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J-1 World Heavyweight Championship
Wrestle Association R (formerly known as Wrestle and Romance and abbreviated as WAR) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion initially established as Wrestle and Romance in 1992, had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were either freelance or employed in other promotions. Because of this WAR ran many all-star cards. It had inter-promotional feuds against New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, the new Tokyo Pro Wrestling, and UWF International. WAR also continued, albeit in a loose fashion, SWS's old working agreement with the World Wrestling Federation, when they backed the WWF's first Japanese tour, in 1994. On July 28, 1995, WAR was renamed "Wrestle Association R" at a show held in the Korakuen Hall. In 1998, WAR cancelled contracts to the roster and began running fewer and fewer events due ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puroresu
is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's activities in the online Usenet community. Growing out of origins in the traditional US style of wrestling, it has become an entity in itself. Japanese pro wrestling is distinct in its psychology and presentation of the sport. It is treated as a legitimate fight, with fewer theatrics; the stories told in Japanese matches are about a fighter's spirit and perseverance. In strong style, the style most typically associated with puroresu, full contact martial arts strikes and shoot submission holds are implemented. Overview Despite some similarities to the popular style of professional wrestling in the United States, Japanese wrestling is known for many differences from the Western style. ''Puroresu'' is known for its "''fighting spirit''" ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruiserweight (professional Wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler who competes in a Cruiserweight division. The term was first coined in United States in 1996 by World Championship Wrestling. Prior to this, the terms "Light Heavyweight" and "Junior Heavyweight" were more commonly in use. The older term junior heavyweight is still favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles. Prominent titles include New Japan Pro-Wrestling's IWGP, Pro Wrestling Noah's GHC, and All Japan Pro Wrestling's World championships. The weight limit used by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Japanese promotions is "up to 225 lbs" (100 kg), while WWE currently uses 205 lb (93 kg) as its weight limit. Due to the scripted nature of professional wrestling and that the billed weight of wrestlers can be changed, weight classes usually are not strictly enforced as they are in professional boxing and mixed martial arts. New Japan and Noah also hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the Japanese promotion Wrestle Association R, and later Dragon Gate and Tenryu Project. This title was the first tag team championship in Japan dedicated to junior heavyweight wrestlers. There have been twenty-two reigns (including one unrecognized) shared among twenty-one teams and thirty-three individuals. The current champions are Kenichiro Arai and Rey Paloma. Title history The title was created in Wrestle Association R (WAR) on February 23, 1996, when Fuyuki-gun (Gedo and Lionheart) defeated Lance Storm and Yuji Yasuraoka in a tournament final. It was deemed inactive in 2000 when WAR folded, and was later revived by Dragon Gate on August 8, 2006. The I-J belts would be unified with the new Dragon Gate Open the Twin Gate Championship, a tag title made specifically for Dragon Gate, on October 12, 2007. In September 2010, the championship was reactivated by Tenryu Project. Reigns Combined reigns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Tenryu Project. The title was established in 1995 in Wrestle Association R (WAR). There have been a total of 24 reigns shared between 17 different champions and two vacancies. The current champion is Hikaru Sato who is in his first reign. Title history Inaugural championship tournament On March 26, 1995, an eight-man single elimination tournament was held on the second day of the Wrestle Association R (WAR) event Battle Angel. The tournament saw Gedo defeat Lionheart in the finals to become the inaugural champion. The title was part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's short-lived J-Crown Championship in 1996 and 1997. In late 2006, the title briefly moved to Dragon Gate where Masaaki Mochizuki beat Gedo in a decision match on January 26, 2007 to determine the final champion, and then retired the title. Revivals The title was revived in April 2010, for Genichiro Tenryu's T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWGP tournament. It was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on March 4, 2021 to form the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The championship was represented by four different belts from 1987 to 2021. The fourth and last generation belt was introduced in March 2008. The title formed what was unofficially called the along with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and the NEVER Openweight Championship. Title history An early version of this championship was introduced in 1983 for the winner ( Hulk Hogan) of the IWGP League 1983. Since then, the championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year. A new IWGP Heavyweight Championship arrived only in 1987, replacing the old version. The 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Weekly'' website in 2008, becoming ''Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online''. Issues are offered in print and digital. The newsletter is often considered the first "dirt sheet", which is a wrestling publication which covers the art from a real-life perspective. History The beginnings of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' date back to 1980, when Meltzer began an annual poll amongst those with whom he corresponded regarding professional wrestling. According to Meltzer, he was just a fan at first. A short time later, he began maintaining a tape-trading list, and would occasionally send match results and news updates along with tape updates. Meltzer stated that he wanted to keep his friends in college "in the loop" for his tape trading as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 million residents ; the city proper has a population of 13.99 million people. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the prefecture forms part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and is the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. Originally a fishing village named Edo, the city became politically prominent in 1603, when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over one million people. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo" (). Tokyo was devastate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JWA Japanese Heavyweight Championship
The Japanese Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship defended in the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance. The championship belt was later used by WAR for their J-1 Heavyweight Championship, held by Genichiro Tenryu. Title history See also * Professional wrestling in Japan * List of professional wrestling promotions in Japan This is a list of professional wrestling promotions in Japan which includes both national and independent puroresu and joshi companies from the post-World War II period up to the present day. Major promotions Puroresu Joshi Independent promo ... References {{reflist, 2 External links Japanese Heavyweight Title at wrestling-titles.com Heavyweight wrestling championships National professional wrestling championships ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Championship Belt
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other sports. There are several companies in the business of constructing championship belts. Early history The first belt given as a prize for accomplishments within the ring was presented in 1810 by King George III to bare-knuckle boxer Tom Cribb, after he defeated Tom Molineaux, an American former slave. Boxing In boxing, the individual organizations such as the World Boxing Council, the World Boxing Association, the International Boxing Federation, and the World Boxing Organization each have their own unique championship belt that are awarded to the champions of each weight class. Boxers strive to win the belt of all four organizations to unify their weight divisions. '' The Ring'' also created a championship system that is "intended to re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rikidōzan
(born Kim Sin-rak; ; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (), was a Korean-born Japanese wrestler who competed in sumo and professional wrestling. He was known as The Father of Puroresu, and one of the most influential persons in professional wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a ''rikishi'' (sumo wrestler). He was credited with bringing the sport of professional wrestling to Japan at a time when the Japanese needed a local hero to emulate and was lauded as a national hero. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017, becoming the first Korean inductee and the third puroresu star to be inducted after Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. He was killed in a street fight with a member of the Sumiyoshi-ikka in 1963. Biography Early years Rikidōzan was born Kim Sin-rak in Kankyō-nan, Chōsen (now South Hamgyong, North Korea), on November 14, 1924. He was the youngest son of Kim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance
The was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. History JWA under Rikidōzan (1953–1963) Rikidōzan, a former ''rikishi'' (sumo wrestling practitioner) who had debuted as a Western-style professional wrestler in 1951, decided in 1953 to establish a territory that would represent the National Wrestling Alliance in Japan. In those early days, Japanese professional wrestlers came from out of the sumo or judo ranks; former sumotori usually used their shikona (Rikidōzan, Azumafuji, Toyonobori, etc.) while former judokas usually used their real names or modifications of them ( Masahiko Kimura, Michiaki Yoshimura, etc.) Rikidōzan pushed himself as the top star of the promotion, first battling other Japanese wrestlers such as Kimura and Toshio Yamaguchi, but found a strong niche in feuds with American wrestlers such as Lou Thesz, The Destroyer and Bobo Brazil. In 1957 he defeated Thesz to win the title that would be the JWA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenryu Project
is an independent Japanese professional wrestling promotion. The promotion was founded by and is owned by puroresu legend Genichiro Tenryu, who has owned and operated it since its creation in 2010. The Tenryu project is the successor to Tenryu's WAR promotion that ran from 1992 until 2000 as well as Tenryu's Super World of Sports (SWS) that existed from 1990 until 1992. The Tenryu project have very few wrestlers under full-time contract and acts as a booking office for those under contract. For their shows they work with other Japanese wrestling promotions or hire freelance wrestlers to compete. After Tenryu's in-ring retirement match, Tenryu Project stopped running shows. After 5 years since Tenryu's retirement, a special Anniversary show was held in 2020 titled "Kakumei Densho". Tenryu Project was re-esthablished with a tour in 2021 titled "Survive the Revolution". Roster Notable guests/alumni *Genichiro Tenryu *Kengo Mashimo * Kuuga *Mitsunobu Kikuzawa *Nosawa Rongai *Ryuich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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