Since the 1950's, thousands of foreign wrestlers have come to Japan to work for Japanese Puroresu (pro wrestling) offices. The Japanese word "gaijin" means "foreigner." We call wrestlers from foreign countries "gaijin wrestlers" in Japan. Not every gaijin wrestler succeeds. Only limited gaijin can get over in Japan. They have to break barriers of language, lifestyle, human relations, and wrestling style. This week's View From The Rising Sun (No. 90) will look at three guys who have special thoughts for Japan and Puroresu.
Stan Hansen has had his 128th Japan tour from August 20 to September 2, 2000. He is still the most popular gaijin in Japan, and his autobiography will be out in Japan in October.
Hansen came to Japan for the first time from September 26 to October 30, 1975, with Abdullah the Butcher, Ox Baker, Prince Pullin, Bobby Jaggers, and Larry Zbyszko. Since then, he has wrestled for both Giant Baba's All Japan Pro and Antonio Inoki's New Japan Pro and has had tough matches for 20 years, and he is the one and only wrestler who has won singles titles from both Baba and Inoki.
February 8, 1980---Tokyo Gym
NWF Heavyweight title match
Stan Hansen beat Antonio Inoki (17:12 countout)---Hansen became the 17th champion.
September 8, 1983---Chiba Park Gym, Chiba City
PWF Heavyweight title match
Stan Hansen beat Giant Baba (9:02)---Hansen became the eighth champion.
He is a very friendly man who keeps his feet down to earth. He married a Japanese woman, and they lived in Yokohama City in Kanagawa in the early 1990's. They live in a small town in Colorado now. As time goes by, the wrestling business has changed. He isn't going to wrestle in the United States anymore, and he doesn't watch Raw or Nitro anymore. It is true that he hates "kayfabe sheets" and their writers. He is just going to keep traveling alone in his wrestling life here in Japan with respect and a lot of memories and enjoy playing baseball with his sons.
The Destroyer (Dick Beyer), as the WWA World Heavyweight champion, came to Japan for the first time from May 19 to 24, 1963, with Killer Kowalski, Gino Marella (Robert Marella / Gorilla Monsoon), Fred Atkins, Killer X (Frank Townsend) and The Great Togo. NTV drew a 64% TV rating for his title match against Rikidozan on May 24, 1963. About 70 million people watched the match.
May 24, 1963---Tokyo Gym
WWA World Heavyweight title match
The Destroyer drew Rikidozan (28:15 double referee's stop)
Destroyer lived in Minato-ku in Tokyo, Japan for six years from December 2, 1972 to June 14, 1979. He helped Giant Baba and All Japan Pro, and he became a TV personality, too. After leaving Japan, he wrestled in Montreal and Toronto, Canada, and coached high school wrestling, football, and swimming. He had his retirement match at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on June 23, 1993. He ended his career after 8,500 matches.
July 29, 1993---Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
The Destroyer's retirement match
The Destroyer, Giant Baba, & Kurt Beyer beat Masanobu Fuchi, Haruka Eigen, & Masano Inoue (13:08 Destroyer beat Inoue by figure-four leglock)
He loves Japan and still often visits Japan, where he is not only one of the most popular gaijin wrestlers but also one of the most popular TV stars.
Sabu always has his respect for Japan because he got his first break with Atsushi Onita's FMW in 1991, and it is his wife's country. His wife has just started as a photographer for a Japanese wrestling magazine, and she enjoys doing it.
Sabu had his first Japan tour for FMW from November 20 to December 1, 1991. He was teaming with his uncle, The Sheik, in the "World Strongest Martial Arts Tag Team League Tournament," with Gregory Velitchev & Kova Krutanize, The Gladiator (Mike Awesome) & Big Titan (Rick Bogner), Leon Spinks & Rufus Blackbone, Horace Boulder & Mark Starr, and The Mercenaries (Billy Anderson & Lou Fabbiano). Since then, he has had a total of 52 Japan tours for five different offices in Japan in nine years---FMW, New Japan Pro, Big Japan Pro, Tokyo Pro, All Japan Pro, FMW again, and All Japan Pro again.
After leaving ECW in February 2000, which he had been with since October 1, 1993, he has wrestled for BCW in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, JAPW in New Jersey, XPW in California, Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NWA Jersey in New Jersey, and FMW and All Japan Pro in Japan.
He is wrestling for All Japan Pro until September 2, 2000 and will enjoy a brief holiday in Tokyo until September 8. As the XPW World Heavyweight champion, he is trying to establish XPW's name and its business value in Japan, too. He will have an autograph session at a wrestling store, CHAMPION, near Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, on September 3. His manager, XPW's Josh Lazie, will come to Japan, too. Lazie has had a unique career, in that he was a band member in Los Angeles for the late hide of X Japan, one of the most popular rock bands in Japan. Who knows if they meet with Atsushi Onita to work out the details for the planned October Exploding Death Match in Los Angeles? There are always the tricks played on human beings by destiny. Before Sabu faced Jinsei Shinzaki (Hakushi in the WWF) in a singles match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on August 26, 2000, Mrs. Motoko Baba and Masanobu Fuchi received a visit from Onita himself at backstage. Life is like a junction.
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