From: htanabe@ponder.csci.unt.edu (Hisaharu Tanabe)
Subject: Re: FMW (was Re: The Sheik an
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 22:54:54 GMT

In <Bw0wrA.M2F@acsu.buffalo.edu> v070qg5d@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Eric M Chmiel) writes:

>    Actually, this whole question of the Japanese promotions is fascinating.
>Since some people here on RSPW seem to be more knowledgeable about Japanese
>wrestling, I motion for somebody to post a brief overview of the current
>operating Japanese promotional groups, including things like who owns/books
>them, who their top stars are, how they got started (or how old they are),
>etc.  I thought it was interesting that Onita was a Lt. Heavy let go by
>All Japan after an injury.  I'd be interested to hear more of this sort of
>thing.  I, like others, have only gotten seriously into the Japanese scene
>in the past year and info like this would be invaluable to understanding
>what's going on in Japanese wrestling.  It doesn't have to be very long, just
>an outline.

These are the storylines that I remember and might have some wrong info.  
Anybody who recognize the wrong info, please correct them.

Japan Wrestling Association: Rikidozan,the father of the Japanese wrestling,
  started this group in mid-50's and merged several other promotions that
  had already existed. In early-60's, he scouted the guys like Shohei Baba,
  Kanji Inoki, Kantaro Hoshino, Motoshi Okuma, and Kintaro Oki. However, on
  12/15/63, he was killed in a yakuza revenge. After his death, a guy named
  Toyonobori seemed to take his place as a top star of JWA, but Giant Baba,
  with his unbelievable size for a Japanese native, was the one who got a 
  push. In mid-60's, Toyonobori "stole" Antonio Inoki,who was on the way
  back from his American tour to the JWA and started Tokyo Pro-Wrestling with
  Inoki as the top. This group didn't last long, and Inoki ended up returning
  to the JWA. Since then, Baba had held the NWA Int'l heavyweight title,which 
  indicated the top star of the promotion, while Inoki held the NWA United
  National Heavyweight title,which indicated that the champ was the second.
  Together, they held the NWA Int'l tag title. However, Inoki, a known egoist,
  didn't like his role as the second and tried to make a move all the way to
  the top.  He failed and was kicked out of the JWA. Inoki started New Japan
  Pro wrestling on 3/6/72 with poor foreign talents except Karl Gotch. With
  its second star gone, Seiji Sakaguchi,who was in a Olympic game(judo) in
  '64, as the news second star. As it was supposed to be, Sakaguchi won the
  UN title and Int'l tag title with Baba. However, on 10/21/72, Baba also
  started his own group, All Japan Pro Wrestling. With both Inoki and Baba
  gone, there was no way the JWA would survive, and Sakaguchi joined New 
  with his follwers including Kengo Kimura and Masashi Ozawa(Killer Khan).
  New Japan got the TV spot that the JWA had, and the JWA lasted less than
  six months after Baba left. Long prologue, but the JWA is the root of the
  promotions that exist today.

New Japan Pro Wrestling(Opened on 3/6/72)
  Started with Inoki as the president,and later Sakaguchi joined as the V.P..
  With Inoki elected as the senator,Sakaguchi is the current presdent with
  Riki Choshu as the booker.  They must have had more titles than any other
  promotions. Also, Sakaguchi is the 17th(according to the Weekly Gong) 
  president of the NWA. Their are top stars are Choshu,Tatsumi Fujinami,
  Keiji Muto(Great Muta=IWGP heavyweight champ),Masahiro Chono(NWA World
  heavyweight champ),Jushin Thunder Liger,Shinya Hashimoto,Vader,Bigelow,
  and Scott Norton.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling(10/21/72)
  Started with Baba as the president. The guy named Matsune from Nihon TV was
  once the figure-head(?) president, but Baba is the president now after all.
  For long time, Baba was a big power within NWA,and won the World title in  
  three occations.  Later, he became the V.P. of NWA. They have a fictious
  group called Pacific Wrestling Federation which is supposed to be the upper
  body of All Japan with Lord Blairs as the president. The top stars include
  Jumbo Tsuruta,Mitsuharu Misawa(NWA Int'l/UN/PWF Triple Crown champ),Stan
  Hansen,Gordy & Doc,and Toshiaki Kawada.

All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling(Opened in '68 or '69)
  The Matsunaga brothers(I don't know their first names) control this 
  promotion with the almost-figure-head commissionor Hisashi Ueda. There was
  a women's promotion before this one with same name, but I think different
  people were in charge. The top starts are Bull Nakano(WWWA/CMLL world champ),
  Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada(WWWA/UWA World tag champs),Aja Kong,Akira
  Hokuto,and Kyoko Inoue.

Wrestling And Romance
Network Of Wrestling(Both started this year)
  In '90, Hachiro Tanaka,the president of the second biggest eyeglass company
  in Japan, was stupid and crazy enough to start a new promotion without any
  knowledge of the wrestling biz. He pulled out many stars from All Japan and
  few from New Japan and started Super World Sports. They had Genichiro
  Tenryu,the second top star and the most popular star of All Japan. Well,
  I guess money talked to the wrestlers but didn't to the fans. It made 
  things even worse when they started kissing Vince Jr.'s ass to bring those
  comedians from Wierd World of Fantasy,World Warriors Federation,or whatever
  they call. Two from New Japan, Naoki Sano and George Takano were contacted
  by Tanaka even before he talked to Tenryu. In fact, they thought they could 
  do the style of wrestling that they wanted. Of course,it turned out to be
  wrong, and they had to dance with guests from the WWF on the ring. After
  all, Tanaka realized what he was doing was meaningless and split the group
  into two,WAR and NOW. The Takano Brothers,George and Shunji,didn't like
  the way Tanaka carried things,and quit the NOW promotion as well. I don't
  know what they're gonna do. I want George back in New Japan,though. Tenryu
  is still dealing with WWF and probably dreaming about the WWF title belt.
  I guess he doesn't know that he can't do that without sleeping with 
  what's-his-name of WWF. WAR has Tenryu(president?),Ashura Hara,Kabuki,and
  Haku.  Kazuo Sakurada(Kendo Nagasaki/The Dragon Master) is the president
  of NOW.

Rings
Union of Wrestling Froces International
Professional Wrestling Fujiwara-gumi(all started last year)
  These are the famous UWF of the shoot style. In '90, Tanaka of SWS wanted
  a co-promoting card with SWS and UWF. The UWF President Jin agreed "to mix
  water and oil."  All the wrestlers got pissed except Yoshiaki Fujiwara,who
  wanted to follow Jin and Tanaka. Fujiwara started PWF with a support by 
  Tanaka. Others started UWFI without Akira Maeda with Nobuhiko Takada as the
  top, the top star of the UWF.  I'm not sure why they didn't wanna join to 
  Maeda. Anyhow, Maeda strated  his own promotion Rings with martial arts guys
  from Russia and Hollnand.

Frontier Martial-arts & Wrestling(Started in '89 or '90)
W*ING('90?)
Oriental Pro-Wrestling(this year)
Universal Pro-Wrestling(I don't remember)
  I'm not really sure how everything started here, but as far as I heard, it
  goes like this:
  After Onita left All Japan, he was unfortunately a comedian for a while.
  Some reason, Hisashi Shinma,former booker of New Japan and ex-figure-head
  president of WWF before Jack Tunny, started suppoting the wreslers who
  had no place to go because where they used to be didn't want them. Those
  were Onita, Ryuma Go, and Gran Hamada. Hamada was then a referee of the
  Japan Women's Pro-wrestling. One day, Shinma started a feud between Hamada
  and Onita on the JWP ring.  The JWP girls didn't like it at all,and the 
  didn't last long. Same time, Go wanted to start new promotion as well and
  started Pioneer Senshi. Onita wresled in the first card of Pioneer but 
  ended up opening his own group FMW with all those gimmick matches. Hamada
  started a lucha libre promotion with son of Shinma as the president.
  In FMW, there were the wreslers who didn't get along with Onita, and they
  left the group and started W*ING with a help of WWC in Puerto Rico.  As for 
  Pioneer, they didn't draw as much as others did and had to be helped by New 
  Japan. After all, they couldn't afford to bring the guys from New Japan and
  folded. Once again, the Pioneer wreslers started new group,Oriental. They 
  might succeed this time because they bring the cards to the small towns 
  where the wrestling cards would never take place. BTW, it was reported
  recently that Universal will have its last tour in November.

JWP
Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling(this year)
  They were originally one group called Japan Women's Pro-wrestling. It once
  folded last year, but started as two groups this time. I don't any reason.
  I don't even know who are in charge. JWP has Devil Masami,Cutie Suzuki &
  Mayumi Ozaki(tag champs) while LLPW has Harley Saito, Shinobu Kandori,
  Rumi Kazama, and Noriyo Tateno(former JB Angels & WWF women's tag champ).


Enough?

Hisaharu