(JAPAN PRO) Rikidozan brilliantly stops Ortega - The final Tokyo show is a thrilling success
15th October 1955
The fateful match between Rikidozan and Ortega, to be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium as Ortega's final match in Japan, was certainly a hit.
Even though the match didn't start until 6 PM that day, fans had been lining up since early morning to get tickets, and by lunchtime, the line at Sendagaya Station was quite long.
As the two travel around various parts of Japan, once they step into the ring, the Mexican champion's fight against the Japanese champion is unbearable, fueled by a bloody past and a fateful encounter. Even though it seems like they're not going to fight, they exude an intense, murderous aura.
Moreover, the process of Ortega challenging Rikidozan led to a conclusion that only fueled the excitement, leading to expectations that a scene like "Rikidozan's one-hit kill against Kimura" might unfold. In this atmosphere, the two champions appeared in the ring. The arena was already buzzing with excitement, partly due to Japan's 2-1 victory in the tag team match between Azumafuji, Endo, Orton, and Curtis, with shouts of "Go Rikido!" and "Beat them!".
As usual, after the introductions of both wrestlers, Ortega took his poncho and sombrero and placed them on the ground. Rikidozan then removed his gown and placed it on top of it. This had never happened before, and I was confused, but then I realized it was an agreement that the winner would get to keep what the opponent had. This might be modeled after the ancient martial artists who would raid dojos and earn their names through that practice.
The referee is Turk*
Three rounds, sixty minutes
Rikidozan 2-1 Ortega
Ortega - Body Hold
(14 minutes 23 seconds)
Rikidozan - Body Hold
(2 minutes 25 seconds)
Rikidozan - Body Hold
(28 seconds)
FIRST ROUND
The match began with a punch from Rikidozan and a karate chop from Ortega, then moved to the ground. However, Ortega, as usual, repeatedly used fouls by grabbing Rikidozan's hair, so Rikidozan fought back fiercely with arm locks, armbars, and arm chokes. When Ortega tried to escape, Rikidozan knocked him down with a karate chop, then threw him out of the ring.
Even Ortega, a formidable opponent, was helpless against Rikidozan's fierce attack. He raised his right hand, making a gesture that seemed to say, "Karate chops are no good," drawing laughter from the crowd. However, this was all part of Ortega's strategy. The next moment, he skillfully attacked Rikidozan, landing two or three kicks that left Rikidozan somewhat flustered and reeling. Ortega then threw him with a rock drop, and as he tried to get up, he threw him down and pinned him with his 40-kan weight.
SECOND ROUND
After his first defeat, Rikidozan proceeded with his attack more cautiously this time.
As soon as the gong sounded, Rikidozan relentlessly attacked with an armlock. Ortega desperately tried to escape, and just as he finally broke free and attempted to lunge, Rikidozan skillfully dodged him. Ortega, caught off guard, spun around on the mat, and Rikidozan seized the opportunity to pounce on him. It was a one-sided victory for Rikidozan, and Ortega lost all his luster.
THIRD ROUND
Immediately after the third gong sounded, Ortega, realizing he couldn't win with his own strength alone, used the ropes to try and deliver a powerful body blow to Rikidozan. If Ortega's 40-kan weight had hit Rikidozan head-on with the momentum, Rikidozan would have been in serious trouble. However, Rikidozan is a man of rapid, agile movements. With his dreams flying, Ortega was hit with a trump card, a karate chop aimed at his chest. While it might have worked if his body was stationary, even a 40-year-old man flying through the air couldn't withstand the impact. Ortega's body tumbled over and landed on the ground.
With this single blow, Ortega lost all strength to even get up. Rikidozan took the pin easily, and referee Turk swiftly raised his right hand high, bringing the long-awaited match between the two rivals to a close.
The match lasted only 28 seconds. For fans who had been excited for a more bloody bout, it was a somewhat anticlimactic ending, but I think it was a good conclusion for professional wrestling.
Rikidozan's specialty, karate
The event in Mito took place at the Mito Municipal Gymnasium from 5 PM on the 5th. As it was the first international match to be seen, it attracted considerable attention, and approximately 5,000 spectators packed the venue.
The main events of the night were the tag team match between Ortega and Curtis against Azumafuji and Endo, and the one-on-one match between Rikidozan and Orton. However, when Azumafuji was troubled by Ortega and Curtis's skillful foul play, the Mito crowd was understandably upset.
"Azumafuji, get angry!"
"Endo, don't worry, just beat him!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and excitement.
In the match between Rikidozan and Orton, Rikidozan dominated the fight with his signature karate chops, hammer throws, and rock drops, winning by pinfall twice, at 20 minutes 42 seconds and 5 minutes 1 second. The arena erupted in cheers and applause.
The results of the matches that night were as follows:
20-minute single match
Yoshinori vs. Rashomon (arm lock)
The International Pro Wrestling event at Kawasaki Stadium, featuring a match between Rikidozan and Azumafuji against Ortega and Curtis as the main event, took place on the 5th at 6 PM. As it was the first time professional wrestling had been held in Kawasaki, the arena was packed with nearly 20,000 spectators.
15 minute match
Sadao Watanabe vs Isao Yoshihara* (draw)
20 minute match
Yonetaro Tanaka* vs Shinichi Higa* (draw)
30 minute match
Toyonobori vs Rashomon
60-Minute Three-Fall Tag Team Match
2-1
Ortega & Curtis vs Azumafuji & Endo
60-minute best-of-three match
2-0
Rikidozan vs. Orton
Rikidozan vs. Orton
(20 minutes 2 seconds)
Rikidozan vs. Orton
(5 minutes 1 second)
Duality
Contemplation results arise
30-minute single match
Surugaumi
Body hold
Yoshinosato
45-minute three-match match
Kokichi Endo 1 - 1 Ortega
And then Rikidozan, Azumafuji, Ortega, and Curtis finally appeared.
"Rikidozan will take on Ortega!" "He'll beat him!" The entire arena erupted in excitement the moment the two men came into view. Both men seemed somewhat swept up in this roar, radiating a murderous aura even before the fight began.
The match began with Azumafuji and Curtis, but Rikidozan intervened midway through, stunning Curtis with a karate chop and securing the first submission. Next, Ortega relentlessly attacked Azumafuji, winning with a series of rock drops and a submission, setting up the final.
This time, Rikidozan again attacked Curtis, securing a submission at 3 minutes and 14 seconds, but at this point, Ortega took issue, and the ring became a tense standoff between Ortega and Rikidozan.
Referee Turk tried desperately to stop the fight, but couldn't get through to either of them. He was pushed away and his shirt was torn, creating a dangerous situation, but thankfully it was resolved without incident.
Rikidozan & Azumafuji vs Ortega & Curtis
2 -1
Endo fly kick
Yokohama is the hometown of Kokichi Endo. Therefore, at the International Pro Wrestling event held in a specially constructed ring at Nogeyama Pool, the cheers of "Endo! Endo!" were fervent from all directions.
The matches began with a 15-minute single fall match between Watanabe and Tanaka, followed by Kaneko vs. Hidaka, Miyajima vs. Abe, Yoshinosato vs. Rashomon, Toyonobori vs. Dankakai, and Azumafuji vs. Curtis.
Azumafuji's progress was quite remarkable, and he's gained speed. In the first fall, he was pinned with a double armlock in 9 minutes and 21 seconds. In the second fall, he was caught in a reverse leg lock, but in the third fall, he brilliantly defeated Curtis with a body slam in 2 minutes and 42 seconds.
Tag Team Match -
61 minutes, 3 falls
Rikidozan & Endo
vs
Ortega & Orton
Ortega and Orton used clever fouls to torment Endo, which angered the local Yokohama boys. This led to a commotion where a bottle was thrown, injuring a spectator.
Endo frequently used his signature flying kicks, utilizing the ropes, but at one point he failed and injured his back.
In comparison, Rikidozan, being the refined man he was, overwhelmed Orton and Ortega with his speedy attacks, from karate chops to hammer throws.
However, what I found a little strange about this match was that, at the beginning, both Endo and Orton used a lot of ground techniques, and there were few of the flashy standing techniques typical of professional wrestling. Perhaps because of this, some spectators muttered things like, "It's no different from amateur wrestling." However, this was only during the first half; in the second half, they truly showed their full potential, completely thrilling the audience.
In the first fall, Endo was cornered and choked by Ortega, who was outside the ring, with the tag ropee. Even when referee Turk counted, Ortega didn't stop, leading some to mutter things like, "That's not fair!"
However, this was only the first half; in the second half, the true essence was revealed, completely thrilling the spectators.
The first round was decided by a foul, giving the Japanese team the victory. In the second round, In the second round, Rikidozan attacked Orton with a body slam, executed a beautiful reverse drop to leave him groggy, and then pinned him, securing the win at 19 minutes and 8 seconds.
Orton and Ortega's combination was better than Rikidozan's or Endo's. They would always drag their opponent into their corner and repeatedly use their skills against them, until they were just barely within the limits of what could be considered a foul. I think the Yokohama locals couldn't stand watching Endo being beaten so badly. The bottle being thrown is another example of this, but even in professional wrestling, such fouls cannot be condoned.
Notes
Referee Turk: Yousef Türkiye (May 23rd 1931 - October 18th 2013). Turkish man born in Toyohara, Sakhalin Island. Raised in Japan, he spoke Japanese fluently. He had initially debuted as a pro wrestler in Japan pro in 1954. Referees in those days were both referees and wrestlers (Rikidozan did the same). However, in 1968 he was caught up in an assault case when he (along with another wrestler/sumo) assaulted The Great Togo who was planning to poach Kintaro Oki for IPW, He got out of trouble by making it look as if he had been assaulted, and while he was suspended indefinitely behind the scenes, he was rewarded for his actions. During the conflict between Baba and Inoki, he sided with Inoki. Although Inoki left JPW, he stayed on but was fired when he was found to have secretly offered Seiji Sakaguchi 10 million yen to lure Inoki to a new promotion. In 1972 he took part in New Japan's launch by working as a referee, but after a year he became estranged from Inoki. In 1978 he attempted to create a promotion called Big Japan (not related to The Great Kojika's promotion), but the plan fell through. He returned to New Japan as a referee in 1981, but got into blackmail charges in 1983, when he and Abdullah the Butcher were arrested on suspicion of blackmailing the ghostwriter of Butcher's book, "How To Make Pro Wrestling 10 Times More Enjoyable". Despite this he remained close to Inoki, and in later years worked for Real Japan. He died of heart related issues in 2013.
Sadao Watanabe: I can find no information on who this is
Isao Yoshihara: The later owner of International Pro
Yonetaro Tanaka (1928-1995): Former sumo wrestler turned wrestler, who later became a referee at the same time as Joe Higuchi. He lost to both Baba and Inoki in their debut matches and was called by Inoki, "the weakest in the dojo".
Shinichi Higa: No information on who this is
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