Your Introduction To Puroresu

[Deathstroke]

Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Who am I kidding? I mean gentlemen. In this thread I'll be explaining the basics of puroresu aka Japanese wrestling in an attempt to educate those who are new to puroresu so they can get into it easily, know which events to purchase first and enjoy Japanese wrestling to the fullest. If you ever have something specific you'd like to see addressed or have a question, send me a PM.

Basics of Puroresu

Puroresu is one of the purest forms of professional wrestling, and while it does have storylines, unlike the WWE, they aren't the main part of the show, instead the wrestling is. Very rarely do we see deep storylines involving the wrestlers. There are feuds between factions, there are rivalries between wrestlers and there are interviews although they're much more polite and laid-back. Interviews are generally done at press conferences as the Japanese media actually covers professional wrestling. Being that these interviews don't take up the majority of show time, that means an ordinary show for them is made up almost entirely of wrestling.

Another difference in puroresu is it's unique touring system. It is well known that wrestlers in the WWE tour year round and non-televised house shows are redone. In Japan, non-televised house shows always have a different card. Over the course of a tour, wrestlers do not wrestle the same handful of people in different combinations; between singles bouts and tag team matches it is very common for any one wrestler to have wrestled well over half the rostor in a single tour. They also have TV tapings at major shows to record footage to be aired during their rest period, which in turn keeps them healthier. In North America, wrestlers on the independent scene only work a handful of shows per month and the top US independent federations share their talent whereas Japanese independent federations, for the most part, have their own consistent rostors.

Then you have the difference in the fans. Although they are treated to hot matches like fans all over the world, for the most part, they are incredibly quiet. Don't mistake this as boredom but rather take it as a sign of respect for the workers and attention for what the story they're telling in the ring. It is this show of respect and this attentiveness which helps wrestlers to tell a very special story in the ring with different transition and often compelling depth. An average Japanese audience is almost guaranteed to respect a top-notch performance where North American audiences often treat a good performance with cynism.

Now let's talk gimmicks and pushes. In Japan it is not common for a wrestler to rely on a gimmick but rather a persona that is developed over the years. There is alot of continuity as a wrestler will generally follow a persona from the time they debut until the day they retire whereas in North America, one can radically change over night by switching to an entirely new gimmick. As for pushes. A push can be long and sustained unlike the nowhere to main event push over night as seen many times in the WWE. In Japan, it's rare for a young wrestler to be pushed into the main event within 3-5 years even when they have been in the Japanese mainstream wrestling scene that entire time.

Puroresu Federations

The big four are currently NJPW, Pro Wrestling NOAH, AJPW and Zero-One (or whatever Zero-1MAX is calling themselves these days lol). Japan has many different federations from the most obscure independent garbage feds to the so-called lucharesu feds to ones that are household names. I'll be talking primarily about the big four as they are the ones with the most important cards and significant angles.

New Japan: Currently the leader among the big four promotions, it is comfortably ahead of the rest by wide margin in having the best TV timeslots, the most financial backing and arguably the deepest rostor of talent. They use the most traditional form of Japanese wrestling which is "Strong Style" which focuses on realism and incorporates elements of shoot style martial arts. It was founded by legendary Antonio Inoki. There are two seperate brands, although unlike the WWE, they are merely seperate shows. LOCK UP caters to fans of puro strong style wrestling while WRESTLELAND is for fans of the entertainment side of the sport.

All Japan: For years they were the largest Japanese promotion and the top rival of New Japan but are now a distant third in importance. Their style is called "King's Road" which was formed by their founder the late Giant Baba and uses strong story telling and match progression. All of the rostor, bar two wrestlers, left in 2000 to form NOAH. Since then, they have been struggling to survive and bring in a plethora of outside wrestlers to fill the gaps. All Japan is now a fraction of what it once was.

NOAH: Formed in 2000 by Mitsuharu Misawa they are considerably more traditional and are a contiuation of what All Japan was doing prior to Giant Baba's death. NOAH is an attempt to continue what All Japan was doing only with better booking, an exciting junior heavyweight division and less restrictions from Motoko Baba who is the widow of Giant Baba who took over All Japan after his death. They're significantly behind New Japan.

ZERO-1 MAX: A strange promotion of rejects from such Japanese wrestling federations such as All Japan, New Japan, FMW, Big Japan, M-Pro, etc with a few random gaijins (foreign wrestlers) thrown in for good measure. Their style is difficult to define. I guess there is something for everyone in ZERO-ONE from the exciting fast-paced juniors, garbage brawling, mediocre heavyweights and some shoot-style MMA influenced fighting all combined. This was founded by the late Shinya Hashimoto and I believe is currently run by Shinjiro Ohtani as well as several neglected castaways from various other feds.

Later I give match recommendations aswell as places to go for all your puroresu news and all your puroresu tape needs.

[britishbulld0g]

Nice thread idea, should probably be a sticky.

I've never really seen much wrestling from Japan besides what's on the Benoit DVD, and a couple of Super J Cup VHS tapes that I borrowed from a co-worker one time.

I've got quite a bit of free time on my hands at the moment, so I'll be doing some youtube/dailymotion searches this weekend.

Oh, and did I say sticky?

[Deathstroke]

Puroresu news websites

New Japan news: http://www.puroresufan.com

All Japan news: http://ajpw.puroresufan.com

NOAH news: http://noah.puroresufan.com

ZERO-1 MAX news: http://www.zerooneusa.com/

Recommended viewing for the puro newbie

Super J Cup 94 & 95: Just two brilliant tournaments especially 94 and the first shows puroresu newbies should buy in my opinion.

http://www.highspots.com/product.asp?id=11617
http://www.highspots.com/product.asp?id=11688

Dreamslam 1 & 2: I urge everyone to get ahold of these shows. Perhaps the best two top to bottom women's wrestling shows ever.

http://www.goldenboytapes.com/tapeb-019.html
http://www.goldenboytapes.com/tapeb-020.html

Best of Japan 1990's: Runs 36 Hours long, and contains almost seventy matches from the 90's all rated at ****1/2 or above! Japanese wrestling at it's hottest in the 90's and every must-see match from then it on this compilation.

http://www.goldenboytapes.com/tape90.html

Where to purchase puroresu

http://www.goldenboytapes.com
http://www.highspots.com
http://www.purodvdsource.com

My recommendation for a tape dealer is as follows:

Jeff Lynch: jlynch@telerama.com

[Natural Emperor]

GREAT post!

[Exist 2 Inspire]

Great thread, Snitsky!

[Chuck Norris]

Dragon Gate is also one of the up and coming puro feds. They have had extensive interaction of talent with Ring of Honor in the past year. Hopefully the interaction between NOAH, Dragon Gate, and ROH continues for a long time to come.

[Deathstroke]

Dragon Gate is also one of the up and coming puro feds. They have had extensive interaction of talent with Ring of Honor in the past year. Hopefully the interaction between NOAH, Dragon Gate, and ROH continues for a long time to come.

I enjoyed Dragon Gate the most last year, next to BIG MOUTH LOUD. I plan to give a run down of the independent scene for those interested later on. I still have a few parts to add in the near future.

[i_against_i]

ivpvideos.com is also a great site. Very cheap prices and a great selection. Lots of good custom compilations too. Highly recommended.

[Deathstroke]

What the hell, let's do it now.

The Main Indy Scene

BIG MOUTH LOUD: A small worked shoot-style and now possibly defunct (Boo) promotion. Every show they've put on is worth checking out and from what I understand, there is a ton of Shibata matchs on youtube.
http://bml.puroresufan.com/

Dragon Gate: A great independent federation that focuses on high flying wrestling. Dragon Gate originally called Toryumon has been around for nearly a decade, and great wrestlers who've been there since the beginning have been churning out top-notch matches and contributing to the most innovative junior heavyweight promotion worldwide. http://dgusa.puroresufan.com/

Michinoku Pro: Much like Dragon Gate although not as good.

Osaka Pro: An independent promotion that offers a mix of garbage brawling, worked shoots, lucharesu and comedy matches.

DDT: Much like Osaka Pro, worth checking out.

K-DOJO: This is Taka Michinoku's promotion and it's a good up and coming one. One thing that seperates K-DOJO from the rest is that it is one of the few inter-gender wrestling promotions. Women wrestle in the same ring as men either in mixed tag team matches or in single bouts and can challenge for any title.

[Deathstroke]

ivpvideos.com is also a great site. Very cheap prices and a great selection. Lots of good custom compilations too. Highly recommended.

Thanks man. I haven't bought from him before, but I've of the site. I'll have to peep some of those custom compilations.

[Deathstroke]

I'm all for making this a sticky. I plan to add more useful stuff to it soon.

[britishbulld0g]

Since I've decided to try and catch up on some of the Japanese wrestling that I've missed over the last X number of years, I thought I'd make a couple of posts to make watching stuff in order, a little easier.

So for those of you who want to watch the Super J Cup 94 but for some reason can't get access to the vids, I thought I'd spare you the time of searching for the individual matches.

The list is far from complete but I searched at youtube/dailymotion/google video/myspace....and couldn't find the missing matches.

So if anyone knows where to find them, PM the link so I can edit the post to complete the list. Anyone who finds the link will be credited in the post, and of course you'll get reps in exchange

First round

Dean Malenko vs Gedo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjB3SnaseRc

Shinjiro Ohtani vs vs Super Delfin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C56V1ASIZnA

Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero) vs TAKA Michinoku: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgINOke3QX4

Masayoshi Motegi vs El Samurai: Couldn't find it. Highlight the following to see the winner: Masayoshi Motegi

Ricky Fuji vs Negro Casas: Couldn't find this one either, but after reading a few reviews you aren't missing out on too much. Highlight the following for the winner: Ricky Fuji

Hayabusa vs Jushin Liger: http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/s...vs-hayabusa-19

Quarter Finals

Gedo vs Super Delfin: Highlight the following for the winner - Gedo

Black Tiger vs Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) : http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/s...s-chris-benoit

El Samurai vs Great Sasuke: Highlight the following for the winner - Great Sasuke

Ricky Fuji vs Jushin Liger: Highlight the following for the winner - Jushin Liger

Semi Finals

Gedo vs Wild Pegasus: Highlight the following for the winner - Wild Pegasus

The Great Sasuke vs Jushin Liger: http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/s...t-sasuke-41694

The Final

Wild Pegasus vs The Great Sasuke: http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/s...-jcup-94-final

[britishbulld0g]

Ok this is the same deal as with the 94 tournament. I'll get the ball rolling by posting up the vids of the matches that I can find.

And if you happen to come across any of the missing matches, PM me the link and I'll edit it into the post. Again, you'll get reps in exchange.

First Round

Gran Naniwa vs Damien 666: Highlight for result: Gran Naniwa

Masaaki Mochizuki vs Shinjiro Ohtani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re6aPX3jKJE

Shoichi Funaki vs Ultimo Dragon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlWP_2esDqE

Gedo vs Masayoshi Motegi: Couldn't find. Highlight the following for the winner: Gedo

Dos Caras vs El Samurai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsMKqW3ph38

Hanzo Nakajima vs Lionheart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf0DFlhpqB8

Quarter Finals

Gran Naniwa vs Jushin Liger: http://video.google.co.uk/url?docid=...YAPH8XdXsCkcCg

Shinjiro Ohtani vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkswmkVv7no
Shinjiro Ohtani vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUty3Pa6b2g

(credit goes to Snitsky for finding this match ^. Reps after I spread some around first)

Gedo vs Dos Caras: http://video.google.co.uk/url?docid=...PL8QxSuNJeJs8w

Lionheart vs Wild Pegasus Part 1: http://video.google.co.uk/url?docid=...nROeNto26PnlWQ
Part 2: http://video.google.co.uk/url?docid=...4GVwMtxtoNa9Xg


Semi Finals

Jushin Liger vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDzCZteNcDg
Jushin Liger vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri03k...elated&search=

Gedo vs Wild Pegasus - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri03k...elated&search=
Gedo vs Wild Pegasus - Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhhSKL_T8hQ

The Final

Jushin Liger vs Gedo - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcuYt1UAn_I
Jushin Liger vs Gedo - Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyf_Z1FbER0

[Deathstroke]

If you're still fairly new to Japanese wrestling but have already watched NJPW Super J Cup 94 and WAR Super J Cup 95, which thanks to britishbulld0g (nice job btw) you may have watched some of it, this is the next show to watch:

NJPW J Crown Tournament 96

This show is not as highly regarded as the first two, but for historical significance it is an absolute must.

Here's the story: All eight wrestlers were champions going into the tournament, however they each put their belt on the line meaning the winner walked away with all 8 championship belts.

[lanceippolito_delete011408]

this thread should be a sticky, when i get bored im gona watch all those matches

[britishbulld0g]

Shinjiro Ohtani vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkswmkVv7no
Shinjiro Ohtani vs Ultimo Dragon - Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUty3Pa6b2g

(credit goes to Snitsky for finding this match ^. Reps after I spread some around first)

wow STRONG lack of selling at one point in this match

Undertaker would be maaaaaaddd.

[Deathstroke]

wow STRONG lack of selling at one point in this match

Undertaker would be maaaaaaddd.

Ah yes, the infamous no-sell tombstone spot. Many tombstones and each man no-sells them all. I'll tell you what though, crowd loves it and you can feel the heat rising in the building haha.

[britishbulld0g]

Ah yes, the infamous no-sell tombstone spot. Many tombstones and each man no-sells them all. I'll tell you what though, crowd loves it and you can feel the heat rising in the building haha.

Yea, that's definitely one of the better matches of the 95 tournament so far. Pity the finish didn't go completely to plan, but it was enjoyable nontheless.

[lanceippolito_delete011408]

bumpin this great thread. Lion heard vs wild pegesus is awsome. BTW does any1 kno how milano colection AT is doing? last time i saw him was at a indy show in florida last year and i thought he was a great talent

[britishbulld0g]

BTW does any1 kno how milano colection AT is doing? last time i saw him was at a indy show in florida last year and i thought he was a great talent

To be honest I'd never heard of him until you posted but I checked obsessedwithwrestling.com and apparently in 2006 he had an operation to remove a tumor from behind his eyelid.

I did find this match from August 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjv7k7HBLrs

It's basically just a highlight reel, but there's some nice spots in there.

[lanceippolito_delete011408]

To be honest I'd never heard of him until you posted but I checked obsessedwithwrestling.com and apparently in 2006 he had an operation to remove a tumor from behind his eyelid.

I did find this match from August 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjv7k7HBLrs

It's basically just a highlight reel, but there's some nice spots in there.

last time i saw him was at the jeff peterson memerial cup (indy show) in FL. His gimmick with his invisible dog is hilarous

[britishbulld0g]

last time i saw him was at the jeff peterson memerial cup (indy show) in FL. His gimmick with his invisible dog is hilarous

LMAO

[Deathstroke]

Well, now that two stickies have been removed, perhaps we have space for another.

[britishbulld0g]

Well, now that two stickies have been removed, perhaps we have space for another.

bump to that.

Maybe try PM'ing BPP...he sometimes comes into the WWE section.

[BPP]

stuck-ied

[Lion Heart]

I think the write up I did a couple months back should be added to this as well.

[britishbulld0g]

I think the write up I did a couple months back should be added to this as well.

Agreed

Flair vs Jumbo. One of their better matches although not their best (I vote for the one they had a year later which was a 60 minute draw although only about 40 minutes were shown, maybe the 4/85 one is ahead of this as well). This is not the one where Flair claimed that Jumbo was going to double cross him so he brought Harley Race along (which by the way, was one of the lowest moment in the Flair book and something which Harley himself said Jumbo would never do). Anyway, at the very least it's interesting to see two icon go at it in their prime (although Jumbo had a pretty varied "prime"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho4YLLogQfE


Eight years later, on June 1990, Jumbo, still a great worker and in some ways older and better, in one of the most important matches in wrestling history where he meets Mitsuharu Misawa, unmasked, for the first time one on one and instantly makes Misawa a main player who anchors AJPW for rest of the decade. Their rematch 3 months later is better but I think I saw only the highlights listed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZEZBQYEd3Q

This is from the J Crown tournament in 1996, arguably my favorite Ultimo match (the toruney where Ultimo ended up with all the titles he showed up with in WCW). Ohtani was such a great prick, they met a year earlier at the Super J Cup 1995 and they play a little bit off that match

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOj9LSH9VRY

Well actually it's an unmasked Liger, Keichii Yamada from 1987. They might've met before in Stampede and they've wrestled numerous times since this (with the best being their 4/91 match from Best of the Super Jr tourney) but this is Owen's first tour of Japan I believe. He was pretty ****ing good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzsy4uDFNr0

speaking of their BoSJ match, pretty sure this is Owen and Liger/Yamada's last match as singles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hyxAu8P9yk

[Lion Heart]

It was actually a different one, but I'm glad you brought that other stuff up too as there are some good matches there.

[Deathstroke]

Thanks for sticking this BPP. I gotta say, this is one of the better decisions you've made in this section.

Lion Heart, if you have anything that could help people get into puroresu more easily then feel free to add it here.

[snoopy2046]

Thanks man. I haven't bought from him before, but I've of the site. I'll have to peep some of those custom compilations.

He/she/they have an ebay store as well. I always have something in the "watch list" but I am always hoping to see more Joshi there.