Summer Break
Kyushu Pro took a little break after the Mentai retirement show, was active in June, but then pretty quiet through July and early August. Japanese companies, of course, have often run shorter schedules over the year than their traditional American equivalents – though talent safety concerns now affect the big American companies, too. The recap batch today wraps up the end of June, the only show in July (an untelevised community show), and the first show of August.
Series Outline
Part 1: Three Crows and One Heir 1972-1982 (You Are Here)
Part 2: Atsushi Onita, Junior Heavyweight Ace 1982-1983
Part 3: Experimentation 1983-1986
Part 4: The Glorious Summer of Fuchi 1987-1990
Part 5: Transition 1994-1996
Part 6: Signs of Spring 1997-2000
Introduction
Here’s the thing: if you want “the best” high-flying Junior Heavyweight action in the world in the ‘80s, you go to New Japan. It’s drawing on all the best inf
The Irresistible Rise of Kyushu Pro
Before starting the recaps proper, I saw stats gathered by F.G.C. (https://x.com/FGC648948974342/status/1940307839060426897) on puro company attendances through the first half of 2025. Kyushu Pro comes out very well: in terms of total attendance (30,434), it is the fifth-biggest men’s company (behind NJPW, Dragongate, NOAH, and AJPW) and eighth-biggest overall (adding in Stardom, Marigold, and TJPW). That’s respectable – but the average attendance is eve
Kyushu Pro Mentai Kid Retirement Memorial Event – Kyushu Ba Genki Ni Goodbye 11/05/2025
Held at the Fukuoka Island City Forum, with an announced attendance of 1,430, good for the third biggest show of the year. The venue looks very full as far as these things go. They set this up as one of their “big events” – room lights off, full lighting rig. I actually usually perhaps prefer their more informal Gymnasium setups, but for this occasion it’s fitting. Fifteen wrestlers are slate
Introduction
Jumbo Tsuruta is widely considered one of the best professional wrestlers ever. His physicality and athleticism, his subtle acting, his superlative match layouts and workrate – he is recognized as an all-time great for these, and rightly so.
The period we think about when we consider those qualities is, let’s say, 1985-1992, between Riki Choshu’s arrival in All Japan and Jumbo’s time out for health reasons that marked the end of his “serious” wrestling career. In
Three event recaps and digging into the Mentai Kid archives in light of his retirement.
Kyushu Pro AEON Omura Shopping Center 30th Anniversary 03/05/2025
Held at AEON Omura Shopping Center in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture. Not aired. KPW do a number of these “community-side” events, presumably as a result of sponsorships or where there is a charitable upside. No announced attendance, and it’d be hard to know because the ring (per photos) is literally in the mall forecourt next t
Series Outline
Part 1: The Noble Art of Jerking Curtains (You Are Here)
Part 2: King of Comedy
Part 3: The Heir to Rikidozan
Introduction – Who On Earth Is Mitsuo Momota?
On CageMatch, Mitsuo Momota has a fan rating of 4.71 out of 10. He mostly seems to turn up in six-man comedy matches with arthritic old men. For Mitsuo Momota’s official 30th Anniversary match, he wrestled a rookie in the first match on the card, and it was even clipped when shown on TV. He
Kyushu Pro Super Genki Festival ~ 17th Anniversary 27/04/2025
The biggest show of the year so far, in Fukuoka City’s Fukuoka West Japan General Exhibition Hall’s New Hall. Declared attendance of 2,576. This is a pretty big show by modern standards. All Japan’s Champion Carnival 2025 opener at the Korakuen (9th April) drew 1,105, and their biggest show of the year so far was their 24th February date in Hachioji, with an attendance of 1,870; KPW has two bigger than that. NOAH had