THE INTRODUCTION TO PRO-WRESTLING

This is my dear book, The Introduction to Pro-wrestling. It explains the wrestling-world to children, and I bought it in 1975 when I was a elementary school student. This is the fifth edition, and the first edition was published in 1971. At that time Baba and Inoki were belonging to JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING. At the end of that year  Inoki was banished from the company. And in the next year Baba became independent, and JAPAN PRO failed. Because of it, descriptions about Japanese wrestlers are confusing a little.

Basically this book is written about Baba and his party, but in photograph pages Inoki, Sakaguchi, and the other wrestlers of NEW JAPAN are also introduced. However, KOKUSAI (a small party) is perfectly disregarded. (ha-ha)

In these pages the world affairs of wrestling are explained. The NWA champion is Dory Funk Jr.,  the AWA title holder is Verne Gagne, and the emperor of WWWF Pedro Morales is in there, too !!

HANSEN, BRODY vs. BABA, TSURUTA

Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody vs. Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta
ALL JAPAN, The World Tag League '82
Dec. 9 1982 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center (Sapporo)

Hansen and Brody, very popular and strong wrestlers formed a tag team (the team of super monsters), there was a wrestling boom in Japan. To tell the truth, the wrestling world of Japan had been pretty confused. The Butcher moved to NEW JAPAN, conversely Singh and Hansen joined in ALL JAPAN, these movements were called the headhunting wars. The activity of the team of super monsters was wiping off the bad atmosphere.

Baba and Tsuruta, the team of master and pupil, had to win this match to become the champion of this league. But it seemed very difficult to take a fall from Hansen or Brody. Before the fight, Baba said to Tsuruta "Think a way to get points !!"

The team of super monsters showed their wonderful powers, and the master and pupil team opposed by their brains. In fact, the relay play of Baba and Tsuruta was very speedy, and as a whole the Japanese team was rather superior.

But the theory of wrestling did not stand up in this match. Suddenly Hansen's Western Lariat knocked out Baba, and Hansen beat Tsuruta at the apron with Lariat, too. Then Brody took a fall from Baba with terrible Knee Drop. The TV announcer Kuramochi cried "Everything has happened in an instant !!"

THE WORLD TAG LEAGUE '82

The World Tag League, to be exact, the league to decide the strongest tag team in the world, started in 1977, its former name was The Open Tag League. That was opened at the end of every years, we wrestling fan were enjoying fights of many famous wrestlers.

I think that The World Tag League '82 was the most exciting event in the history of ALL JAPAN. Today I introduce the participating teams.


Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk (The Funks)

Everybody knows them, the former world champions. They won the championship of this league in '77 and '79. Because Terry gave notice to retire, there was a Terry boom in Japan.

Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta

The team of master and pupil, the strongest team of ALL JAPAN. They became champions in '78 and '80. Their special features were Baba's brains and Tsuruta's youthfulness.

Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen

The team of super monsters. Brody won the league '81 with Jimmy Snuka, but at that time Hansen broke into the ring, and he knocked out Terry with Western Lariat. They said to the Funk brothers "You are fossils in Texas !!"

Harley Race, Dick Slater

At first, Race formed a team with Snuka, but Because Snuka was injured (they say he punished by other foreign wrestlers), Slater was nominated to the partner of Race. Dick was popular with Japanese fan as a young and vivid wrestler.

Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood

The young and handsome boys. Though they were rather lightweight, they showed good fights with their speed and fighting spirits.

Genichiro Tenryu, Asura Hara

An unique team of a sumo wrestler and a Rugby player. They could not be active in this league, but they formed the party of Tenryu in 1987, made a boom of wrestling revolution.

Umanosuke Ueda, Super Destroyer

The team of heels. They didn't want to win, and their purpose was making confusions in ALL JAPAN. Goro Tsurumi, a friend of Ueda, often broke into the ring, and many matches were spoiled.

GIANT BABA vs. HARLEY RACE

Giant Baba vs. Harley Race
PWF Championship Match
Feb. 1983 Checker Dome (St. Luis)


Baba fought against Race many times. He got NWA title from Race twice. For Race, Baba might be the biggest difficulty, and Race couldn't attack effectively very tall Baba. In contrast to that, Baba used calmly Chop, Kick, Deadly Drive, and the other tricks.

At any rate, in those days Race was a marvelous title collector. Though he was taken the NWA belt by Dusty Rhodes, he wrested the States of Missouri title, United National Championship from Jumbo Tsuruta, and PWF from Baba. And then he got back NWA title from Ric Flair in June of that year (that's the 7th win !!).

This is Baba's Kawazu-otoshi (Russian Leg Sweep). The origin was a sumo trick, and Rikidozan used it to defend from Back Drop of Lou Thesz. This trick is in Judo, too, but it is forbidden now. In this return match, Baba defeated Race with wonderful Running Neck Breaker Drop. In spite of the enemy's territory, Baba was not treated as a heel, and wrestling fan of St. Luis were cheering Baba. That was a good semi-final match.

Incidentally, the main event of that night was NWA Championship Match, contested by Flair and Brody. Finally Flair defended his title in a draw.

JUMBO TSURUTA vs. TOMMY RICH

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tommy Rich
ALL JAPAN, United National Championship Match
Feb. 1983 Aichi-ken Taiikukan (Nagoya)

Watching old videos of pro-wrestling, I remember various things. Yesterday I found a dear image of 'The Wild Fire' Tommy Rich after a long time. In those days I was a high-school student, and I was enjoying ALL JAPAN's wrestling with all my heart. In the early 80's, many good wrestlers were belonging to ALL JAPAN, for example Brody, Hansen, the Funk brothers, Race, Nick, and it might be the most exciting days of wrestling of Japan.

Of course we had few information of American wrestling, but I knew the name of Tommy Rich. Magazines said he had got NWA world championship from Race temporally (only three days !!). He was what is called a mystery strong man. (When we see the real, we are often disappointed, but that is also a pleasure of wrestling !)

Well, then The Wild Fire visited to Japan for the first time, and challenged a young star Jumbo Tsuruta. Frankly speaking, that was a very good fight. Tommy showed nice Brain Buster and Flying Body Scissors Drop (like Lou Thesz). At the end Tsuruta defended his title with Back Drop Hold, but Tommy fought bravely as a former world champion.

I think that was the best fight of Rich in Japan. After that, he fought on the ring of ALL JAPAN several times, but he was quite lack vividness, and he looked like another man. I don't know why. At any rate, Tommy Rich in this match, a mystery strong man and The Wild Fire, is my dear wrestler.

JUMBO TSURUTA vs. TIGER JEET SINGH (2)

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Jeet Singh
ALL JAPAN
Mar. 1983 Korakuen Hall (Tokyo)

There were two parts in the wrestler life of Jumbo Tsuruta. The first half was that as a thin young boy, a spirited good fight maker. And in the second half, Jumbo became an ace of ALL JAPAN, and he was called the perfect champion. In that series Tsuruta fought against Singh twice. I think these matches were opportunities for Tsuruta to change a strong wrestler.

At the first match, Singh won an easy victory proving his class as a rival of Inoki. Singh had a firm style of rough and technique, and he was the only wrestler who got NWF title from Inoki, except Stan Hansen. Though Tsuruta lost on count-out by hanging from the rope, I was rather interested in Baba's decision that made Tsuruta fight so cruel match.

In the second fight, Singh attacked the referee Joe Higuchi, and he lost on a foul. At that time Tsuruta's fighting spirit exceeded Singh's. May be It was necessary for Tsuruta to fight these two matches, for going over the great wrestlers, Baba and Inoki.

And then Tsuruta wrested International Championship from Brody in August of that year, and He became the AWA world champion in the next year.

SUMO, THE MOST MEMORABLE MATCH

Takanohana (the first) vs. Kitanoumi
Apr. 1975 Osaka, The Spring Tournament

I often think what match is the most memorable for Japanese in the history of sumo. This play-off of the spring tournament '75 was truly one of them. At that time I was a student of a elementary school, I remember that most of Japanese people was watching this match on TV in excitement.

Takanohana was a younger brother of Wakanohana, the great Yokozuna in the 50's. He was a lean and handsome rikishi (sumo wrestler), and very popular with sumo fan as the Prince of sumo world. But because of his lightweight, he had not be able to win a championship. This match was the biggest chance for him.

Kitanoumi was a genius rikishi, became Yokozuna when he was 21 years old, and that is the record of the youngest Yokozuna in the history of sumo. He was very heavy and strong, and a natural result, almost of sumo fan wished Takanohana's victory.

Kitanoumi's Uwatenage (throwing with his arm) was an impossible trick, and it made Takanohana turn to his advantage. When Takanohana pushed Kitanoumi out of the ring, spectators threw cushions, the whole hall was in a uproar. At last, Takanohana got a championship !!