People navigate every day the battle between their knowledge of reality and the knowledge replaced in their brains by whatever they do for a living, but Tatsumi Fujinami continues to love his job. L-o-v-e-s it. He started for New Japan in 1971, won the IWGP Heavyweight Title six times, and slowed down only upon becoming company President in 1999. He left in 2006 though when you’re a legend you’re never truly gone, you know? In 2022 he began a year-long 50th anniversary tour that included working some New Japan shows as well as a more active schedule than one might expect from a 68-year-old who pro wrestles for a living.
The celebration concluded for now at Yoyogi National Gym in front of 2,000 clapping fans, promoted by Fujinami’s Dradition promotion and aired on New Japan World as a Pay-Per-View.
The main event was Fujinami vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, a protege who blossomed into New Japan’s top guy for the last two decades. The card was rounded out with an eclectic mix of talent including current New Japan, All Japan and NOAH talent as well as an eclectic mix of freelancers from puroresu’s past and present.
1. Alexander Otsuka, Katsushi Takemura, MAZADA & Nobuyuki Kurashima vs. Yutaka Yoshie, Hisamaru Tajima, TAMURA & Sanshu Tsubakichi
Before 2018 I last followed Japanese wrestling around 2001 – 2006, so it was exciting to catch up with some familiar faces: Otsuka (Yoshiaki Fujiwara-trained BattlARTS legend), Takemura (New Japan Dojo-trained junior who had a fun-ish heel run in both Japan and Mexico in 2003) and MAZADA (Fujinami-trained journeyman who started Tokyo Gurentai with NOSAWA and corrupted Takemura) teamed with Nobuyuki Kurashima, another Fujinami trainee wrestling since the 90s who didn’t make it much further than “Dradition regular.”
Opposite them were three other middle-aged Fujinami friends and Dradition regulars plus Yutaka Yoshie, the NJ Dojo-trained big lovable boy who I became such a fan of at one point I bought two of his t-shirts from the U.K. off the old The Wrestling Channel website. Barring some interpersonal reasons I really wish he was in New Japan giving Great O-Khan shit or something.
The Dradition regulars weren’t more interesting than learning about what some of the other guys have been up to (Takemura is working for Pro Wrestling KAGEKI??) but they weren’t duds either, bringing all the good basics Fujinami would approve of. Tajima was isolated (and took an Otsuka giant swing) then hit a Whisper in the Wind to tag in Yoshie, who smashed. Otsuka continued to be a suplex machine and managed a belly-to-belly on Yoshie for a pop then a German suplex on Sanshu to setup the finish. ***
2. Shiro Koshinaka, AKIRA & Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki
Look at this. Just look at it. It’s a who’s who of wrestling styles and legends. 80s NJ Dojo graduates Koshinaka (first IWGP Jr. Champion in the 80s turned Heisei Ishingun heavyweight in the 90s) and AKIRA (another former IWGP Jr. Champion and Ishingun guy turned Team 2000 guy whom still has luxurious hair) teamed with Jinsei Shinzaki, who trained under Gran Freakin’ Hamada, co-founded Michinoku Pro, played Hakushi in the WWF, teamed with Hayabusa in All Japan, and continues to be Michinoku Pro’s president.
Tatsuhito Takaiwa is another NJ Dojo guy who had a role (or reputation) as the junior division’s bully in the 90s before he followed Shinya Hashimoto (RIP) and Shinjiro Otani (get well soon) to ZERO-1 in 2001, where he’s worked since. Masato Tanaka did most of his post-2001 work there too, though he also found success (and great notoriety) during runs in peak 90s ECW and weird 00s New Japan. They teamed Masaaki Mochizuki, who successfully coupled shoot-style with lucharesu as one of Toryumon’s first stars and has a case for being the best overall wrestler in this match.
The wrestling was honestly impressive. Early exchanges between AKIRA/Takaiwa and Shinzaki/Mochizuki quickly established they still had something near “it” before Koshinaka delivered the take of a man whose “it” was sometimes just him launching his ass into someone’s face (that’s the hip attack, and there were many). AKIRA took a big lariat bump, Takaiwa grinded a fist in his face, Shinzaki did the rope walk and Takaiwa got a near fall off a Death Valley bomb – what a fun reunion. ***1/4
3. Hiromu Takahashi vs. LEONA
Leona Fujinami is Tatsumi’s son who’s worked around The Scene for the last decade, if not broken out from it. First impression was he’s a serious young man who sort of takes his dad’s approach, though without the poise or ability to lock in or a credibility that would put him and his black tights beyond any other young lion.
Maybe that was the point. He tried some holds and elbows to no success, then Hiromu wrecked Leona’s life with a chop then spent the rest of the match beating his ass: chops, crab hold, tossed him through a guardrail, suplexed him on the cold floor. It was nasty. Leona made a dad-inspired comeback with a dragon screw and figure-four then tried a Dragon suplex too, but ran into a lariat and had to settle for 2-count cradles before the New Japan Superstar put him down. Interesting match, if not a little one-sided and mean sometimes. ***1/2
4. Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Sekimoto & Kengo Mashimo vs. Kazusada Higuchi, KENSO & Yoshiki Inamura
On one side were the great hopes of 2004 Japanese wrestling: NOAH’s Marufuji (now a VP there), Big Japan’s Sekimoto (still there though he’s had a run almost everywhere in Japan), and Kaientai Dojo’s Mashimo (basically the same as Sekimoto, though K-Dojo changed their name to 2AW).
On the other side were DDT’s Kazusada Higuchi, NOAH’s Yoshiki Inamura, and KENSO. Kenzo Suzuki was a great hope once too, an NJ Dojo trainee who came up with tonight’s headliner Hiroshi Tanahashi, but a few years in he jumped to WWE for a year and returned not wrestling so well. He still carved out a consistent career of All Japan work. He’s been inactive since 2019 and came to this show out of shape and loving it.
Sekimoto and Higuchi started strong, Mashimo and Inamura growled at each other, then we got to business: the Marufuji and KENSO showdown. KENSO used a rope and table to put heat on Marufuji, then Mashimo tagged in and put Higuchi and Inamara in a double Fujiwara armbar. Sekimoto and Inamara brought the beef highlighted by an insane (INSANE!!!) deadlift stalling suplex on Sekimoto. Everyone hit something before KENSO waltzed in to take a Shiranui. Another fun reunion if not a little too KENSO-pilled. ***1/2
5. Masakatsu Funaki, Zack Sabre Jr. & Jake Lee vs. Mitsuya Nagai, Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi
Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi are famous wrestlers from New Japan, while Mitsuya Nagai went from RINGS to BattlARTS to All Japan to New Japan before settling down with a variety of freelance gigs, including this show where he was teaming with famous wrestlers from New Japan. Nagai was a personal favorite during his 2002 All Japan run where he was one of the 3-4 talents who regularly stood out post-NOAH exodus, then again during his 2003 New Japan run where he was the only good wrestler in the Makai Club. Before the match he received a bouquet of flowers then got faked out on the LIJ pose.
Three technical wrestling specialists from three different companies were their opponents: Funaki (recently NOAH’s GHC National Champion but a 1985 NJ Dojo graduate who left in the late-80s with Akira Maeda and founded Pancrase a few years later), Sabre Jr. (stirring shit in New Japan), and Lee (doing the same in All Japan though leaving at the end of the year).
Nagai and ZSJ began (dream matches still exist) before Naito faced off with Lee and tagged out to Shingo, creating two enticing future matches when Lee and Shingo tore it up then Lee booted Naito off the top and put him in a Paradise Lock. Shingo and ZSJ fired things up, Nagai absorbed Funaki kicks and hit an Exploder, then ZSJ caused Nagai to kick Shingo and Shingo clotheslined Nagai by mistake. Aw. ***1/2
In addition to introductions by retired New Japan ring announcer Kero Tanaka, some of Fujinami’s contemporaries were introduced before the main event and said a few words, including mystery man (?), Masahiro Chono, Keiji Muto (tanned and sprinting down the ramp), Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Riki Choshu (in blue jeans!), and Yoshiaki Fujiwara.
6. Tatsumi Fujinami Debut 50th Anniversary Match FINAL: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Apparently Tanahashi cried backstage and Fujinami said to cut it out you dork which tracks because the whole match Fujinami is trying and putting weight into his bumps (68-year-old men don’t normally take flat backs) while Tanahashi was working adorably light as he employed a style I can best describe as “careful grampa.” Big Fooj no longer possesses the athleticism of his 70s and 80s self (among the greatest ever) but his presence remains commanding and fundamentals never go away.
Like any good New Japan match there were headlocks and knucklelocks early; Fujinami shot out of a side headlock then got tackled and bodyslammed like a good young Noojie. Fujinami put on the Scorpion deathlock as originator Choshu looked on, then hit a Dragon screw and went for the spinning toehold but Tanahashi inside cradled out. Fujinami managed a sleeper then went for the Dragon variation; they traded slaps filled with fighting spirit before a Sling Blade, High Fly Flow to a standing Fujinami and High Fly Flow to a downed Fujinami got 3. Not for anyone but the fans, but if you’re a fan you should see it. ***1/2
Happy Thoughts: For a certain type of fan that’s a certain type of age, this show hit a very sweet spot. Otherwise, it’s a fun card filled with good wrestlers and other oddities from the astoundingly active Japanese independent wrestling scene. 3.5 / 5.0
