This is what I want to know - Three issues with International Pro
(Issue 11, 1972)
1. The results of the Thunder Sugiyama trade
2. Standing up to the powerful gang that is attacking
3. Inoue's return as a big star
(The blurb isn't easy to make out but it speaks of the upcoming series being made interesting by the three subjects above, Thunder Sugiyama being defeated by Bruiser Brody, and Bruiser and Crusher making a name for themselves in France)
Baba's entrance to International Pro!
Sugiyama's trade could be the bridge to that.
Thunder Sugiyama's trade to All Japan Pro Wrestling was announced on September 18th by All Japan Pro president Giant Baba, with International Pro president Isao Yoshihara* also in attendance.
There is a long history of wrestlers leaving or being poached, but this was the first official trade in the history of Japanese professional wrestling. In a time of warring states in pro wrestling that began with wrestlers leaving or being poached, escalating into lawsuits and mudslinging, this was refreshing news.
It can be said that the trade for Sugiyama went so smoothly because International Pro have an established wrestler contract system. Since its founding, International Pro has not had any executive wrestlers and has used an annual contract system*. Wrestlers discuss with the president the results of the previous year and renew their contracts every year. This contract system and bonus system are the stimulants for the rapid growth of young International Pro wrestlers. This is because free competition uninfluenced by seniority has been encouraged.
In Sugiyama's case, he moved to Nagoya in June this year for family reasons and started a side job, so after discussing it with the representative, he signed a contract on an ad-hoc basis. This contract does not require him to wrestle every match in the series. Such a contract would have been unthinkable for Sugayama formerly, as he was the IWA World Champion and the ace of the International Pro Wrestling League, Sugiyama was an indispensable star wrestler. However, things have changed a bit for Sugiyama now, with Strong Kobayashi holding the IWA World Championship. Rusher Kimura made his mark in a cage death match, and the Great Kusatsu* transformed into a heel and made a huge leap forward. Sugiyama, who was the top at International Pro, has now fallen to fourth place behind Kobayashi, Kusatsu, and Kimura. This doesn't mean that Sugiyama has lost his ability. It just means that Kobayashi, Kusatsu, and Kimura have grown to the point where they can overtake Sugiyama, who was at the top of the league. This difference became clear at the 4th IWA World Series in the spring and the Big Summer Series when Kusatsu returned to Japan. With a stable top group and a deep roster of wrestlers, International Pro could accept Sugiyama's wishes and make contracts with him at any time without any problems.
As for Japan Pro, which had just become independent and was struggling with a shortage of wrestlers, Thunder Sugiyama was an attractive talent that they were desperate to get their hands on.
It is not difficult to imagine that Baba, who had decided to go independent, would have been sympathetic to Sugiyama's wishes, and Sugiyama was inspired to try something new. Sugiyama is only thirty-two years old, older than the trio of Kobayashi, Kusatsu, and Kimura, but two years younger than Baba. Far from being old, he is still in the prime of his career as a wrestler. After getting Sugiyama's consent, Baba approached Yoshihara, the president of International Pro, about transferring Sugiyama to him. It is said that Baba and Yoshihara had been in frequent discussions prior to this. At the September 9th press conference announcing the launch of All Japan Pro Wrestling, Baba said, "We will continue to talk with promotions, that are ready to talk with us," referring to the pros. Since declaring independence, Baba has often said, "I don't want to get into a childish fight." But instead of forcibly taking Sugiyama away, he made a formal proposal to Yoshihara, seeing that they were "able to discuss this with each other." This is typical of the gentlemanly Baba. Yoshihara, who was also approached, is a mature man was also confident in the depth of the wrestler pool. The long-established Japan Pro no longer have any wrestlers going on overseas tours, and the current situation is that New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling are in no position to go on tours either. Until Takachiho* returned to Japan, there are still five members of the International Pro Wrestling Team currently active overseas however: Rusher Kimura, Mighty Inoue*, Animal Hamaguchi, Katsuzo Matsumoto* and Takeshi Oiso. This group is scheduled to depart within the year, and the depth of the wrestlers is the best among the four promotions, and so with TBS's approval, the Sugiyama trade was completed in a neat manner (according to Yoshihara, CEO) for Bruiser and Crusher.
However, a trade always comes with something in return. When asked at the press conference whether it was a trade for money, both Yoshihara and Baba blurted out, "It was a mature discussion...", but they acknowledged that it was not a trade for free. It is rumored that two or three young international pro wrestlers will be loaned out to help out in All Japan's inaugural Giant Series. This is because the new All Japan has too has too few Japanese wrestlers compared to the impressive number of foreign wrestlers they are inviting.
If this loan does come to fruition, then a reverse scenario may also be possible, although this is purely speculation....In return, he would move from All Japan to International Pro...Giant Baba would step into the International Pro ring... is this an overly optimistic view? If that were to happen, it would be very interesting...
How to defend the IWA World Tag Team Championship that is under scrutiny
International Pro has shown spunk in the trade issue with All Japan, but they are going to have a bit of a headache figuring out how to counter the strongest lawless duo on earth, Dick the Bruiser and Crusher Lisowski, who will be invading the Big Winter Series.
This is the first time Bruiser and Crusher have come to Japan as a tag team since their attack on Japan Pro n the summer of 1969, three years and three months ago. At that time, this lawless duo stole the International Tag Team Championship from Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki, Japan's strongest team at the time. They vacated the title in their return match and disbanded their team after returning to Japan, but they are said to have made a comeback this summer and are wreaking havoc across the US ahead of their upcoming tour of Japan.
Generally speaking, this outlaw group has disbanded and reunited many times since forming their tag August 1963, but it's not because they have a bad relationship or anything, as they say ""When you work as a team, you quickly run out of enemies, and it's probably because everyone values their life." When they run out of enemies, they disband the team and go on rampages all over the place as singles, only to reunite again whenever they feel like it, repeating this cycle over and over again.
This can be clearly seen by looking at the history of AWA World Tag Team wrestlers.
The Outlaws became AWA World Tag Team Champions upon forming in August 1963, and held the titles until 1965, after which they disappeared from history for a while, with Crusher and Verne Gagne taking the titles instead. In other words, this was a period during which Bruiser lost interest in tag teams.
From 1966 to 1967, the Outlaws once again reigned supreme, but a year later they disappeared again, with Bruiser busy building a base in his home base of Chicago. Then, when the tag team championships fell into the hands of the foreign duo of Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto, they would casually show up, revive their tag, and take the belts. Depending on how you look at it, their breakup was fake, and they waited for tag teams from all over the US to invade the AWA upon hearing of the Outlaws' breakup, and then they would take the opportunity to hunt them down. Like hunters who have set a trap, for these two the breakup was not a break in their schedule, but rather a time to wait for prey.
However, for the past three years, the Outlaws have practically disbanded. Bruiser has been based in his home city of Chicago, working with Wilbur Snyder and promoter Bob Ruth to create a new promotion, the World Wrestling Association (WWA). Last summer, the WWA made a spectacular raid on The Sheik's homebase of Detroit, causing The Sheik, who had been scheduled to participate in Japan Pro, to panic and cancel his visit.
The WWA now recognizes Baron von Raschke as World Champion and The Black Jacks (Lanza and Mulligan) as tag team champions, establishing a stable presence throughout Illinois. While not a world champion himself, Bruiser has shown his confidence as the big boss.
It seems Bruiser's confidence inspired him to try his hand at attacking Japan for the first time in three years, so he reunited with Crusher and challenged The Blackjacks to a tag team match using a cage death match, in a flashy and brutal rehearsal.
Of course, the outlaw group's aim in invading the world of International Pro will be the IWA World Tag Team Championship, and Strong Kobayashi and The Great Kusatsu, who wreaked havoc in the AWA territories last year and this year, are well aware of both Bruiser and Crusher. Bruiser was so smitten with Kobayashi that he even persuaded him to move to Chicago permanently, saying, "I'll make you world champion, so you should come and live here permanently." With Kobayashi and Kusatsu having returned to Japan and become IWA World Tag Team champions, it's only natural that they would be interested. Should Bruiser and Crusher target them, their tag titles would be in danger.
Rusher Kimura is on a tour, Sugiyama has been transferred, and Kobayashi and Kusatsu will have to bear the brute force of Bruiser and Crusher. It would be interesting if someone like Giant Baba came to the rescue...
Expectations for treasures cultivated in Europe and Canada.
One thing we mustn't forget here is the return of Mighty Inoue, known as International Pro's secret weapon.
Inoue's first overseas tour was in August 1970. During that time, he rushed to Japan in February 1971 to help out in the AWA Big Fight series, but he only stayed in Japan for less than two weeks. This was because he was urgently being urged by European wrestling o "come back soon", so you could say this was his first official return to Japan.
During his two years and two months of overseas training, Inoue visited every country in Europe that had wrestling. He spent one year and eight months in Europe, from August 1970 to April of this year.
At the tournament hosted by Edmund Schober in Hanover, Germany, which has become a globally famous event, he came in second place, leaving behind a string of strong European competitors, and at the Elysee-Montmartre tournament in Paris, he became the first Asian to win the championship.
Even in the pan-European rankings, which tend to ignore foreigners, he became the first Japanese to make it into the top ten, because Inoue's abilities could not be ignored in European wrestling.
His popularity was also incredible. Inoue was nicknamed "Mickey" for his baby face and speedy movements, and at the final night in Hanover, fans piled gifts on the ring. In France, the film and television industry took notice of Mickey's popularity, and Inoue signed an exclusive contract, appearing on both the big screen and the TV screen.
Inoue, at the height of his popularity, flew from Europe to Canada in April of this year because Montreal's big boss, Mad Dog Vachon, had his eye on Inoue's popularity and talent and forcefully recruited him.
Montreal is currently in the midst of a fierce promotional war. The Grand Prix faction, backed by the AWA, is storming in against the NWA-affiliated Jacques Rougeau Sr. faction, and is trying to outmaneuver them. Rougeau Sr has sought support in Detroit from The Shiek, and The Shiek, along with Abdullah the Butcher, Haystacks Calhoun, and Antonio Pugliese, have all rushed to help out. However, the Grand Prix faction has a solid lineup, with big bosses Vachon and Butcher, along with Edward Carpentier, and regulars like Monster Roussimoff*, Don Leo Jonathan, and the Blonde Bombers. Bringing Inoue into the mix would further strengthen the lineup. This plan, which was Vachon's intention worked perfectly. The main event featured a massive clash between Roussimoff and Jonathan, there was a tag between the Vachon brothers and the Bombers, and the golden card of the battle of technique between Carpentier and Inoue.
In Montreal, known as the "France of Canada," Carpentier, a French Canadian, is incredibly popular. Then Inoue, who was at the height of his popularity in France, jumped into the fray and engaged in some spectacular aerial combat with Carpentier, so it would be strange if he didn't become more popular. Now Inoue has become a huge star, rated alongside Carpentier as a perfect rival.
When he first arrived in Canada, Inoue teamed up with Mitsu Arakawa, grew a beard, and turned heel. However, the tag team disbanded after two months due to disagreements, and Vachon dismissed Arakawa. Vachon saw that Inoue could compete on equal terms with Carpentier in singles matches, and Arakawa was no longer needed. In places like this, American promoters can be strict, and if they need to be, then they will be to the max.
Inoue's current fee is said to be higher than that of Kobayashi and Kusatsu in the past, and he has achieved great success as a promoter in the promotional wars, and is being treated on the same level as the big name Carpentier, so he should be making a lot of money, and there are even jokes that Inoue will "bring a cart full of cash" when he returns to Japan. If we understand that "treasure" is the skill and popularity he has achieved in Europe and Canada, then Inoue's return to the country could be said to be a return of true "cash" to the international community.
That aside, when Inoue returned to Japan in February of last year, he fought an equally impressive match against the great Bill Miller. In the year and eight months since then, Inoue has mastered the American style of rough fighting through his training by Vachon, he will likely show his true colors as he takes on the outlaws, Bruiser and Crusher. It's fair to say that the eye of the storm in the Big Winter Series is not the foreign wrestlers, but the triumphant return of the mighty Inoue.
Notes
Isao Yoshihara: March 2nd 1930 - June 10th 1985. He was involved with Japan Pro, but after a series of arguments with Kokichi Endo, he left JWA in 1966 (part of the reason was Endo and others feared that he was planning to take over the company after trying to sort out the financial mess on the Riki Palace that Rikidozan had left JWA in). Interestingly, he came up with a lot of early ideas which are used in wrestling today, such as cage death matches, theme songs for wrestler entrances and the scoring system in leagues. However JWA were out to destroy him and thwarted him, which led to his joining forces with All Japan to co-exist peacefully under the Japan Pro Wrestling Association. International Pro Wrestling ceased in August 1981. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 55 in 1985. Rusher Kimura (who would later go to Noah) said, "We may be torn apart, but we will continue to fight, never forgetting the spirit of International Pro Wrestling."
Contract system: This continues to this day, and is exactly the same in Noah (although I am not sure about the bonus system)
Thunder Sugiyama: Died 22 November 2002 of a heart attack.
Great Kusatsu: Masatake Kusatsu (13th February 1942 – 21st June 2008). Former Rugby player, he joined Japan Pro in July 1965, and became Giant Baba's attendant. Hating practice (according to Great Kabuki), he only ever had four matches in Japan Pro, before joining International Pro. He appeared first in All Japan in 1975, and wrestled there sporadically until July 1980 when he broke his ankle when the boards beneath the ring broke during a match. He never returned to the ring, and became a sales manager, but he didn't retire until 1981 when International Pro ceased to operate. He said, "If Baba is the ace of Japanese Pro Wrestling, then I am the ace of International Pro Wrestling. Let's both do our best," as if they were on an equal footing, and Baba later said he was "stunned" by his response.
Takachiho: The Great Kabuki, who wrestled under the name Akihisa Takachiho
Rusher Kimura and Mighty Inoue: Both would be part of the walk out to Noah
Kazuzo Matsumoto: Known better as Katsuzo Oiyama. A former sumo wrestler, he entered wrestling in 1971 and remained until 1981, retiring a few months before the collapse of International Pro.
Takeshi Oiso: Former sumo wrestler. Founder of Phillipino promotion, APW.
Monster Roussimoff: Andre The Giant
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