(ALL JAPAN/NEW JAPAN) Two masked men, two figures seen from backstage on the day of their debut
11th September 1984 (Issue No.58)
Tiger Mask's brilliant debut blows away all fears
As expected, the Kinnikuman who appeared was the ultimate hero
The autumn battles have begun, and two masked men who have been attracting attention have appeared before the crowd.
On August 24th at Korakuen Hall, a mysterious masked man hiding his mask under a ski cap, appeared. He is an antihero whose name has yet to be revealed. Is he really the rumored "Kinnikuman"? On the 26th, the second Tiger Mask had a spectacular debut that blew away the fears of some. However, contrary to the expectations of the fans, behind the scenes of the world of professional wrestling, an ominous shadow was creeping up.
The mask under the ski cap is Kinnikuman
On August 24th, a mysterious masked man suddenly appeared at the first match of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling season, which kicked off at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Fans who were watching the TV broadcast sent numerous inquiries to the editorial department of this magazine asking, "Is that the Kinnikuman that was featured in your article (September 4th issue)?"
But there is no doubt that this mysterious masked man is at the very least damaging to Kinnikuman. There is clear evidence to support this. Fans watching on TV probably didn't notice, but when this mysterious masked man entered the ring, the manager tossed several "Kinnikuman dolls" into the audience.
Isn't this a silent confession of his true identity? There was one more thing, and this was probably not clearly noticeable to fans watching on TV, but the mysterious masked man was wearing a second mask underneath his thick woolen ski mask.
With this man now in the mix, the Bloody Fight series is likely to attract fans' attention in unexpected ways due to this Kinnikuman uproar, but we must also take note of the fact that circumstances have come to light within New Japan Pro Wrestling that are not exactly something to be happy about, and that is the relationship between New Japan and the WWF.
On the 24th, ahead of the start of the Bloody Fight Series, New Japan Vice President Seiji Sakaguchi held a press conference and said that even without a contract with the WWF, there is no doubt that Kinnikuman intends to fight as a villain.
We'd like to know who is under that mask, but what we're most curious about is what kind of mask is under the ski cap. He only made an appearance, and then announced that he was done with his new job.
The details are as follows: meetings were held on the 21st and 22nd at Titan Sports in Connecticut with WWF representative Vince McMahon Jr., and a contract to invite foreign wrestlers for the next year was completed. At a press conference to announce the business partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling, details of the title match between Inoki and Hogan were announced, and at that point Kinnikuman was clearly not present at the venue, but it appears he is planning to make another appearance during the television broadcast on August 31st. At that time there is a is a high possibility that he will reveal his true face. Could the mask really be that of Kinnikuman?
However, immediately after this announcement was made, some insiders began to ask, "Will Hulk Hogan, the main wrestler for the second half of the series (starting September 4th), really be able to come to Japan as scheduled?" The basis for this is the incredible expansion of WWF's territory due to its market expansion strategy, and the extremely tight schedules of its top stars that come with it. Hogan's schedule in particular is extremely intense, and it is possible that his visit to Japan may be temporarily canceled. Some readers may be saying that it is unacceptable for something that has already been announced as a promise to be broken so easily, but at least in the current balance of power between WWF and New Japan, WWF has the advantage. WWF booking fees, which were said to be $70,000-$80,000 during Shinma's era* have reportedly increased by four to five times that amount in the past year, according to an insider. The reason for this huge increase in booking fees is that in order to maintain an ever-expanding market, WWF wrestlers all have plenty of work, and if they are going to take time out of their busy schedules to go to Japan, then of course the booking fees have to be increased as well, in order for it to be worth it. However, many foreign wrestlers still rely on the WWF, and New Japan has its own internal reasons for having to sign with them, even at such high prices. Given this balance of power, there's a 50/50 chance that Hogan's visit to Japan will be postponed until the next Fighting Spirit Series.
If that happens, it's possible that Backlund's stay in Japan will be extended, or that a big name will make a special appearance in place of Hogan, but it looks like the key to all of this will lie in the hands of Vince McMahon Jr., who will be coming to Japan.
Brilliant! Tiger Suplex 84
Now, two days after the Bloody Fight Series, All Japan Pro Wrestling's much anticipated Super Power Series showdown at the Denen Coliseum on August 26th begun. Of course, the biggest focus of attention from the packed house of fans and the media, was the second Tiger Mask's debut match. Gran Hamada, who also attracted attention, defeated a babyface in his first All Japan match, and as the "Tiger Mask" theme song began playing in the arena, the packed crowd rose to their feet.
Then, dressed in the nostalgic costume of the original Tiger, the second Tiger Mask made a dashing entrance and ran up to the top corner post, eliciting thunderous applause. There probably hasn't been a wrestler in recent memory whose debut match has attracted so much attention, and in that sense there must have been a lot of tangible and intangible pressure on him, but once the gong rang, Tiger Mask fought with a fast tempo that showed no sign of any stiffness at all.
Using his flexible movements, he showed off a number of acrobatic moves mixed with kicks. In particular, his super ultra-C* move where he jumped over the top rope and performed a fake plancha suicida, then spun in the air and slammed his opponent onto his back, and his finishing move, a full nelson style "Tiger Suplex" followed by a backwards throw, were simply magnificent. Furthermore, his opponent, La Fiera, was a very good opponent, perhaps possessing the best technical skills of any Lucha Libre wrestler.
Tiger's debut, with a complete victory over Fiera, was a satisfying one.
Baba, who volunteered to act as Tiger's manager, seemed pleased with the match immediately announced, "We'll have him greet fans at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium on September 6th. We'll also have him make a special appearance in the next series for one week."
However, Tiger Mask still faces some challenges. The match was conducted in a typical Lucha Libre style that made extensive use of ropework, which fully showcased Tiger's acrobatic prowess, but left a slightly less impressive impression in terms of power. As we can see from Dynamite Kid's example, the heavyweight level of power, has become the norm in the junior division these days. Tiger Mask will need to keep this in mind as he fights from the second match onwards. Aside from that, August 26th was a huge success with plenty of excitement, including Terry's intrusion into the main event and his declaration make a comeback. However, the only thing that bothered me was when Otsuka, president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling Promotions, who was in charge of the event that day, announced to the press with a nervous look on his face, "There will be a press conference tomorrow at our company."
New Japan Pro Wrestling breaks ties with New Japan Promotions.
"(Omitted) We understand that, without our prior consent, your company has entered into a contract with All Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. to hold professional wrestling events for the company. (Omitted) If you maintain this contract with All Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. against our wishes, we will terminate the above contract with your company as of the end of September 1984, and we would like to give you advance notice."
This document is effectively an ultimation to choose whether to enter into a business partnership with New Japan or All Japan.
In response, Otsuka held an emergency board meeting that same evening, and all members unanimously agreed to focus on the partnership with All Japan Pro-Wrestling going forward. It became clear that there would no longer be any cooperative relationship between New Japan Pro-Wrestling Productions and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. However, this incident is likely to cause a variety of ripples in the wrestling world. In fact, at the press conference, Otsuka presented his contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and stated that he has not violated the terms of this contract. In that respect, this notice is unreasonable. With the relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling now severed, their previous annual sales of approximately 480 million yen will be lost. Therefore, they will likely file a civil lawsuit against New Japan Pro-Wrestling for damages. "I don't think it can be resolved in the short term, but if we're going to do it, I intend to fight it thoroughly and for the long term."
Filled with fighting spirit, when asked if he would use this opportunity to add a much-rumored fourth promotion, he flatly denied it, saying, "We have a strong relationship of trust with Baba-san, a fourth promotion is out of the question." However, he added a meaningful statement, saying, "There should be no problem with our contracted wrestlers stepping into the All Japan ring."
"We've made offers to several wrestlers at the moment," is a remark likely to provoke New Japan executives, clearly revealing the strained relationship with New Japan Pro, which hints at the current situation.
New Japan Promotions has "explained the situation" to Killer Khan, Riki Choshu, and others who have close ties with Otsuka, according to Managing Director Kato. Meanwhile, New Japan Promotions remains calm, saying, "We only issued a notice. Isn't it too hasty to cut ties with them so quickly?" (New Japan front office). But will their relationship continue as it is and move to a outside brawl?
Notes
The Shinma Era: When Shinma Hisashi was the head of sales at New Japan. He was known for his shrewd leadership and for being the driving force behind leading New Japan Pro-Wrestling into its golden age.
Super ultra C move: A gymnastics term for a very difficult technique.
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