Since I was a teenager, I’ve been a fan of Japanese professional wrestling.
There are no convoluted storylines and twenty minutes interviews like in American wrestling; the in-ring action takes precedence (mostly). Wrestling is still regarded as somewhat of a sport in Japan. Weekly Pro Wrestling magazine has a featured place on newsstands, and the big shows get coverage in the back pages of newspapers.
Japan has the most pro-wrestling companies in the world. In Tokyo, there is usually 4-5 events in a week. Along with the major companies, there are also niche shows with unique characters. Here are some stories from the shows I’ve been to.
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| Inside Korakeun Hall |
The mecca of pro wrestling - not just in Japan but in the world is Korakeun Hall. Located under the shadow of the Tokyo Dome, the venue has wrestling shows from the biggest company (New Japan Pro Wrestling) to the obscure (DDT - Dramatic Dream Team, a promotion that has matches between men and blow-up dolls).
Getting to Korakuen involves walking up five flights of stairs (or waiting about ten minutes for the one elevator). The stairwell is filled with messages from the multitude of wrestlers who have competed there. I took my brothers who were visiting from London to Korakeun Hall for a Pro Wrestling NOAH show. As this was their first time in Tokyo, I chose to shell out for the expensive tickets just behind the front row.
The semi-main event was a 6-man tag (3 vs 3) involving Minoru Suzuki, a grizzled veteran who has competed in mixed martial arts fights. Suzuki was embroiled in a feud with Katsuhiko Nakajima, a plucky youngster looking to make a name for himself. Nakajima was on the opposite team for this match. During the bout, the wrestlers tumbled out of the ring. Suzuki dragged Nakajima around the outside by his hair. Suzuki then unhooked the guard rail and came towards us. He signalled for the crowd to move and then flung Nakajima by our feet. Nakajima clawed up the steps in the seating area; Suzuki met him at the stairs with a swift kick to the face. Now, I know that professional wrestling aims to present a show without legitimately hurting each other, but there was nothing ‘fake’ about that kick.
The venue I’ve been to the most is Shinjuku FACE; It’s on the 7th floor of the Humax Pavilion in Kabukicho. The floor used to be home to the Liquid Room nightclub. The former owners kindly left behind a blaring sound system that ensures that your soul feels each wrestler’s theme.
The most notable event I’ve been to at the venue was Stardom, a women’s wrestling show. I was with my friend Luke who had never been to a wrestling show - let alone a women’s show. The seats we booked were opposite the Hard Camera in the second row. The Hard Camera is where the women were posing and doing their big moves towards. So essentially, we were sitting in the Ass Row.
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| The view from Ass Row |
FACE is an intimate venue; there were only about 300 people in the room. Despite the size, the women are also prone to some out of the ring shenanigans. During a tag bout, one of the wrestlers, Kagetsu, grabbed a vacant chair in the Ass Row (chairs are a wrestling trademark). Not happy with just the one chair, she ordered a male fan in the front row to give him his chair, he dutifully complied. A man behind us yelled at Kagetsu; she made a beeline towards him. Unfortunately. Luke and I were in between a raging Kagetsu and the heckler. Kagestu shouldered me, which caused me to hit Luke, who spilt his drink. She continued yelling at the man, ignoring me pressed against her and Luke’s fallen drink.
The night’s main event was between the champion Kairi Hojo and an American wrestler called Chelsea, who wore a ring outfit that made me glad to be sitting in that particular row. I tried to get into the action as it featured Hojo, who is considered one of the best wrestlers - male or female - in the world. But as the match went down, Chelsea’s outfit rode up. It was a great bout, but it was hard to concentrate with all that ass.
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| Kagetsu piles the chairs on her foe |
I’ve been to three major shows, two of which were held in Ryōgoku Kokugikan (try saying that three times) or, as it’s known to westerners - Sumo Hall. This is the venue where the bimonthly sumo tournaments are held.
The seating arrangement at Sumo Hall is unique. The lower floors have traditional seating, but fans have to sit in 4 person boxes in the upper levels. The floor of the boxes is a thin carpet which is not very comfortable; fans usually bring cushions to the shows. You must also remove your shoes before sitting in the boxes, so make sure you don’t wear socks with holes.
The two Sumo Hall shows I’ve been to were promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Many of the wrestlers in NJPW are hurting bad, but they always deliver intense action on these shows.
My first Sumo Hall show was titled Invasion Attack, and the main event was an IWGP World Heavyweight Title match between the top star of the company Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito - the lead bad guy in the promotion. Naito used to be a bland good guy who reinvented himself after a trip to Mexico. Naito is booed in the rest of Japan, but the diehard Tokyo fans love Naito and go nuts whenever he enters an arena.
The match raged on for 30 minutes; it seemed that Okada was on the way to retaining with his trademark finishing move, the ‘Rainmaker’ before Naito reversed the move into his finisher, the ‘Destino’ for the three count. The crowd erupted. We had just witnessed the crowning of a new heavyweight champion! When awarded the title belt by the referee, Naito looked at the belt, flung it into the air and walked away.
As awesome as Invasion Attack was, the event was usurped by the G1 CLIMAX Final in August. The G1 is a month-long round-robin tournament that takes place in arenas all over Japan. The final takes place at Sumo Hall. After a lot of kanji translating and research, I found out the tickets went on sale at 10 am on a Monday. I ran to my local convenience store to order the tickets; after one minute, the chair seats had gone, I managed to snag two upper-row seats for me and my friend.
The final ended up being contested between two men no one expected to be there. Firstly, perennial underdog Hiroki Goto advanced to the final. The other semi-final was between Naito and a Canadian wrestler called Kenny Omega in a rare bad guy vs bad guy match. Everyone assumed that Naito winning the G1 was a foregone conclusion, but Omega ended up picking up the victory with his finisher, the One-Winged Angel.
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| A shot from the Omega/Naito match (Omega is the one in the air) |
The atmosphere in the arena was electric. The fans knew, either way, history will be made. Omega was looking to become the first foreigner to win the G1 Climax in the tournament’s 26-year history, while Goto needed the victory badly for his career after years of near misses.
In a perfect piece of storytelling, Omega hit moves from his friends and rivals of yesteryear. Despite those big moves, Goto wouldn’t stay down. Finally, Goto hit his finishing move, the Shouten Kai for the one...two...KICK OUT!! To the surprise of everyone, Omega kicked out! Shortly after Omega hit his finishing move, the One-Winged Angel, the referee counted. One...two...three! Omega had done it! We had witnessed history!
In the post-match celebration, Omega spoke in English. Omega has been living in Japan for over five years and can speak Japanese, but he only talks to the crowd in English after becoming a bad guy. Because only bad people speak a foreign language. Omega continued speaking in English, most of the audience looked around bemused; a few fans shouted “Nihongo!” (“Speak Japanese!”). I felt incredibly special as I was one of a few people in the building to understand what he was saying.
If you are in Tokyo, I highly recommend checking out a wrestling show. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, Japanese pro wrestling shows a unique side of the capital. Just be careful if you are sitting near the front row.
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| Bonus pic: Luke and I in between a Japanese wrestlers legs |
