Known as: Josh Barnett, Baby Faced Assassin, Blue-eyed Kenshiro, The Warmaster
Height: 6 Feet 3 Inches
Weight: ~250lbs
Time in New Japan: 2003-2004
Discipline(s): Catch Wrestling, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Signature Moves: Captured Buster, Cross Heel Lock, Double Wristlock Submission, Sleeper Hold
MMA Record: 35-8
THE CHALLENGE IS MADE:
Josh Barnett is no longer in the UFC at the end of 2002. Already warned for potential doping, Barnett won the UFC Heavyweight title by defeating Randy Couture in March but was stripped for a supposed violation (Barnett has always denied it, and I think doping rulez suck, so there's that). Where does he appear again (with the UFC belt I might add!)? NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING! He chokes out Yuji Nagata (he sure is popping up alot in this blog, he should probably get his own post!) and we now have this match on our hands! I have posted the background to this match below:
THE (SORT OF) CHAMPION STARTS AT THE TOP:
What a way to start one's NJPW career: challenging for the title against Yuji Nagata, destined to be a storied champ with numerous defenses (at the time we were ignorant of this). Unlike Bas Rutten, who had to build up to his title challenge, or Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, thrown into a tournament for a new top title; Josh Barnett started at the top. There is a logic to this: Rutten himself had been retired for a period before coming to New Japan, and Kohsaka (though thoroughly decorated) was not carrying any titles. Barnett on the other hand (despite technically being stripped of the title) came in brandishing his UFC Heavyweight belt, something that within Inokiism brings much respect. This was not simply a shooter coming in to challenge Nagata, it was a champion here to challenge another. Pro-wrestling or not, within Inokiism these belts represented the same thing.
As this begins Barnett stares down Nagata, and as he does his patented throat slice, the crowd reacts (hiss!) and the announcer screams! HIGH KICK and Nagata is already down. Even in his imminent defeat, Barnett manages to have an air of real challenge that even Rutten did not have. Similar to Nagata's bout with TK in 2005 at NJPW Nexess VI, this is full of slick ground work. Nagata, not a small man himself, seems dwarfed here by the immense Barnett. God, Barnett does a leg scissors takedown into a leglock and it is a thing of BEAUTY. However, just like our other shooters on pilgrimage to Inoki's Colosseum, he fails to secure the top gold. A sublime match, Nagata manages to secure a quick pin after a spinning overhead kick to Barnett's big head catching him totally off guard. Do not be worried though, as Barnett has another mission: rampage across the Japanese MMA scene representing his new home in New Japan Pro-Wrestling!!!
(there is an Enson Inoue sighting in Barnett's corner which reminds me to definitely do a write up on his time in the KING OF SPORTS)
TIME FOR BARNETT TO CRUSH..... ULTIMATELY:
So what does a disgraced (at least in the eyes of weak/silly people!) UFC champ do while working for New Japan? Well, if you are a guy like Barnett, you smash the living fuck out of people and thankfully out friend Antonio Inoki has devised a great venue for that called ULTIMATE CRUSH VALE TUDO! As I expounded upon its goodness in the last blog post on TK, NJPW Ultimate Crush is an amazing event and possibly the aesthetic peak of INOKIISM.
A sad note before this match however. The really too thick Jimmy Ambriz was undefeated before this match, and was looking to become the next big thing in American heavyweight MMA. He was skilled and a joy to watch! Yet, after Barnett kneed him in the face at the end of this bout, his jaw was never the same. Take a peep at his record and you'll see what I am talking about. MMA is a dark ghastly thing but I enjoy it anyways (I am no moralist after all).
TIME FOR ANOTHER TITLE:
Before Ultimate Crush II, Josh Barnett made a pit stop in PANCRASE to challenge Yuki Kondo for the Openweight title while representing New Japan. Barnett uses his size advantage throughout to pummel Kondo in the clinch with knees (a favorite of Barnett's) but Kondo is able to hold out. Kondo, to his credit, manages to land some really nice counter punches until Barnett is able to bring him down. From there Barnett controls, landing lots of ground and pound and working for various submissions. The die-hard PANCRASE crowd is absolutely ecstatic for this, cheering and chanting until they burst at the seems as Barnett delivers a series of pro-wrestling like german suplexes to Kondo who then returns strikes as they scramble back to their feet. As Barnett gets Kondo in the corner, Kondo lands a sick knee to Barnett's head rocking him severely. Barnett knows he needs to end this; he drags Kondo down and slyly stands in guard and stomps Kondo in the head. This allows him to regain full mount where he pummels Kondo until he locks on the rear naked choke for the win.
Josh Barnett failed to gain the IWGP title, but his exploits have brought him back into the champions circle by winning the storied PANCRASE Openweight title. PANCRASE has been crushed ultimately, and now Barnett returns home to New Japan and the Tokyo Dome!
BACK TO THE DOME FOR MORE CRUSHING:
The Baby Face Assassin is back home in Inoki's Colosseum: THE TOKYO DOME! He is back to defend his recently won PANCRASE Openweight title against PANCRASE veteran (salute!) Yoshiki Takahashi who comes out to You Spin Me Right Round (very nice choice for the dome my friend).
Takahashi is on an 8 fight win streak here but unfortunately it is about to be ULTIMATE(ly) CRUSH(ed) by Josh Barnett here, and much like Ambriz, it will never recover! Barnett has a knack for doing this it seems! Takahashi is the one to initiate the striking here as Barnett eats his fair share of punches. They clinch into the corner and Barnett accidentally lands a knee to the dick (a sad event for all!) but after a short break begins to knee in the corner once more.
As round 2 starts, I notice that while Enson Inoue is in Barnett's corner, Takahashi has KENDO KASHIN (hello masked Inokiism man, iffy mma guy, I will get to you soon enough!) and Kazuyuki Fujita in his corner. I am surprised by this as it seems this whole thing is NJPW'd up. Whoever wins, Inoki wins!
Barnett is eating shots to start off this round again until he puts Takahashi in the corner. He follows up by scoring with a scooping double leg takedown and now Barnett has Takahashi's back. Ground and pound reigns down and it isn't looking good for Takahashi until WOW a very slick little sweep and now his on top in Barnett's closed guard. A much better position than he was in earlier as I could hear the horrid thud of every punch landing on his skull. Takahashi begins to give Barnett a neck crank but he is able to slip out. WOW this ends in the second round as Barnett slaps on a triangle armbar! Josh Barnett is able to remain the Pancrase Openweight champion and continues to make Inoki proud.
(I am pretty sure Masakatsu Funaki was on commentary for this as we get a flash on screen of someone who I think is the man!)
LET US FIGHT AGAIN BUT THIS TIME IN KOBE:
It is the end of 2003, and the beginning of 2004. The year of Ultimate Crush is waning, seat sales are beginning to dwindle, and the TV audiences aren't as large. Don't worry to much however: as the world changes, so does Inokiism. It is becoming more refined, achieving even greater results. While it's pinnacle does not fully occur until K-1 Romanex, Inoki has become much more focused on training specifically for MMA and managing hand selected talents. It is a shame Inoki BomBaYe 2003 did such bad numbers (not that bad on its own, but (ultimate) crushed in tv ratings by PRIDE and K-1) that this tanked any solely Inoki promoted shows going forward. Unfortunately for Inoki, his fighters' pinnacle would have to come in a promotion not of his own.
Semmy Schilt and Josh Barnett had fought before in the UFC with Barnett winning by armbar. That was 2 and a half years before this fight however, and so much has changed in the scene. Barnett plays his typical game of strong clinching and collar tie-ups, all aimed at bringing the incredibly tall Schilt down to the ground. I agree with this strategy as it has always worked for me when playing PRIDE FC for the ps2 because if you try to stand with Schilt the computer will kick you to death!
Barnett executes the not getting kicked to death plan well as he maintains control of Schilt. Out of nowhere Schilt almost gets Barnett in a leglock and vicious game of back and forth begins as the bell sadly rings to end the first round. Barnett rushes Schilt into the corner to start the 2nd round and is able to lift and plant Schilt down with a nice double leg off the ropes. Barnett is in Schilt's guard for a bit until he grabs the left leg and falls back into a heel hook. Schilt is able to sit up and starts threatening Barnett from the back with ground and pound strikes. Barnett almost secures a triangle armbar (he is oh so close!) and then almost a figure four armbar(!!!!) but the long man Schilt is able to escape. He is only on top for a short time before Barnett explodes forward and gains control.
The 3rd round begins and Barnett has Schilt up against those ropes as quick as imaginable (you see it and its just like "ahhh now thats some wrestling") and Schilt is on his back soon after. Barnett gets caught in Semmy's close guard as he holds Barnett's wrists until Barnett jumps forward to get top mount. YES JOSH BARNETT WINS BY CROSS ARMBAR AFTER BEING RESET CUZ OF ROPE ISSUES AFTER ALMOST WINNING BY STRAIGHT ARMBAR. New Japan is victorious over this dastardly tall kickboxer Semmy Schilt (we all know New Japan's record regarding Kickboxers...) and we are happy!
BUT ALL THINGS HAVE TO END SO LETS END THIS WELL:
Ultimate Crush is over. Inoki BomBaYe is over. Yet, Inokiism continues in other places. Josh Barnett is done with pro-wrestling in New Japan as his final match was a few weeks earlier at Nexess I, but his overview has not really been about Barnett's pro-wrestling matches in New Japan. They surely deserve praise and a deeper analysis, but this has really been a cipher to understand what ULTIMATE CRUSH means, and broadly what the year 2003 means for Inokiism. 2003 is the year that MMA fighters training under that banner fully mature while we also see the peak of groups like MAKAI Club in New Japan as NWF Champ Yoshihiro Takayama dethrones Yuji Nagata of the IWGP title. It is the Inokiism era's grandest year running endless mega arenas. It is a year of excess and I happily drink it up!
K-1 Romanex, K-1's first fully No Holds Barred show, however marks the pinnacle of Inokiism as a fighting philosophy in MMA. Forget the Nagata loses to CroCop and Fedor and forget the loses sustained by the majority of the UWF crew in their time in PRIDE; this is an event where pro-wrestling shows it can be a legitimate philosophy in the world of real combat sports outside of guys like Sakuraba. Blue Wolf, Shinsuke Nakamura, Lyoto Machida (people often forget he got his start in Inoki's LA DOJO), Josh Barnett, and Kazuyuki Fujita all won their bouts on this night.
This bout is so sweet as Josh Barnett just obliterates the always whiny and generally unlikable Rene Rooze. After rushing Rooze into the ropes, Barnett struggles to bring him down because this motherfucker as usual keeps grabbing the ropes like so MUCH. The ref has to break them and issue a penalty to Rooze for his usual Rooze shit, you know how these kickboxers can be (its from all the punching to their head). Once he can't grip on the ropes anymore, Rooze becomes helpless. He starts going through the ropes and Barnett follows him, punching his head back and forth until the ref cannot bare it anymore. Rene Rooze and his team is angry and tries to pick an argument/fight because again you know how these kickboxers of the euro persuasion are.
Despite this event being in 2004, I wanted to leave this post on high note. The Inokiist era has a gloomy ending; one of unease and hard change. However, I do not want that to define the discourse of this time in pro-wrestling and fake/fakeish/real fighting broadly. The peaks of this time are so strong and joyous in their embrace of sheer, total violence. That is what Barnett's time in New Japan represents and why he is the perfect way to understand what Inoki meant by the phrase ULTIMATE CRUSH. It was a call to violence and people followed that message. What you see in these posts, those are the results.
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