The Flying Hammerlock Video Review #43: Tanaka Vs. Punk

 

Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 Heavyweight Champion Masato Tanaka vs. CM Punk, WORLD-1 Revisited Tour - Night 3, Ramada Inn, Essington, PA, April 10, 2004.
 

Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 was founded by Steve Corino in 2004 as a successor to his previous promotion, the Premier Wrestling Federation.  It originally ran from 2004-2007.   There is no commentary for this match.
 

They circle each other and tie up and Tanaka grabs a side headlock.  Into the ropes, Punk whips Tanaka across and Tanaka comes off with a shoulderblock.  Criss-cross, Punk leapfrog and he goes for a hiptoss but Tanaka counters with one of his own.  Tanaka follows with a dropkick and an armdrag into an armbar.   Punk counters with a headscissors but Tanaka escapes.  Punk gets a hiptoss and an armdrag and goes for the armbar but Tanaka counters with a headscissors of his own.  Punk gets to his feet.  All of that took under a MINUTE!  They go for a knuckle lock and Tanaka grabs a rear waistlock.  Punk escapes and gets an arm wringer but Tanaka counters with one of his own.  Tanaka gets a hammerlock and Punk tries to counter with one of his own but Tanaka stops that with a drop toehold.   Punk gets a side headlock on the mat and they both get to their feet.  They fight over the headlock but Punk hangs on to it.   Into the ropes, Punk whips Tanaka across and this time Punk hits the shoulderblock.  Punk goes after Tanaka's arm but Tanaka trips him up and grabs the leg.   Tanaka works over Punk's leg but Punk won't submit.  Tanaka kicks away at Punk's leg, applies a leg scissors and splashes the mat.   Tanaka backs Punk into the corner and kicks away at the leg.  Tanaka does a cross-corner whip and charges in but Punk gets out of the way.  Punk hits Divorce Court (single-arm DDT).  Punk goes out to the apron and hits a slingshot rolling headbutt to the arm.  Punk brings Tanaka up and does the waterpump spot to Tanaka's arm twice.  Then a wristlock takedown.  Punk covers and barely gets 2.  Tanaka goes for an armdrag but Punk counters with one of his own into an armbar.   Punk legdrops the arm and applies an armbar.   Back to their feet and Tanaka punches his way out of the armbar.  They exchange punches and Punk grabs Tanaka and hits a side backbreaker.   Punk covers and gets 2.   Punk goes back to the arm and applies a chinlock.  Tanaka escapes so Punk goes for a ground Abdominal Stretch.  Punk grinds his forearm into Tanaka's face.  Tanaka won't submit so Punk releases the hold.  They get to their feet and go into a corner.  Punk is still working the arm.   Punk snapmares Tanaka and hits a dropkick to the back.  Punk covers and gets 2.  Punk goes back to the arm.  Tanaka grabs Punk's hair to escape and the referee says, "No hair, no hair."  Punk hits a vertical suplex for 2.  Punk applies an armbar.   Tanaka's shoulders are down and the ref counts but Tanaka is up before 3.  Into the corner, and Punk hits Tanaka with a forearm.  Punk headbutts Tanaka and Punk is the one who sells it, though Tanaka does sink down a little in the corner.  Punk kicks and slaps Tanaka.  Punk gives Tanaka a cross-corner whip but Tanaka charges out with a spear.   Punk whips Tanaka into the corner and charges in but Tanaka catches him and sits him on the top turnbuckle.  Tanaka hits a top-rope Stunner!  It gets 2!   Tanaka sets up Punk for Diamond Dust (top rope rolling Stunner) but Punk counters it and applies a cross-armbreaker!  Tanaka gets his boot on the rope.   Back to their feet, Punk gets a hammerlock and hits a clothesline.  It gets 2.   Punk sends Tanaka face first into the corner.  Punk climbs up and sets Tanaka up for the Pepsi Plunge (top rope Pedigree) but Tanaka backdrops out of it.   Tanaka shouts something in Japanese and hits a frogsplash.  It gets 2.  Tanaka brings Punk up and hits a gutwrench into an over-the-shoulder backbreaker into a Dominator.   It gets 2.   Tanaka hits a Brainbuster but Punk recovers and hits a Shining Wizard.   Punk brings Tanaka up, grabs Tanaka's wrist and kicks him in the midsection.  Punk gets an arm wringer and hits a back kick.   Punk runs off the ropes but Tanaka ducks, gets in a shot and hits the Roaring Elbow for the pin to retain at 9:54!  ****
 

Great match here.  Recommended and you can watch it here.