The Legacy of DEEP 2001

In 2001, an MMA promotion was born that would become famous for its use of numerous pro-wrestlers.  DEEP 2001 ran 12 shows between 2001 and 2003 before dropping the "2001" from their name, took on a new role as the farm league for Pride FC and undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the Japanese MMA scene.  They remain in operation to this day, although MMA in Japan has dwindled in popularity.

In these first 12 shows, they used former UWFi stars, BattlARTS regulars, independent pro-wrestlers, the roster of Kiyoshi Tamura's U-Style group and most famously a variety of luchadors.  Dos Caras Jr. (now known as "Alberto Del Rio") had 5 fights for them.  They ran MMA tag matches.  They offered excellent fights with smaller fighters that led Pride to create their "Bushido" brand.

DEEP 2001
Date of Event: 1/8/01
1. Hitoyo Kimura vs. Vanlentin Siouljine
2. Gia Chirragishvilli vs. Yoji Anjo
3. Ryuki Ueyama vs. Kousei Kubota
4. KENGO vs. Tachihikari
5. Jorge Patino vs. Daisuke Ishii
6. Marcelo Tigre vs. Katsuhisa Fujii
7. Paulo Filho vs. Kei Yamamiya - **3/4 (Ground/Striking)
8. Ricardo Liborio vs. Ikuhisa Minowa - ** (Combo/Combo)
9. Royler Gracie vs. Takehiro Murahama - *3/4 (Combo/Combo)

DEEP 2001: Heatwave
Date of Event: 8/25/01
1. Kazuki Okubo vs. Kato Kung Lee - **1/2 (Ground/Combo)
2. Kousei Kubota vs. Ryuki Ueyama (clipped)
3. Dos Caras Jr. vs. Kengo Watanabe - ** (Standing/Striking)
4. Akihiro Gono vs. Dustin Denes - **1/2 (Ground/Combo)
5. Wataru Sakata vs. Adrian Serrano - ** (Ground/Combo)
6. Rogerio Nogueira vs. Katsuhisa Fujii - **1/2 (Combo/Combo)
7. Sanae Kikuta vs. Pshemek Walach - **1/2 (Ground/Combo)
8. Joao Roque vs. Takehiro Murahama - *** (Ground/Combo)
9. Paulo Filho vs. Yuki Kondo - *** (Ground/Combo)

DEEP 2001: 3rd Impact
Date of Event: 12/27/01
1. Shinya Sato vs. Wataru Miki (clipped)
2. Koji Oishi vs. Takaharu Murahama (clipped)
3. Ryo Chonan vs. Takaku Fuke (clipped)
4. Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Kazuki Okubo - *** (Combo/Combo)
5. Ryuki Ueyama vs. LaVerne Clark - ** (Combo/Combo)
6. Wataru Sakata vs. Kousei Kubota - **1/2 (Combo/Striking)
7. El Canek vs. Osamu Tachihikari - *** (Combo/Striking)
8. Somdert Loshizawa vs. Takumi Yano - *** (Combo/Combo)
9. Takehiro Murahama vs. Victor Rabanales - **1/2 (Ground/Hooking)

DEEP 2001: 4th Impact
Date of Event: 3/30/02
1. Azteca vs. Ryougaku Wada - **3/4 (Combo/Combo)
- Highlights of Doi-Sasaki, Nagai-Kurahashi
2. Yasuhito Nawekawa vs. Daisuke Watanabe - **1/2 (Ground/Striking)
3. Gustavo Ximu vs. Yuki Sasaki (clipped)
4. Takehiro Murahama vs. Joao Roque - **3/4 (Ground/Combo)
5. Memo Diaz vs. Hirotaka Yokoi (clipped)
6. Solar vs. Minoru Suzuki - ** (Standing/Striking)
7. Toro Irisson vs. Wataru Sakata - ***1/2 (Combo/Combo)
8. Kick Boxer vs. Yuki Kondo - *** (Ground/Combo)
9. Dos Caras Jr. vs. KENGO - **** (Standing/Striking)

DEEP 2001: 5th Impact
Date of Event: 6/9/02
1. Takaharu Murahama vs. Yuji Hoshino
2. Ryuki Ueyama vs. Seiki Ryo
3. Kousei Kubota vs. Yuji Hisamatsu
4. Eiji Ishikawa vs. Ryo Chonan
5. Takafumi Ito vs. Ikuto Hidaka - *** (Ground/Combo)
6. Ryuki Ueyama vs. Takaharu Murahama
7. Kousei Kubota vs. Eiji Ishikawa
8. Darren Uyenoyama vs. Lumber Somdert Yoshizawa
9. Max Miyazawa vs. Ryogaku Wada
10. Ryuki Ueyama vs. Eiji Ishikawa

DEEP 2001: 6th Impact
Date of Event: 9/7/02
1. Shoichi Ichinomiya vs. Kazuki Okubo - **1/4 (Combo/Combo)
2. Ryo Chonan vs. Katsumi Usuda - **1/2 (Combo/Striking)
3. Yashihito Namekawa vs. Max Miyazawa - ***3/4
4. Ryan Bow vs. Joao Roque - *** (Ground/Combo)
5. Dos Caras Jr. vs. Tatsuo Nakano - ** (Combo/Hooking)
6. Takumi Yano vs. Fabio Mello
7. Ryuki Ueyama vs. Gilson Ferrera
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka - ***1/4 (Ground/Combo)
9. Dokonjonesuke Mishima vs. Takafumi Ito - *** (Combo/Hooking)
10. Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - **** (Ground/Combo)

DEEP 2001: 7th Impact
Date of Event: 12/8/02
1. Manabu Hara vs. Kaze - **3/4 (Ground/Striking)
2. Azteca vs. Shoichi Ichimiya - *** (Ground/Combo)
3. Tomoyuki Fukami vs. Koichi Watanuki - ***1/4 (Combo/Striking)
4. Hirohide Fujinuma vs. Dai Moriyama - **3/4 (Ground/Striking)
5. Max Miyazawa vs. Hiroyuki Ito - *** (Combo/Striking)
6. Ryuki Ueyama/Kazuki Okubo vs. Kosei Kubota/Ichiro Kanai - **3/4 (Combo/Striking)
7. Taisho vs. Tappayar Crosspoint Jim - **1/2 (Combo/Striking)
8. Lumber Somdet Loshizawa vs. Takeyasu Hirono - ***1/4 (Combo/Combo)
9. Takeshi Yamazaki vs. Nalupon Tackhornthin - ** (Ground/Combo)
10. Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Yuki Ishikawa - **3/4 (Ground/Combo)
11. Masanori Suda vs. Ryo Chonan - **3/4 (Ground/Striking)

DEEP 2001: 8th Impact
Date of Event: 3/24/03
1. Tomomi Iwama vs. Masashi Kameda
2. Koji Takeuchi vs. Tashirou Nishiuchi
3. Hidetada Irie vs. Max Miyazawa
4. Osami Shibuya vs. Yasuhito Namekawa
5. Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Fabio Mello
6. Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryuki Ueyama

DEEP 2001: 9th Impact
Date of Event: 5/5/03
1. Ryu Echigo vs. Crafter M - *** (Ground/Combo)
2. Katsuo vs. Tomoyuki Fukami - **1/2 (Ground/Combo)
3. Kengo Mashimo vs. Hirohide Fujinama - **1/2 (Ground/Combo)
4. Eiji Ishikawa vs. Ryuta Sakurai - ***3/4 (Combo/Striking)
5. Kazuki Okubo vs. Kato Kung Lee Jr. - *** (Combo/Striking)
6. Hikaru Sato vs. Electro Shock - ***3/4 (Ground/Combo)
7. Giant Ochiai vs. Bengadoll Bolikua (Memo Diaz)
8. Takumi Yano vs. Brazo de Plata - *** (Combo/Combo)
9. Hiroyuki Ito vs. Dos Caras Jr. - **3/4 (Ground/Striking)

DEEP 2001: 10th Impact
Date of Event: 6/25/03
1. Crafter M vs. Shoichi Ichimiya
2. Tetsuya Onose vs. Kazuki Okubo
3. Hidetada Irie vs. Hirohide Fujinuma
4. Max Miyazawa vs. Yoshinori Oniki
5. Tomomi Iwama vs. Noboru Asahi
6. Hayato Sakurai vs. Dave Menne - **** (Ground/Combo)

DEEP 2001: 11th Impact
Date of Event: 7/15/03
1. Tomoyuki Fukami vs. Masashi Kameta - *** (Combo/Combo)
2. Hiroyuki Ito vs. Koji Okiyama - **3/4 (Combo/Striking)
3. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Kyosuke Sasaki - *** (Combo/Combo)
4. Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Tibaru - **3/4 (Combo/Striking)
5. Ryo Chonan vs. Yuji Hisamatsu - *** (Combo/Striking)
6. Anna Michele Dantez vs. Yuka Tsuji - ***1/4 (Ground/Combo)
7. Hayato Sakurai & Masanori Suda vs. Kiuma Kunioku & Hidetaka Monma - ***3/4 (Combo/Combo)
8. Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Masakazu Imanari - ***1/4 (Ground/Striking)

DEEP 2001: 12th Impact
Date of Event: 9/15/03
1. Hagane Samurai vs. Jun Ishii - **3/4 (Standing/Striking)
2. Ryuta Sakurai vs. Hirohide Fujinuma - ***1/2 (Ground/Combo)
3. Yoshinori Momose vs. Max Miyazawa - **1/2 (Standing/Striking)
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Tetsuji Kato - **3/4 (Combo/Combo)
5. Dos Caras Jr. vs. Brad Kohler - ** (Ground/Striking)
6. Ryo Chonan vs. Hayato Sakurai - ***3/4 (Ground/Striking)
7. Masanori Suda vs. Ryuki Ueyama - *** (Ground/Combo)

 Straight Shootin' with Jim Cornette - Konnan

The Good
Talk about the odd couple of odd couples.  Here is Jim Cornette, 40-something, Southern-style rasslin' performer and historian paired with lucha libre legend and former WCW and TNA undercarder Konnan.  How do these two communicate?  Very well actually.  Cornette, while not a lucha expert, shows that he's done his homework and directs Konnan through an interview respectfully and with his unique appeal.  Konnan, in sharp contrast to his on-screen persona, is well-spoken, thoughtful and insightful, so that he is able to work well with Corny.  I don't think this worked as good as Konnan and Bryan Alvarez or even Dave Meltzer, but there was something unique here that is undeniable.  Cornette pulls in his own experiences of Nick Gulas using Mexicans on the cheap, Vince McMahon working with Antonio Pena and WCW not knowing how to introduce and properly book distinct stars to get thoughts out of Konnan that you've never heard before.  He shared for the first time, according to him, the fact that he had to go back to "hustling on the streets" in between his WCW and NWA-TNA runs, which was a big shock.  Overall, I went in expecting a train-wreck of sorts, but got a gem of sorts instead.

The Bad
Like I said and as you'd expect, Jim Cornette is no lucha libre historian or even regular connoisseur, so his perspectives are limited in a way.  He and Konnan have a good rapport, but this is lacking in comparison to Corny with Bill Watts, Percy Pringle, Bobby Heenan, etc.  I actually think Konnan works better with Meltzer because he knows that Dave knows his stuff, even though Dave lacks Cornette's interviewing savvy.  Konnan seems to hold back some as a result and while it makes for a different type of Konnan interview, it is not necessarily better.  In some ways it is worse because he does not go into as much detail, Cornette is inconsistent in follow-up questions and something just seems amiss.

The Rating: ****

    

Viva La Raza
Directors: Kevin Dunn
Distributor: WWE Home Video
Released: 11/08

Featured Talent
Batista, John Cena, Michael Cole, Edge, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chavo Guerrero Sr., Vickie Guerrero, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross


The Good
The Cheating Death, Stealing Life documentary is a sound production by the WWE and one that compliments this DVD set nicely. This one is of the matches-with-commentary DVDs, but instead of the featured star talking, it is the opponents, family and friends of the star. While one could definitely make a case for numerous matches that are not on this one (many of significance are on the aforementioned DVD), this three-disc set includes a great variety. In a set like this, there needs to be a story of a star's career through a series of matches and this does that fairly well. Luckily, there is so much fascinating family footage that is able to spice things up in a way that WWE documentaries often lack. It seems that much attention was given to showing Eddie Guerrero's greatest strengths as a worker. Basically, he could do it all. This has everything but lucha libre from Mexico, but it has plenty of lucha-rific stuff with Rey Mysterio Jr., Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera and Ultimo Dragon. It throws in an awesome match with Shinjiro Otani to demonstrate Guerrero's ability to work the Japanese style and puts over that style in a way you may not expect to hear on a WWE DVD. The key is getting over Eddie's worldly experience and then tying that to his WCW run as a cruiserweight and ultimately his WWF/WWE run where he worked a wide variety of opponents doing matches with more backstory and gimmicks. While the pay-per-view matches are often the ones with the time to be of better quality, there are eleven TV matches featured on this that a great additions to a collection. 

The Bad
While this seemed like a distinct and strong DVD output, it was not without some flaws. So much of Eddie Guerrero's heritage is lucha libre and for there to only be a tidbits of a single lucha match (the 5-star Los Gringos Locos-Hijo Del Santo/Octogon match of legend) is a travesty. That aside, the matches used on this are acceptable choices, although some of his best are not on this particular DVD set. The lack of Chris Benoit in the story is sad, but not surprising. It is just so bizarre because of how dramatically Guerrero's death affected Chris Benoit and that close friendship is simply brushed under the rug. Members of Eddie's family have some good input, although Chavo Sr. seems to ramble and be almost nonsensical at times. Then there is Jerry Lawler talking about “uncle” Hector, who is actually Eddie's older brother. But that's a laughable error on par with all the audio snippets of Steve “Mongo” McMichael from the Nitro days.

The Rating: ****


      

Shocker Shoot Interview [Highspots]

The Good
I never realized this existed and never heard anything about it, so I practically did not believe it was Shocker of CMLL fame and expected two hours with Fred "Shockmaster" Ottman (who is actually very personable and enjoyable on shoot interviews).  But this was very much Mr. 1000% Guapo himself in great form with Highspots.  Shocker, who is originally from the States, speaks great English and seems like someone that should get more attention from interviewers.  Although this was only 45 minutes, Shocker blows through and needs little direction.  He tells his story, tells funny stories, has an infectiously hearty belly laugh and gives some great insight as well, what more could you want?  This totally made me want to see him get a heel run opposite Rey Mysterio, although this was from seven years ago and the world is very different.

The Bad
Forty-five minutes is just too short to have a top-notch interview.  Did Shocker need four hours to tell his life story?  No, but he seems like someone who could fill it with hilarious tales of lucha libre.  This was before his time with MLW and TNA, so he does not have those stories to share, but he can talk about New Japan, FMW and even Tokyo Pro.  This is probably lacked the depth a hardcore lucha fan would want, but considering the limited amount of shoot interviews done in English by authentic luchadors, I can't complain much.

The Rating: ****