Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Who am I kidding, gentlemen. I’m Dave Ditch, long-time obscure member of the ‘net wrestling community. I’ve ran my own quaint WWE news & analysis site since 2000 and have provided analysis for such websites as puroresupower.com. In this space every week I’ll be extolling the virtues of Japanese pro wrestling, with a hodgepodge of news, history, explanations, reviews and so forth. My goal is primarily to educate those of you who are new to puroresu, but also to keep you long-term fans up to date if you’ve lost track of current events. If you ever have something specific you’d like to see addressed or have a question, send me an email.
Section 1- The basics of puroresu
There’s just so many fundamental differences even outside the basic federation-level setups, which I’ll explain later. First off, only rarely are there clear storylines between wrestlers. There are rivalries, there are feuds between stables, and there are interviews (albeit much more laid-back and polite). At the same time, over the course of a tour, wrestlers don’t just fight the same three or four people in different combinations; between tags and singles matches, any one wrestler will commonly be up against well over half the roster. Interviews are done at ‘press conferences’, as the Japanese media actually covers wrestling. Said interviews don’t take up precious show time, meaning that a typical show is almost entirely wrestling and entrances.
Another thing that marks puroresu is the fairly universal touring system. WWE tours year-round. US indies only work a handful of shows a month, and the top US indies share a talent pool where Japanese indies have somewhat stable rosters. The Japanese tours allow for TV tapings at big shows to build up footage to be aired during the rest period, which in turn keeps the wrestlers healthier. Non-televised house shows have unique cards, unlike the rehashed WWE ones.
Of course there’s the fans. Though they’ll get into a hot match just like fans elsewhere, most of the time they’re incredibly quiet. This isn’t a sign of boredom, but rather is a sign of their respect and attention for what’s going on in the ring. It’s this attentiveness which helps wrestlers in Japan tell very different stories in the ring, with different pacing and often remarkable depth. A Japanese crowd is guaranteed to enjoy a high-end match, where US and Canadian audiences often mar good performances with cynicism.
The Japanese style of wrestling is built on some very different foundations than what WWE has become. Certain ‘legitimate’ submission holds are universally considered dangerous due to the influence of shootfighting, where in North America it’s only important if the hold has won matches in the past. The concept of ‘fighting spirit’ sees wrestlers quite often trade blows back and forth in an orderly fashion as they test each other’s bravado. Along that line, basic strikes like the lariat/clothesline and the elbow smash are much more accepted as finishers in Japan.
Wrestlers hardly ever have gimmicks, but rather rely on a persona that’s developed over the years. There’s a strong sense of continuity, as a wrestler will be consistently followed from the time they debut, unlike in the US where there can be radical changes based on switching federations or gimmicks. This continuity also creates a strong tier system that’s largely based on age. It’s incredibly rare for a Japanese wrestler to become a main eventer in less than five years, even if they’ve been in the same mainstream federation the whole time. Pushes are long and somewhat sustained, unlike occasional nowhere-to-main-event pushes seen with WWE wrestlers like Bradshaw (or the full circle like Hardcore Holly in the last year).
As the column moves along I’ll address and explain things seen on a typical puroresu show, along with match elements. Going into puroresu with absolutely no knowledge of the what’s and why’s (like I did) can not only be confusing, but also hurts the ability to appreciate it.
Section 2- Puroresu federations and what I’ll be covering
Unlike the US/Canada scene with WWE holding all the cards and getting all the mainstream attention, Japan has a plethora of federations that range from obscure indies to household names. Even Japan’s second-tier federations have shows on cable/satellite, along with PPVs, meaning that they’re able to occasionally run larger venues. The ‘big four’ are currently New Japan, NOAH, All Japan and Zero-One. They’re flanked by so-called lucharesu (Japanese/ lucha libre fusion) federations Toryumon, Michinoku Pro and Osaka Pro. Women have their own separate promotions, notably GAEA and All Japan Women (no relation to All Japan). I’ll be dealing primarily with the big four, as those are the ones with the most significant shows and angles.
New Japan- The current business leader among the promotions. They have the most financial backing, the best TV timeslots, the deepest roster of heavyweights and the best connections in both wrestling and shootfighting. Often varying from traditional Japanese style (their version being Strong Style) due to shootfight elements, they try to compete with shootfighting as the top combat entertainment in Japan rather than focusing on beating other wrestling promotions. New Japan was founded by Antonio Inoki following a dispute with JWA, the ‘original’ Japanese federation. New Japan is currently the only consistent trainer of new wrestlers, which gives them a big edge for the future.
All Japan- Longtime rival of New Japan, but now relegated to a distant third in importance. Their style (King’s Road) is considerably more traditional, though the death of their founder Giant Baba caused big changes. The federation split in two, and a trend of using an overkill of big moves in main events at the expense of psychology accelerated. Most of the roster left in 2000 to form NOAH, and that rift caused them to mostly abandon their dojo and call in a hodgepodge of outside wrestlers to fill the gaps. Their business is a fraction of what it once was, as is their quality. Still, they’re dependable for several quality heavyweight matches a year.
NOAH- Led by Mitsuharu Misawa, they essentially are a continuation of what All Japan was becoming in the wake of Baba’s death. They’re the number two behind New Japan, and spend much less money in the process. NOAH’s roster is an odd blend of strong main eventers, exciting juniors, and midcard-for-life comedians. At present there are some concerns about their ability to sustain themselves in the future.
Zero-One- A strange hodgepodge of castaways from such places as New Japan, All Japan, World Japan, FMW, Big Japan, BattlArts, Michinoku Pro, and some random Americans thrown in for good measure. Their style is also a mixed bag, with shootfighting, fast-paced juniors, garbage brawling and standard heavyweights all tossed together. Founded by Shinya Hashimoto, Japan’s top draw in the ’90s, Zero-One is in jeopardy of losing their spot as a top promotion due to a variety of problems with booking and the roster. There is a steady number of good matches every year thanks to the efforts of Shinjiro Ohtani and Masato Tanaka, as well as some formerly neglected juniors.
Section 3- The titles and champions
All Japan- Toshiaki Kawada holds the Triple Crown, which was formed in the late ’80s by combining three notable title belts. The Triple Crown has been fought over in epics ever since, and thus holds considerable prestige even during bad times for the company. Kawada’s current reign is his fifth and by far his most successful. He’s beaten such notables as Tenryu, Hashimoto and Mick Foley during the reign that began last September. The double tag titles (also joined in the late ’80s and contested in many epics) are held by the odd team of Yuji Nagata and Kendo KaShin, who in turn are rumored to be dropping the titles rather than defend them. Finally, former WCW wrestler Kaz Hayashi holds the lackluster junior heavyweight title.
New Japan- Most of their titles are given the IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) moniker. Shootfighter Kazuyuki Fujita holds the IWGP heavyweight title, which gets the most press of all belts in Japan. Yoshihiro Takayama and Minoru Suzuki are the IWGP tag champs, though this could be in jeopardy due to a serious concussion suffered by Takayama this month. Heat (aka Minoru Tanaka) is the IWGP junior heavyweight champion, and as such is considered the top junior heavyweight in Japan due to the title’s storied history (which was mostly built on the shoulders of Jushin “Thunder” Liger). Former indie journeymen Jado & Gedo are the IWGP junior tag champs. Hiroshi Tanahashi holds the recently created U-30 title, which is only contested among wrestlers 30 years old or younger.
NOAH- These titles have the GHC (Global Honored Crown) name, with a slight exception that I’ll get to. Kenta Kobashi, GHC heavyweight champion, is probably the most legitimate champ from a wrestling standpoint. He represents the title’s signature style of longer matches with lots and lots (and lots) of big moves used. Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa are GHC tag champs, and despite the titles not having an especially impressive history they are part of notable matches from time to time. Yoshinobu Kanemaru is GHC junior champion, and similar to Kobashi he’s very representative of the finisher-oriented style of NOAH. Jun Akiyama holds a semi-joke title called the Global Hardcore Crown. Last but not least, GHC junior tag champs Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA have had a string of exciting matches since winning those titles last year.
Zero-One- Sadly the Zero-One title belts have been so mixed up with random b-tier NWA titles that I’m not sure what’s defended and who has what anymore. The only consistent belts are the tag titles currently held by Hashimoto and the legendary (re: old) Yoshiaki Fujiwara of ‘fujiwara armbar’ fame.
Section 4- Upcoming world title matches and anticipated storylines in the ‘big four’
All Japan- Kawada just had a successful Triple Crown defense against New Japan’s Osamu Nishimura. His next defense will be against Taiyo Kea. As of now the other top contenders are Keiji Mutoh (aka Great Muta, who won this year’s Champions Carnival tournament) and Satoshi Kojima (who had strong showings against Kawada and Misawa this year; I’ll discuss the latter in detail some other time). A more ongoing storyline sees Taka Michinoku leading a heel stable against the rest of the roster. His RO&D faction includes Taiyo Kea, D-Lo Brown, Bull Buchanan and Jamal. Thus far they’ve had lackluster results, though Kea could become a top contender down the line.
New Japan- Fujita plays the role of a monster heel outsider (even though he got his start in New Japan). His next IWGP defense is likely to be on October 9th, with the probable opponent being four-time former champ Kensuke Sasaki. Sasaki is unlikely to win, but he’s a credible challenger and is having the best year of his career performance-wise thanks to a continued improvement in his effort and willingness to sell. The next in line is the rightful #1 contender, Hiryoshi Tenzan, who just won New Japan’s big G-1 tournament and will most likely face Fujita in November at a dome show.
New Japan has a large roster, divided into a variety of ever-shifting factions based along native/outsider, youth/experience and heel/face lines. It’s impossible to properly delineate these groupings fully, save to say that Fujita, Masahiro Chono and Yoshihiro Takayama are the most visible outsider heels, while Tenzan, Yuji Nagata and Hiroshi Tanahashi are currently the top native faces. An additional storyline sees Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura and Katsuyori Shibata emerging as the top stars of the future. Among the junior heavyweights, Liger recently turned heel and is leading a stable against the native faces led by IWGP Jr. champion Heat, and Koji Kanemoto.
NOAH- Kobashi has received an unprecedented push over the last several years. Among other things he has a win in his last singles match with every opponent he’s faced going back to 1994; he hasn’t lost a singles match in 4 years; he’s defended his title 9 times, the most of any GHC or Triple Crown champ; his 18 month long title reign is the longest among active major champions in the entire world. Kobashi’s next challenger is long-time rival Akira Taue on the 10th, who seems to be an underdog but just might manage to win.
NOAH is divided into several stables, but the members of these regularly trade amongst themselves over the course of tours. Misawa, Kobashi and Jun Akiyama are the main leaders, with Taue and Takayama as other big names. Among juniors, the big focus of late has been the debut of US indie wrestler Low Ki, who jumped from Zero-One where he was wildly popular. Ki will be the next challenger of Kanemaru’s GHC Jr. title on the 10th..
Zero-One- A federation in turmoil. They are rumored to be splitting in two, with most of the Japanese wrestlers in a new federation and a mix of foreigners and a few Japanese remaining in Zero-One. The cause seems to be business woes, and the federation’s ties to shootfighting promotion PRIDE. PRIDE has recently been running a series of pro wrestling shows called HUSTLE, using mostly Zero-One wrestlers. Right now the main storyline sees founder Hashimoto leaving with a shoulder injury, while Ohtani and Kohei Sato battle for the top spot in his place. Right now there isn’t much coverage of this on the internet because of the lack of new Zero-One tapes outside Japan (due to PRIDE controlling much of the footage), which means a lack of interest.
Next week: I do my first real ‘news update’, go over the major venues and a brief ‘wrestling fan’s geography’ of Japan, and take look at what happens before a typical puroresu match.
