, trying to take out Tsuruya immediately with a brutal lariat as the bell rang, however Tsuruya caught not only NAKAI off guard but the Iwate fans as well when Tsuruya kicked out at 2.9 to keep himself in the battle! NAKAI controlled for several minutes, trying to wear down Tsuruya to the point where he could not survive another big blow, but Tsuruya displayed his own tenacity by continuing to stand back up despite the beating. NAKAI launched brutal chops to Tsuruya's body, but to NAKAI's amazement, Tsuruya began to slap HIMSELF in the chest before yelling at NAKAI that he couldn't feel the blows at all! NAKAI responded by trying another lariat, but Tsuruya launched himself at NAKAI much like he employed against Takahashi with a flying gut attack knocking NAKAI down! Tsuruya attempted to follow the surprise blow up with the Akuji Backdrop Driver, but NAKAI managed to elbow his way out of the hold. However, Tsuruya re-grasped the back hold immediately, and to NAKAI's surprise, hoisted NAKAI up and drove him on his head with the Akuji Backdrop Driver! Tsuruya covered, but NAKAI managed to kick out at 2.9! Tsuruya showcased his charisma by letting out a victorious roar as he waited for NAKAI to stand up. Once NAKAI reached a vertical base, Tsuruya ran across the ring, and threw the Sugoi! Dropkick! Many fans in the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium laughed, but Tsuruya covered none the less, only to have NAKAI throw Tsuruya off at one...NAKAI came off the ground in haste, trying to keep Tsuruya off him for several seconds while he recovered, but Tsuruya pounced on NAKAI when he backed into a corner with a body splash! Tsuruya grabbed a stumbling NAKAI and attempted to hit a second Akuji Backdrop Driver, but in mid air, NAKAI shifted his weight to land on Tsuruya! Instead of opting to pin Tsuruya, NAKAI climbed to his knees, and began to throw VICIOUS forearm and elbow blows to the chest and head of Tsuruya! NAKAI began to tire from his relentless assault, but then let out a roar, grabbed Tsuruya by the back of the head and began to throw crushing elbows directly to Tsuruya's face! After several of these, Tsuruya appeared to be unconscious, but NAKAI continued his assault before pulling Tsuruya to his feet manually. With Tsuruya barely standing, NAKAI CRUSHED him with a short-range Lariat, collapsing on Tsuruya for the three count! NAKAI attempted to praise Tsuruya post-match, telling him that he wasn't expecting Tsuruya to be such a large challenge for him, but Mikio Tsuruya reverted fully back to his heel persona, telling Tetsuhisa NAKAI that he didn't need his "pity", and then added that he would be gunning for a rematch and a victory...
Only two Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON wrestlers remained in the 2009 Power Source tournament to challenge Tetsuhisa NAKAI in the finals, two men with a deep, personal issue stemming from 2007. In 2007, NGI of Nobuyori Shimizu and Toshiro Noguchi brought in a new member a young powerhouse named Takayuki Ariwa. In 2008, Ariwa betrayed his NGI mentors by aligning with Seiji Ebisawa's MOUJA faction. MOUJA would turn into Yankizoku, and after the banishment of Seiji Ebisawa, Takayuki Ariwa would assume the leadership position of the "delinquent tribe" faction. Through it all, the hatred has only grown between Shimizu and Ariwa, with one dynamic shifting...Due to Ariwa's frightening progression, now Shimizu is the underdog despite the experience advantage. The Iwate fans treated this battle of former friends as the biggest match thus far on the card, with the crowd showing their unwavering support of Nobuyori Shimizu with loud chants of his name. Ariwa was unconcerned, or attempting to project that image despite the one-sided nature of the crowd. Shimizu came out with his shoulder taped, further causing the Iwate fans to rally behind him, but all the tape allowed was to give Ariwa a target for his attacks, as Ariwa ripped, tore, and twisted away at Shimizu's repaired shoulder with everything he could muster. Ariwa displayed his fearsome power by press slamming the smaller Shimizu over the top rope and to the floor, where Shimizu landed on his shoulder once again, further damaging it. Ariwa compounded the shoulder injury by grabbing Shimizu, pulling his arm through the post with Shimizu's arm outside of the post, before pulling back on Shimizu's shoulder from the other side of the turnbuckle with hideous pressuring, bending Shimizu's arm backwards at a sickening angle. The referee was slow to break the hold, as of course, Yankizoku were doing their best to distract the referee until Toshiro Noguchi came rushing around the ring to chase them off. Once in the ring, Ariwa attempted to finish Shimizu off as Ariwa placed Shimizu in a Wakigatame, pulling up as hard as he could on Shimizu's badly damaged shoulder. However, the man who is often called the "soul" of Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON refused to give up despite the horrible pain, causing the Iwate fans to rally behind him once again, as Shimizu fought for the ropes, eventually achieving his goal of placing his right foot on the bottom rope to gain the rope break. Ariwa seemed pleased at his handiwork, as Shimizu's arm dangled almost uselessly from the assault Ariwa had battered Shimizu with. However, Shimizu refused to step back the slightest, as he threw several elbows to Ariwa's head. However, the Yankizoku leader seemed more amused by Shimizu's attempt at self defense then concerned, as a single chop to Shimizu's shoulder dropped him to his knees once again. Ariwa raised one arm, giving the signal for the Angelos as Shimizu pulled himself to his feet again. As Shimizu reached his feet, Ariwa charged across the ring with a running Angelos, only to have Shimizu duck under and give Ariwa virtually a one arm Tsuyosa German Suplex! Ariwa rolled through the move to his feet, and charged Shimizu again with a second Angelos, only to have Shimizu duck under again, hitting another Tsuyosa German Suplex! This time Shimizu used his injured arm to hold Ariwa and get the bridge, but Ariwa kicked out before the three count! Ariwa appeared to be confused as he climbed to his feet, but Nobuyori Shimizu had a different look on his face, the face of determination as he charged his former charge! Shimizu threw elbows as hard as he could with his uninjured arm. Ariwa threw his own return blows with clubbing blows, but Shimizu fought through the pain, continuing to throw elbows as hard as he could! Takayuki Ariwa looked to finally be faltering some, allowing Nobuyori Shimizu to run into the ropes, and BLAST Ariwa with a running elbow to the face! Ariwa fell sideways to the mat, and Shimizu collapsed on top of Ariwa. Despite the crowd's counting, Ariwa defied their wished by powering out of Shimizu's pinfall at two point seven! Shimizu, however, seemed to be in another world where he no longer felt pain, as he called for Ariwa to stand up once again! Unaware of the fate waiting for him, Takayuki Ariwa climbed to his feet, just to be CRUSHED by a second Shimizu running elbow! Ariwa didn't fall this time, instead falling into the ropes almost helplessly. Shimizu grabbed and ripped at Ariwa's hair as he pulled him into position for the Thunder-Fire Powerbomb! The Iwate fans exploded as Shimizu hoisted Ariwa onto his shoulder. However, Shimizu had made a grievous mistake, as he had managed to lift Ariwa with his injured arm, but had no strength to keep Ariwa lifted! Shimizu's arm gave out, as he dropped Ariwa in a heap on the ground. Shimizu grabbed his shoulder, as if trying to rip the pain right out of his own body. At ringside, Toshiro Noguchi screamed at Shimizu to watch out, but in his own pain filled world, Shimizu no longer heard his best friend as Takayuki Ariwa charged Shimizu and BLASTED Shimizu in the side of the head with the Angelos! Shimizu collapsed face forward into the match, knocked unconscious from the surprise blow. After taking a few seconds to re-gather his senses, Ariwa began to pull Shimizu to his feet. Once there, Ariwa grabbed the knocked silly Shimizu, and hoisted him up for his own death move, pressing Shimizu over his head! Several Iwate fans screamed for Shimizu to fight back, but Shimizu could no longer hear them, as Ariwa HURLED Shimizu through the air with the full Sit out Splash Mountain! Ariwa placed both feet on Shimizu's arms to keep them down, but it was un-needed, as Shimizu wouldn't have even heard a ten count. In this case it was the uncontested three count, giving Takayuki Ariwa advancement to the finals of the 2009 Power Source tournament!
The Iwate fans were virtually silent as Takayuki Ariwa was announced as the winner. Ariwa didn't look like a winner, as he collapsed to the mat next to Shimizu, second's hit the ring trying to help their charges. After several minutes, the two men stood in the ring. It became evident how that Angelos had damaged Shimizu, as he had no memory of the last few minutes of the match, but upon learning of his own failure, Shimizu began to openly weep, before collapsing to his knees. The Iwate fans called Shimizu's name in support, as Toshiro Noguchi knelt at his side...However, Takayuki Ariwa claimed a ringside microphone, and spoke into it harshly, demanding to know why Shimizu was crying. Ariwa told Shimizu that they had fought with everything in their hearts, and on this day he had a better impression of his former teacher than ever before. Ariwa told Shimizu that it didn't matter anyway, since he would defeat Tetsuhisa NAKAI in his stead! Ariwa screamed into the microphone that Tetsuhisa NAKAI would have to KILL HIM in this ring tonight for NAKAI to emerge victorious! Yankizoku pumped their arms in victory for their leader, setting up one of the biggest Power versus Power matches in the history of Pro-Wrestling for the 2009 Power Source tournament!
After tonight's finals, the biggest matchup on the horizon of Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON will take place not into a Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON ring, but in a Pro-Wrestling FURY ring at the Kyocera Dome on the 31st. The semi final of the night saw LOVE and Yankizoku once again team up to take on the STRONGEST CRIMSON ARMY. Tenshin Komatsu led one half of the C-1 Tag Team Champions Hiroyuki Takano, C-1 Junior-Heavyweight Champion Keoni Murata and Ryoma Inoue into battle against C-1 Heavyweight Champion Akuma Toyota, Toshiro Noguchi and OVERTHROW. The final match for eleven days before their long awaited clash for the C-1 Heavyweight Championship, Akuma Toyota and Tenshin Komatsu were given center stage. Komatsu used dynamic attacks and speed to avoid Akuma Toyota's vicious power to good effect, giving him obvious hope leading into his championship challenge. Murata and Yamada were also given significant focus due to their upcoming C-1 Junior-Heavyweight championship match, with Murata attempting to use the Surfboard attack to end Yamada, but Yamada put his own cleverness on display by avoiding Murata's attack, stripping him of the surfboard and blasting MURATA with it! However, despite all this, the winner of the match would be none of the four, as Hiroyuki Takano fed off his partner's success in the Power Source, as he nailed Toshiro Noguchi with the Takano Driver followed by the Moonsault Press for the three count! Takano gave a microphone appeal post-match, both wishing Takayuki Ariwa luck, but also inviting LOVE's Shino Hiriyama and Kazuhiro Okamura to challenge the AT CLUB for the tag team championships whenever the LOVE team felt they had the "guts" to...
Only one man remained to stop Tetsuhisa NAKAI from his quest to come from Pro-Wrestling FURY to win the 2009 Power Source tournament and earn the main event slot on July 27th and the biggest match of his entire career, Yankizoku leader Takayuki Ariwa entered the bout the heavy fan favorite for one of the rare opportunities he has for such reactions.. For Tetsuhisa NAKAI Takayuki Ariwa represented the second Yankizoku member to challenge him in the final stage, along with the third overall with victories over Mikio Tsuruya in the previous match, and Takayuki Ariwa's partner Hiroyuki Takano in the AT CLUB on May 17th. After the bell rang, a tense moment passed in the ring as both brutish men stared at each other before NAKAI slowly began to make a cut throat motion towards Ariwa to a large reaction from the Iwate fans, playing off Ariwa's comments several minutes earlier. Tetsuhisa NAKAI's taunt seemed to flip the rage switch in Takayuki Ariwa's head causing Ariwa to scream out loud, calling NAKAI a "bastard" before charging across the ring! However, it was what NAKAI wanted, as he BLASTED Ariwa in the face when he got near with a horrific forearm, using Ariwa's momentum against him. A large gash opened along Ariwa's jaw line, as blood began to pour out of his face, however Ariwa refused fall, instead he growled in pure rage before throwing his own elbow! The crowd began to cheer Ariwa's elbows while slightly jeering NAKAI's as the two monsters began to beat the hell out of each other with short range offense. Tetsuhisa NAKAI began to gain the upper hand as he mixed elbows with Guh Punchers, trying to catch Ariwa off guard like he had Matsuda; however Ariwa simply absorbed NAKAI's punches before EXPLODING at NAKAI with a lariat! NAKAI displayed his own fearsome power by refusing to go down, instead circling around NAKAI to get to the center of the ring and throwing his own Lariat! Ariwa likewise refused to go down, bounced off the ropes and CRUSHED NAKAI with a lariat! NAKAI followed Ariwa's style by bouncing off the ropes with his own lariat, but again neither man refused to give an inch to the other. NAKAI finally used almost a flying tackle to try and drop Ariwa, but Ariwa steadfast kept himself from falling, before using NAKAI's own power to FLING himself into the ropes and CRASH into NAKAI with a lariat, finally downing Tetsuhisa NAKAI! The Iwate fans roared as Takayuki Ariwa pumped his arms in the air. Ariwa waited for NAKAI to stand up, before charging and spearing him back to the ground! Ariwa waited for NAKAI to stand before executing a second spear as Ariwa looked to have the match in firm control. Ariwa gave a signal for a third Spear, but when he charged, NAKAI suddenly KNEED him directly in the face! More blood flew out of Ariwa's facial wound as he collapsed in a heap on the mat! NAKAI covered, but much to the delight of the Iwate fans, Ariwa kicked out at two despite the trauma he had just received. Tetsuhisa NAKAI began to work over Takayuki Ariwa with sharp blows including horrific chops; however, NAKAI seemed to be frustrated by the fact that no matter what he hit Ariwa with, the power monster of Yankizoku simply kept rising back to his feet regardless. NAKAI finally changed tactics, grabbing Ariwa and slamming him down to the mat with a throw into the Koukai Vice! Ariwa at first simply tried to power his way out of the hold, displaying his awe inspiring power by SITTING UP somehow with NAKAI holding the Koukai Vice, however, NAKAI managed to pull Ariwa back to the mat with extra tork on the hold. With his fearsome strength having failed to free him, Ariwa began to frantically kick around the ring attempting to get a hold of the ropes, however NAKAI managed to keep Ariwa from reaching them with expert ring positioning, and pulling Ariwa back using his legs. However, Ariwa kept fighting for the ropes, eventually gaining them despite the damage being done. The Iwate fans rallied behind Takayuki Ariwa with large calls of Ariwa's name, but Tetsuhisa NAKAI gave them no mind as he began to work over the upperbody of Ariwa that had been damaged by the Koukai Vice. NAKAI's plan seemed to be to limit the upper body strength of Ariwa. After bending Ariwa backwards over the middle rope and giving him a vicious chop, NAKAI aimed to finish off Ariwa with the Devil Eruption, but Ariwa's strength was not finished just yet, as Ariwa began to elbow his way out of NAKAI's shoulder lift. Ariwa landed behind NAKAI, grabbed him, and TOSSED NAKAI as hard as he could through the air with a Release German Suplex! NAKAI crushed onto his shoulders and neck leading to both men lying prone on the canvas. NAKAI was first to reach his feet, but the german suplex had taken its toll, as NAKAI's legs buckled causing him to drop back down to his knees. Ariwa's progress was slow, as he struggled to pull himself up, but never the less, the two beasts finally were able to reach their feet. Even though the match had gone less than ten minutes, both men had very little left to give from the tournament and the sheer physicality of the match itself. Both met in the center of the ring, giving each other desperation blows that would have felled lesser men, but neither could give the other quarter. To the joy of the CRIMSON fans at the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium, Takayuki Ariwa began to win the exchange, as he went for broke with vicious elbow strikes from BOTH elbows, alternating left and right as NAKAI slumped from the blows. With Tetsuhisa NAKAI stunned, Ariwa backed off and with a triumphant roar, charged in with the Angelos! Ariwa CRUSHED into NAKAI's head with it, before collapsing on NAKAI for a cover! The Iwate fans counted along, but NAKAI managed to kick out at 2.9! Ariwa dragged not only himself, but NAKAI up to their feet. NAKAI offered virtually no resistance as Ariwa lifted him onto his shoulder, and slammed him down to the mat with the Hammerfall! Ariwa once again covered, but this time NAKAI kicked out at ONE, stunning not only Ariwa for the Iwate fans as well! NAKAI climbed defiantly up to his feet, only to have Ariwa BLAST him in the face with a Angelos! Ariwa finally seized the moment, grabbing NAKAI and lifting him for the Splash Mountain! The Iwate fans roared in approval as Ariwa carried NAKAI to the center of the ring and then HURLED...himself forward, as NAKAI at that moment slipped down from Ariwa's grasp! Ariwa stumbled for several steps before turning on a dime and charging NAKAI once again! NAKAI caught the charging Ariwa with a BLATANT PUNCH DIRECTLY TO THE FACE! NAKAI collapsed on his backside, but Ariwa crumbled to the mat unconscious, as heavy jeers came ringing out from the fans at the Iwate Prefectual Gymnasium! Yankizoku members began to protest at ringside, but Ryuugo Nagashima yanked Ryoma Inoue off the apron, nearly triggering a full scale fight at ringside. In the ring, Ariwa was unmoving as NAKAI pulled himself to his feet. Instead of covering Ariwa, NAKAI began to pull Ariwa up by his armpits to his feet, before hoisting Ariwa onto his shoulders. NAKAI carried Ariwa to the center of the ring before shifting and DROPPING ARIWA VERTICALLY ON HIS HEAD WITH THE MAX BULLET! NAKAI covered...BUT TAKAYUKI ARIWA KICKED OUT AT 2.9! NAKAI's face had a look of shock at Ariwa's continued survival as Yankizoku frantically pounded on the canvas, trying to wake up their leader, a beat that the fans picked up, causing the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium to rock and roll from the noise. Having used his limit break, NAKAI seemed at a loss for what to do as he caught his breath. Ariwa began to slowly pull himself up, using anything he could find including NAKAI himself to reach a vertical base. However, NAKAI was waiting, and as soon as Ariwa reached his feet, NAKAI CRUSHED Ariwa with a short range lariat! NAKAI collapsed on top of Ariwa as the count began, ONLY TO HAVE ARIWA KICK OUT AT ONE! The crowd roared as Ariwa began to try and pull himself up to his feet using some hidden reserve of energy! Ariwa began to flail, trying to get out of NAKAI's clutches, but his desperation left him open, allowing NAKAI to suddenly lock on the Koukai Vice again! Ariwa frantically fought for the ropes, but NAKAI had them positioned perfectly. Ariwa once again tried to power out, but his exhaustion allowed NAKAI to sink the Koukai Vice on tighter. With no room for escaping, Ariwa was caught in an inescapable position, however, Ariwa REFUSED to submit, screaming at the referee "NO!" loudly. Ariwa's movements gradually became slower, until Ariwa stopped moving all together. Once this was noticed, the referee dived in waving the match off while pulling Tetsuhisa NAKAI off of Takayuki Ariwa, whose head slammed to the canvas, completely unconscious! The Iwate fans heavily booed, but NAKAI, from the ground simply raised one arm in celebration.
Yankizoku charged the ring to check their fallen leader, as Ariwa continued to not move. Ryuugo Nagashima at the same time was checking on Tetsuhisa NAKAI, while praising him for winning. Nagashima's loud praising caught the ear of Hiroyuki Takano, who suddenly turned and PUNTED Nagashima in the face! Takano began screaming at NAKAI and Nagashima that NAKAI had cheated, and had to be held back by Yankizoku to keep from attacking both Nagashima and NAKAI. President Yuki Nomura came to the ring both to hold the festivities, but also to keep the peace as Yankizoku pulled Takayuki Ariwa out of the ring and carried him to the backstage area to get medical attention. Nomura presented Tetsuhisa NAKAI with his Power Source trophy, and a written contract to face the C-1 Heavyweight Champion on 7/27. NAKAI earned him no favor from the Iwate fans, as he declared that he felt he had already faced the "best" in CRIMSON, and that it didn't matter who won between Akuma Toyota and Tenshin Komatsu, as he would be proud to be the first Pro-Wrestling FURY wrestler to ever hold the C-1 Heavyweight Championship! This, of course, earned him heavy jeers from the CRIMSON loyalists, but NAKAI ignored them and celebrated his victory before leaving with his charge Nagashima...
2009 Power Source Finals
5/20/09
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium
3,000 fans
1. Power Source 2009 ~ BLOCK B PLAYOFF: Mikio Tsuruya defeated Kenjiro Amagawa & Hayato Saigo at 9'45 when Tsuruya pinned Saigo with the Akuji Backdrop Driver
2. Shino Hiriyama & Kazuhiro Okamura defeated Rui Kuriyama & SLAYER at 7'02 when Hiriyama pinned SLAYER with the Perfect German Suplex Hold
3. Power Source 2009 ~ Block A Winner vs. Block D Runner Up: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Yoshiaki Matsuda at 15'24 with the Devil Eruption
4. Power Source 2009 ~ Block B Winner vs. Block C Runner Up: Mikio Tsuruya defeated Shinsuke Takahashi at 13'21 with the Akuji Backdrop Driver
5. Power Source 2009 ~ Block C Winner vs. Block B Runner Up: Takayuki Ariwa defeated Kenjiro Amagawa at 9'36 with the Splash Mountain
6. Power Source 2009 ~ Block D Winner vs. Block A Runner Up: Nobuyori Shimizu defeated "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop at 15'45 with a Thunder-Fire Powerbomb
7. Masakazu Fujimoto & Ikuji Royama defeated Hiroshi Kuroki & Sojiro Sayuki at 8'01 when Fujimoto pinned Hiroshi Kuroki with a Mt. Fujimoto Bomb
8. Power Source 2009 ~ Semi Final: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Mikio Tsuruya at 14'18 with a Short-Range Lariat
9. Power Source 2009 ~ Semi Final: Takayuki Ariwa defeated Nobuyori Shimizu at 13'38 with a Splash Mountain
10. Tenshin Komatsu, Hiroyuki Takano, Keoni Murata & Ryoma Inoue defeated Akuma Toyota, Toshiro Noguchi, Naoki Daishi & Akahito Yamada at 14'03 when Takano pinned Noguchi with a Moonsault Press
11. Power Source 2009 ~ Final: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Takayuki Ariwa by referee stoppage at 17'14 with the Koukai Vice
A large video package aired before the event began highlighting all nine men remaining in the tournament. The issue between Tetsuhisa NAKAI from Pro-Wrestling FURY and the remaining Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON wrestlers was given a large focus of the video including the wild incident from the 17th. Each wrestler declared what they hoped to prove in the finals. Saigo answered that he would be proving that an elite Junior-Heavyweight could defeat Heavyweights. Kenjiro Amagawa's was to prove he was the right man for leading AVENIR. Mikio Tsuruya's point to prove was to show that he was the better of the Backdrop Brothers. Tetsuhisa NAKAI's was to prove he was the "strongest", a subject often mentioned in CRIMSON...Yoshiaki Matsuda's was to prove that he was the rightful challenger to Akuma Toyota. Shinsuke Takahashi's point harkoned back to his past, as he aimed to prove everyone that discounted him wrong. Takayuki Ariwa's mirrored NAKAI's, as he aimed to prove that Yankizoku was the "strongest" faction in the world. "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop's point to prove refered to his C-1 Heavyweight Championship loss to Akuma Toyota as he would prove it was a fluke loss. The final one was Nobuyori Shimizu whose only point to prove was that Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON itself would never allow an outsider to hold the C-1 Heavyweight Championship ever again. A large graphic was placed at the end of the video package hyping up that the winner of the tournament would face the C-1 Heavyweight Champion on July 27th.
After the video package ended, the first match of the 2009 Power Source finals would be to decide who would win Block B. The former Backdrop Brothers found themselves at odds once again, but this time Hayato Saigo was thrown in, as all three men had tied at six points. As expected, Saigo and Amagawa realized they had a common enemy, and targeted Tsuruya. However, Tsuruya with the help of rampant Yankizoku interference helped turn the tides. Yankizoku's influence would prove to be vital for Tsuruya, as Tomizaki and Tatsuko engineered an accident between Saigo and Amagawa causing the two to clash into each other. From there, the friendship between Amagawa and Saigo broke apart, allowing Tsuruya to stay alive. Yankizoku would further enter the match at the end of the match. Yankizoku yanked Kenjiro Amagawa out of the ring, and against his will held him as Keoni Murata blasted his former pupil Hayato Saigo in the back of the head with his Surfboard, leading to Tsuruya hitting the Akuji Backdrop Driver for the three count! Yuki Nomura once again reiterated the rules of the match after the fall had been registered, announcing Mikio Tsuruya as the winner of Block B, and by virtue of not being beaten, Kenjiro Amagawa the runner up! The fans packing the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium heavily booed, but there was little they could do to change the result.
The nationally famous team of ShinoMura continued their silent march towards a C-1 Tag Team Championship challenger, as they took on the TEXAS ROUGHRIDERS team of Rui Kuriyama, and the missing until tonight SLAYER. SLAYER who had not been seen for the entire tour was left on the apron for a large portion of the match. Before the bout, Kuriyama had berated SLAYER for "vanishing", which led to late in the match where Kuriyama tagged SLAYER in, and forced him to fight off ShinoMura alone. Despite his awesome power, two on one was too much for SLAYER, leading the monster junior to be pinned by Shino Hiriyama and his Perfect German Suplex Hold...Kuriyama further berated the confused masked man, saying that tonight had been "punishment"...
The first round of the final eight left in the 2009 Power Source kicked off with arguably the biggest match of the entire first round. Pro-Wrestling FURY's Tetsuhisa NAKAI engaged in battle with Pro-Wrestling DYNAMITE's former ace Yoshiaki Matsuda. The two men fought in what could be described as a "strong" bout, as neither man held anything back from the other and threw bombs the entire fight. NAKAI kept trying for the Koukai Vice, but Matsuda's great knowledge of submissions kept NAKAI from fully locking the hold in. With his favorite submission maneuver disabled, NAKAI resorted to pull out power, using several lariats to try and down Matsuda. However, Matsuda refused to be felled so easily, and fought back with his own vicious kicking attack. The crowd rolled with every blow and the two appeared to be very equally matched. However, NAKAI hadn't played his trump cards yet, as he snapped off a Guh Punch, catching Matsuda square in-between the eyes. While the blow wasn't a knockout blow, it stunned Matsuda enough as NAKAI blasted Matsuda with a short range lariat, before hoisting him up onto his shoulders and hitting the Devil Eruption! Matsuda was caught surprised, as Tetsuhisa NAKAI registered the three count to move to the semi finals! Yoshiaki Matsuda spoke over a microphone post-match, as Matsuda called his quest to challenge Akuma Toyota a "failure" and that he would be leaving Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON effective immediately! Matsuda thanked the Iwate fans for being so kind, before bowing deeply and leaving the ring...
With Tetsuhisa NAKAI advancing, the question of who would face him in the semi finals took center stage. Winner of Block D, Mikio Tsuruya from Yankizoku faced off against the man who placed in the runner up position of Block D, Shinsuke Takahashi from AVENIR. Mikio Tsuruya was at his most violent in his second match of the night, using every underhanded dirty tactic he could think of to wear down the spry Takahashi. However, Takahashi fought back with his own dirty tactics to even the score such as raking Tsuruya's eyes immediately after Tsuruya had raked his own. With dirty tactics not working, and Yankizoku having been barred from interfering by the rest of AVENIR, this forced Tsuruya to face the "genius" of Shinsuke Takahashi head on. Shinsuke Takahashi displayed why his reputation has grown so enormously so quickly, as he blazed through Tsuruya with precise attacks, and used the White Flash to down Tsuruya...for a two count! Mikio Tsuruya, who has gotten somewhat "lost" since his personal change displayed his own heart by refusing to be downed by Takahashi so easily. However, Takahashi had a clear advantage in the match despite Tsuruya's attempts. Takahashi aimed for his White Flash, but Tsuruya suddenly ran at Takahashi and walloped Takahashi with his ever increasing midsection! Tsuruya displayed his clever heel ingenuity by grabbing the referee, screaming "WHAT IS THAT" with a point to the distance. Of course, the referee turned to look (along with some of the fans...) allowing Tsuruya to PUNT Takahashi in the groin! With Takahashi mortally wounded, Tsuruya grabbed him from behind and drop him vertically on his head with the Akuji Backdrop Driver, covering for the three count! AVENIR protested the result, with Hiroshi Kuroki and Sojiro Sayuki even going as far as pantomiming Tsuruya's punt, but the referee claimed to have seen nothing...
Virtually the sequel to the last match, the third 2009 Power Source final eight match would pit Yankizoku against AVENIR, as Takayuki Ariwa the winner of Block C took on AVENIR's leader and runner up of Block B Kenjiro Amagawa. Both men were high school amateur rivals along with Mikio Tsuruya and as of late had been in a tag team war against each other, meaning no love was lost in the match. Kenjiro Amagawa's technically proficient overall style faced off against Takayuki Ariwa's wild beast power and brutality. Takayuki Ariwa displayed a rare act of generosity as he commanded Yankizoku to the backstage area as he aimed to face Kenjiro Amagawa one on one. However, once the bell rang there was little in Takayuki Ariwa for generosity as Ariwa lunged at Amagawa with ferocity, aiming to beat Amagawa by any means necessary. For Kenjiro Amagawa, the match quickly spiraled out of control as he began to evade Ariwa's wild attacks with everything he had, but Ariwa continued to persue with a single track mind: To take Amagawa out as quickly as possible. Amagawa shifted tactics, and began to target Ariwa's legs with dropkicks and low kicks, but Ariwa continued to power right through the attacks as if they did not hurt. Amagawa attempted to close the distance and take Ariwa down with a dragon screw leg whip, but Ariwa lowered his center of gravity before clubbing Amagawa behind the head with a vicious elbow that sent a dull sound registering throughout the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium. With Amagawa stunned, Ariwa pounced and began to unleash all his biggest moves. The Angelos, Hammerfall, and even an attempt at the Splash Mountain, but Amagawa regained some of his composure and fought out of the Splash Mountain. Amagawa landed behind Ariwa and used the positioning to dump Ariwa on his head with a Shoulder-Life Backdrop Hold! However, it wouldn't be enough to put Ariwa away. Amagawa signaled, aiming for the Ankle-Hold Backdrop Suplex, however Ariwa began to viciously throw elbows to escape Amagawa's clutches. Once Amagawa's hands loosened, Ariwa spun inside, landed several crushing knee strikes before hulking Amagawa onto his shoulders! Amagawa realized what was about to happen, the only problem was that by that point Ariwa had already pressed Amagawa above his head! With a jerking motion, Ariwa sent Amagawa FLYING across the ring, landing in a horrific crush on the mat from a release Splash Mountain! Ariwa covered, and was given the three count over the leader of AVENIR!
Only one match remained in the first round of the 2009 Power Source finals, as two men with some prior history faced off. Block D winner the "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop took on the Block A runner-up Nobuyori Shimizu. Shimizu came in with the game plan to keep the match simple and wear down Bishop before going for his decisive maneuvers, however, Jake Bishop had other ideas as he BLASTED Shimizu less than three minutes in with the Texan Bomber! Shimizu used the momentum to roll outside of the ring, but Bishop pursued with single-minded intensity. Bishop began hurling Shimizu around ring-side much like he had done to Yoshiaki Matsuda on the final group stages night, busting Shimizu open heavily. Bishop pressed his advantage, trying to put Shimizu away, but Shimizu's trademark resiliency kicked into gear, keeping the former two time C-1 Tag Team Champion from being easily defeated. Bishop aimed to finish Shimizu off with a second Texan Bomber, but Shimizu countered with a rare jumping high kick right to a charging Bishop's face! With Bishop stunned, a bleeding Shimizu launched a volley of elbows to Bishop's head leading to a thrilling exchange of finishing moves from both men. However, neither would go down easily, forcing Shimizu to use his most powerful move, hosting Bishop up before DRIVING him head first into the mat with a Thunder-Fire Powerbomb for the three count! However, after the match a storyline began to develop as Shimizu began clutching at his surgically repaired shoulder as Toshiro Noguchi rushed to his side...The Iwate fans held their breath as Shimizu was helped to the back by Noguchi, while still refusing to move his shoulder...
Upon his full time return to Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON tours, Sojiro Sayuki made a grand stage challenge for the C-2 Openweight Championship against Masakazu Fujimoto. Finally, Sayuki was given his first taste of personal battle against the massive champion, as Sayuki teamed with fellow AVENIR member Hiroshi Kuroki to take on the team of Masakazu Fujimoto and Ikuji Royama. Despite being over matched in size, and on paper by strength, the AVENIR team fearlessly charged right into their STRONGEST CRIMSON ARMY opponents with their heads held high. However, it wouldn't be enough, as Fujimoto used his Mt. Fujimoto Bomb on Kuroki for the three count fall...After the match; Fujimoto accepted Sayuki's challenge, making the match official for sometime soon!
Out of all the nine wrestlers who faced off today, one was the most surprising names to be a challenge to Pro-Wrestling FURY's Tetsuhisa NAKAI, but Yankizoku's Mikio Tsuruya had the opportunity to cement himself ahead of not only his former best friend Kenjiro Amagawa, but be the first man on the Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON roster to hand Tetsuhisa NAKAI his first loss in a CRIMSON ring. NAKAI struck hard, trying to take out Tsuruya immediately with a brutal lariat as the bell rang, however Tsuruya caught not only NAKAI off guard but the Iwate fans as well when Tsuruya kicked out at 2.9 to keep himself in the battle! NAKAI controlled for several minutes, trying to wear down Tsuruya to the point where he could not survive another big blow, but Tsuruya displayed his own tenacity by continuing to stand back up despite the beating. NAKAI launched brutal chops to Tsuruya's body, but to NAKAI's amazement, Tsuruya began to slap HIMSELF in the chest before yelling at NAKAI that he couldn't feel the blows at all! NAKAI responded by trying another lariat, but Tsuruya launched himself at NAKAI much like he employed against Takahashi with a flying gut attack knocking NAKAI down! Tsuruya attempted to follow the surprise blow up with the Akuji Backdrop Driver, but NAKAI managed to elbow his way out of the hold. However, Tsuruya re-grasped the back hold immediately, and to NAKAI's surprise, hoisted NAKAI up and drove him on his head with the Akuji Backdrop Driver! Tsuruya covered, but NAKAI managed to kick out at 2.9! Tsuruya showcased his charisma by letting out a victorious roar as he waited for NAKAI to stand up. Once NAKAI reached a vertical base, Tsuruya ran across the ring, and threw the Sugoi! Dropkick! Many fans in the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium laughed, but Tsuruya covered none the less, only to have NAKAI throw Tsuruya off at one...NAKAI came off the ground in haste, trying to keep Tsuruya off him for several seconds while he recovered, but Tsuruya pounced on NAKAI when he backed into a corner with a body splash! Tsuruya grabbed a stumbling NAKAI and attempted to hit a second Akuji Backdrop Driver, but in mid air, NAKAI shifted his weight to land on Tsuruya! Instead of opting to pin Tsuruya, NAKAI climbed to his knees, and began to throw VICIOUS forearm and elbow blows to the chest and head of Tsuruya! NAKAI began to tire from his relentless assault, but then let out a roar, grabbed Tsuruya by the back of the head and began to throw crushing elbows directly to Tsuruya's face! After several of these, Tsuruya appeared to be unconscious, but NAKAI continued his assault before pulling Tsuruya to his feet manually. With Tsuruya barely standing, NAKAI CRUSHED him with a short-range Lariat, collapsing on Tsuruya for the three count! NAKAI attempted to praise Tsuruya post-match, telling him that he wasn't expecting Tsuruya to be such a large challenge for him, but Mikio Tsuruya reverted fully back to his heel persona, telling Tetsuhisa NAKAI that he didn't need his "pity", and then added that he would be gunning for a rematch and a victory...
Only two Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON wrestlers remained in the 2009 Power Source tournament to challenge Tetsuhisa NAKAI in the finals, two men with a deep, personal issue stemming from 2007. In 2007, NGI of Nobuyori Shimizu and Toshiro Noguchi brought in a new member a young powerhouse named Takayuki Ariwa. In 2008, Ariwa betrayed his NGI mentors by aligning with Seiji Ebisawa's MOUJA faction. MOUJA would turn into Yankizoku, and after the banishment of Seiji Ebisawa, Takayuki Ariwa would assume the leadership position of the "delinquent tribe" faction. Through it all, the hatred has only grown between Shimizu and Ariwa, with one dynamic shifting...Due to Ariwa's frightening progression, now Shimizu is the underdog despite the experience advantage. The Iwate fans treated this battle of former friends as the biggest match thus far on the card, with the crowd showing their unwavering support of Nobuyori Shimizu with loud chants of his name. Ariwa was unconcerned, or attempting to project that image despite the one-sided nature of the crowd. Shimizu came out with his shoulder taped, further causing the Iwate fans to rally behind him, but all the tape allowed was to give Ariwa a target for his attacks, as Ariwa ripped, tore, and twisted away at Shimizu's repaired shoulder with everything he could muster. Ariwa displayed his fearsome power by press slamming the smaller Shimizu over the top rope and to the floor, where Shimizu landed on his shoulder once again, further damaging it. Ariwa compounded the shoulder injury by grabbing Shimizu, pulling his arm through the post with Shimizu's arm outside of the post, before pulling back on Shimizu's shoulder from the other side of the turnbuckle with hideous pressuring, bending Shimizu's arm backwards at a sickening angle. The referee was slow to break the hold, as of course, Yankizoku were doing their best to distract the referee until Toshiro Noguchi came rushing around the ring to chase them off. Once in the ring, Ariwa attempted to finish Shimizu off as Ariwa placed Shimizu in a Wakigatame, pulling up as hard as he could on Shimizu's badly damaged shoulder. However, the man who is often called the "soul" of Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON refused to give up despite the horrible pain, causing the Iwate fans to rally behind him once again, as Shimizu fought for the ropes, eventually achieving his goal of placing his right foot on the bottom rope to gain the rope break. Ariwa seemed pleased at his handiwork, as Shimizu's arm dangled almost uselessly from the assault Ariwa had battered Shimizu with. However, Shimizu refused to step back the slightest, as he threw several elbows to Ariwa's head. However, the Yankizoku leader seemed more amused by Shimizu's attempt at self defense then concerned, as a single chop to Shimizu's shoulder dropped him to his knees once again. Ariwa raised one arm, giving the signal for the Angelos as Shimizu pulled himself to his feet again. As Shimizu reached his feet, Ariwa charged across the ring with a running Angelos, only to have Shimizu duck under and give Ariwa virtually a one arm Tsuyosa German Suplex! Ariwa rolled through the move to his feet, and charged Shimizu again with a second Angelos, only to have Shimizu duck under again, hitting another Tsuyosa German Suplex! This time Shimizu used his injured arm to hold Ariwa and get the bridge, but Ariwa kicked out before the three count! Ariwa appeared to be confused as he climbed to his feet, but Nobuyori Shimizu had a different look on his face, the face of determination as he charged his former charge! Shimizu threw elbows as hard as he could with his uninjured arm. Ariwa threw his own return blows with clubbing blows, but Shimizu fought through the pain, continuing to throw elbows as hard as he could! Takayuki Ariwa looked to finally be faltering some, allowing Nobuyori Shimizu to run into the ropes, and BLAST Ariwa with a running elbow to the face! Ariwa fell sideways to the mat, and Shimizu collapsed on top of Ariwa. Despite the crowd's counting, Ariwa defied their wished by powering out of Shimizu's pinfall at two point seven! Shimizu, however, seemed to be in another world where he no longer felt pain, as he called for Ariwa to stand up once again! Unaware of the fate waiting for him, Takayuki Ariwa climbed to his feet, just to be CRUSHED by a second Shimizu running elbow! Ariwa didn't fall this time, instead falling into the ropes almost helplessly. Shimizu grabbed and ripped at Ariwa's hair as he pulled him into position for the Thunder-Fire Powerbomb! The Iwate fans exploded as Shimizu hoisted Ariwa onto his shoulder. However, Shimizu had made a grievous mistake, as he had managed to lift Ariwa with his injured arm, but had no strength to keep Ariwa lifted! Shimizu's arm gave out, as he dropped Ariwa in a heap on the ground. Shimizu grabbed his shoulder, as if trying to rip the pain right out of his own body. At ringside, Toshiro Noguchi screamed at Shimizu to watch out, but in his own pain filled world, Shimizu no longer heard his best friend as Takayuki Ariwa charged Shimizu and BLASTED Shimizu in the side of the head with the Angelos! Shimizu collapsed face forward into the match, knocked unconscious from the surprise blow. After taking a few seconds to re-gather his senses, Ariwa began to pull Shimizu to his feet. Once there, Ariwa grabbed the knocked silly Shimizu, and hoisted him up for his own death move, pressing Shimizu over his head! Several Iwate fans screamed for Shimizu to fight back, but Shimizu could no longer hear them, as Ariwa HURLED Shimizu through the air with the full Sit out Splash Mountain! Ariwa placed both feet on Shimizu's arms to keep them down, but it was un-needed, as Shimizu wouldn't have even heard a ten count. In this case it was the uncontested three count, giving Takayuki Ariwa advancement to the finals of the 2009 Power Source tournament!
The Iwate fans were virtually silent as Takayuki Ariwa was announced as the winner. Ariwa didn't look like a winner, as he collapsed to the mat next to Shimizu, second's hit the ring trying to help their charges. After several minutes, the two men stood in the ring. It became evident how that Angelos had damaged Shimizu, as he had no memory of the last few minutes of the match, but upon learning of his own failure, Shimizu began to openly weep, before collapsing to his knees. The Iwate fans called Shimizu's name in support, as Toshiro Noguchi knelt at his side...However, Takayuki Ariwa claimed a ringside microphone, and spoke into it harshly, demanding to know why Shimizu was crying. Ariwa told Shimizu that they had fought with everything in their hearts, and on this day he had a better impression of his former teacher than ever before. Ariwa told Shimizu that it didn't matter anyway, since he would defeat Tetsuhisa NAKAI in his stead! Ariwa screamed into the microphone that Tetsuhisa NAKAI would have to KILL HIM in this ring tonight for NAKAI to emerge victorious! Yankizoku pumped their arms in victory for their leader, setting up one of the biggest Power versus Power matches in the history of Pro-Wrestling for the 2009 Power Source tournament!
After tonight's finals, the biggest matchup on the horizon of Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON will take place not into a Pro-Wrestling CRIMSON ring, but in a Pro-Wrestling FURY ring at the Kyocera Dome on the 31st. The semi final of the night saw LOVE and Yankizoku once again team up to take on the STRONGEST CRIMSON ARMY. Tenshin Komatsu led one half of the C-1 Tag Team Champions Hiroyuki Takano, C-1 Junior-Heavyweight Champion Keoni Murata and Ryoma Inoue into battle against C-1 Heavyweight Champion Akuma Toyota, Toshiro Noguchi and OVERTHROW. The final match for eleven days before their long awaited clash for the C-1 Heavyweight Championship, Akuma Toyota and Tenshin Komatsu were given center stage. Komatsu used dynamic attacks and speed to avoid Akuma Toyota's vicious power to good effect, giving him obvious hope leading into his championship challenge. Murata and Yamada were also given significant focus due to their upcoming C-1 Junior-Heavyweight championship match, with Murata attempting to use the Surfboard attack to end Yamada, but Yamada put his own cleverness on display by avoiding Murata's attack, stripping him of the surfboard and blasting MURATA with it! However, despite all this, the winner of the match would be none of the four, as Hiroyuki Takano fed off his partner's success in the Power Source, as he nailed Toshiro Noguchi with the Takano Driver followed by the Moonsault Press for the three count! Takano gave a microphone appeal post-match, both wishing Takayuki Ariwa luck, but also inviting LOVE's Shino Hiriyama and Kazuhiro Okamura to challenge the AT CLUB for the tag team championships whenever the LOVE team felt they had the "guts" to...
Only one man remained to stop Tetsuhisa NAKAI from his quest to come from Pro-Wrestling FURY to win the 2009 Power Source tournament and earn the main event slot on July 27th and the biggest match of his entire career, Yankizoku leader Takayuki Ariwa entered the bout the heavy fan favorite for one of the rare opportunities he has for such reactions.. For Tetsuhisa NAKAI Takayuki Ariwa represented the second Yankizoku member to challenge him in the final stage, along with the third overall with victories over Mikio Tsuruya in the previous match, and Takayuki Ariwa's partner Hiroyuki Takano in the AT CLUB on May 17th. After the bell rang, a tense moment passed in the ring as both brutish men stared at each other before NAKAI slowly began to make a cut throat motion towards Ariwa to a large reaction from the Iwate fans, playing off Ariwa's comments several minutes earlier. Tetsuhisa NAKAI's taunt seemed to flip the rage switch in Takayuki Ariwa's head causing Ariwa to scream out loud, calling NAKAI a "bastard" before charging across the ring! However, it was what NAKAI wanted, as he BLASTED Ariwa in the face when he got near with a horrific forearm, using Ariwa's momentum against him. A large gash opened along Ariwa's jaw line, as blood began to pour out of his face, however Ariwa refused fall, instead he growled in pure rage before throwing his own elbow! The crowd began to cheer Ariwa's elbows while slightly jeering NAKAI's as the two monsters began to beat the hell out of each other with short range offense. Tetsuhisa NAKAI began to gain the upper hand as he mixed elbows with Guh Punchers, trying to catch Ariwa off guard like he had Matsuda; however Ariwa simply absorbed NAKAI's punches before EXPLODING at NAKAI with a lariat! NAKAI displayed his own fearsome power by refusing to go down, instead circling around NAKAI to get to the center of the ring and throwing his own Lariat! Ariwa likewise refused to go down, bounced off the ropes and CRUSHED NAKAI with a lariat! NAKAI followed Ariwa's style by bouncing off the ropes with his own lariat, but again neither man refused to give an inch to the other. NAKAI finally used almost a flying tackle to try and drop Ariwa, but Ariwa steadfast kept himself from falling, before using NAKAI's own power to FLING himself into the ropes and CRASH into NAKAI with a lariat, finally downing Tetsuhisa NAKAI! The Iwate fans roared as Takayuki Ariwa pumped his arms in the air. Ariwa waited for NAKAI to stand up, before charging and spearing him back to the ground! Ariwa waited for NAKAI to stand before executing a second spear as Ariwa looked to have the match in firm control. Ariwa gave a signal for a third Spear, but when he charged, NAKAI suddenly KNEED him directly in the face! More blood flew out of Ariwa's facial wound as he collapsed in a heap on the mat! NAKAI covered, but much to the delight of the Iwate fans, Ariwa kicked out at two despite the trauma he had just received. Tetsuhisa NAKAI began to work over Takayuki Ariwa with sharp blows including horrific chops; however, NAKAI seemed to be frustrated by the fact that no matter what he hit Ariwa with, the power monster of Yankizoku simply kept rising back to his feet regardless. NAKAI finally changed tactics, grabbing Ariwa and slamming him down to the mat with a throw into the Koukai Vice! Ariwa at first simply tried to power his way out of the hold, displaying his awe inspiring power by SITTING UP somehow with NAKAI holding the Koukai Vice, however, NAKAI managed to pull Ariwa back to the mat with extra tork on the hold. With his fearsome strength having failed to free him, Ariwa began to frantically kick around the ring attempting to get a hold of the ropes, however NAKAI managed to keep Ariwa from reaching them with expert ring positioning, and pulling Ariwa back using his legs. However, Ariwa kept fighting for the ropes, eventually gaining them despite the damage being done. The Iwate fans rallied behind Takayuki Ariwa with large calls of Ariwa's name, but Tetsuhisa NAKAI gave them no mind as he began to work over the upperbody of Ariwa that had been damaged by the Koukai Vice. NAKAI's plan seemed to be to limit the upper body strength of Ariwa. After bending Ariwa backwards over the middle rope and giving him a vicious chop, NAKAI aimed to finish off Ariwa with the Devil Eruption, but Ariwa's strength was not finished just yet, as Ariwa began to elbow his way out of NAKAI's shoulder lift. Ariwa landed behind NAKAI, grabbed him, and TOSSED NAKAI as hard as he could through the air with a Release German Suplex! NAKAI crushed onto his shoulders and neck leading to both men lying prone on the canvas. NAKAI was first to reach his feet, but the german suplex had taken its toll, as NAKAI's legs buckled causing him to drop back down to his knees. Ariwa's progress was slow, as he struggled to pull himself up, but never the less, the two beasts finally were able to reach their feet. Even though the match had gone less than ten minutes, both men had very little left to give from the tournament and the sheer physicality of the match itself. Both met in the center of the ring, giving each other desperation blows that would have felled lesser men, but neither could give the other quarter. To the joy of the CRIMSON fans at the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium, Takayuki Ariwa began to win the exchange, as he went for broke with vicious elbow strikes from BOTH elbows, alternating left and right as NAKAI slumped from the blows. With Tetsuhisa NAKAI stunned, Ariwa backed off and with a triumphant roar, charged in with the Angelos! Ariwa CRUSHED into NAKAI's head with it, before collapsing on NAKAI for a cover! The Iwate fans counted along, but NAKAI managed to kick out at 2.9! Ariwa dragged not only himself, but NAKAI up to their feet. NAKAI offered virtually no resistance as Ariwa lifted him onto his shoulder, and slammed him down to the mat with the Hammerfall! Ariwa once again covered, but this time NAKAI kicked out at ONE, stunning not only Ariwa for the Iwate fans as well! NAKAI climbed defiantly up to his feet, only to have Ariwa BLAST him in the face with a Angelos! Ariwa finally seized the moment, grabbing NAKAI and lifting him for the Splash Mountain! The Iwate fans roared in approval as Ariwa carried NAKAI to the center of the ring and then HURLED...himself forward, as NAKAI at that moment slipped down from Ariwa's grasp! Ariwa stumbled for several steps before turning on a dime and charging NAKAI once again! NAKAI caught the charging Ariwa with a BLATANT PUNCH DIRECTLY TO THE FACE! NAKAI collapsed on his backside, but Ariwa crumbled to the mat unconscious, as heavy jeers came ringing out from the fans at the Iwate Prefectual Gymnasium! Yankizoku members began to protest at ringside, but Ryuugo Nagashima yanked Ryoma Inoue off the apron, nearly triggering a full scale fight at ringside. In the ring, Ariwa was unmoving as NAKAI pulled himself to his feet. Instead of covering Ariwa, NAKAI began to pull Ariwa up by his armpits to his feet, before hoisting Ariwa onto his shoulders. NAKAI carried Ariwa to the center of the ring before shifting and DROPPING ARIWA VERTICALLY ON HIS HEAD WITH THE MAX BULLET! NAKAI covered...BUT TAKAYUKI ARIWA KICKED OUT AT 2.9! NAKAI's face had a look of shock at Ariwa's continued survival as Yankizoku frantically pounded on the canvas, trying to wake up their leader, a beat that the fans picked up, causing the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium to rock and roll from the noise. Having used his limit break, NAKAI seemed at a loss for what to do as he caught his breath. Ariwa began to slowly pull himself up, using anything he could find including NAKAI himself to reach a vertical base. However, NAKAI was waiting, and as soon as Ariwa reached his feet, NAKAI CRUSHED Ariwa with a short range lariat! NAKAI collapsed on top of Ariwa as the count began, ONLY TO HAVE ARIWA KICK OUT AT ONE! The crowd roared as Ariwa began to try and pull himself up to his feet using some hidden reserve of energy! Ariwa began to flail, trying to get out of NAKAI's clutches, but his desperation left him open, allowing NAKAI to suddenly lock on the Koukai Vice again! Ariwa frantically fought for the ropes, but NAKAI had them positioned perfectly. Ariwa once again tried to power out, but his exhaustion allowed NAKAI to sink the Koukai Vice on tighter. With no room for escaping, Ariwa was caught in an inescapable position, however, Ariwa REFUSED to submit, screaming at the referee "NO!" loudly. Ariwa's movements gradually became slower, until Ariwa stopped moving all together. Once this was noticed, the referee dived in waving the match off while pulling Tetsuhisa NAKAI off of Takayuki Ariwa, whose head slammed to the canvas, completely unconscious! The Iwate fans heavily booed, but NAKAI, from the ground simply raised one arm in celebration.
Yankizoku charged the ring to check their fallen leader, as Ariwa continued to not move. Ryuugo Nagashima at the same time was checking on Tetsuhisa NAKAI, while praising him for winning. Nagashima's loud praising caught the ear of Hiroyuki Takano, who suddenly turned and PUNTED Nagashima in the face! Takano began screaming at NAKAI and Nagashima that NAKAI had cheated, and had to be held back by Yankizoku to keep from attacking both Nagashima and NAKAI. President Yuki Nomura came to the ring both to hold the festivities, but also to keep the peace as Yankizoku pulled Takayuki Ariwa out of the ring and carried him to the backstage area to get medical attention. Nomura presented Tetsuhisa NAKAI with his Power Source trophy, and a written contract to face the C-1 Heavyweight Champion on 7/27. NAKAI earned him no favor from the Iwate fans, as he declared that he felt he had already faced the "best" in CRIMSON, and that it didn't matter who won between Akuma Toyota and Tenshin Komatsu, as he would be proud to be the first Pro-Wrestling FURY wrestler to ever hold the C-1 Heavyweight Championship! This, of course, earned him heavy jeers from the CRIMSON loyalists, but NAKAI ignored them and celebrated his victory before leaving with his charge Nagashima...
2009 Power Source Finals
5/20/09
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium
3,000 fans
1. Power Source 2009 ~ BLOCK B PLAYOFF: Mikio Tsuruya defeated Kenjiro Amagawa & Hayato Saigo at 9'45 when Tsuruya pinned Saigo with the Akuji Backdrop Driver
2. Shino Hiriyama & Kazuhiro Okamura defeated Rui Kuriyama & SLAYER at 7'02 when Hiriyama pinned SLAYER with the Perfect German Suplex Hold
3. Power Source 2009 ~ Block A Winner vs. Block D Runner Up: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Yoshiaki Matsuda at 15'24 with the Devil Eruption
4. Power Source 2009 ~ Block B Winner vs. Block C Runner Up: Mikio Tsuruya defeated Shinsuke Takahashi at 13'21 with the Akuji Backdrop Driver
5. Power Source 2009 ~ Block C Winner vs. Block B Runner Up: Takayuki Ariwa defeated Kenjiro Amagawa at 9'36 with the Splash Mountain
6. Power Source 2009 ~ Block D Winner vs. Block A Runner Up: Nobuyori Shimizu defeated "Texas Outlaw" Jake Bishop at 15'45 with a Thunder-Fire Powerbomb
7. Masakazu Fujimoto & Ikuji Royama defeated Hiroshi Kuroki & Sojiro Sayuki at 8'01 when Fujimoto pinned Hiroshi Kuroki with a Mt. Fujimoto Bomb
8. Power Source 2009 ~ Semi Final: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Mikio Tsuruya at 14'18 with a Short-Range Lariat
9. Power Source 2009 ~ Semi Final: Takayuki Ariwa defeated Nobuyori Shimizu at 13'38 with a Splash Mountain
10. Tenshin Komatsu, Hiroyuki Takano, Keoni Murata & Ryoma Inoue defeated Akuma Toyota, Toshiro Noguchi, Naoki Daishi & Akahito Yamada at 14'03 when Takano pinned Noguchi with a Moonsault Press
11. Power Source 2009 ~ Final: Tetsuhisa NAKAI (FURY) defeated Takayuki Ariwa by referee stoppage at 17'14 with the Koukai Vice
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