We have been told this man can compete with JOHN CENA and MIL MASCARAS on all levels – ring work, merchandising and multimedia platforms. For what Cena and Mascaras mean to America and Mexico (their native countries), this man means just as much if not MORE to the Nation of Japan and the art of puroresu (Japanese Pro Wrestling), which he created.
Ladies and gentleman, the man – the myth – the legend – the “rugged mountain road”… RIKIDOZAN!!!!
5’10”
230 lbs
The FATHER of Puroresu
The GREATEST wrestler in Japanese history
RIKIDOZAN!!!
For the uninitiated, I pulled together a press packet detailing some of his greatest accomplishments and his serious Championship goals here in BCCW:
1) He’s an Icon in Japan. He has bronze statues erected in his honor much like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Red Auerbach. Here, a Tibetan monk stands guard around the statue 24/7 and will immediately slay anyone who attempts to desecrate or curse the sacred area.
2) After training as a sumo for most of his formative years, he quit that sport for financial reasons. He made his official pro wrestling debut on October 28th 1951 in Tokyo, wrestling to a 10 minute draw against Bobby Bruns. After losing World War II, the Japanese were in a state of depression and searching for a hero. RIKIDOZAN emerged as the figure-head of a brand new spectacle in Japan called “pro wrestling” or “puroresu”.
3) RIKIDOZAN won the World Heavyweight Championship on August 27th 1958 by beating BCCW legend LOU THESZ, and validated his greatness in the eyes of this sport worldwide. He beat THESZ again in the Final Round of the 4th Annual World League Tournament on May 25th 1962.
4) He laid the blueprint for Japanese wrestling for years to come, by training and initiating such luminaries as GIANT BABA and ANTONIO INOKI into the puroresu fold.
5) RIKIDOZAN has won countless championships… the Pacific Coast Tag Team title in 1952, the Japanese Heavyweight title in 1954, the Hawaiian Tag Team championship, the All-Asian Heavyweight title in 1955, the N.W.A. World Tag Team title (w/Koukichi Endo) in 1956, the N.W.A. International Heavyweight title (from Thesz) in 1958, the All-Asian Tag Team title four times between 1960-1963, and the W.W.A. World Heavyweight title (Los Angeles) in 1962. He also won 5 prestigious tournaments is Japan, defeating the likes of Thesz, Killer Kowalski, and others.
6) Much like Cena and Mil Mascaras, RIKIDOZAN has had his own feature film and successful line of action figures, stamps and other lucrative merchandising.
7) Not only that, RIKIDOZAN is also a very successful businessman. He has amassed a vast empire which includes his wrestling and boxing promotions, as well as hotels, golf courses, night clubs, and real estate holdings.
When asked for a comment regarding RIKIDOZAN’s arrival in the States, Mil Mascaras declined to answer. John Cena on the other hand, has promised a hellacious main event to BCCW’s inaugural card “RESPECT THE SHOOTERS & HOOKERS”.
JOHN CENA: [Expect] a classic adrenaline-pumping, rugged and raw action flick straight out of the 80's. It's going back to the days of the real, get your hands dirty action hero, pushing everything to the limit, and there aren't any gimmicky special effects tricks that make it unbelievable. This [match] really goes back to the days of grit and ass-kicking fun.
LOU THESZ also spoke grimly of Rikidozan’s arrival, promising to hit the gym even harder in retaliation.
LOU THESZ: I'm going to be spending at least one week a month up there and we're going to have a little theater there, we'll have video there and we'll have some instructive stuff on the videos. I'll be doing some coaching, and other people will as well.
BCCW’s public figure head MSD has alluded to this signing for weeks, but couldn’t release any particular information due to the GDT Inc Policy. But now that he’s here in the States, MSD has said of RIKIDOZAN:
MSD: He is an integral part of our international appeal, and our plans for global expansion. I don’t think you understand the significance of RIKIDOZAN’s legacy in pro wrestling. Two of Rikidôzan's matches were rated in the top ten television programs of all time in Japan! His October 6, 1957 sixty-minute draw with Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship drew an 87.0 rating (!!!!!), and his May 24, 1963 sixty-minute two out of three falls draw with The Destroyer drew a 67.0 rating (!!!!), but a larger viewing audience (the largest in Japanese history) than the previous match, since by 1963 more people had television sets. Talk about a ratings draw! The others fantasy promoters would castrate themselves and sell their first born for ratings like that!!!
Regardless of popular opinion or a bookies spread sheet, this is shaping up to be the most unpredictable 3-Way Dance in pro wrestling history. MSD & BCCW have no doubt topped themselves with this acquisition. I'll be releasing more information about the league and "RESPECT THE HOOKERS & SHOOTERS" as it arrives.
* CHIP CHIMNEY
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