Resurrection!! Baba will undergo a major transformation on October 21st
(Issue 11, 1972)
After some preparation in America, we wait for the launch
1. Casting off the Orthodox school
2. Focus of the inauguration series
3. Backed by big names
4. Baba asked about the "bloodbath in America"
After a month's absence from Japanese wrestling, Giant Baba will make his "return." Baba, who will be appearing in the inaugural series on October 21st, will be showing a fighting style that is different from the one he showed in his Japan Pro days. He has already warmed up to this style by fighting The Sheik in Hawaii and taking on an unidentified man in Texas, and it is said that both were successful.
So, what kind of moves will Baba show in the inaugural series...?
1. Casting off the Orthodox school
October 21st...on this day, Giant Baba will take part in the first match to inaugurate the new professional wrestling promotion that he himself has created, All Japan Pro Wrestling. The first event of the inauguration, Giant Series, will be held at the Machida City Gymnasium, Tokyo. Naturally, this will be broadcast live over the airwaves of Nippon Television, which boasts a powerful network of twenty-nine stations nationwide, and it will be broadcast from 8:00 to 9:00PM on Saturday, and will literally be the start of the "Giant Journey".
What on earth will happen on this day.....
Fans have very high expectations. A lot happened between Baba declaring his independence and finally setting off on this journey. Various reasons have been discussed as to why Baba decided to go independent, but for true wrestling fans, that doesn't matter. What the fans want - first and foremost is a good fight, so that's what they want from Baba in this first match. The logic doesn't matter. In short, they want to see Baba put up a spectacular fight. Frankly speaking, Japanese wrestling fans today are hungry for Baba (who has completely disappeared from TV) matches. Now Baba will appear before their very eyes, bringing to life what he himself calls "ideal wrestling." It is only natural that fans will be waiting with expectations that exceed all they had expected. However, what fans are expecting is not the same matches that they have seen Baba do up until now, but something completely new.
How will Baba live up to these expectations?
First, lets listen to what Baba himself has to say.
The two people who will provide new testimony about this are Akira Hara, the director of the sports department at Nippon Television, and ring announcer Shimizu*, who accompanied the program to cover "Baba's America Showdown." First, Director Hara said this: "During the match against Sheik in Hawaii, Baba seemed a little anxious in the waiting room before the match. He had been away from the ring for about a month, and during that time he had been busy preparing for his debut and working since going independent, so he hadn't really been training. It's no surprise that he was facing the super veteran The Sheik in such a condition. To be honest, even among us staff members who were recording this match, there was some anxiety about whether he would be able to put up a good fight. However, once the match started, all of that anxiety disappeared in an instant. To be honest, I was surprised at how Baba was going at it hard against The Sheik's rough fighting. I couldn't believe he was in such good shape. He didn't give a damn to the master of rough fighting, The Shiek, and took it to the outside of the ring, and chasing him into the dressing room... In the end, Baba was the winner, regardless of the price."
Ring announcer Shimizu, who watched the match from ringside, goes into more detail to corroborate Director Hara's testimony. "To be honest, Baba has changed. While commentating the match, I couldn't help but feel like he was a different person. His movements, techniques, and killer moves... They were certainly the same as the old Baba. However, the mood of the whole match...I don't know how to describe it, but it was different. In a word, it was powerful, or at least it felt very rough. I also covered the match against The Professional* in Amarillo, Texas, and when I saw Baba tearing off his mask, when I combine that with our testimonies, a vague image of a new Baba emerges. It's the "bad guy" Baba. Once upon a time -- it was already seven or eight years ago, but when Baba was training in America, Baba didn't fight in a strong style (orthodox) style. He was called "Baba the Giant", "Devil Baba" or "Monster Baba", and he rampaged all over the US and Canada with superhuman rough fighting that made full use of
his large body, solidifying his status as the "Bad Guy Of The East".
I was surprised when I saw it. It was the first time I'd seen Baba fight in such a bad way."
But that doesn't mean you should imagine him as a petty villain who uses a deadly weapon to defeat his opponents. In Baba's case, even though he is a villain, the image is completely different. He rushes in with a fair and rough fight, thoroughly beating down his opponents in a no-frills villain fight. Baba's villain fight has been revived from the depths of hell after eight years.
If this were to happen, it would be very encouraging. But, will Baba be able to put up such a fight in what he calls his ideal first professional wrestling match in Machida? It is no exaggeration to say that the hopes of fans all over Japan are focused on this one point. Of course, no matter how well prepared the stage is, it remains to be seen whether this "Giant Series" will be a success until it is tried. Some say, "If you push yourself a little the first time, you can look good. But can you keep doing it a second or third time?"
2. Focus of the inauguration series
Fifth match against Sammartino*
The biggest focus of the first inaugural Giant Series is undoubtedly the showdown between Giant Baba and "human powerhouse" Bruno Sammartino.
Of course, there will be matches against veterans such as Terry Funk and Fred Blassie, as well as current top wrestlers, Jerry Kozak, Dominic DeNucci, Dutch Savage and other strong opponents such as Dory Funk Jnr are also not to be missed, but the biggest highlight is undoubtedly the showdown with Sammartino. It is no exaggeration to say that the series will revolve around this match.
The history of the battles between Baba and Sammartino is long, but, leaving aside the old memories, there have been four big matches in Japan alone. On March 2nd, 1967 (Osaka) and March 7th (Tokyo), both matches ended in 1-1 draws, on August 7th, 1968 (Osaka), Baba won 2-1, and on November 25th, 1971 (Hiroshima), the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Overall, Baba has one win and three draws, meaning he has a slight lead. Sammartino will likely try to close the gap somehow and press Baba hard in this series. After losing the WWWF world title to Ivan Koloff in January last year, Sammartino hit rock bottom, but now that he's risen from the depths, he's making a rapid rise again, with his sights set on becoming "the best in the world."
In his match against WWWF champion Pedro Morales at New York's Shea Stadium on September 30th, Sammartino showed incredible stamina by fighting for the full 75 minutes, demonstrating his top form to the full. To be clear, Sammartino is no longer just the strong man he once was. He now has the clever play that comes from his career, a wide variety of techniques, and unfading power, making him a truly fearsome wrestler, with a terrifying ability that is complete in every way. In terms of ability, we can say that he is far superior to the former Sammartino.
How will Baba face off against this Sammartino, and how will he fight? It is clear that this will be the fight of the century. It is likely that Sammartino will go for a long stamina contest like he did against Morales... If that happens, it will be a repeat of that bloody international fight in Osaka, but Baba may not want that and may choose a shorter match. To put it bluntly, Sammartino is surprisingly vulnerable to rough attacks, so if Baba goes at him with a spectacular villain-killing style that makes full use of his large body, he may be able to find a way to win.
Up until now, Baba has fought in a way that was too orthodox against Sammartino's powerful style, but if he were to change this drastically...we may see a completely different style of fight. Other plans include a showdown between Baba and Thunder Sugiyama* against Sammartino and DeNucci*, or the father-son duo of Funk, and we might even see a Baba-Okuma tag. There are plenty of fresh combinations both in singles and tag matches.
The first of the foreign group will arrive on the 18th, followed by Sammartino and DeNucci the following day on the 19th. The group will attend the opening reception to be held in the White Pearl Room of the Tokyo Hilton Hotel from 6pm on the 20th, and then will embark on the series with a new perspective. All the wrestlers will be in top condition, and there is no doubt that we will see some exciting, exciting matches starting with the first event in Machida. In addition, the open practice sessions for both the foreign and Japanese wrestlers will have a slightly different format. The event will take place on the 19th from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at Korakuen Hall, and will be open to the public. Afterwards, some of the wrestlers will take part in Nippon Television's "Bottomless Derailment Game
*," and many other exciting events have been planned. In any case, it's an amazing new style of puroresu, and there seems to be plenty to see.
The masterminds are Dory Funk Senior and Fritz Von Erich
It looks like Baba's American adventure will be starting soon.
When a wrestling insider found out about the whole thing, he commented: "To be honest, I was surprised. I knew that Baba had credibility in the Americas, but I was surprised by the big names of Bruno Sammartino and Fred Blassie. What surprised me even more was that NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk's father, Dory Funk Senior, and his brother, Terry, Japan Pro Wrestling and the NWA have a close relationship. It's really strange that they were able to do that. Another thing that surprised me was how well-organized All Japan Pro was. I'm sure they still don't have a lot of staff, but they managed to book so many gyms in such a short time and put together such a solid course. This is not something to be ashamed of when compared to Japan Pro Wrestling or International Pro Wrestling. I honestly feel that they did a good job." Certainly, All Japan Pro Wrestling's future foreign recruitment is a big issue.
So, what kind of wrestlers will Baba be calling on in the future? Let's speculate on the type of people who are the American brains backing up Baba.
The first thing that catches your eye is the fact that the "Baba vs. Sheik" match took place in Honolulu, Hawaii. How could Baba call on The Sheik, who even Japan Pro had a hard time with, to fight him? The answer is simple. In short, there was a mastermind behind the booking between Baba and Sheik. That man is not the Hawaiian matchmaker Lord James Blears*, boss Ed Francis*, or Los Angeles' Mr. Moto. It is believed to be Dory Funk Sr.
During the pro wrestling war with WWA'S Bruiser faction, the NWA World Champion Dory Funk Junior came to rescue him when in a crisis, so in a way, Sheik has a debt to the Funk family and the NWA. However, Sheik is not such a cheap wrestler, that he would get up and fight just because of that level of interaction, so he went all the way to Hawaii to fight Japan's Baba...And here's one more interesting piece of information - the fact that Sheik will be fighting in Amarillo in mid-August. The main event was Dory Funk Junior versus Iron Claw Fritz Von Erich, and in the semi-finals Sheik faced Terry Funk.
So, why did Sheik, who had never paid Amarillo any attention up until now, get involved? What emerges from this is the possibility that a major pipeline of The Sheik, Dory Funk Senior and Iron Claw Fritz Von Erich is running through this. It is rumored that a "secret meeting" of this group was held in Dallas, Texas, in late September, which means that their ties to Baba are quite strong. In fact, the Funks and Jerry Kozak, three Texans, will be taking part in the inaugural series. Texas, Kansas and Missouri have some very popular names like Danny Suttlebear, Black Angus Campbell, Harley Race and Rufus R. Jones, and in some cases, Iron Claw Fritz Von Erich could even participate.
Another connection that Baba made is thought to be with Vince McMahon, the boss of the New York WWWF*. The three wrestlers he will be calling to the launch - Bruno Sammartino, Dominic DeNucci, and Fred Blassie - will likely be booked by McMahon. In fact, after the Texas showdown, Baba flew to New York and fought in Pittsburgh. He also made an appearance at the big WWWF match, (Morales vs. Sammartino) held at Century Shea Stadium in New York on the night of the 30th, and even postponed his return to Japan to negotiate with McMahon. Baba already has a presence in New York, and with this connection established, expectations for his future will only grow.
4. Baba asked about the "bloodbath in America"
Defeating the double-masked man who hides his true identity
What was Baba's aim in taking on the "Bloodbath in America" before the all-important "Giant Series"? Let's hear the full story of this bloody battle.
BABA: To be honest, I had already decided to go. I had already made the arrangements through my sponsor in the US. But I didn't announce it because I wouldn't know until I got there.
Q: Did you have your sights set on Sheik from the beginning?
BABA: Of course. I thought if I was going to fight Sheik, I was going to. When Sheik finally came to Japan, I was independent and wasn't able to fight him. Also, I owed him a favor when we fought each other in Los Angeles the other day, so I really wanted to fight him.
Q: However, it ended in a no contest, with again no conclusion. Was it chaos from the start?
BABA: Sheik was doing the usual thing, but then suddenly he attacked me with a weapon. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late, I was hit hard on the forehead and was bleeding. It was a big mistake, but at the time I thought it was enough, and I was going to fight as roughly as I could.
Q: Do you think that rough fight was successful in the end?
BABA: I chased him into the dressing room and we got into a fistfight, so I gained confidence that I could go all out.
Q: What about a rematch?
BABA: It's something they want too, so I'd love to make it happen in the near future. I don't know if it'll be in Japan or if I'll go to America.
Q: By the way, did you fly to Texas right after the Hawaii bloodbath?
BABA: Yes. I had plans to meet Dory Funk Senior and Jerry Kozak*, and I had a match scheduled in Amarillo. Okuma* and Koma* were also eagerly waiting for me to come...
Q: I heard that your opponent was a man in a red mask called The Professional?
BABA: Yes. To be honest, I didn't know who my opponent would be until I got there. I left it all up to the promoter there.
Q: How was the match?
BABA: It's weird to say it myself, but it was a tough match. It was a TV broadcast in Amarillo, and before me, Koma and Okuma had a 30-minute tag match against Bill Cody and Jerry Jeka, Koma went on a rampage and managed to pin Jeka in just four minutes and fifty-five seconds. Having seen that, I didn't think I could have a strange match either.
Q: Was it done quite roughly again?
BABA: Well, in the first round, I played the orthodox way to see what my opponent had to say. But after fifteen minutes, he exploited a small opening and put me in a Boston crab. I thought, "This isn't good," so I went all out from the second match. I went at my best pace, and won with a 16-mon chop*. I think I won in four minutes and fifteen seconds.
Q: What about the third round?
BABA: I was in a good position when Ciclón Negro* burst in and I got angry and tore off his red mask, but it turned out he had a black one on underneath.
Q: You flew to Pittsburg?
BABA: It was the 28th. The fight was on the 29th, so I went to New York once.
Q: Was this an easy opponent?
BABA: I had fought Frank Holtz* in Japan once before, and he's gotten a lot bigger. He attacked me in the orthodox style, so I ended up fighting like a bad guy instead.
Q: How many people were there...?
BABA: The Civic Arena is big, it was packed, there were probably over 10,000 people.
Q: The main event?
BABA: No, it was a 45-minute semi-final bout. The main event was a tag team of Bruno Sammartino and Don DeNucci, who I'll be inviting to Japan soon, taking on Don and Jackie, the Fargo Brothers. Both were in great form and won straight away. They were completely helpless. (laughs)
Q: In the end, you never found out who he was?
BABA: I have a rough idea based on his physique and fighting style, but I'm not sure. The Fargo Brothers were the NWF World Tag Team Champions until recently, but they're powerless against Sammartino.
Q: And the other members...
BABA: The lineup is impressive, including the Miller Brothers (Bill and Dan), Ramon Lopez, Tony Altomare, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Luis Martinez, Red Demon*, Tom Reisman, Larry Zbyszko, Frank Dusek and John L Sullivan*. Another thing that surprised me was that even though there was nothing scheduled in the program, the NWF World Champion Abdullah the Butcher, was fighting. I was totally taken aback.
Q: Baba-san, did you come to scout?
BABA: Maybe. He's an opponent that I will have to call and settle things with eventually...
Q: What was the actual match with Frank Holtz like?
BABA: He came at me hard, so I was pretty rough with him. He was so big, and even if I grabbed him and punched him a little, he didn't flinch. After about eight minutes of wrestling, I put him back on the conveyor belt*, and pinned him down, it was an easy win. It lasted 10 minutes and 48 seconds, so I guess I just worked up a light sweat.
Q: What happened next?
BABA: On the 30th, I went to New York and watched the fight of the century between Morales and Sammartino. It was a very exciting match. I'm looking forward to fighting Sammartino.
Q: So, what did you get out of this training in the US?
BABA: I've gained the confidence to be able to do anything. From now on, I'm going to fight in a way that breaks all the rules, without being tied to any weird style. Depending on the opponent, there will be sudden matches where I'll change my strategy, and I'll also come up with more casual strategies. Depending on the opponent, it might even turn into a full match of technique for an hour.
Q: Thank you very much for taking the time to join us today.
Notes about pictures
1. Baba chatting with WWWF champion Morales in the waiting room at Hawaii HIC, in the middle is his match against The Sheik on the same day, and below is Baba shaking hands firmly with Koma and Okuma (from the left) in Amarillo (Texas). Baba is engrossed in the photos of foreign wrestlers visiting the "Giant Series." The showdown between Sammartino and Baba.
Notes
Atsushi Koma: He left Japan Pro with Baba, and helped launch All Japan, and afterwards assisted Joe Higuchi to bring over foreign wrestlers, and train the younger ones. He also went with Jumbo Tsuruta to Amarillo in 1973. He retired in January 1976 and died two months later on March 10th due to renal failure caused by uremia. He was very young at only 35. All Japan had a ten bell salute, Baba was so shocked by his sudden death, he could only say "Why?". As a person, he was very strict, and once struck Haru Sonoda for turning up and being dressed inappropriately. Close to Baba, he was the only one (according to Great Kojika) who could "address his opinions head on".
Motoshi Okuma: Former sumo wrestler. He joined Japan Pro, became Baba's attendant, and debuted after one month. He left Japan Pro with Baba and joined All Japan, where he remained until his death from acute renal failure in December 1992. He never retired due to ill health, as Stan Hansen said, "He was an old school, old school wrestler just like me", who never complained or grumbled about anything. Ironically, Okuma's last match in December 1992, was also Andre the Giants final match, as Andre died a month later.
Ichiro Shimizu: (1933 – October 18th 1997) was a former announcer for Nippon Television Network Corporation. He was one of the pioneers of live professional wrestling commentary in Japan. He worked for All Japan until 1978.
The Professional: Doug Lindsay (1937 - November 2013)
Bruno Sammartino: Baba and Bruno would remain lifelong friends. When Bruno Sammartino came to All Japan, he saw Baba in a cramped car and said he would send him a Cadillac. He even paid the shipping costs, which ran to thousands of dollars. From then on, Baba drove a Cadillac, the same make and the same color, due to this kindness.
Thunder Sugiyama: Japan Pro wrestler who helped Baba create All Japan. He died 22 November 2002 of a heart attack.
DeNucci: Dominic DeNucci
Motoshi Okuma: One of Baba's early students. Former sumo wrestler. He joined Japan Pro, became Baba's attendant, and debuted after one month. He left Japan Pro with Baba and joined All Japan, where he remained until his death from acute renal failure in December 1992. He never retired due to ill health, as Stan Hansen said, "He was an old school, old school wrestler just like me", who never complained or grumbled about anything. Ironically, his Okuma's last match in December 1992, was also Andre the Giants final match, as Andre died a month later.
Funk: Dory Funk, father of Dory Jnr and Terry. He had served in the United States Navy during World War II. See how Puro was shaped by WW2 here
Bottomless Derailment Game: Contestants split into two teams "Derailment Team" and the "Bottomless Team" and compete doing various physical tasks. This incarnation of the show ran from 1963 to 1973. Wrestlers (including Harley Race) had been appearing on the show since at least 1968.
Bottomless Derailment Game: Contestants split into two teams "Derailment Team" and the "Bottomless Team" and compete doing various physical tasks. This incarnation of the show ran from 1963 to 1973. Wrestlers (including Harley Race) had been appearing on the show since at least 1968.
Lord James Blears. Blears has an interesting bio, as he served in the war, and was captured by the Japanese. He escaped and was given a can of peaches by his rescuers, it was March 29th and each year thereafter, he celebrated by eating a can of peaches.
Fritz Von Erich: Known in Japan at this time as "Eric The Iron Claw", I have changed this to Iron Claw Fritz Von Erich to avoid confusion.
Vince McMahon: Given that this is 1972, this is Vince McMahon Senior
Jerry Kozak: Canadian professional wrestler, and promoter in Amarillo in the 1970s.
Atsushi Koma: He left Japan Pro with Baba, and helped launch All Japan, and afterwards assisted Joe Higuchi to bring over foreign wrestlers, and train the younger ones. He also went with Jumbo Tsuruta to Amarillo in 1973. He retired in January 1976 and died two months later on March 10th due to renal failure caused by uremia. He was very young at only 35. All Japan had a ten bell salute, Baba was so shocked by his sudden death, he could only say "Why?". As a person, he was very strict, and once struck Haru Sonoda for turning up and being dressed inappropriately. Close to Baba, he was the only one (according to Great Kojika) who could "address his opinions head on".
Motoshi Okuma: Former sumo wrestler. He joined Japan Pro, became Baba's attendant, and debuted after one month. He left Japan Pro with Baba and joined All Japan, where he remained until his death from acute renal failure in December 1992. He never retired due to ill health, as Stan Hansen said, "He was an old school, old school wrestler just like me", who never complained or grumbled about anything. Ironically, his Okuma's last match in December 1992, was also Andre the Giants final match, as Andre died a month later.
Baba's chops: With Kenta Kobashi and Go Shiozaki wielding chops, Baba (who could throw a mean one) gets overlooked. While Kobashi practiced on concrete walls, Rikidozan hit Baba's right hand with a mallet to train his. Baba's 16-mon chop has been said to have been never used and has become mythical (at least according to Wikipedia Japan), but he himself references it here.
Ciclón Negro: Sometimes written as "Cyclone Negro", was a Venezuelan wrestler who was active from 1956 until 1984. Baba probably knew him from JWA. He died in 2013 at the age of 80.
Frank Holtz: New York territory wrestler, but he never took part in MSG events. Known as "The Fighting Policeman", details are sparse about him, but interestingly his special move is given as the "Elbow Smash", which would be made famous by Mitsuharu Misawa. He died on May 22nd 2025 (this article was being translated during that time). His obituary can be found here. I left s message for the family; "I never knew Frank, but I am currently translating an article from the 1970s with Giant Baba, who remembered fighting him when he (Baba) came to the US. As I like my readers to have a background on people Baba fought, I looked up Frank, and saw that he passed away during the article being written, so I wanted to leave my condolences and share this with you."
Red Demon: This could either be El Demonio Rojo or Eddie Rose, but it's most likely the former, not the latter who was a British wrestler as the other names are predominantly American and Mexican.
John L Sullivan: Johnny Valiant
Conveyor belt: Not a literal conveyor belt, I think Baba means back to the routine of wrestling.
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