Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta

The following question was asked on the forum: I have a question about the Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta match on June 8th, 1990. Basically does anyone know what the background was? Was there a storyline in place, was there defined roles, ie was Misawa the heel and Jumbo the face? Was it more like […]

Categories
TheBigBoot Goes Global

TheBigBoot Goes Global #1: Mitsuharu Misawa

Last Saturday, Japanese wrestling icon, Pro Wrestling NOAH Founder-President and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time Mitusharu Misawa died following a bout in Hiroshima. Whilst teaming with Go Shiozaki against GHC Tag Team Champions Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith, Misawa was knocked unconscious following a backdrop suplex from Saito. A stunned, hushed crowd watched as a doctor from the audience tried to revive him using CPR before he was rushed to a local hospital who pronounced him dead at 10:10 PM…

Categories
The Rising Sun

In memory and respect of Mitsuharu Misawa

As you probably already know if you are reading this article, the founder and president of Pro Wresting NOAH and a man who personified Japanese wrestling maybe more then anyone since the turn of the 90’s, Mitsuharu Misawa, died on the 13th of June, the supposed cause of which was a heart attack that struck when Misawa took a bump from a belly to back suplex (or backdrop in Japan) from NOAH veteran Akitoshi Saito…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: The IWGP title comes home and an unfortunate case of events

Sunday saw a massive show for NJPW, a massive one in that they needed to finally push Nakamura all the way and reclaim the 3rd generation IWGP Title and unify it once more with the 2nd generation belt they have been forced to use since Lesnar refused to return what he called ‘his belt’ to the company…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: Critical Acclaim

Now the thing about the title, Critical Acclaim is that, well there isn’t enough of it banded around these days. Everyone wants to look to the negative and even those that will praise the standard of the matches of a show in Japan they will then declare that despite this the show hasn’t drawn and wrestling is dying in the East…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: The Road to unification

Yes as the above states the past few weeks in Japan have been about history, making it to be precise, as events have unfolded that could shake the scene for months to come…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: Puro Predictions for 2008

I like to guess and predict… like which of my neighbours will move out, who will get fired from work, which football team will get relegated along with Derby and also what might just happen in the next 12 months over in Japan…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: The movers and the shakers

Japanese wrestling in some very important ways is no different to any other wrestling you will find around the world. Basically there are bookers, owners and of course members of the roster who have, as they say, influence with the office. But who are they? Who are the people who say who goes and make the biggest moves in the business?

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: Whatever happened to the Golden Generation?

Before you start this is not a piece on the supposed team people believe should have won the World Cup for England in 2006…. or qualified with ease for Euro 2008 the lousy over paid… sorry, where was I… oh yes. This is a look instead at the generation of wrestlers who came before the likes of Tanahashi and Nakamura but after the generation of Hashimoto, Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada, Muto, Chono and Taue…

Categories
The Rising Sun

TRS: Japanese Wrestling Moves

I thought just to lighten up a bit I would tell you about the most famous moves in the world, invented in Japanese rings and them exported out into the world to be toyed with and modified beyond belief…