Log Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Was Tiger Mask ever really a draw? Was it really Inoki (Fujinami?) that drew the cards he was on? Wasn't he more of a featured attraction that the main draw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 IIRC, Inoki left and Tiger Mask drew big in his absence, and there was a power struggle when Inoki returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 I'm stunned that someone didn't drag the All In The Family riff over here. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smkelly Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 http://www.puroresu.com/awards/1980s.html Tiger Mask Awards: 1981 Popularity Award: Tiger Mask (New Japan) 1982 Wrestler of the Year: Tiger Mask (New Japan) Techinique Award: Tiger Mask (New Japan) Genichiro Tenryu Awards: 1981 Performance Award: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1983 Tag Team of the Year: Jumbo Tsuruta & Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) Fighting Spirit Award: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1984 Performance Award: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1985 Tag Team of the Year: Jumbo Tsuruta & Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1986 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1987 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) Match of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta [All Japan 08/31 Nippon Budokan] Tag Team of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara (All Japan) 1988 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) Match of the Year: PWF & NWA United National Heavyweight Title Unification Match: Gen'ichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen [All Japan 07/27 Nagano] 1989 Match of the Year: Triple Crown Heavyweight Title Match: Gen'ichiro Tenryu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta [All Japan 06/05 Nippon Budokan] Tenryu is comparatively dominate to Tiger Mask in everything in the 1980s. Maybe that's why he is called "Mr. Puroresu"? Wrestler of the Year Awards 1980 Wrestler of the Year: Antonio Inoki (New Japan) 1981 Wrestler of the Year: Antonio Inoki (New Japan) 1982 Wrestler of the Year: Tiger Mask (New Japan) 1983 Wrestler of the Year: Jumbo Tsuruta (All Japan) 1984 Wrestler of the Year: Jumbo Tsuruta (All Japan) 1985 Wrestler of the Year: Tatsumi Fujinami (New Japan) 1986 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1987 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1988 Wrestler of the Year: Gen'ichiro Tenryu (All Japan) 1989 Wrestler of the Year: Akira Maeda (UWF) It appears that even in Japan, the voters choose TM only once, while Inoki and Tsuruta got WOTY twice, and Tenryu got it three times (in a row mind you). Does that say anything about his real popularity in Japan? TM also didn't win any match of the year awards in Japan, only in America (WON). Does that say anything about his working ability? If you cannot tell, those two questions I just imposed are rhetorical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 He was only eligible for awards from '81-83 and again from '84-85. Appparently, he won another "Technique Award" in "84, which is amusing given the criticism of him in this thread, but it's an evening newspaper. Even if it meant something, the winners were bought and paid for. Here's a little rule that comes in handy. If you've ever heard anything about wrestling in Japan that sounded impressive (for example, "wrestling is covered by major newspapers in Japan"), divide your reaction by two thirds and you'll be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smkelly Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Even if it meant something, the winners were bought and paid for. Here's a little rule that comes in handy. If you've ever heard anything about wrestling in Japan that sounded impressive (for example, "wrestling is covered by major newspapers in Japan"), divide your reaction by two thirds and you'll be right. I'm unaware of that. Is it yakuza related or something else entirely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 More like envelopes of cash from the pro-wrestling offices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smkelly Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 I learn something new everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Those would be the Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards. They're highly political, even more back in the 70s and 80s than now. I wouldn't treat the "voting" as akin to even the voting of baseball MVP awards. They very much like to spread things around. In the 70s, if Baba/Jumbo got a top award, then Inoki would get a different top award to even things out. Similar in the 80s. That said... that Sayama won in his *only* full year of wrestling in Japan is a positive. Tenryu's Tokyo Sports awards were always a bit odd. Not that he won several. More in the sense that he won all the time, and for strange things like the Tenryu-Hogan match which was pretty inexplicable at the time, and even in hindsight. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Those would be the Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards. They're highly political, even more back in the 70s and 80s than now. I wouldn't treat the "voting" as akin to even the voting of baseball MVP awards. They very much like to spread things around. In the 70s, if Baba/Jumbo got a top award, then Inoki would get a different top award to even things out. Similar in the 80s. That said... that Sayama won in his *only* full year of wrestling in Japan is a positive. Tenryu's Tokyo Sports awards were always a bit odd. Not that he won several. More in the sense that he won all the time, and for strange things like the Tenryu-Hogan match which was pretty inexplicable at the time, and even in hindsight. John I just watched Tenryu vs Hogan for the 2nd time ever the other day. I absolutely loved it and I think I may like it even more than Hogan vs Hansen which would make it my fav 1990s Hogan Japanese match. This match helped sell me on Tenryu big time. Hogan is so fun to watch in Japan too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smkelly Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 That said... that Sayama won in his *only* full year of wrestling in Japan is a positive.Who knew I'd make a point for RE... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 I just watched Tenryu vs Hogan for the 2nd time ever the other day. I absolutely loved it and I think I may like it even more than Hogan vs Hansen which would make it my fav 1990s Hogan Japanese match. This match helped sell me on Tenryu big time. Hogan is so fun to watch in Japan too. So it was the 1991 Puroresu Match of the Year in your mind? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 I just watched Tenryu vs Hogan for the 2nd time ever the other day. I absolutely loved it and I think I may like it even more than Hogan vs Hansen which would make it my fav 1990s Hogan Japanese match. This match helped sell me on Tenryu big time. Hogan is so fun to watch in Japan too. So it was the 1991 Puroresu Match of the Year in your mind? John Well, I can't go that far but it was a lot of fun:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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