POWER OF BACK DROP (2)

Inoki's Back Drop

There is a view that the origin of Back Drop was a judo trick 'Uranage' (throwing backward). If that is true, it is reasonable that Japanese wrestlers are good at this move. To tell in historical, of course the best specialist of Back Drop is Lou Thesz, and in Japan, the first person who come into my mind is Antonio Inoki. Inoki's special moves in his youth had been Cobra Twist, Octopus Hold, and Front Neck Chancery. Since he established NEW JAPAN, he often used Back Drop in big matches as the finishing move. Inoki got back NWF Championship from Singh with this move in 1975. And he defeated Willem Ruska, the former judo champion, by a succession of Back Drop in 1976.

Inoki's Back Drop drew a beautiful bridge, and in the sense of it, Inoki was a successor to Lou Thesz. Tatsumi Fujinami who is a pupil of Inoki used beautiful and speedy Back Drop. They were orthodox specialists, but Riki Chosyu, the rival of Fujinami, used very hard Back Drop which was different from Thesz's. Chosyu added a twist at landing. It may had been suggested by his senior Masa Saito's move. Saito was active in USA for a long time as a free-lancer.

Baba's Back Drop

Surprisingly, Giant Baba also often used Back Drop in the 70's. Because he could not draw a bridge, he took opponent's leg and fell down backward. It was a disaster for an opponent, for Baba was a very tall man. Baba defended the NWA belt from Race with that terrible move.

Naturally, that take-a-leg-style Back Drop was the favorite move of the Funk brothers. Because of it, that was used by many wrestlers of ALL JAPAN, and that became the orthodox style of Back Drop of ALL JAPAN. Especially the wrestlers of what is called the Funk family were showing it. Harley Race, Stan Hansen, Ted DiBiase, Dick Slater, Jumbo Tsuruta, to say nothing Dory and Terry. That Funk-style was comparatively easy without making a bridge, but it was not good-looking. In 1983, Baba invited Thesz to Japan, and Thesz taught Tsuruta his classical-style Back Drop.