"A few years ago, a group of wrestlers got tired of working the kind of show you see on TV, the theatrics you associate with professional wrestling. You see, they learned to shoot, a kind of shooting that has nothing to do with guns, but everything to do with real fighting. They combine the meanest, most realistic elements of jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, and submission wrestling into the toughest fighting style in the world. You win or lose a fight by a knockout, or by giving up before something gets broken. You can punch, slap, kick, knee, wrestle, almost anything goes as long as it works. Now some people call this street fighting, if so, it's the most highly developed form of street fighting you've ever seen. We prefer to think of it as the newest, toughest form of hand-to-hand combat around."
— Gene Pelc, from a trailer for UWF Bushido: Way of the Warrior.
"Takada's group debuted before a sellout 2,300 fans at Korakuen Hall on 5/10, with all tickets sold out in something like 15 minutes the first day they went on sale. The group, called UWF International or UWFI for short, is the closest thing to the old UWF which had a two-year run as the hottest promotion in the world before fizzling out as shooting stars are wanton to do because of problems between Maeda and office boss Shinji Jin. The show wasn't really very good, but what remains of the legion of UWF fans were there and felt good about being there. Takada grabbed the house mic before the show and said the group was the only one left 'with the feeling of the UWF' which got a big pop. The card itself consisted of three matches, a prelim match between Masahito Kakihara and Kiyoshi Tamura, won by Tamura. Then came a 'doubles' match (tag team) with Shigeo Miyato & Yoji Anjyo beating Kazuo Yamazaki & Tatsuo Nakano with the surprise finish of Yamazaki doing the job when he was knocked out by a series of kicks from both guys in 23 minutes. This was different from the old UWF, which didn't have any tag matches. The rule were that a guy couldn't tag out while in a submission hold unless he got to the ropes or was able to break the hold. It was different since Yamazaki is really the group's second biggest name and he did the job. The main event saw Takada beat Tom Burton (who worked as a Dirty White Boy in Memphis some months back) with a boston crab in 10:46. The match was disappointing to most because Burton really had no idea of the style and Takada was giving him lots of openings and trying to carry him for ten minutes but the fans saw it as Takada could unload on him and beat him at anytime. At the 10 minute call, Takada seemingly proved them right because he got a quick win at that point. After the match in the press conference Takada apologized and said 'my opponent was poor.' They also confused fans by instituting new rules. On the scoreboard, each man starts the match with 15 points. You lose three points every time you go to the ropes to break a hold, and lose one point every time you get suplexed. The match can end with a pinfall (which almost will never happen), a submission (usual finish), knockout, five knockdowns or if a man's point total goes down to zero. When the press asked Takada after the show what his goal a year from now was, he said honestly, "I'm only thinking about one card at a time." In the sense that they drew the full house so easily, the card was a financial success. But the truth is, it has been so long since there has been a "real" UWF show in Tokyo, which was the home base of the UWF, that the first house was easy. Whether this group, with only eight wrestlers and access to only no-name Americans can book shows that will draw over the long haul or be able to draw outside of Tokyo is another story."
— Dave Meltzer, on the first UWFI show.
"Speaking of UWFI, some statistics that are really quite impressive. Since the group formed in 1991, over its six-year history it promoted 64 shows and drew 585,724 fans—or 9,152 fans per show. I wonder if there has ever been a promotion in pro wrestling history that averaged that many fans per show over a six-year period? I'd almost be sure that has never happened before, and the funny part of the story is despite all that the company, at least over the past two years, was running deeply in debt and went out of business."
— Dave Meltzer, on the last UWFI show.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be back in Japan to witness true competitive wrestling. The UWF International features real wrestling, not show business. I am happy to be a part of perpetuating a noble sport, wrestling, the thing I have loved all my life."
— Lou Thesz at a UWFI show
"UWFI started with a great ideas and good talent, but eventually gave in to the stupidity of performance (which incidentally was their undoing). I have no idea as to the ratio of performance and competition in the matches. I did lots of coaching and was a spokesperson for the new sport as well as lending the old championship belt to the equation. When the side show started, I dropped out with the belt. As nice a guy as Vader is, I just couldn't tolerate him in the belt."
"UWFi failed because they lost sight of their original goal - wrestling. They brought in Vader and a few other attractions and soon became just another pro wrestling promotion. When they were using the US and Russian Olympic wrestlers (Dan Severn - my personal favorite) and good Japanese boys they were successful. The boys were making some money, but when the promotion brought in Vader for big bucks it broke the spirit of wrestling and the common goals of all involved. The trips I looked forward to became really hard work and to get up and lie to the fans who expected wrestling and tell them it was wrestling was just too hard. I resigned in Feb and they folded toward the end of the year. Danny Hodge and Billy Robinson left with me. UWFi had a gold mine in a literal and artistic sense. The Russians were terrific to work with and great guys. It was a clear cut example of thinking they had the midas touch. They had made money in small buildings with good boys and no TV. But they just had to make the leap to "compete" with New Japan and All Japan. I really thought wrestling had a chance and the outcome was pretty devastating. The clowns won again!"
"Anybody they used in their promotion was a shooter. Iron Sheik, he was a shooter even though he was old and beat up. Gary Albright. Dan Severn. Dennis Koslowski, an Olympic silver medalist. Billy Robinson, who they brought over to help train us. We had to go to that dojo every day man, and we trained there five hours a day… Lou said, ‘Go out there, pummel with them, tie them up and throw them.’ He said, ‘Hurt the sons of bitches. Hurt them, man.’ I’d go out there and throw them but them guys were good. They were smaller but tough guys. And very dedicated."
— Mark Fleming
"Tamura was good, but so were all of them. When those guys trained, they trained to shoot. This is what was tough. You saw guys that would do a worked match one week, and then another week over here, he is going to have to do a shoot. That’s how good some of those guys were."
— Billy Scott
"Well, there was a situation where you didn't call anything in the ring. It was my understanding that, regardless of what the finish was supposed to be, and they were extremely short one move finishes, you would just wrestle, not speak a word, just go out and fight and not go home [end the match] until the referee said "Go home." They wanted to create the illusion that it was a totally different product to wrestling. I think for a good number of years they accomplished that. But then, one of the higher ups in that organisation decided he was a tough guy, and went over and challenged [someone] from a real mixed martial arts group... [he] just walked into the dojo and said "Let's go." He got the shit kicked out of him and that was pretty much the end of that company. I was told one night when I was going to face [Salman] Hashimikov in UWFI, to be prepared and in shape. They said "If you get to the finish, he'll honour the finish. But he's going to really try to beat you." And you're talking about a gold medallist from Russia. So he was trying to get me onto the ground. Because of my hand speed, I could punch him at will, so he couldn't compete with me standing up. But if he got a hold of me, that type of level of skill of wrestling was something I'd never been in the ring with. Thankfully, I was extremely strong and had a good right hand. Gary Albright was very similar, an extremely good amateur wrestler. You had to prepare like you were going to war, because you were. If you survived to the finish, you could get out of there. It was the toughest form of wrestling I've ever been in."
— Vader
"Everyone talks about the scene of the day when Mr. Takada retired by the word "U Inter association". However, when it comes to U-Inter, the term "reunion" is not really appropriate. It is connected with darkblood more than such. I feel that it is connected as man of the same blood which cannot be cut even if it cuts it as the same blood family. I think that it is like the relative with the blood to everyone including Mr. Takada perhaps. Even if we do different things, spend time in different places, or sometimes hate each other, the relationship with the same blood of U Inter will surely not change, as if Sakuraba and other young players who are active afterwards were just like their parents if they grew up trying to deny their parents. Kakihara, Takayama, Kanahara, Sakuraba, Yamamoto... They are all children who drew the blood of U Inter. In the future, people with the U-Inter gene will continue to walk their own paths. However, even if the road may seem different, there is the same hot, dark, same blood that only the man of U Inter has. And because the blood is the same, the day when the road overlaps and becomes one big flow might come around again some day. One day again, in the name of UWF International."
— Yuko Miyato
"It’s taken Japan by storm and now it’s ready to conquer the globe. This is Bushido, the toughest form of hand-to-hand combat in the sporting world. The spirit of Bushido brings together in the same ring the martial arts and kickboxing, wrestling and western style boxing. This is not wrestling as you’ve known it before, this is for real."
— First Intro to UWF Bushido
"Bushido is the world’s toughest form of hand-to-hand combat. It pulls in the world’s biggest live audiences for any form on wrestling. Few bouts go the distance, this Wrestling is for real. Competitors give or take furious blows to the head and body. It combines the best of judo and karate, sambo and kickboxing. Never before have fighters in these different disciplines challenged one another in the same ring."
— Second Intro to UWF Bushido
"Bushido is the fast growing martial art sport in Japan. There are new names, new heroes, new souvenirs to collect. No punches are pulled, no holds are barred, no quarter is given. This is hard, fast and furious, wrestling at its very best, combining judo and sambo, karate and kickboxing. This is Bushido, the way of the warrior."
— Third Intro to UWF Bushido
"Bushido was born in Japan, but it’s spreading like wildfire worldwide with its heroes, stars and adoring fans. It’s judo and boxing, karate and wrestling, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, all rolled in to the toughest contact sport in the world. It’s strength and technique, allied to discipline and courage, that is Bushido."
— Fourth Intro to UWF Bushido
"There are many claimants for the title of the world’s toughest sport, is it boxing or is it karate? Are kickboxers harder than exponents of Muay Thai? Is wrestling tougher than sambo? All these questions are now irrelevant with the emergence of Bushido. Born in Japan, this hand-to-hand combat sport is spreading worldwide, because spectators know that the sheer raw courage allied to strength and technique, all adds up to the world’s toughest sport."
— Fifth Intro to UWF Bushido
"Bushido is the sport that took Japan by storm, and now draws sell out crowds to arenas all over the world. Bushido is all about strength and technique. Bushido is also about courage and discipline. It’s a sport where the pain hurts and the injuries are real. No wonder contests rarely go the distance."
— Sixth Intro to UWF Bushido
"The UWFI, the sports governing body, has strict rules and regulations. You’re allowed to use your forearm, but must not use the point of your elbow. You can slap but you cannot bite, scratch or headbutt, head butting is illegal. When your opponent is on all fours, you cannot kick to the head, but as soon as one arm is up in defense, a kick to the head is allowed. When your opponent is on all fours the rest of the body is a legitimate target. If a foul is committed, then points are deducted. Four points are conceded when a suplex throw results in a referee’s count, three points are lost for any knockdown and one point is deducted for a suplex throw. Fighters can escape any submission hold by touching the rope, but they then concede a point. A submission at anytime ends the fight."
— The Rules of UWFI as stated on UWF Bushido
"My name is Ted Pelc and I’m gonna take you through the rules. In professional wrestling rules, you may not use the pointy part of your elbow or punch to the head with a clenched fist. You are not allowed to headbutt in anyway and if any kind of butting occurs if will be considered a foul and points will be deducted. When your opponent is on both hands and knees, you may not kick to the head. If and when your opponent raises even one hand and is able to defend himself, you are allowed to kick to any part of the body including the head. When your opponent has both knees and both hands on the ground, you may not kick to the head, but you can kick anywhere else. 4 points are deducted when a suplex results in a count, 3 points for a knockdown, and 1 point for a suplex. You can break a submission hold by escaping to the rope, but 1 point will be deducted. Bouts can end in KO, TKO, or submission."
— Ted Pelc, UWFI Technical Expert on the rules
"A fight is won by knockout, submission, Doctor/referee order stop or points. The point system works as follows: Opponents start with a set number of points. In a singles match it is 15 and in a tag team match it is 21 points. One point is deducted when a man grabs the rope to stop the action. One point is deducted for a good suplex (a take-down from behind throwing the opponent on his back and head, a dangerous, painful move). Three points are deducted on a colored scoreboard as the fight is in progress for a knockdown. Some offensive tactics are prohibited: you cannot headbutt, punch to the head with a closed fist (to the body, however, is ok), scratch, bite, eye gouge or attack the groin. Pretty much everything else is allowed. You can slap or use the heel of the hand to the head. Time limits are set to between 20 and 60 minutes, but fights rarely go to the limit. When a fighter has both hands and knees on the ground, an opponent may attack to anywhere but the head. If even one hand is raised, the head may be attacked. When a submission hold is applied, the referee pays close attention as it is very dangerous. It is easy to break bones, snap tendons and joints with such tactics. The referee will break the action if an opponent submits and will award the fight to the winner. If a fighter grabs the ropes, the referee stops the action and a point is deducted. That's why you see a fighter try to get his opponent in the middle of the ring so he can't escape. If the wrestlers naturally roll into the ropes, action is stopped and points are not deducted. A 10 count is given for a knockdown, as in boxing. However, point wins were rare since the wrestlers, despite how far behind on points, could still win by simply submitting their opponent (in a tag match, the legal opponent) or knocking them out cold."
— The Rules of UWFI as stated on Scientific Wrestling
"When talking about Bushido (or the U.W.F. International), being a professional wrestling company people tend to reflect on only the great wrestling which took place- obviously, this makes sense. Many do recall the great "standing bouts" (the name we gave the kick-boxing bouts, originally billed as being the U.W.F. International Stand-up Fighting Division). To me these bouts were of almost equal importance as the wrestling division. This division had only three members in the history of the company, Makoto Ohe (former All Japan Shoot-Boxing champion who made his debut with the company on our second promotion fighting to a draw against "Bad Boy" Rudy Lovato which many considered to be the "bout of the year"), Bovy Chowaikung (who made his debut with the company winning a controversial K.O. in the only "doubles" match to take place teaming up with Ohe against "Bad Boy" Rudy Lovato and Fernando Calleros) and Gong Yuttachai (fought only once winning a unanimous decision against Rodney Brockfield). They fought all comers from around the world, fighters with backgrounds in Karate, Kempo Karate, Savate, Kick-boxing, and Muay Thai, world-rankers and world champions and other title holders from the AKKA, KICK, WKA, and of course the ISKA. The U.W.F. International hosted the very first ISKA sanctioned match to ever take place in Japan, later they would be sanctioning world title championships in the K-1 as well. Both Ohe and Bovy became world champions in their weight divisions, making the UWFi the only pro-wrestling company to hold world kick-boxing titles. People also talk about how the UWFi wrestlers would take on competitors from other disciplines (at this time, "mixed matches" were the staple of trying to determine who was "the best", this would eventually evolve into the MMA era we have today), not only in their own ring but in other company's rings under many different sets of rules. This would continue after the company closed it's doors and the majority of the fighters were in the company known as "Kingdom" (pretty much everyone competed in this group minus Takada, Tamura, and Nakano. Along the line, several others would leave elsewhere looking for what suited them for whatever style/financial reasons) when you'd see our guys participating in the K-1, UFC, and other related promotions. Like the wrestlers, our kick-boxers were ready to go out to other companies as well carrying the UWF banner. Both Bovy and Ohe have fought on foreign territory, one particular fight which turned out to be another "bout of the year" was a match for Caesar Takeshi's Shoot-Boxing promotion between Ohe (who held the I.S.K.A. World Super Lightweight title at this time) vs. Hiromu Yoshitaka (considered one of the best at the time, he was the current Shoot-Boxing champion) that went the distance with Yoshitaka winning a decision. Some remember the Funaki vs. Roberto Duran mixed match which took place on a Fujiwara-gumi card. Almost no one knows this except for a few insiders, but we were the first to contact Duran for a mixed match (this was for the promotion billed as "The Battle of the Champions" which had Takada vs. Berbick as the main event, Scott vs. Warring as the semi-final). The thing was as all of our wrestlers were heavyweight and junior heavyweights (boy, what an old term for the American fans), we never had the intention of putting him up against the "wrestling division" for a mixed match. The original plan was to have another UWFi vs. Boxing match, pitting Ohe against him, which rule-wise was to be a kick-boxing vs. boxing match as they were the same weight which would have made for a "fair" fight. Ironically, when Duran came to Japan to fight he appeared to be a heavyweight (actually he was just badly overweight and out of shape). In my opinion this didn't make too much sense as if he had been in good condition as Warring and Berbick were at the time, the weight difference would have been just too much to pit him against the likes of a heavyweight Shoot-style wrestler, such as Funaki. The rest is history. We ended up with Vince Ross, who was the WKA Canadian Welterweight Champion, who knocked Ohe out in the 2nd round. I really wish that the Ohe vs Duran match had taken place, it had all the elements of being a classic mixed match, not to mention that you don't see too many pure kick-boxing vs boxing events involving world champion quality fighters of top caliber in their respective sports. The "tag team" kick bout proved to be a success in that we could cut out the rounds, turning the match into a non-stop action filled bout. Fighters could decide when to take their breaks, and the exciting thing was that fighters would stay fresh for longer contributing to the fast paced action. Also, as with the wrestling bouts, a fight could go on longer as if someone got into trouble, they could tag out and the match would continue. The main difference as far as points were concerned, was that each team would start with 41 points and points would be deducted when knocked down and also when you made a tag. We considered tagging in a kick-boxing match in the same way we considered a wrestlers' "rope break". A wrestler would grab the ropes if he was in trouble from a submission hold. Without the rope break, the matches would NOT have gone as long as they generally did, probably a few minutes at the longest as we see in bouts that do not have the rope break, such as Shooto, UFC, Pride, Seiken-Shinkage-ryu (Satoru Sayama's, the founder of Shooto, new style which can be seen in his new promotion Real Japan Pro-Wrestling), and so on with other forms of MMA. In the same way, we saw that if a kick-boxer had to tag out, he was either in trouble or getting too tired and needed some time to recover. This was also to prevent fighters from tagging out each and every time they got hit. We wouldn't have much of a fight if fighters got too cautious and took a break after each and every hit they took. This is the reason for the one point deduction for a tag, if someone did try this, they would lose all their points hence would lose the match. Like any other match, fighters would have to go into bouts with a different strategy than a singles match. If you got your opponent in trouble and had an opening, though he would in most cases not be saved by the bell (until the one and only final bell, this match as most others had a time limit, 20 minutes), he could escape if you were incapable of cutting off the ring and preventing him from running back to his corner to tag out. It was really unfortunate that we only had this one tag-team kick-boxing match, had the company still been in existence we would have had many more, there was even talk amongst the I.S.K.A. at the time about starting a tag division with titles which would be sanctioned by them after watching this match put on by UWFi. I'm still a believer of this type of match, and if sometime in the future Bushido ever comes back to life as the spirit still lives on (never say never, it's happened before, especially in the history of the U.W.F.) there's a good chance to see tag-team kick-boxing once again, on more of a regular basis if it happens. I'm not the only one who was involved in Bushido who wishes that this would happen. Keep your fingers crossed!"
— Ted Pelc, on the kickboxing matches of UWFI
