In Japan, one of our traditions, the "Bon" (sometimes called "O-bon"), is held to pray and celebrate for the repose of the souls of our ancestors in mid-August. It's one of the biggest traditional events during the year, along with New Years Day. A lot of companies offer their workers time off by closing their offices. Urban residents take advantage of the holidays to return to their hometowns and participate in "Bon." The beginning and end of the "Bon" holidays are marked long traffic jams of people leaving and returning to their urban residences. During "Bon," deceased family members are believed to revisit the homestead to be reunited with their family. To guide the souls back, a small fire is lit outside the house. This is called the "Mukae-bi" (welcoming flame). The house is cleaned, and fruits and vegetables are offered at family altars. When "Bon" ends, the spirits are sent off with another fire, called "Okuri-bi" (sending-off flame). Small lanterns are released down rivers or into the sea. This week's View From The Rising Sun (No. 88) thinks of the bygone days in Puroresu in this season.
Rikidozan beat Lou Thesz to win the International Heavyweight title at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Rikidozan carried the irresistible Puroresu boom all over Japan in those days.
International Heavyweight title match
Rikidozan beat Lou Thesz (2-1)
Rikidozan, 39, was stabbed by "yakuza" (Japanese Mafia) in a nightclub in Akasaka, Tokyo on December 8, 1963, and he died one week later. Japanese Puroresu had still enjoyed huge success with Shohei "Giant" Baba, Kanji "Antonio" Inoki, Kintaro Ohki (Kim ILL), Seiji Sakaguchi, etc., in the 1960's - 1970's.
"Pro Wrestling Dream All-Star Match," which was organized by the Tokyo Sports newspaper, took place with New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and IWE (International Wrestling Enterprise) at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. It was the one and only men's all-star show and an epoch-making event in Puroresu history.
Pro Wrestling Dream All-Star Match
(1) 19-Man Battle Royal: Ichimasa Wakamatsu (IWE), Masahiko Takasugi (IWE), Tsutomu Yonemura (IWE), Hiroyuki Saito (NJ), Munenori Higo (AJ), Junji Hirata (NJ), Devil Murasaki (IWE), Akira Maeda (NJ), Masanobu Fuchi (AJ), Kazuharu Sonoda (AJ), Mitsuo Momota (AJ), George Takano (NJ), Masao Ito (All Japan), Mr. Hayashi (AJ), Kuniaki Kobayashi (NJ), Katsuji Kai (NJ), Goro Tsurumi (IWE), and Kotetsu Yamamoto (NJ) beat Atsushi Onita to win the battle royal (12:14)
(2) Makoto Arakawa (NJ) beat Snake Amami (IWE) (8:26)
(3) Kantaro Hoshino (NJ) & Mighty Inoue (IWE) beat Osamu Kido (NJ) & Takashi Ishikawa (AJ) (12:32 Hoshino beat Kido)
(4) Kengo Kimura (NJ), Akio Sato (AJ), & Ashura Hara (IWE) beat Haruka Eigen (NJ), Isamu Teranishi (IWE), & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (NJ) (16:22 Hara beat Teranishi)
(5) Riki Choshu (NJ) & Animal Hamaguchi (IWE) beat Great Kojika (AJ) & Motoji Ohkuma (AJ) (11:08 disqualification)
(6) Seiji Sakaguchi (NJ) beat Rocky Hata (AJ) (6:34)
(7) Jumbo Tsuruta (AJ), Tatsumi Fujinami (NJ), & Mil Mascaras (AJ) beat Masa Saito (NJ), Tiger Toguchi (AJ), & Akihisa Takachiho (AJ) (The Great Kabuki) (14:56 Mascaras beat Saito)
(8) Rusher Kimura beat Strong Kobayashi (12:04 countout)
(9) Giant Baba & Antonio Inoki beat Abdullah the Butcher & Tiger Jeet Singh (13:03 Inoki beat Singh)
Terry Funk had his "first" retirement match at the Kuramae Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) in Tokyo. Jumbo Tsuruta beat Bruiser Brody to win the International Heavyweight title, which was a symbol of the top Japanese stars since Rikidozan. It was a symbolic passing of the torch to Tsuruta.
Terry Funk's Retirement match
Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk beat Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (12:35 Terry beat Gordy)
International Heavyweight title match
Jumbo Tsuruta beat Bruiser Brody (21:33 countout)---Tsuruta became the 14th champion
Terry has wrestled in five decades, and he is still running wild now. Tsuruta had fought a long battle with hepatitis since 1992, which prematurely ended his wrestling career. At 49, he passed away in Manila in the Philippines on May 13, 2000. He had 3,329 matches over 26 years.
Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) debuted at the Den-en Coliseum in Tokyo.
Special Singles Match
Tiger Mask beat La Fiera (9:37 Tiger Suplex '84)
Misawa became the top Japanese star in All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s. He left All Japan Pro Wrestling in the middle of June 2000, and his Pro Wrestling NOAH made its debut at Differ Ariake in Tokyo on August 5, 2000.
Bruiser Brody died after being stabbed by The Invader #1 (Jose Gonzales) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 16, 1988. All Japan Pro Wrestling held the first annual "Bruiser Brody Memorial Night" at the Nippon Budokan. Brody's wife, Barbara, and son, Jeffrey, were invited to the show.
Special Singles match
Stan Hansen beat Abdullah the Butcher (10:39 disqualification)
World Tag Team title match
Gen-ichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara beat Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (29:51 Tenryu beat Tsuruta)---Tenryu & Hara became the fourth champions
All Japan Pro Wrestling had held "Memorial Night" until 1994; however, they won't have it anymore. Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk brought the late Bruiser Brody's black jersey and boots in FMW's 10th Anniversary Show at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa on November 23, 1999. Stan Hansen started his 27th year as a professional wrestler on January 1, 2000 and became one of a few present "four decades" wrestlers.
About two weeks before Bruiser Brody was killed, they planned "Bruiser Brody vs. Cactus Jack" at Dom DeNucci's show at the Coliseum in Athens, Ohio, but they switched matches. Cactus was a 23-year-old green boy and had no choice in those days, so he had to face Tony Atlas. Cactus' wrestling school classmate, Dr. Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand) managed Johnny Valiant against Brody, and Brody gave Brian's face the boot! Brody vs. Cactus never came true, but there is no doubt that Cactus inherited Brody's spirit.
"King of the Death Matches," an eight-man one-night Death Match Tournament, was held at the Kawasaki Baseball Stadium in Kanagawa. Cactus Jack won the tournament with 15 stitches to his forehead, ear, and hand, and a bad burn to his arm.
King of the Death Matches Tournament
(13) No Rope Scramble Bunkhouse Super Barbed Wired Weapon With A Time Bomb Death Match: Cactus Jack beat Terry Funk (13:21)
(12) NWA World Heavyweight title match: Dan Severn beat Tarzan Goto (11:35 Referee's stop)
(11) IWA World Tag Team title match: The Head Hunters A & B beat Los Cowboys (Silver King & El Texano) (17:49 A beat Texano)
(10) 2 Barbed Wire Boards/2 Nails Boards Death match: Cactus Jack beat Shoji Nakamaki (9:49)
(9) Barbed Wire Board/Glass Window Death match: Terry Funk beat Tiger Jeet Singh (6:04)
(8) Iceman (Ricky Santana) beat Kamikaze (Shoichi Maruyama) (9:45)
(7) WWA World Light Heavyweight title match: Takashi Okano (The W*inger) beat Flyingkid Ichihara (17:01)
(6) Barbed Wired Baseball Bat/30,000 Thumbtacks Death match: Shoji Nakamaki beat Hiroshi Ono (7:19)
(5) Barbed Wired Baseball Bat/30,000 thumbtacks death match: Cactus Jack beat Terry Gordy (6:58)
(4) Barbed Wire Board/Chain Death match: Terry Funk beat Leather Face (Ricky Patterson) (8:54)
(3) Barbed Wire Board/Chain Death match: Tiger Jeet Singh beat Mr. Gannosuke (7:11)
(2) Kiyoko Ichiki beat Emi Motokawa (10:24)
(1) Keisuke Yamada (Black Buffalo) & Keizo Matsuda beat Yoshihiro Tajiri & Taisuke Tagami (11:44 Yamada beat Tajiri)
Kawasaki Baseball Stadium was closed on March 31, 2000, and it was pulled down in April.
"Plum" Mariko Umeda of JWP passed away due to the brain injury that she suffered on previous day. Her death was the first time a wrestler died from an accident in the ring in Japan. Unfortunately, JWP is in financial difficulties in 2000, but we can never forget about her.
Memories keep the one we respected and loved close to us in spirit and thought and always in our heart, today and forever. Mid-August is such a time in Japan. To guide the souls back, a small fire is lit outside the house.
Please address all questions and comments about Japanese wrestling to Masanori at
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