Great-O-Khan retains KOPW gold
The Road to Sakura Genesis got underway this past weekend, with the main event on March 31 in Hamamatsu seeing the KOPW 2024 title on the line. With Great-O-Khan having promised to defend his title away from the traditional landscape of live TV broadcasts, only the crowd in attendance watched as the match happened, under two out of three round Rural Revitalization rules against challenger Tanga Loa.
The first of the three rounds was a ten minute Most Covers affair, where every referee count on a pinfall attempt led to a point scored. With both men showing stubborn grit in not being taken off their feet, no fall attempt was made until over five minutes deep in the match, O-Khan having brought Loa in from a brawl on the floor and scoring with a shoulder throw inside for two. Loa caught up with a cross body but the champion pulled ahead with a flurry of pins; with under a minute left in the period though, it was a spear from Loa that got a five count and gave Loa the first round nine to eight.
That led to the second period, a five minute eating contest at first purported to be for one local specialty of eel, but instead went to another local dish, that of gyoza dumplings. With remarkable stamina, O-Khan had the clear victory with most gyoza eaten as Loa flagged badly, setting up the third fall of a bullrope styled, a taught short rope joining the two athletes who had to try and touch all four corners to win.
A crushing Eliminator led O-Khan to victory in the bout, the champion choking back emotion and a significant poundage of delicately seasoned, wrapped and fried ground pork in his post match address. O-Khan proudly claimed that a new era, that with pro-wrestling being equated with himself, had already begun. O-Khan stated that it all began with Japan, and with the local areas; a grass roots movement that he was leading with a determination to make KOPW the most famed, and the most entertaining title in wrestling. As the loyal subjects bowed to their Dominator, the victorious O-Khan took his title to the next ground of conquest.
