Best of UWFI Volume 1 DVD

UWFi started out in Japan in 1984 as UWF, and it was founded by wrestlers who had recently departed New Japan. This version died out in 1986, but it was revived in 1988 as the "Newborn UWF," which lasted until 1990. In 1991, UWFi was born as the successor to Newborn UWF. The UWFi, and its predecessors, are very well known for their innovative "worked shootfights," which were MMA-style, hard hitting matches. UWFi is at least partially responsible for the rise in popularity of MMA, as the promotion boasted many of Japan's best puroresu stars and many top MMA competitors.

This is a 5 disc set that contains some of the best UWFi matches starting with the Newborn UWF in 1988 and ending with a few matches from UWFi's final show in December 1996, when the promotion ultimately closed its doors. The UWFi's top stars were Nobuhiko Takada, Akira Maeda, Gary Albright, and Vader, just to name a few. This set also includes MMA guys like Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Maurice Smith. Also, guys like James Maritato (Little Guido) and Norman Smiley got their start with the UWFi.

The rules in UWFi are different from traditional wrestling rules. There are three ways to win. Wrestlers can win by KO, submission, or points. In singles matches, each person starts out with 15 points (tag team are 21 points). You lose points for getting knocked down, using the ropes to break a hold, or being in a disadvantageous position during a submission hold or grappling sequence.

Anyway, on to the Match Listing for Disc 1 of 5

1. Yuko Miyato vs. Tatsuo Nakano (6/11/88)

2. Norman Smiley vs. Kazuo Yamazaki (6/11/88)

3. Nobuhiko Takada vs. Akira Maeda (6/11/88)

4. Norman Smiley vs. Yoji Anjo (8/13/88)

5. Nobuhiko Takada vs. Akira Maeda (11/10/88)

6. Nobuhiko Takada vs. Bob Backlund (12/22/88)