A Bigger New Japan - Hashimoto's "independence" leads to manager Choshu issuing a "release notice".
(Issue No. 1002)
The biggest news in pro wrestling this week was New Japan Pro Wrestling manager, Riki Choshu's "release notice" to Shinya Hashimoto. President Tatsumi Fujinami has revealed plans to hold an IWGP Tournament at the January 4th Dome event next year, and said, "I have called on both All Japan and Noah to participate through a letter to the newspapers".
Antonio Inoki, holding a press conference at Narita Airport, criticized the issue of Hashimoto's independence, and the rivalry with All Japan.
What is going on with New Japan?
The biggest news in the world of professional wrestling this week was the "de facto notice of dismissal" issued to Shinya Hashimoto by New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Riki Choshu.
To briefly summarize the events so far: Hashimoto returned to action after a hiatus of about six months at the Tokyo Dome event on October 9, and following the match, he announced his "independence" from New Japan. In an interview featured in the opening color pages of last week's issue, Hashimoto himself spoke about his current state of mind and the "new promotion."
The basic concept behind the plan for independence was not to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling; rather, to quote Hashimoto directly, it was a matter of becoming "independent within the company." Hashimoto sat out every match of the "GET A RIGHT!!" tour—which kicked off on October 12—and went into hiding without any official announcement from the promotion.
New Japan has announced plans to hold a tournament to determine the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, (a title currently vacant after Kensuke Sasaki relinquished it), at the Tokyo Dome event on January 4 of next year.
On the 18th, Tatsumi Fujinami spoke to the press at the company's headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, discussing the January 4th Tokyo Dome event and the policy of inter-promotional collaboration to be pursued from next January onwards. He explicitly named members of the new major promotion Noah—specifically Misawa, Kobashi, and Akiyama as wrestlers he hopes to see participate, thereby emphasizing New Japan's open stance.
During the meeting, President Fujinami indicated a plan for Hashimoto—who is currently sitting out the tour—to rejoin the roster for the events in Fukuoka on October 20 and Beppu on October 21. Ultimately, this proposal from President Fujinami to the operational side of the promotion brought to light the "notification of release" that Director Choshu had issued to Hashimoto.
The reply from Choshu—acting as foreman—to President Fujinami was curt: "We don't need Hashimoto in Hakata or Beppu, either. It's too late to reshuffle the card now." It seems Hashimoto has truly lost the place he once called home.
Ahead of its January 4th event at the Tokyo Dome, New Japan has announced that it will hold "The 2nd Judgement" at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium on December 14th—the final major event of the year. The event will be broadcast live and exclusively on a pay-per-view channel via the CS satellite service SKY PerfecTV! (viewing fee: 1,500 yen).
The Osaka event on December 14 marks the second installment in New Japan's original PPV series, following the "Electrified Barbed Wire Explosion Match" between Choshu and Atsushi Onita held at Yokohama Arena on July 30 of this year. According to information from sources close to the program production team for SKY PerfecTV!, the possibility of Choshu competing in a match at the event is also being considered. Judging from the series of developments in the "inter-promotional rivalry mode" so far, it has to be Toshiaki Kawada. It is almost certain that Masanobu Fuchi, and other All Japan wrestlers, will participate in the December 14th Osaka event. A singles match between Kawada and Manabu Nakanishi seems like a strong candidate for the main event.
A full-scale entry into the pay-per-view (PPV) market is a massive project that holds the key to New Japan's "market economy" strategy from next year onward. Director Choshu's declaration that Hashimoto is "no longer part of the team's plans" effectively represents a consensus regarding New Japan's vision for the new century.
Hashimoto is not the only one completely excluded from New Japan's vision for the 21st century. The stance of New Japan founder Antonio Inoki also stands in stark contrast to the "mainstream faction" led by Director Choshu. Inoki himself has had absolutely no involvement in the inter-promotional matches with All Japan, the pay-per-view strategy, or the issue of Hashimoto’s potential departure. From a different perspective, however, it may be precisely because of his position that he is able to speak his mind regarding the current "establishment" within New Japan.
At the "regular press conference" held at Narita Airport on the 16th, Inoki unleashed a barrage of his signature remarks for the first time in a while. Regarding the inter-promotional rivalry between New Japan and All Japan, he commented, "I haven't watched it—it's boring, after all." As for Hashimoto's "going independent," he said, "He should just do it—for real. Why not? Fans see right through everything these days." Regarding the current New Japan, he bluntly declared, "They really don't take anything seriously," before adding a comment that served as a sort of backhanded compliment: "It's an impressive company, though, it just won't go under. I’m actually impressed."
After all, New Japan is the industry's largest promotion. Whatever unfolds at the desks of New Japan's top executives immediately impacts the "central nervous systems" of other promotions.
When President Fujinami asked Genichiro Tenryu to participate in the "IWGP Championship Tournament," Tenryu openly expressed his displeasure, stating, "Don't make such a ridiculous announcement that undermines the Triple Crown tournament [All Japan] is currently holding. I have no interest in it, and I don't want to participate." However, in practical terms, it is considered a near certainty that both Kawada and Tenryu will compete at the Tokyo Dome event on January 4th of next year.
Six T2000 wrestlers, including Masahiro Chono, competed in the All Japan event held in Nagoya on the 21st, with New Japan providing business-side support for the event. Shiro Koshinaka accompanied the tour for every match, starting with the opener; New Japan had employed this exact same strategy a few years prior by "seconding" its contracted wrestlers to the UWF International and WAR.
It seems that even in the absence of Antonio Inoki himself, the "Inoki-esque" approach remains firmly alive within New Japan. President Fujinami’s recent call to other promotions bears a striking resemblance to the media-driven, initiative-building strategies once employed by Inoki in his role as producer.
The reaction from Misawa's side to this was unmistakably the embodiment of "Baba-ism". "We have our own schedule" is not merely a convenient pretext to avoid contact with New Japan; it is a fundamental principle of Noah.
Picture caption (Misawa and Inoki)
At a press conference at Narita Airport, Inoki commented "A rivalry with All Japan is boring." When Fujinami asked Noah president Misawa if he would be willing to participate in the January 4th Tokyo Dome event, Misawa responded in a "Baba-esque" manner, saying, "There's no way I can do that."
Picture caption (Hashimoto)
"On the 23rd, Hashimoto gave the media his first public tour of the temporary dojo that had just opened in Tokyo. The name of the new promotion will be "ZERO* (later in the article he mentioned the name based on his love of New Japan, would be "ZERO New Japan")
Notes
ZERO: This was how Weekly Pro put it.
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