Abdullah the Butcher and The Great Kabuki, signing autographs at SOFMAP, in Omiya, Saitama, Japan, 8/21/96
(Photo courtesy Masanori Horie)
There was a deep frown on Sabu's brow. 2 Cold Scorpio was dancing out of desperation. Abdullah the Butcher had a friendly chat with The Great Kabuki ..... They were doing an autograph session in front of SOFMAP (a big computer store) in Omiya, Saitama (a satellite city of Tokyo) on Wednesday, August 21, 1996. These professional wrestlers" were obviously inappropriate for this place.
"Tokyo Pro-Wrestling" was sponsored by a rich man, Kotaro Ishizawa, who
was running a Bike Express business. This sugar papa was a libertine to
spend huge money for such a small time wrestling company, whose top
Japanese star was Takashi Ishikawa (Do you know?).
Tokyo Pro was actually founded by Ishikawa in December '94.
They had only 17 shows without gaijins (foreigners) in '95,
then they found a big sponsor and so-called "3-million dollars"
World tag team championship belt in '96.
They brought Abdullah, Sabu, and Scorpio for their August tour from
8/20 to 8/25 (4 shows; 8/20 Iwakuni, Yamaguchi; 8/21 Onomichi, Hiroshima;
8/23 Takeo, Fukui; and 8/25 Yokohama, Kanagawa, which Satellite TV
SAMURAI ! would tape and televise).
When 3 gaijins arrived at Narita Airport on 8/19, they were struck dumb by
bad news. A office man told them 3 shows were canceled, because a local
promoter couldn't sell enough tickets to make money, and they would have
to have 3 autograph sessions in local cities everyday, where they would
have spot shows next month. They were regular gaijins, who knew Japanese
business very well, but it was unparalleled disaster for them.
The biggest mistake for Tokyo Pro was that Sugar Papa himself. He was a big wrestling fan, but he didn't know about the business at all. So a bunch of bad wrestlers gathered for his money. Perhaps, he may have wanted to be like a noble patron who feeds a musician. He sent some office workers to wrestling from his bike express business. Of course, nobody had attended a wrestling show or known anything about it before.
Having an autograph session in front of a computer store at a shopping promenade without enough advertisement in a Tokyo suburb on Wednesday afternoon, was BONEHEADED. Abdullah, Kabuki, Gekko (Masao Orihara), 2 Cold, Ishikawa, Sabu, and Shigeo Okumura had tables there. There were only 15 - 20 fans there to get FREE autographs. They tried to sell tickets to the Omiya Skate Center show (9/23) ..... nobody bought. They had a Q & A corner.....nobody had anything to ask. Housewives and school kids didn't know them except Abdullah. Suddenly, 2 Cold started dancing in front of shopping customers, Sabu became nervous, and Butcher and Kabuki kept chatting.
Six months later since this autograph session, this sugar papa's bike express business fouled up, lack of funds halted his "hobby," wrestling, too. He vamoosed in the middle of December, and his building in Yotsuya, Tokyo was locked. Abdullah' s Louie Buitton tour bag has been still in the building, and he said, "That was the damnedest company I've ever worked. "
Abdullah relaxing (okay, YOU tell him to get rid of the cigar!)
(Photo courtesy Masanori Horie)
Abdullah left All Japan in March because Mrs. Baba had been treating him awfully. He and Kimala were totally a comedy tag team on All Japan shows for years. No foreign objects. No blood. No wins. He debuted in Tokyo Pro in April. At first, he was really in a good humor, because he became a "boss" gaijin again, and he could book some gaijins (2 Cold, Billy Black, Mike Lozansky, and Don "The Natural" Callis [Jackyl in the WWF] etc.) for Tokyo Pro. But his satisfaction is getting less and less tour by tour. When they announced Sabu and The Sheik's coming, his brain BOILED. [Note : Abdullah the Butcher has worked for these Japanese offices since the '70s.
Nippon (Japan) Pro-Wrestling from 8/21/70 to 5/15/72 (3 tours).
Baba's All Japan from 12/2/72 to 4/30/81 (27).
Inoki's New Japan from 5/8/81 to 2/6/85 (11).
All Japan from 11/21/87 to 3/2/96 (36).
Tokyo Pro from 4/20/96 to 12/7/96 (7).
Tenryu's WAR from 5/5/97 - .]
Sabu worked for 3 different offices in Japan in '96. He is always said to be a man who is difficult to understand. He is a bitter and blunt man. No doubt, he has a big pride as a professional wrestler, and he is, actually, a great guy to treat his family and friends like his treasures. He is just open to misconstruction. He has special thoughts for Japan, because he got his first break in FMW in '91, and it is his wife's country. He raged at Tokyo Pro's disorganized plan and their lies.
[Note : Sabu has worked for these Japanese offices since 1991.
Onita's FMW from 11/20/91 to 12/9/94 (23 tours).
New Japan /Heisei-Ishingun (satellite) from 1/4/95 to 12/11/95 (14).
Great Kojika's Big Japan from 3/19/96 to 6/4/96 (2).
Tokyo Pro from 6/24/96 to 10/8/96 (4).
All Japan from 11/16/96 to 6/6/97 (3).
FMW from 12/22/97 - .]
2 Cold Scorpio had lived in Tokyo for 6 months in '91 so he knows Japan and Japanese very well. He had 5 tours for Tokyo Pro before going to the WWF.
[Note : 2 Cold Scorpio was introduced to New Japan by Big Van Vader
from Denver, Colorado in April '91. He was staying in New Japan's Dojo
from October, '91 to April, '92.
New Japan from 4/15/91 to 5/3/95.
Tokyo Pro from 6/14/96 to 12/7/96 (5).]
You may contact Masanori at masa_h@mail.goo.ne.jp
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http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~dnak/
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