ANTONIO INOKI vs. STRONG KOBAYASHI

Antonio Inoki vs. Strong Kobayashi

NEW JAPAN
Mar 19, 1974 Kuramae Kokugikan (Tokyo)



In those days, Japanese top wrestlers didn't fight with Japanese. For example, Antonio Inoki was a baby face, and he fought against heel foreign wrestlers. That was a very strange but a firm rule in Japan. The last fight of Japanese wrestlers was a famous duel of Rikidozan and Kimura in 1954.

So that when Strong Kobayashi challenged Antonio Inoki, wrestling fans were very surprised and pleased. Mass media named it 'The duel on Ganryu-Jima'. In the 17th century, the greatest sword-master Musashi Miyamoto defeated his rival Kojiro Sasaki on a small island Ganryu-Jima. Many people thought it was like an ancient duel.


Strong Kobayashi had been a body builder, and he belonged to Kokusai (International) Pro-Wrestling. He was a good powerful wrestler, and he fought in Europe and AWA. Kobayashi became an ace of Kokusai, but he quarreled with the managing staff, and at last he withdrew from the company. He challenged Baba and Inoki, and Inoki accepted it. Because Inoki had been saying "I will fight with anyone".

In this match, Kobayashi attacked Inkoki harshly with Backbreaker, but Inoki counterattacked with Reverse Suplex. Iniko used his special move German Suplex Hold, and took a fall from Kobayashi. Some people say this was the best fight of Inoki.


After this match, Strong Kobayashi joined in New Japan and fought as a partner of Sakaguchi. But stars of New Japan were Inoki and Sakaguchi, and Kobayashi was only 'The Third Man'. He retired in 1981 on account of an injury of the waist. You might have been watched his big body, because he turned to a TV personality and appeared in a funny show 'Takeshi Castle'.

BEAUTY PAIR COMPLETED A BOOM OF WOMEN'S PRO-WRESTLING

Hi, everyone.


Mach Fumiake was the first star in the history of women's wrestling in Japan. Then, in the next year of Mach's retirement the first and the biggest boom of women's pro-wrestling came true. Beauty Pair, a tag team of young girls suddenly made it.

Beauty Pair is a very memorable name for us, former PURORESU boys. Jacky Sato and Maki Ueda formed a tag team in 1976, and they instantly got a tag championship. They released a record and sang a song on the ring. Their song went up in a hit parade !! Many little girls went crazy for their fights and songs, and some girls truly became wrestlers and created a new boom in the 80's.


Jacky Sato was a very talented girl. Her moves were speedy and sharp like a boy's. Maki Ueda was a pretty and womanly girl. They say Beauty Pair was not good friends with each other. But certainly they are the best tag team. And a heel tag team, Black Pair supported them.

In 1976, Jacky defeated Maki in a single match, and Maki retired. It seems they became good friends afterwards. Jacky was active as a wrestler and a coach for a long time, and she died in 1999. I don't know about Maki's life, but it seems that she is managing a bar.