Tomorrow I leave for the promised land of professional wrestling again to wrestle in Osaka April 30, Nagoya May 1 and Tokyo May 3.

Every night offers up a very different kind of challenge, as each opponent differs from the last considerably.  This jaunt should really push my limits and creativity as a professional wrestler, and I highly anticipate stepping into the ring with the following names.

LEATHERFACE: Leatherface is a horror gimmick wrestler based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies that has become legendary in the Land of the Rising Sun.  This man is the embodiment of chaos, and I am sure that I will be very literally fighting for my life inside of that ring on April 30 in Osaka at SMASH.16 as I struggle to formulate a plan of attack that is going to work with this monster.  I predict all wrestling finesse and science will be thrown out the window and I will have to resort to relentless brawling, should I hope to survive or possibly even win this match.

ULTIMO DRAGON and TAJIRI:  I first met Dragon in Winnipeg, Canada on a tour we both were on in November 1995.  Back then I was into my second year as a pro, and Dragon was in town for a three match series against my old friend Chris Jericho for Tony Condello’s IWA promotion.  I used to drive Dragon to the gym for daily workouts while on tour, but now the roles have changed and it will be the Lord and Master of FCF vs. the Japanese Lucha legend in a tag team bout in Nagoya on May 1, with my partner being FCF teammate Hajime Ohara and Dragon’s partner being Tajiri.  Dragon and Tajiri are both former WWE standouts, and in addition Dragon has even held 10 different championships simultaneously at one time.  I will be studying and scouting Dragon’s matches on my travel PSP so that once Nagoya rolls around, I will know exactly what to expect in this tag team showdown.

SHINYA ISHIKAWA: Big Japan Pro Wresting rookie standout Shinya Ishikawa is rising fast and turning heads everywhere in Japan currently.  He has also caught the eye of SMASH mainman Tajiri, who believes that the young man has what it takes to step into the ring and hang in there with an established veteran like myself.  Ishikawa has one of the deadliest dropkicks in the business that I have seen, aptly entitled the Dropkick from Hell, and I will have to watch out for that move throughout the match.  I do however feel entirely confident that I will beat Ishikawa soundly and convincingly, piledriving him through the mat at SMASH.17 on May 3 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.

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