>Explaining that ‘Taichi has no right to be presenting rules,’ SHO stated that each of the other HOUSE OF TORTURE members had offered advice for the rules on Friday November 17. Presenting the options for a poll to begin November 15, first was EVIL’s suggestion- a Lumberjack Strap Match. In this ruleset, the Lumberjacks will each hold straps to attack anybody that falls to the outside.
>Dick Togo had proposed a two on one Handicap Match. ‘How much does Taichi weigh?’ protested SHO. ‘100 kg? Me and Togo together weight that much, it’s fair,’ as the rules were added to the board.
>Yujiro Takahashi had proposed that he be a ‘special weapons officer’ for the match. ‘I’m not used to using weapons in my matches,’ SHO stated. ‘This would be the first time I’ve ever used an international object. Yujiro will be in charge of fairly giving weapons to me, or Taichi.’
>Finally was the suggestion from Yoshinobu Kanemaru that he would be the Special Referee for the match. ‘I completely trust him as a referee, that’s why I’ve taken his suggestion,’ the champion stated. ‘Anybody can see he’ll call it right down the middle.’
>Saying that ‘anyone can see all of these rules are 50-50 at best, most of these work for Taichi’s favour’, SHO added the stipulation that regardless of the rules selected, the loser would never be able to wrestle in Yamagata again. ‘Further,’ SHO stated ‘any use of the Black Mephisto, Seitei Jujiho, Dangerous Backdrop, or sumo techniques is forbidden.’ When challenged that this eliminates all of Taichi’s offense, SHO would fire back ‘In that case, I’ll say my finishers are banned as well,’ claiming that his ‘secret weapon’ of the Shooting Star Press was banned, as well as the Phoenix Splash (‘you don’t remember, I did that in all of my BOSJ matches’), Double Moonsault Press, and System Sambo techniques ‘Russian shooto! If I can’t do that, that’s a huge handicap for me!’.
