https://www.harold-williams.com/2024/10/former-ecw-champion-to-take-part-in_21.html
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Former ECW Champion To Take Part In Free Yanagase Pro Wrestling Event
Check out my Yanagase Pro Wrestling event preview on The Deck:
https://www.harold-williams.com/2024/10/former-ecw-champion-to-take-part-in_21.html
https://www.harold-williams.com/2024/10/former-ecw-champion-to-take-part-in_21.html
[The Deck] Michinoku Pro 11/16/24 Yahaba Town Event! A New Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion to Be Crowned!
Check out my Michinoku Pro event preview on The Deck:
https://www.harold-williams.com/2024/10/michinoku-pro-111624-yahaba-town-event.html
https://www.harold-williams.com/2024/10/michinoku-pro-111624-yahaba-town-event.html
Monday, October 21, 2024
Former ECW Champion To Take Part In Free Yanagase Pro Wrestling Event
The 17th Annual Eliminating Bullying and Creating Energy will be an event hosted by Yanagase Pro Wrestling that aims to eliminate bullying and promote the well-being of children.
It will take place on November 16th at Nagaragawa Stadium Outdoor Ring in Gifu, Japan, with the matches starting at 1:00 pm. Admission to this event will be free.
What is Yanagase Pro Wrestling?
Based in Gifu, Yanagase Pro Wrestling (YPW) is a promotion that has a positive effect on its local community.
Fans from all walks of life come to YPW events, filled with local pride, as they watch YPW provide a platform for wrestlers from Gifu and surrounding areas while the promotion also contributes to local businesses and tourism by attracting not only local fans, but also wrestling fans from other areas, such as the rest of the Chubu region, and the nearby Kansai region.
17 years of the Eliminating Bullying and Creating Energy event is a testament to its significance and impact on the community.
While pro-wrestling has always been a source of entertainment and inspiration for many fans, Eliminating Bullying and Creating Energy shows that it can also be a powerful tool for social change, as the event uses the action and drama of pro-wrestling to raise awareness about the important issue of bullying.
Who is on the card?
Along with Yanagase Pro Wrestling’s own talented roster, the 17th Annual Eliminating Bullying and Creating Energy event will feature former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Masato Tanaka, former KO-D Six Man Tag Team Champion Shigehiro Irie, former Yokohama Shopping Street Six Man Tag Team Champion Kenta Kosugi, and former NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions Yasu Kubota and Hide Kubota.
The card will be as follows:
- Shigehiro Irie, El Aquage & Sae (as seen in BJW, ZERO1, Ice Ribbon, WAVE, and PURE-J) vs. Kenta Kosugi, Lowther (as seen in DDT, AJPW, and BJW) & Mari Manji (as seen in BJW, Ice Ribbon, ZERO1, Sendai Girls, WAVE, and PURE-J)
- Yanagase Kamen Fuerza (as seen in ZERO1) & Convoy Nishio vs. Yasu Kubota & Hide Kubota
- Jack Kennedy (as seen in DDT, BJW, and ZERO1) vs. Masato Tanaka
The “Eliminating Bullying and Creating Energy” event plays an important role in strengthening the Gifu community. By attracting visitors from both within and outside the region, it fosters a sense of unity among residents, who come together to support their local wrestlers and celebrate the message promoted by the event.
Friday, October 18, 2024
Michinoku Pro 11/16/24 Yahaba Town Event! A New Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion to Be Crowned!
Michinoku Pro will present a special event on November 16th at Yahaba Town Citizens General Gymnasium in Yahaba Town, Iwate (6:00 PM start time). Existing since 1993, Michinoku Pro was created with Iwate in mind, so many events in Iwate feature matches that are not seen anywhere else in the country. This time, the main event match will be for the vacant Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship!
A company without a champion
Michinoku Pro currently faces a familiar situation where the prestigious Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship is once again vacant. As a result of Fujita Hayato’s recent illness and championship relinquishment, a new champion worthy of carrying a title with a rich history behind it needed to be decided.
A unique aspect of Michinoku Pro is that it utilizes its Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship as the top championship in the company, as well as its only currently active singles title. It is highly regarded and has existed since August 2002 with the distinction of having legends and well-known talents as part of its legacy such as The Great Sasuke, Dick Togo, and TAKA Michinoku. Every wrestler who has represented the championship strived to uphold that legacy, leaving everything in the ring every time they defended it.
The solution has been set
Last month, two Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title Contendership Battle Royals were held, which were won by Rui Hyugaji and Ringo Yamaya. They will face each other on November 16th to decide the new champion.
An established main eventer, this match is an opportunity for Rui Hyugaji to solidify his place in the singles division. Hyugaji has had three reigns as Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion, with his third lasting 553 days, which was record-breaking.
Meanwhile, Ringo Yamaya has quickly shown his worth in Michinoku Pro, accomplishing the impressive feat of becoming a co-holder of the Tohoku Tag Team Championship earlier this year with only one year of in-ring experience at that time. And now, in the second year of his career, Yamaya has a chance to win what represents the pinnacle of achievement in Michinoku Pro.
Tickets
The rest of the card will be announced in the near future, but it’s already clear that this will be a must-see event! For those of you who will be in Japan on November 16th, tickets are currently on sale for this event.
Monday, September 2, 2024
Monday, January 22, 2024
For Shohei Ohtani, Will it Ever be Shotime in the Squared Circle?
For baseball fans across the globe, Shohei Ohtani is "Shotime", the double-threat sensation from Japan who throws fire and blasts homers with equal amounts of ease. But what if, after hanging up his spikes, Ohtani decided to trade the diamond for the squared circle? Could we one day witness Ohtani making an impact in the pro-wrestling industry with the same combination of athleticism and charisma that has made him a star in the baseball industry?
With pro-wrestling being an industry where having presence is important, Shohei Ohtani already has what it takes in that department- in Japan, his popularity transcends baseball. There are many people in Japan who watch American baseball, not because they are baseball fans, but because they are Shohei Ohtani fans.
Shohei Ohtani is also physically gifted. The baseball field is his playground, where his throws are legendary and he swings with a relentless flow. Imagine if those athletic attributes were translated to the wrestling ring.
Shohei Ohtani is also a showman, which is a valuable asset for a pro-wrestler to have. He draws attention internationally as he shows his love for playing baseball whenever he is on the field. In fact, during the 2022 Major League Baseball season, "The Greatest Showman" became Ohtani's walk up theme. A natural-born performer, he would probably love the performing aspect of pro-wrestling.
Shohei Ohtani already has the attention of the pro-wrestling world. WWE Superstars Bobby Lashley, IYO SKY, and Carmella met him at a Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game last year, and they had an opportunity to take pictures together.
And not only has Shohei Ohtani gained the attention of members of the pro-wrestling industry in the United States, but he has done the same with members of the Japanese wrestling scene, one of them being Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the largest wrestling organization in Japan. One of the most respected wrestlers in the country, he has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a total of eight times, which is more times than any wrestler in NJPW’s history. During Tanahashi’s fifth reign, he held the championship for 404 days, the third-longest reign in the company’s history. And in December 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi was appointed as President and Representative Director of NJPW.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated published in October 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi expressed that Shohei Ohtani is one of the baseball players who he would like to see in the ring someday. In Tanahashi's high school days, he too was a baseball player.
Of course, transitioning from baseball to wrestling would be a challenge. Pro-wrestling's style of training, the amount of days that he is working (pro-wrestling is a year-round business), along with taking bumps on a regular basis, would be very different from what Shohei Ohtani is used to in the baseball industry. Nonetheless, the pro-wrestling industry may be something that he is interested in, as it would be a good outlet for his entertainer side as he continues to utilize his athleticism.
So, will we ever see Shohei Ohtani in the squared circle? Only time will tell, and it would be interesting to see if people who watch baseball because they are his fans would begin to watch pro-wrestling and continue to follow his athletic career, leading to increased revenue and overall growth for the pro-wrestling industry. But one thing is certain: if he ever decides to trade his cleats for wrestling boots and step into the ring, his athletic gifts and charisma will mean one thing: It's Shotime.
With pro-wrestling being an industry where having presence is important, Shohei Ohtani already has what it takes in that department- in Japan, his popularity transcends baseball. There are many people in Japan who watch American baseball, not because they are baseball fans, but because they are Shohei Ohtani fans.
Shohei Ohtani is also physically gifted. The baseball field is his playground, where his throws are legendary and he swings with a relentless flow. Imagine if those athletic attributes were translated to the wrestling ring.
Shohei Ohtani is also a showman, which is a valuable asset for a pro-wrestler to have. He draws attention internationally as he shows his love for playing baseball whenever he is on the field. In fact, during the 2022 Major League Baseball season, "The Greatest Showman" became Ohtani's walk up theme. A natural-born performer, he would probably love the performing aspect of pro-wrestling.
Shohei Ohtani already has the attention of the pro-wrestling world. WWE Superstars Bobby Lashley, IYO SKY, and Carmella met him at a Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game last year, and they had an opportunity to take pictures together.
And not only has Shohei Ohtani gained the attention of members of the pro-wrestling industry in the United States, but he has done the same with members of the Japanese wrestling scene, one of them being Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the largest wrestling organization in Japan. One of the most respected wrestlers in the country, he has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a total of eight times, which is more times than any wrestler in NJPW’s history. During Tanahashi’s fifth reign, he held the championship for 404 days, the third-longest reign in the company’s history. And in December 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi was appointed as President and Representative Director of NJPW.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated published in October 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi expressed that Shohei Ohtani is one of the baseball players who he would like to see in the ring someday. In Tanahashi's high school days, he too was a baseball player.
Of course, transitioning from baseball to wrestling would be a challenge. Pro-wrestling's style of training, the amount of days that he is working (pro-wrestling is a year-round business), along with taking bumps on a regular basis, would be very different from what Shohei Ohtani is used to in the baseball industry. Nonetheless, the pro-wrestling industry may be something that he is interested in, as it would be a good outlet for his entertainer side as he continues to utilize his athleticism.
So, will we ever see Shohei Ohtani in the squared circle? Only time will tell, and it would be interesting to see if people who watch baseball because they are his fans would begin to watch pro-wrestling and continue to follow his athletic career, leading to increased revenue and overall growth for the pro-wrestling industry. But one thing is certain: if he ever decides to trade his cleats for wrestling boots and step into the ring, his athletic gifts and charisma will mean one thing: It's Shotime.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Japan high school baseball
While living in Japan, I've heard about how big high school baseball is here. Every year there are two tournaments: Spring Kōshien (for the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Mainichi Shimbun), and Summer Kōshien (for the National High School Baseball Championship, organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Asahi Shimbun), and they climax at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya. Tournaments are televised locally, and some of them are televised nationally on NHK, as well as in the United States via ABC. Kōshien also attracts the attention of scouts, including those from the United States.
Kōshien is so popular that there have been video games created that are based on the tournament. The original game was released in 1989 for Family Computer (also known as NES), additional games were created for Super Famicon (also known as Super NES) from 1992 to 1995, followed by games for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Gameboy Color from 1997 to 1999, then for the PlayStation 2 from 2000 to 2002, and then later for mobile phones in 2005.
Even the Hanshin Koshien Stadium itself is well known. It's one of the largest stadiums in Asia, and along with hosting Kōshien games, it also hosts the Koshien Bowl, Japan's American college football championship game. It also has a connection to American baseball- Babe Ruth once played an exhibition game there.
Kōshien is so popular that there have been video games created that are based on the tournament. The original game was released in 1989 for Family Computer (also known as NES), additional games were created for Super Famicon (also known as Super NES) from 1992 to 1995, followed by games for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Gameboy Color from 1997 to 1999, then for the PlayStation 2 from 2000 to 2002, and then later for mobile phones in 2005.
Even the Hanshin Koshien Stadium itself is well known. It's one of the largest stadiums in Asia, and along with hosting Kōshien games, it also hosts the Koshien Bowl, Japan's American college football championship game. It also has a connection to American baseball- Babe Ruth once played an exhibition game there.
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