Kanemaru ups ante, Taichi responds with a whiskey soaked ladder match concept

On December 14, KOPW 2023 holder Taichi took to YouTube live to present his choice of rules for his December 21 match against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. After Kanemaru attacked Taichi backstage at the World Tag league final and kicked his former friend low, the Heel Master had proposed a Low Blows Legal Match; Kanemaru had been invited to the stream to make an official presentation but was absent; instead official rules from the H.O.T member arrived via courier.

Kanemaru officially proposed a Low Blows Legal, Corner Pads Removable Match, wherein as the title suggested, striking below the belt and removing corner pads was legal, but only for Kanemaru. Taichi baulked at the suggestion, stating ‘sponsors paid good money to have their logos on those pads’ and said that while he will abide by the rules voted on, he will make sure sponsors are adequately protected. 

In response, Taichi suggested his own rules of a Whiskey Bottle Ladder Match. A whiskey bottle will be suspended from the ceiling, and is usable as a weapon by whomever uses a ladder to retrieve it. Said Taichi, ‘Me and Kanemaru drank a lot of whiskey together back in the day. This started with alcohol, and I want it to end with alcohol’, adding that ‘win or lose, this ends here, we won’t do it again.’

This will mark the last defense of the KOPW 2023 title, with the winner’s nameplate added to the KOPW belt and the victor receiving a trophy for their accomplishment before KOPW 2024 begins in January.

KOPW 2023 December 21 2023

Taichi vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Taichi’s rules: Whiskey Bottle Ladder Match 

Whichever wrestler can take the whiskey bottle hanging over the ring can use it and its contents as a weapon.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru’s rules: Low Blows Legal

Low blows, and removal of the corner pads are both legal for Kanemaru only.

Both matches will have no countouts or time limits. Voting for stipulations will take place from Friday December 15 for a three day period.