JWA: Japan Pro Wrestling Association - Revival

[gordi]

JWA: Japan Pro Wrestling Association

 

 

President and Founder: Shohei Baba

Vice President: Motoko Baba

Managing Director: Hisashi Shinma

Head Booker: gordi

Head Trainer: Kotetsu Yamamoto

Referees: Joe Higuchi, Kyohei Wada, Red Shoes Unno, Verne Siebert

Ring Announcer: Hidekazu Tanaka

TV: Asahi TV World Pro Wrestling (ワールド・プロレスリング)

TV Commentary Team: Ichiro Furutachi, Takashi Yamada

 

MAIN EVENTERS:

 

Giant Baba – President and founder of JWA. Niigata. 6’10” 298. Running Neckbreaker, Coconut Crush.

Past his peak but still a huge star, ready and willing to step aside to make room for younger stars. Trainer and mentor to Tsuruta, Tenryu, Misawa, Fuchi, Koshinaka, Ishikawa, and many others.

 

Antonio Inoki – Iconic living legend. Yokohama. Brazil. 6’3” 224. Bridging Fallaway Slam, Octopus Hold (Manjigatame), Enzuigiri, Flying Kneedrop.

Past his peak but unwilling to admit it. Fancies himself the world’s greatest martial artist. Incredibly popular in Japan. Hugely influential.

 

Akira Maeda – 6’3” 225. Osaka. Korea. Bridging Capture Suplex, Cross Armbreaker, Roundhouse Kick.

In his pprime. Inoki’s heir apparent. Shoot Style pioneer. Great striker, better grappler. Can be bad tempered and difficult to work with.

 

Tatsumi Fujinami – 6’0” 227. Oita. Dragon Sleeper, Dragon Suplex, Figure Four Leg Lock, Dragon Backbreaker, Diving Kneedrop.

In his prime, gifted worker, very popular. Ready to break out from under Inoki’s shadow.

 

Riki Choshu – 6’0” 260. Yamaguchi. Korea. Riki Lariat, Sharpshooter (Sasorigatame).

In his prime. Top heel, very popular and influential.

 

Genichiro Tenryu – 6’1” 273. Fukui. Lariat, Folding Powerbomb.

In his prime. One of the best workers in the world. Former sumo star with a power style.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta – 6’6” 287. Yamanishi. Bridging Belly-to-Back Suplex, "Jumbo" Lariat, Powerbomb.

In his prime. One of the best workers in the world. Baba’s heir apparent. Former Olympian.

 

Satoru Sayama - 5’10” 190. Can work Jr. Yamaguchi. Tiger Suplex, Turning Moonsault, Crossface Chickenwing, Diving Headbutt.

Jr. Heavyweight and Shoot Style pioneer. At the end of his peak years, but still extremely popular.

 

Yoshiaki Fujiwara – 6’1” 225. Iwate. Fujiwara Arm Bar, Heel Hook, Headbutt.

Nearing the end of his peak years. One of the world’s greatest grapplers. Trained Anjo, Maeda, Yamazaki, Funaki…

 

SECOND-TIER STARS and TAG TEAM GUYS:

 

Seiji Sakaguchi – 6’5” 290. Fukuoka. Stomach Claw, Atomic Drop, Boston Crab, Chokebomb.

Past his peak, but still capable. Judo player. Inoki’s long-time second. Willing to help put younger guys over.

 

Kengo Kimura – 6’1” 236. Ehime. Jumping Leg Lariat, Triangle Scorpion, Piledriver.

Nearing the end of his peak years, but still in his prime. Fujiwara’s regular tag team partner. Makes the people around him better.

 

Super Strong Machine (Junji Hirata) – 6’0” 254. Kanagawa. Machine Suplex, Machine DDT, Machine Lariat.

Just entering his prime. Steady, reliable power wrestler who really shines as a tag team partner. - Currently on loan to Lute Int.

 

Ashura “Fighting” Hara - 6’0” 245. Nagasaki. Hitman Lariat, Superplex.

Nearing the end of his prime. Former rugby star and IWE veteran. Tenryu’s frequent tag team partner, and friend. Has a gambling problem. Also has a great mustache.

 

Yoshiaki Yatsu – 6’1” 260. Gunma. Powerbomb, Powerslam, Piledriver, Jailhouse Lock (Double Chickenwing).

Former Olympic wrestler. Powerful and legitimately tough, inconsistent in the ring. Best in tag teams. Frequently works as Choshu’s partner, but also has a connection with Jumbo because of their shared amateur background.

 

Umanosuke “Professor” Ueda – 6’3” 260. Aichi. Cobra Claw (Neck Claw), Low Blow, Foreign Object Attacks.

Reaching the end of his prime. Probably the #3 native heel on this roster. Has a great sleazy look. Background n sumo and with the IWE, but is purely a brawler.

 

Rusher Kimura – 6’1” 275. Hokkaido. Rushing Lariat, Rusher Suplex (Double Arm Suplex), Piledriver, Argentine Backbreaker.

Former sumo wrestler and former ace of IWE. Cage match specialist. A little past his prime but still a very capable brawler. Good on the mic. Currently on loan to USWA

 

Osamu Kido – 5’11” 231. Kanagawa. Kido Clutch, Wakigatame (Judo Armbreaker), Fujiwara Armbar, Neckbreaker.

Karl Gotch trainee, entering a late-career peak. Solid basic wrestler, good on the mat. Not much personality.

 

Takashi “Onomi” Ishikawa – 5’10” 260. Kanagawa. Chokeslam, Lariat, Shoulder Block.

Former sumo wrestler, worked one tour with IWE. Near the end of his prime. Power style. Good tag team worker, who has won championships teaming with Hara and Mighty Inoue.

 

THE HEAVYWEIGHT YOUNG LIONS

 

Shinya “Shogun” Hashimoto – 5’11” 287. Gifu. Vertical Drop Brainbuster, Jumping DDT, Kesagiri Chop, Spinning Heelkick.

Just starting his career. Great striker, being groomed as a potential future ace. Already has a strong grasp of ring psychology.

 

Keiji “Ninja” Mutoh – 6’2” 242. Yamanashi. Moonsault Press, Muta Lock, Dragon Screw, Figure Four Leglock, Flashing Elbow, Low Angle Dropkick.

Just starting his career. Very flashy and athletic. Being groomed as a future star. Already quite popular with the fans.

 

Masa “Charisma” Chono – 6’1” 212. Can work Jr. Seattle, Tokyo. STF, Kenka Kick, Flying Shoulder Block, Butterfly Lock, Manhattan Drop.

Just starting his career. Charismatic. Being groomed as a future star. Mainly works as a heavyweight despite his smaller size.

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (HEAVYWEIGHTS WHO ARE ALLOWED TO WORK AS JUNIORS)

 

The Cobra (George Takano) – 6’1” 254. Yamaguchi, Uganda. Kneeling Tombstone, Cobra Twist, Moonsault.

In his prime. Despite being 254 muscular pounds, The Cobra is a former NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion and the current WWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion. A big bumper. Kind of a poor man’s Tiger Mask.

 

Shiro “Samurai” Koshinaka – 6’1” 234. Tokyo. Diving Hip Attack, Powerbomb, Samurai Driver '84.

Entering his prime. Charismatic and entertaining. Often works as the third man in trios matches with Fujinami and Kimura.

 

Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) – 6’1” 235. Saitama. Elbow Strike, Tiger Driver, Tiger Suplex '85, Elbow Suicida, Stepover Facelock, Frog Splash.

Young star being groomed to eventually follow in the footsteps of Baba and Jumbo. Amazing seller and bumper for someone with only four years of experience. Teams with Sayama as “The Tiger Masks.”

 

Masanobu Fuchi - 6’0” 231. Fukuoka. Pinning Backdrop, Small Package Hold.

In his prime. Known in America for the Memphis Concession Stand Brawls. All-around talent with a good mix of brawling and mat wrestling. Just starting to develop his famously grouchy in-ring persona.

 

Toshiaki “Dangerous K” Kawada – 6’0” 240. Tochigi. Dangerous Backdrop, Powerbomb, Stretch Plum, Running Face Kick, Stepkick.

Near the beginning of his career. Tenryu protégé is already one of the stiffest and most intense workers on the roster. Has the potential and work ethic to become one of the best ever. Teams with Samson Fuyuki as “Footloose.”

 

Samson Fuyuki – 5’11” 235. Tokyo. Samson Striker (Muscle Buster), Fuyuki Special (Stretch Plum), Fuyuki Special 2 (Boston Crab).

Late bloomer got his start in 1976 with IWE, but he has yet to reach his peak. Is blossoming under the guidance of Tenryu, teaming with Kawada.

 

Animal Hamaguchi – 5’7” 227. Shimane. Animal Elbow, Airplane Spin Into Samoan Drop, Diving Elbow Drop , Neckbreaker Drop.

Nearing the end of his prime. Former bodybuilder and IWE wrestler. Has the strength to match up with heavyweights and the athleticism to match up with juniors. Often teams with Inoue.

 

Mighty Inoue – 5’9” 231. Osaka. Somersault Drop, Flying Shoulder Attack, Senton, Sunset Flip.

Just past his prime. One of the best workers to come out of IWE. Has a mix of European and Lucha Libre styles picked up on foreign tours. Solid mid-card veteran. Very good tag team wrestler.

 

Kuniaki “Tiger Hunter” Kobayashi – 6’ 0” 238. Nagano. Fisherman's Suplex Hold, Sliding Kick, Spinkick, Thrust Kick.

In his prime. Rival of Tiger Mask Sayama. Aggressive style. Makes the people around him look good.

 

TRUE JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHTS

 

Kantaro “President” Hoshino – 5’7” 210. Kobe. Flying Body Press, Punch, Headlock Punches, Flying Headbutt.

Past his prime but still wildly entertaining. Very small but also very quick. Boxing background with the great punches to show for it. Often works as the third man with Inoki and Sakaguchi.

 

Gran Hamada – 5’4” 198. Gunma, Mexico. Hamachan Cutter, Huracanrana, Flying Swinging DDT, Plancha Suicida, Belly-To-Back Suplex.

Lucharesu pioneer. Still in the midst of a very long peak period. Great high flyer. Can also work Shoot Style.

 

Nobuhiko "Esperanza" Takada – 6’0” 210. Yokohama. Cross Ambreaker, High Kick, Missile Kick, Heel Hold.

Just entering his peak years. Nickname means “hope” and he is indeed one of the “hope for the future” wrestlers on this roster. Good striker. Very adept at combining Shoot Style with other styles. Charismatic.

 

Isamu “Carpenter” Teranishi – 5’9” 220. Toyama. Waterwheel Drop.

Another former sumo wrestler and IWE mainstay. Very good on the mat and makes the people around him look better (hence the nickname). Despite his scientific wrestling style, works really well as a heel. Despite his smaller size, usually works as a heavyweight.

 

JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT YOUNG LIONS

 

Keiichi “Thunder” Yamada - 5’7” 202. Hiroshima. Brainbuster, Koppo Kick, Romero Special, Shotei, Shooting Star Press.

Gifted athlete at the start of what could be a legendary career. Exciting, athletic, and innovative style. Absolutely being groomed as the future ace of the junior division. Already has a strong grasp of ring psychology.

 

Masakatsu Funaki – 5’11” 212. Aomori. Triangle Choke, Heel Hook, Cross Armbreaker, Roundhouse Kick.

Another outstanding young athlete at the beginning of his career. Being groomed as a future Shoot Style star. Fujiwara disciple.

 

Kazuo Yamazaki – 5’11” 185. Tokyo. Cross Armbreaker, Cross Kneelock, Tiger Driver, German Suplex.

Still early in his career. Throws great kicks and is very good working from underneath and selling. Student of Tiger Mask Sayama.

 

Naoki Sano – 5’11” 220. Hokkaido. Rolling Savate Kick, Northern Light Bomb, Diving Foot Stomp.

Recent NJPW Dojo graduate. Works a very aggressive and physical style. Interested in studying different styles of wrestling, such as Lucha Libre and Shoot Style.

 

Yoshinari “Rat Boy” Ogawa – 5’11” 198. Ibaraki. Backdrop Hold, Jawbreaker, Enzuigiri.

Just beginning his career. Another Tenryu protégé, aligned for that reason with Kawada and Fuyuki. Has a sneaky, cerebral style.

 

Yoji “Mr. 200%” Anjo – 5’11” 220. Tokyo. Ground Cross 200% (Modified Figure Four), Cross Armbreaker, Roundhouse Kick.

Just beginning his career. Shoot Style specialist with a background in judo and muay thai. Doesn’t mind fighting dirty.

 

HEAVYWEIGHT GAIJIN

 

Adrian Adonis – 6’1” 265. Portland, New York. DDT, Goodnight Irene, Manhattan Drop, Diving Elbow Drop.

Nearing the end of his prime years. Great brawler, bumper, ring general, and tag worker. JWA's Top Gaijin heel.

 

"Captain Redneck"Dick Murdoch – 6’3” 275. Texas. Brainbuster, Calf Branding, Flying Headscissors.

Great bumper and brawler, when motivated. Legendarily hard partier. A little past his prime, but his team with Adonis, “The North-South Connection” is still one of the best in the world. - Currently on loan to JWA from USWA

 

Dos Caras – 5’10” 212. Mexico. Dos Caras Clutch, Flying Cross Chop, Sitout Powerbomb.

Still in his prime. Usually works as a heavyweight despite his smaller size. Brother to Mil Mascaras. Frequently tags with Canek. Very popular in Japan. Able to adjust his style to match up with various different kinds of wrestlers.

 

Anoaro Atisanoe – 6’0” 340. Hawaii, Samoa. Samoan Drop, Big Splash.

Still early in his career. Brother of Sumo legend Konishiki. Massive and powerful, works best as a monster heel.

 

Siva Afi – 5’10” 240. Diving Crossbody, Diving Splash.

Just entering his prime. Kind of a very poor man’s Superfly Snuka in the ring. Often teams with Atisanoe.

 

JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT GAIJIN

 

Black Tiger (Mark Rocco) – 5’8” 196. Manchester. Diving Knee Drop, European Uppercut, Neckbreaker, Tombstone Piledriver.

Still in his prime. At his best, he is the perfect fusion of British, Mexican, and Japanese junior styles. At his worst, he can be sloppy. Great at bumping, stooging, and working the crowd. Perennial rival of Tiger Mask.

 

Black Terry - 5'5" 180. Mexico. Double Knee Backbreaker, Tope Suicida.

Former UWA World Lightweight Champion. Can work a technical style or just punch you right in the face. Currently on loan from CMLL

 

Babe Face - 5'7" 216. Mexico. La Canonera, Chops.

Former National Light Heavyweight champion. Teams with Black Terry as "Los Guerreros del Universo" Currently on loan from CMLL

 

GAIJIN YOUNG LIONS

 

Bam Bam Bigelow – 6’4”390. Asbury Park, New Jersey. Diving Headbutt, Nuclear Splash, Moonsault, Powerslam.

Just beginning his career. Has a great look and is unusually athletic for a man his size. Has the potential to be a truly great monster gaijin heel.

 

Blade Runner Sting – 6’3” 251. Omaha, Nebraska. Scorpion Death Drop, Scorpion Death Lock, Stinger Splash.

Just starting his career. Muscular, athletic, and charismatic. Has almost limitless potential.Currently on loan to JWA from Lutte Int.

 

ENHANCEMENT TALENT

 

Phil Hickerson - 6'1"308. Jackson, Tennessee.

Heat magnet. Very good brawler and tag team wrestler. Currently on loan from Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

 

Shinichi Nakano – 6’1’ 242. Yokohama. German Suplex, Dragon Suplex, Northern Light Suplex, Fisherman Suplex.

A decent technical wrestler with a judo background.

 

Shunji Takano – 6’7” 286. Fukuoka. Diving Double Knee Drop, Missile Kick, Double Arm Suplex Hold.

The Cobra’s tall and athletic brother has the talent to be a solid mid-carder, but on this roster he’s stuck at the bottom.

 

Tatsutoshi Goto – 5’10 209. Aichi. Backdrop Suplex.

Bleach blonde heel is also stuck in a jobber role on this roster.

 

Akira Nogami – 5’11” 198. Chiba. Flying splash, STF.

Another fairly talented wrestler stuck losing in openers in the JWA. Currently on loan to Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

 

Shunji Kosugi – 5’9” 216. Niigta.

Very good at making others look good in the ring.

 

Hirokazu Hata – 5’11” 207. Kobe.

The Barry Horowitz of the JWA.

[SirEdger]

Not familiar with all the names in there but from those I know, that's a rock solid roster right there!

[Grimmas]

This is going to rule!

[kevinmcfl]

Just love the tiered structure which makes booking somewhat easier. This is going to be be great!

[gordi]

Thank you, gentlemen!

 

JWA: Japan Pro Wrestling Association - Revival: Debut - April 6, 1985, Tokyo, Nippon Budokan

 

Inaugural JWA Heavyweight Championship match:

 

​PWF World Heavyweight Champion Giant Baba vs NWA International Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta vs Japan Pro Wrestling Champion Riki Choshu vs NWA United National Champion Genichiro Tenryu

 

Inaugural JWA Tag Team Championship Match:

 

IWGP Tag Team Champions The Fighting Spirits (Antonio Inoki and Akira Maeda) vs Special guest tag team from the World Wrestling Federation

 

JWA Heavyweight Championship First Challenger Determination match:

 

Tatsumi Fujinami vs Special guest wrestler from the AWA

 

JWA Tag Team Championship First Challenger Determination match:

 

The Tiger Masks (Sayama and Misawa) vs The North-South Connection (Adonis and Murdoch)

 

Inaugural JWA Middleweight Championship match:

 

WWF Jr Heavyweight Champion The Cobra vs Nobuhiko Takada vs Shiro Koshinaka vs Black Tiger

 

JWA Heavyweight Championship Future Challenger Determination match:

 

Seiji Sakaguchi vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

 

Special six-man tag match:

 

Kengo Kimura, Dos Caras, and Blade Runner Sting vs Umanosuke Ueda, Anoaro Atisanoe, and Siva Afi

 

Inaugural JWA Middleweight Tag Team Championship match:

 

Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue vs Gran Hamada and Keiichi Yamada

 

Mexican Excursion Determination Match (Winning team earns the right to go to Mexico and work for CMLL):

 

The Young Lions (Mutoh, Chono, and Hashimoto) vs Footloose (Kawada, Fuyuki, and Ogawa)

 

Get everyone a paycheque memorial 16-man Battle Royal:

 

Participants: Yoji Anjo, Osamu Kido, Kazuo Yamazaki, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Ashura Hara, Isamu Teranishi, Masa Fuchi, Takashi "Onomi" Ishikawa, Kantaro Hoshino, Bam Bam Bigelow, Shinichi Nakano, Shunji Takano, Tatsutoshi Goto, Shunji Kosugi, Akira Nogami, and Hirokazu Hata.

 

Opening Match:

 

Masakatsu Funaki vs Naoki Sano

[gordi]

About three years ago, Giant Baba sold a big chunk of his property in Tokyo to a major developer. As part of the deal, he got a straight percentage of the gross profits from the resulting business park, which has succeeded beyond everyone's most optimistic projections. Shohei and Motoko Baba now have enough money to retire in extreme comfort for a thousand years, and there is more money pouring in every month.

 

Giant Baba does not want to retire in extreme comfort. He wants to travel around the country, riding on the same bus and staying in the same hotels with the rest of the boys, putting on professional wrestling shows.

 

Giant Baba has a very specific and very singular vision for how he would like to do that, and now he has enough money to bring that vision to fruition:

- He wants to bring all of the best wrestlers in Japan under one umbrella.

- He wants to run regular monthly tours.

- He wants three or four big tournaments per year.

- He wants Big Event shows at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of every tour, except perhaps during tournaments.

- He wants to give the boys a week or two off between tours as often as possible, so they can take care of their bodies and their personal lives.

- He wants every single big show to have between three and five matches that could realistically headline any hall in the country.

- At this time, he wants four championships: Heavyweight, Tag Team, Middleweight, and Middleweight Tag Team.

- He wants the champs to defend their belts at least twice a month, on the big shows, except perhaps during tournaments.

- He wants TV to run highlight clips of the Big Event show's big matches, complete matches from house shows and the under-card, and hype for upcoming shows and tours.

- He wants even the biggest names to work even the smallest regional cards, generally in multi-man tags with mid-card wrestlers.

- He wants mostly clean finishes and he wants everyone on the roster to be willing to do clean jobs.

- He wants a clear hierarchy with respect for tradition and experience...

- But, he also wants to build for the future and allow for upward mobility.

 

There are some people who have some problems with many of Baba's key proposals:

- Some think that having so many big names and so many big matches will raise fan expectations to an unreasonable level and/or burn out the towns.

- Some of the wrestlers are huge marks for themselves and don't want to do clean jobs for anyone.

- A lot of people think that having respect for tradition and building for the future are incompatible goals.

 

In private conversion, Shohei (I call him Shohei, we are close like that) has told me that:

- He thinks that good wrestling will draw big crowds and that if everyone works hard then the JWA can meet even the highest of expectations.

- We won't need to worry about burning out the fans as long as we keep offering a high-quality product.

- He is more than willing to put other wrestlers over and he believes that eventually even guys like Sayama and Inoki will learn from his example.

- He thinks that it is up to the booker to find a balance point where the JWA can best serve the past, the present, and the future.

[gordi]

I wasn't just handed the book. There was a competition, with some pretty big names involved.

 

There were some dazzlingly creative booking proposals put forward: Quite a few people proposed invasion angles; A Shoot Style Invasion, a Choshu-led Revolution, an IWE invasion, a few versions of AJPW vs NJPW, even a Sumo Wrestlers vs Pro Wrestlers vs Shoot Fighters story that actually sounded pretty fun.

 

People put forward various ideas for ways to split the roster up and either make more money by running multiple tours or build more anticipation for rare big events that way.

 

All kinds of crazy championship ideas were put forth, and lots of ways of slowly building to championship matches.

 

An All Tournaments, All The Time promotion was suggested, and it also sounded like fun (if maybe too much of a good thing).

 

Strangely, I was literally the only person whose booking ideas matched up with what Baba was asking for.

- I put together a debut show (see above) that quickly established the four championships that Baba said he wanted.

- I think there are at least three legit main event quality matches on that card (which, again, is what Baba asked for).

- I put together a tour for April and a tour for May with three Big Event shows and many smaller house shows each month, just as Baba had requested.

 

I mean: Seriously, Shohei laid out perfectly clear guidelines. It seems that I was the only person involved in the competition who saw my job as being: Do the best I can within those clear guidelines rather than: Blow the guidelines up and impress everyone with my creativity.

 

Anyway: I got the job.

[kevinmcfl]

Great background story. You seem to think of everything.

[SirEdger]

Always a delight to read!

[GeneJackson95]

Good stuff, it will be fun to watch this develope.

[gordi]

Thank you, as always, for your kind words of encouragement.

 

 

JWA Schedule, April 1985 through January, 1986

 

April 8th through 26th: JWA Revival - Debut: Tour Opening Show April 8^th to feature matches crowning the inaugural JWA Heavyweight, Tag Team, Middleweight, and Middleweight Tag Team champions. Mid-Tour and End of Tour shows to feature multiple title defenses. Winner of the Young Lions Cup (Hashimoto) gets to choose a tag team partner (Mutoh) and compete for the belts on the 26th in Tokyo

Confirmed to participate: Bad News Allen, Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine for the tour. Ricky Steamboat and Don Muraco for the 26th in Tokyo.

 

May 8th: Special TV Event: Two Gauntlet Matches.

May 16th through 29th: JWA Revival – Second Chapter. Tour Opening Show on the 16th, Mid-Tour Big Event Show on the 24th and Tour Ending Show on the 29th to feature multiple title defenses.

Confirmed for May 8th, 16th, and 24th: Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, and Mil Mascaras

Confirmed for May 29th: Jerry Lawler, Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, Mil Mascaras, and Abdullah the Butcher

 

June 1st: TV Special: JWA Factions Draft: Captains will most likely be: Baba, Inoki, Fujinami, and Choshu

June 7th through 21st: Festival of Champions. We invite any champion from any federation to come and defend their belts in Japan. (Their guys will either go over our undercard guys cleanly, or lose by DQ or CO to upper-card guys, or if anyone is willing: Lose the belt(s) early in the tour, but get the belt back at the big show in Yokohama on the 21st). We want as many foreign/outside champs as possible for the big show on the 21st.

Special Guest Participant: Andre the Giant

Confirmed for June 21st: Abdullah the Butcher and Mil Mascaras

 

July 1st through 28th: JWA Carnival Tournament - Month-long singles tournament climaxing in Tokyo on the 26th and 28th of July. Gaijin wrestlers and outsiders are invited to compete, but we will need almost a full month commitment. Our Juniors and Middleweights will be available for bookings this month, as the tournament will focus mainly on Heavyweight wrestlers.

Featured Guest Participants: Andre the Giant and Bruiser Brody.

 

 

August 8th through 15th: Super Juniors Tournament, climaxing in Tokyo on the 15th. We will definitely be looking for gaijin juniors to participate. A good time to book NJPW Heavyweights if you want to.

Featured Guest Participants: Owen Hart, Wild Pegasus, El Hijo del Santo, and El Dandy.

August 20th through 25th: The WWF in Japan Tour co-promoted with LowBlowPodcast and the World Wrestling Federation.

August 26th through September 1st: JWA in America Tour co-promoted with LowBlowPodcast and the World Wrestling Federation.

 

September 7th through 27th: JWA Revival – Third Chapter. Tour with three big cards: In Fukuoka on the 9th, in Saitama on the 16th, and in Osaka on the 27th. We’d like to bring in gaijin challengers for all of our belts on this tour.

Confirmed Participants:

Butch Reed, Terry Gordy, Steve Williams, Sept. 9th

Butch Reed, The Road Warriors, Sept 16th

Butch Reed, Stan Hansen, The British Bulldogs, Sept. 27th.

 

October 14th through 28th: Overseas Tour - With big shows in The Philippines on the 14th, Taiwan on the 17th, Korea on the 21st, and India on the 28th. Gaijin guests welcome.

 

November 15th, 17th, and 19th: Gauntlet Challenge Series

November 20th through 25th: JWA - Three Big Events in Kyushu, Kansai, and Kanto

Special Guests: Mil Mascaras and Stan Hansen November 20th through 25th

 

December 3rd through 23rd: The Road to January 4th - Need to solidify big-time contenders for all three titles to build up to the big Tokyo January 4th Show of 1986! Final card of the tour will be in Osaka on the 23rd. Lots of gaijin participation will be needed for the first three weeks of December, peaking in Osaka.

Confirmed to participate: Andre the Giant, Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher.

 

January 4th, 1986: Tokyo Dome Show- Every Title Will Be Defended. Big name guests are expected.

January 16th, 18th, and 20th, 1986: Gauntlet Challenge Series Returns

January 22 through 30th, 1986: FantasticaMania co-promoted with Grimmas and CMLL

[SirEdger]

Will have to check with Mid-Atlantic (since he's officially on his roster) but should Terry Funk remain the NWA International Heavyweight Champion until the Festival of Champions, he shall make a few title defenses during that time!

[gordi]

Oh man... Terry Funk vs Tenryu, vs Jumbo, vs Fujinami, vs Fujiwara...

 

 

JWA Revival Debut Show – April 6, Tokyo, Nippon Budokan

 

Masakatsu Funaki vs Naoki Sano

Both of these guys are good at kicking, and that is mostly what they did here. Savate Kicks, Rolling Kicks, Roundhouse Kicks… after about seven minutes Sano caught Funaki with a spinning kick to the gut and took him down with a Double Underhook Suplex. As soon as he hit the ground, however, Funaki trapped Sano’s neck and applied a Triangle Choke. He used that to reverse position and then transitioned smoothly into a Top Shoulder Lock to get the submission victory. It was beautiful grappling, and I felt like it was a great start to our first show, even if it didn’t exactly drive the crowd into frenzy.

 

Get Everyone a Paycheque Memorial 17-Man Battle Royal

Participants: Yoji Anjo, Osamu Kido, Kazuo Yamazaki, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Ashura Hara, Isamu Teranishi, Masa Fuchi, Takashi "Onomi" Ishikawa, Kantaro Hoshino, Kuniaki Kobayashi Bam Bam Bigelow, Shinichi Nakano, Shunji Takano, Tatsutoshi Goto, Shunji Kosugi, Akira Nogami, and Hirokazu Hata

 

Kido, Anjo, and Yamazaki threw some stiff strikes. Yatsu and Ishikawa used their size and strength well and were the final two men eliminated. Nogami, Hoshino, and Hamada used speed and guile to avoid elimination for a while. Kobayashi, Fuchi, and Goto resorted to trickery to stay alive. Hara and Teranishi used teamwork and made a few eliminations. Nakano, Kosugi, and Hata were basically cannon fodder. This battle royal gave us an opportunity to get Bam Bam Bigelow over as a monster. 6’7” Shunji Takano was his first victim, and altogether he eliminated seven men on his way to an impressive win.

 

Injury news: Unfortunately, Kantaro Hoshino landed badly on his elimination, fracturing his fibula. Doctors estimate he will be out of action for four to six months.

 

Winning team earns the right to go to Mexico and work for CMLL:

The Young Lions (Hashimoto, Mutoh, and Chono) vs Footloose (Kawada, Fuyuki, and Ogawa)

These guys really laid into each other. Hash and Kawada, in particular, didn’t hold anything back. I was marking out, watching them go at it. Most of the match was based around Rat Boy taking horrific punishment in the Young Lions’ corner. He sold and sold, and eventually he baited Chono into taking a big risk by going for a top rope move in a neutral corner. Ogawa popped up and countered it, driving Chono into the mat with a sick DDT from the second turnbuckle. Kawada and Fuyuki then finished Chono off with a Double Spinning Heel Kick.

So: Footloose are going to Mexico!

 

 

JWA Middleweight Tag Team Championship match:

Keiichi Yamada and Gran Hamada vs Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue

This was kind of beautiful: Classic 70s-style junior wrestling vs futuristic 90s-style. All four men worked together near-flawlessly. Everyone got their stuff in, everyone bumped and sold. I probably could have watched an hour of this without being bored for a second, but we only got about 14 minutes in before Hamaguchi caught Yamada with an Airplane Spin into Samoan Drop and tagged in Inoue who finished it with a Somersault Drop.

 

Inaugural JWA Middleweight Tag Team Champions: Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue

 

Kengo Kimura, Sting, and Dos Caras vs Umanosuke Ueda, Anoaro Atisanoe, and Siva Afi

Kimura was still favouring his dislocated shoulder, so he didn’t tag in much. Referee Kyohei Wada had his hands full keeping the heel team in line, and he almost disqualified Ueda for trying to use a low blow. Sting did a lot of the work for his team in this one, matching power and speed with Atisanoe and Afi. In the end, though, it was Dos Caras who made the pin, hitting Afi with a Sit-out Powerbomb after Ueda accidentally clocked his own partner with a kendo stick while Wada’s back was turned.

 

Future Challenger Determination Match:

Seiji Sakaguchi vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

This match was short but intense. Sakaguchi used his size and his judo technique to take Fujiwara down… but once they hit the ground Fujiwara surprised the bigger man by dominating on the mat. Sakaguchi is a good grappler, but Fujiwara proved that he is on another level altogether. About seven minutes in, Fujiwara got hold of Sakaguchi’s leg. He worked the limb tenaciously for a full three minutes before sinking in a heel hook and forcing the big judoka to submit.

 

***BREAK***

JWA Middleweight Championship Match:

The Cobra (WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion) vs Nobuhiko Takada vs Shiro Koshinaka vs Black Tiger

We’ve got an absolutely stacked Middleweight/Juniors division, so we are going to book a lot of four-way matches and multi-man tags to get as many good workers on our big cards as possible. Right now, I’d say that four-way heavyweight matches will be relatively rare (though we have one on the card tonight), but they’ll be pretty common in the lighter weight classes. If nothing else, it’s a chance to mix up a lot of different styles in one match. Here, we have: The Cobra, who is explosively athletic; Nobuhiko Takada, who fights in a stiff and quite realistic style; Koshinaka, who is innovative and crowd-pleasing; and Black Tiger, who combines multiple styles with subtle cheating and stooging. Some match-ups worked better than others, but tags were frequent and action was fast so nobody ever outstayed their welcome. In the end, The Cobra nailed Koshinaka with a Kneeling Tombstone, but he was too close to Black Tiger’s corner. Rocco tagged himself in by punching The Cobra right in the face, and then put Koshinaka away with a Diving Knee Drop to become the first JWA Middleweight Champion.

 

 

Inaugural JWA Middleweight Champion: Black Tiger

 

JWA Tag Team Titles First Challenger Determination Match:

The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) vs The Tiger Masks (Satoru Sayama and Mitsuharu Misawa)

Adonis and Murdoch pinballed around for Sayama for several minutes then beat Misawa mercilessly until he escaped and made the hot tag. Then we got more wild bumping and selling from the big Americans, and after another tag Misawa finally got a bit of offense in, trading elbows with Murdoch before taking a Brainbuster and then being put to sleep by Adonis courtesy of Goodnight Irene.

 

 

JWA Heavyweight Title First Challenger Determination Match:

Bad News Allen vs Tatsumi Fujinami

The 1976 Judo bronze medalist dominated the first ten minutes of this match with his tough and dirty style. Bad News got a 2.9 count off of a Double Leg Enzuigiri. Fujinami ducked under the second Enzuigiri attempt, though, and went straight to work on Allen’s legs. After several minutes of wearing down the tough man’s limbs, Fujinami locked in a Figure Four in the middle of the ring to earn a shot at the JWA title.

 

 

 

JWA Tag Team Championship Match:

The Fighting Sprits (IWGP Tag Team Champions Antonio Inoki and Akira Maeda) vs The American Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake)

Inoki and Maeda stated things out stiff and nasty, and Valentine just ate it up. In his element, the second-generation star returned fire with some stiff shots of his own. Beefcake, however, seemed a little confused and rattled by the way The Fighting Spirits were working. This led Inoki and Maeda to turn up the intensity, to the point where I’d have to say they were taking liberties. They kept legitimately cutting off Beefcake’s attempts to escape and tag Valentine in, until The Hammer finally just charged into their corner and started throwing hard elbows and chops. Beefcake crawled off to safety and eventually Valentine ate a hard roundhouse kick from Maeda and then a Bridging Fallaway Slam from Inoki to end things.

 

 

Inaugural JWA Tag Team Champions: The Fighting Sprits (Inoki and Maeda)

 

JWA Heavyweight Championship Match:

Giant Baba (PWF World Heavyweight Champion) vs Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA International Heavyweight Champion) vs Riki Choshu (Japan Pro Wrestling Champion) vs Genichiro Tenryu (NWA United National Champion)

In all honesty, this match-up was more than a little unfair to Choshu, considering that Jumbo and Tenryu are both under Baba’s wing. Both men seemed reluctant to get rough with their mentor at first, wrestling in a clean and technical mode when they were in there with Baba. Things heated up a little once Tsuruta and Tenryu were in there together… and once Choshu finally got tagged in things really got hot. Choshu has never been the least bit reluctant to get rough with anyone in the ring. He threw huge bombs at Tsuruta and Tenryu, and in particular he went after Giant Baba with a vengeance. This enraged Jumbo, who begged his mentor for a tag and tried to murder Choshu with stiff strikes as soon as he got tagged in. Tsuruta was overly aggressive, though, and got taken down with a Riki Lariat and found himself trapped in a Sharpshooter Hold. Tenryu made the save with a kick to the back of Choshu’s head. While the ref ordered Tenryu back to his corner, Jumbo took advantage of his opportunity with a Lariat of his own followed by a powerful Belly to Back Suplex. Tsuruta had a clear opportunity to go for the pin, but instead he looked to Baba. The Giant shook his head and pointed to Tenryu. Acknowledging the debt he had to Tenryu for saving him from the Sharpshooter, Jumbo made the tag. Tenryu picked Choshu up off the mat, and finished him with a Folding Powerbomb to become the first JWA Heavyweight Champion.

 

 

Inaugural JWA Heavyweight Champion: Genichiro Tenryu

 

 

After the action was finished, there was another half-hour or more of ceremonies where belts were presented and challengers announced. I’m pretty sure that almost the entire crowd stuck around until the very end.

[kevinmcfl]

That was a really fun show. The mix of North American Wrestlers made it more interesting to me as that is who I am familiar with but I am learning so much here that I am going to start to watch some Japanese wrestling.

 

Also liked how you gave us some background on many of the wrestlers... the 1976 bronze medalists, Jumbo and Tenryu under Baba's wing ......

 

This project has really captured the wrestling world in 1983-1985. Small territories trying to hang on vs the growing national alliances in North America, Japanese stars coming to America and vice-versa, the passion of the fans in Mexico, Canada trying to see if they can hold of WWF in its home bases. At times we are unrealistic but as a whole, we seem to spot on.

[SirEdger]

Got a real kick out of the name of the battle royal: "Get Everyone a Paycheque Memorial Battle Royal"

[Grimmas]

American Dream Team? Love it.

 

I love the lay out of the tours and the first card was a great beginning.

[GeneJackson95]

Fun stuff...Tenyru is an excellent choice as champion.

[gordi]

1) I am going to start to watch some Japanese wrestling.

 

2) Also liked how you gave us some background on many of the wrestlers... the 1976 bronze medalists, Jumbo and Tenryu under Baba's wing ......

 

3) This project has really captured the wrestling world in 1983-1985. Small territories trying to hang on vs the growing national alliances in North America, Japanese stars coming to America and vice-versa, the passion of the fans in Mexico, Canada trying to see if they can hold of WWF in its home bases. At times we are unrealistic but as a whole, we seem to spot on.

 

1) I am really happy to hear that. If you want to check out some 80s action, you really can't go wrong with the top guys on my roster; Jumbo and Tenryu in All Japan, Fujinami in New Japan, Choshu in both NJPW and AJPW, Fujiwara in the UWF... all of those guys worked a ton of great matches in the 80s. Matches from the 90s in Japan feature faster paced action, more big moves, and more clean finishes (one big difference between "my" promotion and real-world 80s AJPW and NJPW is that clean finishes in big matches were still unusual there in '85). In the 90s, a lot of the young boys on my roster start to shine. Misawa and Kawada in AJPW and Hashimoto in NJPW in particular: You can practically pick a match blindfolded and come away with something great.

 

2) Thanks. I'm not completely familiar with all of the guys on my new roster and even the guys I know well I have to do a little digging to figure out what they were like in '85 specifically. If I find something interesting while reading bout guys or watching footage, I try to throw it in to my match re-caps to flesh out the names on the roster. I don't wanna overdo it, but I figure some background info might help make things more interesting. Nice to know it's appreciated

 

3) Definitely agree. I feel like the guys participating in this project have captured the spirit of 1980s wrestling really well, and where we differ from reality (like more clean finishes, more big matches on TV, more modern booking ideas like 4-way matches) it's generally an improvement.

 

 

Got a real kick out of the name of the battle royal: "Get Everyone a Paycheque Memorial Battle Royal"

 

 

American Dream Team? Love it.

 

 

 

 

Also nice to know my little jokes are appreciated. Thanks, Grimmas and SirE!

 

Tenyru is an excellent choice as champion.

 

Thanks! I really feel like I have at least ten guys who would make totally legitimate champs on that roster: Baba, Inoki, Maeda, Choshu, Tenryu, Tsuruta, Sayama, Fujinami, Fujiwara, and Adonis... plus another half-dozen guys where putting the strap on them would not be ridiculous.

 

But, when I had to decide who I would book as champ if I were really in that position, Tenryu was my first choice. I'm glad you agree.

[gordi]

JWA Revival Debut House Show – April 9, Hekinan, Aichi, Seaside Gym

 

Hekinan is a small port city with a huge thermo-electric generating plant. A lot of our fans there work making auto parts for Toyota, or in the ceramic roofing tiles industry. The crowd was pretty good for a smaller show, almost 3000 people. We ate barbequed eel rice bowls and rich brown hatcho miso soup while we were there.

I usually provide write-ups for the big shows, but I thought some of you might be interested in seeing what a typical house show looks like under Shohei Baba’s direction (and my booking). Lots of multi-man tags, basically:

 

Kazuo Yamazaki vs Tatsutoshi Goto

A short stiff brawl to start things off. Yamazaki gets the win with a German.

 

Shinya Hashimoto, Keiji Mutoh, and Masa Chono vs Shinichi Nakano, Shunji Takano, and Hirokazu Hata

Continuing to showcase our Young Lions. Hash pins Hata after a Vertical Drop DDT.

 

Anoaro Atisanoe, Black Tiger, and Isamu “Carpenter” Teranishi vs The Cobra, Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Naoki Sano

Atisanoe gets to act as a base for the smaller guys to fly around then gets the win with a Samoan Drop on Sano.

 

Keiichi Yamada and Shunji Kosugi vs Los Guerreros del Universo (Black Terry and Babe Face)

Yamada gets to shine but his team takes the loss to put our Mexican visitors over.

 

Yoshiaki Yatsu, Ashura Hara, and Takashi “Onomi” Ishikawa vs Bam Bam Bigelow, Siva Afi, and Phil Hickerson

Clubbering time! Bigelow’s push continues as he puts Onomi out with the Nuclear Splash.

 

***BREAK***

 

Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Seiji Sakaguchi, and Masakatsu Funaki vs Tiger Mask Sayama, Tiger Mask Misawa, and Nobuhiko Takada

Probably the best match on the show. Semi Shoot Style with lots of stiff strikes and technical mat work. Sayama gets the win with a Cross Face Chicken Wing on Funaki. They'll have a re-match on the next show and Fujiwara will tap Misawa out with a heel hook.

 

Tatsumi Fujinami, Kengo Kimura, Dos Caras, and Sting vs Adrian Adonis, Dick Murdoch, Greg Valentine, and Brutus Beefcake

Adrian Adonis puts Sting to sleep with Goodnight Irene after a long back and forth battle.

 

Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu, Akira Maeda,and Yoji Anjo

Our house show booking philosophy basically involves putting at least one mid-carder in a team with big stars in the Main Event. It is a bit predictable, but it lets us have our big names face off without needing to take an L. Obviously, Anjo eats the fall in this one.

[SirEdger]

Great card again. Can't imagine how much experience Sting just picked up in that one 8-men tag with all the big names involved in it!

[Boon]

One of favourite parts of any booking project is when the Japanese promotion get involved, it's just so different to everything and just educating for someone who knows very little.

[gordi]

Can't imagine how much experience Sting just picked up in that one 8-men tag with all the big names involved in it!

 

 

Needless to say he got his stuff in, looked great, and the bad guys had to cheat to put him down.

[kevinmcfl]

Love reading the background stories that you add. I learn a lot of wrestling in Japan at this time and to tell you the truth, it helps me tremendously.

[gordi]

One of favourite parts of any booking project is when the Japanese promotion get involved, it's just so different to everything and just educating for someone who knows very little.

 

 

Love reading the background stories that you add. I learn a lot of wrestling in Japan at this time and to tell you the truth, it helps me tremendously.

 

I'm pleased to hear that. I'll keep throwing in little bits of extra info and encourage you all to check out some 80s and 90s AJPW, NJPW, and UWFi on youtube.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Q_fS1OCTg

 

 

[gordi]