VERY General Questions

[Van Halen Fan]

I am not the knowlagable on Puroresu. I know the basics of Japanese Wrestling but I do have quite a few questions that will be easy for many of you to answer but I have no idea.

1) What do they show on TV is it a squash show or legitimate fights?
2) How do they build to a big card?
3) Are there good guys and bad guys or is it straight up compition?
4) Was the JWA a union with titles that from there promoters just promoted under the JWA banner or was it an actual wrestling promotion?
5) Why would Inoki push Chyna so quickly?
6) How was (or maybe it still is) New Japan so popular in Pakistan?

[terrier mask]

I will try to answer these questions to the best of my abilities. One question to you, ur new here, right? I could see that. Well, in that case, welcome aboard Hisa's site and enjoy ur stay at this wonderful site!


1)I don't know what u mean by a "squah show". But, it is worked. It is more of a shoot than the WWE, but it still has a pre-determined finish and some (read that, some, not all or alot) fixed spots in a bout.

2)They build by the fed having press conferences and the wrestlers will speak their mind like it is that of a boxing bout. They don't waste the fans' time by talking in the ring, they do all their talking at press conferences.

3)There are good guys and bad guys to an extent. Guys will have bad guy like shticks, but for the most part, almost all wrestlers competing are treated like faces (good guys, heels are bad guys) so that is yes and no.

4)The JWA was a promotion unto itself.

5)That is pretty unanswerable. Inoki doesn't own, book, or push wrestlers for NJPW. He founded the promotion, but he lost it somehow and now all he has is just some say in the booking process. It probably was Inoki who influenced a push for Chyna though.

6)I don't know where u would hear that. Maybe NJPW is or was popular in Pakistan, but I would have no clue for something like that.

Hope that helped dude

[TRZZXQ]

1. By 'Squash Show', I think he means shows like those the WWF ran back in the day where the big-name stars would beat a jobber with little effort, with the intent to build him up as a force and build his finisher. I don't believe the Japanese companies run shows like that, and instead have just your regular array of worked matches, but you will see your occasional squash.

2. What Terrier said, and building fueds and whatnot.

3. It's not as clearly defined as in America, and certainly not as clearly defined as in Mexico, but it basically boils down to there being guys who do heelish things, and the rest who don't. Whereas in America and Mexico, fans boo wrestlers because they are heels, Japanese fans boo a wrestler when he does something illegal (crotch shots, etc), is a bad sportsman (refusing to shake hands, etc.), or does something otherwise heelish (taunting, rude 'gestures', etc.). Guys like Chono, Kanemoto, and Ohtani are the Japanese equivalents to heels.

4. couldn't tell you.

5. I couldn't begin to understand how Mr. Inoki thinks.

6. Couldn't tell you.

[Van Halen Fan]

Thanks for that info. I am pretty sure I read somewhere maybe PWI that Inoki was trying to push her. Maybe they meant he had connections and was pushing for her. Not in the wrestling jargin is what it could mean. Also as far as the Pakistan thing I read it HERE in the New Japan section. That they drew crowds from 30000 to 45000. But once again thank you.

[terrier mask]

Ur welcome dude. I am glad to help out anytime.

I now know what u mean by Inoki pushing Chyna. This is what it was, Inoki doesnt own NJPW like I said, but he owns the Makai Club/Foreign Army/UFO (universal fighting arts organization)/Inoki's Army. They are a heel faction in New Japan. Since Inoki owns that, maybe she got pushed because of that. She broke away from the Makai Club though, and is now in the New Japan army. So maybe that could answer that question.

[Jabroniville]

1) It depends, based on what I've seen. Each guy in the promotion has a certain place in the card and general order of skill, so most often the matches are just things to establish that. Occasionally you'll have the rookies who are trying to get higher in the card, getting better (ie. more offense, taking harder moves to pin, etc.) in squashes, but they'll still have big money matches once in a while, though there's usually tags involving the big guys too.

2) Through the stated press conferences, plus a feud might start in a match or something, or a general heated rivalry, often enhanced by many tag matches involving both guys.

3) Like stated before. Some guys act like jerks but will still be cheered for doing good moves, because that's how the Japanese audience has been trained. Example: Kawada was a heel because he hated Misawa so badly because of jealousy, and fought a really nasty kind of fight. But he's still get cheered and stuff, because he was a noble warrior still. That kind of thing is fairly persistent. Since there's rarely cheating in puro, a guy is a heel because he's a jerk, not because he cheats.