It’s a busy week on NJPW World, as we’re in the middle of four events in a row from Korakuen Hall. As it happens, plenty has happened in history this week as well, as we’ll see with our regular look in the archives:
February 16, 1993: Three Musketeers in Sumo Hall
The Three musketeers of Masahiro Chono, Keiji Muto and Shinya Hashimoto would dominate the conversation throughout the 1990s in New Japan, but primarily for their own efforts rather than as a trio. In fact, after their respective returns from excursion after being tied together through their Dojo years, it would be relatively seldom that their three forces would combine. February 14, 1993 was the first such occasion in over six months, as the trio formed a front against one common enemy.
The Heisei Ishingun was formed as a re-imagining of the Riki Choshu led Ishingun stable that had caused havoc in NJPW a decade prior. Shiro Koshinaka, Kengo Kimura and the Great Kabuki would declare that their time in the limelight was not about to be snatched away by the three charismatic young aces. Kabuki in particular took issue with Keiji Muto, a man he had mentored during his time in the US, and in the process drew out the dark and brooding Great Muta. With personal issues and generational pride at stake, this was a wild six man tag in Ryogoku.
February 17 2018: Hear no EVIL, Speak no EVIL, Gino EVIL
NJPW’s global footprint seems to grow bigger and bigger with each passing year. In February 2018, Australia got a taste of live NJPW action for the first time, with the top stars of New Japan heading on the Fallout Down Under tour.
Part of the action was one ‘Mr. Juicy’ Gino Gambino. Having proved his worth in the Wrestle Kingdom opening match Rumble, Gino had earned BULLET CLUB stripes, and would team with Bad Luck Fale in Melbourne. He had his work cut out for him in the form of then IWGP Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA, who were somewhat liberal with the rules throughout. With the treatment he received in Australia, it’s no small wonder he decided to transition to the commentary desk, even if his voice was a couple of octaves higher than before February 17 2018.
February 19, 2016: Stone Strength
Keeping with an international theme, a key element in NJPW’s growing presence in America in recent years has been a partnership with Ring of Honor. For four years from 2016 to 2019, Honor Rising saw a unique chance for Korakuen Hall fans to experience ROH wrestling in person, setting up some novel matchups and creating some enticing opportunities.
One person going for just such an opportunity on the first Honor Rising card was Tomohiro Ishii. Given an opportunity at the ROH World Television Championship, Ishii would admit he wasn’t sure what the title represented to the international company, but he did know that it was gold, he wanted it, and it would be earned in a fight with a violent player indeed in Roderick Strong. A violent Korakuen clash ensued.
February 20 2005: Four Titles, One Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima are well known to NJPW fans as a powerful team unit that have risen to six IWGP Tag Team Championship reigns, two athletes with a firm and unshakable bond of friendship. Yet they weren’t always partners, and their competition in 2005 was anything but friendly.
In 2002, Satoshi Kojima, along with Keiji Muto left NJPW for All Japan Pro-Wrestling while Kojima’s tag partner Tenzan stayed behind, loyal to the cerulean blue. As both men entered their career peaks as individual competitors, it was Tenzan who shot to the top of his home first, with back to back G1 Climax victories in 2003 and 2004. He would win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship three times by the end of 2004 as well, and while his reigns were brief, the Third Generation star seemed to be the more successful of the TenKoji duo.
Kojima was not to be denied however, and as NJPW versus AJPW competition played out in the ring, Kojima wanted to face his former partner one on one to decide who the better man really was. Adding a wrinkle to this Ryogoku singles bout? A mere four days earlier, Kojima unseated Toshiaki Kawada to become All Japan Triple Crown Champion. Rather than a friendly exhibition, stakes were raised to the ultimate all or nothing gamble; somebody would leave Ryogoku as the first ever simultaneous IWGP and Triple Crown holder.
February 21, 2019: Farewell to a Madman
As this week we say goodbye to both Tiger Hattori and Manabu Nakanishi, our last match this time is one of the most bizarre retirements in NJPW history. Suzuki-Gun’s manic monster Takashi Iizuka retired on February 21 2019. Coming into the New Japan Dojo in an extremely competitive mid ’80s class, the man then known as Takayuki Iizuka was a blue chip prospect, with a natural martial artist’s sense. He would gain popularity in the 1990s as a tag wrestler teaming with Akira Nogami, and as a singles wrestler, handing Riki Choshu a defeat in his 1998 Tokyo Dome retirement match.
In the 2000s, Iizuka found himself at home competing in the MMA influenced style of the day, and was a staunch defender of NJPW tradition. That was until a fateful March 2008 night, when Iizuka suddenly turned on partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan and joined Togi Makabe and Toru Yano in Great Bash Heel. Consigning the spirit of the honourable Takashi Iizuka to a Tokyo shrine, he would morph into a silent, brutal and bloodthirsty monster, first in GBH, then CHAOS and onto Suzuki-Gun.
As Iizuka’s retirement loomed, former partner Tenzan tried to bring the good man inside of Iizuka back out, but the monster rampaged until the very end. This before disappearing from public sight, with only a mystical iron glove left behind…
