The Definitive Japanese Wrestling Iceberg

[@AgeOfWrestling]

The Tragic Story of WWE's Fallen Angel, Chyna - kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHiXkGOtZ5qglZIsi=hndwrPnLANo3axIJ

[@Darac2]

Minoru Suzuki spending his first paycheck the way he did and taking a company truck for it is the most Minoru Suzuki thing ever

[@ericsacks5731]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJWue5R3q7B3f9Usi=UtVwrYx-SVG11XDg

[@mrnaji]

Well dont fuck with People's money

[@Mohmar2010]

Honestly that Asuka match shows how much she's willing to go to entertain people Hell even her opponent wasn't sure if he should go that hard as asked

[@ShinyVHS]

Minoru is also a master at his craft. He is snug but not reckless.

[@thebigoilkanlarry]

Kairi Sane was trained in a more relaxed way. Lita on her last royal Rumble appearance (paraphrasing) "And then I got hit harder than anything I've took by this tiny pirate." 😮 Scary to think how tough the older Joshi are then.

[@kadharefinley224]

Man that headbutt Shibata gave Okada was vicious. Thank Goodness he’s still alive because it could’ve ended very badly

[@arthurjones3670]

I heard about that but shibata still take those hits

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Yeah true, I’m glad Okada was okay and more importantly, I’m glad shibata was okay

[@EmoEmu]

If anyone thinks it wasn't sick then look it up on youtube and watch it with the sound turned on. It's nauseating. It should never have been a thing in wrestling.

[@EmoEmu]

CRACK!!!

[@dark_antihero]

it did end very badly

[@LoadBulking]

Watched the full hour and I’m thoroughly impressed. No one has ever done a Japanese wrestling iceberg. Great video!

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Glad you enjoyed it! thanks for watching!

[@BHDangers]

I can't believe I watched the whole video I love Iceburg series...your English is amazing bro❤

[@wrestlingwithart]

​@BHDangers I recently did an ECW iceberg if you are interested. Not as good as this channel's but I haven't seen an ECW one before.

[@GalactivaPhantom]

the amount of time Nanae Takahashi and Akira Maeda keep reappearing really telling you something

[@agunia220]

19:52 The riot during Antonio Inoki's match against Big Van Vader wasn't caused by Inoki's loss, but rather stemmed from a last-minute change in the show's lineup and poor booking decisions. It all began when the comedian Kitano Takeshi (now an acclaimed film director) formed the faction, Takeshi Pro Wrestling Gundan (TPG), aiming to restore Japanese wrestling to the glory days of the Rikidouzan era. They publicly challenged Antonio Inoki, presenting their wrestler from the USA, Big Van Vader. However, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dismissed the challenge. This happed because, backstage issues arose between the TV sponsor, TV Asahi, and NJPW due to declining ratings. Most star wrestlers had departed for other promotions or retired, leaving Inoki and a few others. NJPW experimented with a different show, integrating a celebrity talk show during matches, which not only failing but agitated one of the wrestler, when the celebrity asked him "Does it hurt?"(Ie, is wreslitng real?). The fans despised this concept, leading to the show's cancellation and leaving a negative impression of the fusion between celebrities and wrestling. Takeshi was a prominent comedian then, dominating high-rating TV shows.So TV Ashashi,NJPW and Tokyo Sports News asked Takeshi to apper at NJPW to boost thier ratings. However, due to the memory of the failed show, NJPW fans feared a similar outcome. On the fateful night of December 27, 1987, at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall, the main event was supposed to be Antonio Inoki vs. Choshu Riki, not Antonio Inoki vs. Big Van Vader. Choshu, a charismatic figure and Inoki's major rival in Japanese wrestling, had left NJPW three years prior but returned and now facing Inoki in a singles bout. It was the match NJPW fans were eager for. However, at the beginning of the show, Takeshi and TPG members stormed the ring, accusing Inoki of cowardice for not facing Big Van Vader. Inoki entered the ring, accepted the challenge, and the crowd erupted in anger. The matches were altered, demoting Choshu to a tag match, but the crowd demanded to see Inoki vs. Choshu, throwing garbage into the ring to shouting to stop the tag match. Afterward the match Choshu, on the mic, expressed his disbelief of the situation and urged everyone not to throw objects, as he was ready to face Inoki right here right now. Thus, the semi-main event of Antonio Inoki vs. Choshu Riki occurred, where the battered Choshu fought valiantly but, due to a past injury, began bleeding from his face. Just before Choshu was going to tappout from Inoki's subbmission, a member of his faction interfered, causing a disqualification. Enraged, Choshu attacked the member who interferd and other NJPW wrestlers. Finally, the main event of Antonio Inoki vs. Big Van Vader took place. Inoki, still recovering from the previous match, was squashed by Big Van Vader, triggering the riot. This would be known as the infamous TPG Inccident in Japan. In modern-day WWE terms, it would be like Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania suddenly changing to "Roman Reigns vs. an unknown '80s-style monster heel, led by Chris Rock" midway through the show, resulting in Roman's loss. Yes there would be a Riot.

[@scrungo2271]

This is fascinating, I always assumed it was just about the squash loss. where did you learn this from if you don’t mind me asking.

[@agunia220]

@@scrungo2271 I'm Japanese, this is very famous insident in the 80's Japanese fan. Known as the "TPG insident". My dad was a NJPW fan at that time so he told me the story. The story is also coverd in other videos,Tv show and magazine too but it's Japanese.

[@PaxBisonica89]

Great write up, thank you.

[@jaycee330]

I didn't realize Beat Takeshi was involved in wrestling as well.

[@ACanOfBakedBeans]

Instead WWE quashed Cody's dreams before Mania, so all is good 🤣

[@EmoEmu]

12:15 The eyeball only kept from popping out from Vader having on the mask. It kept a horrible situation from becoming a HORROR movie. Luck is what kept Leon (Vader) from taking another punch to eye after he pushed it back in place. Stan Hanson is legally blind and without his glasses he can't see his hand if he stretches out his arm. He was wrestling and reacting based on skill and his opponents also acting like their training teaches them. During a "shoot" he turned into a huge bull swinging blindly and not knowing if he'd hit Leon or whiff air.

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Yeah i read somewhere that Stan Hansen is blind as a bat. I guess thats why the incident happened the way it did

[@PhilMiCoochie]

​@@AgeOfWrestlingyeah, there's multiple people who say Stan was blind as fuck. Even Stan himself admits it

[@davidwilliamdanielthomas9305]

I love Kairi Sane and Asuka, my two favorite female workers. I still consider Asuka the best female worker out there, if not the best worker, period.

[@bajorekjon]

Moral of the story: never disrespect a Japanese wrestler, especially if you're in the ring with them. And don't borrow money or get involved with the yakuza

[@MinnaNoPeace20]

You are absolutely killing it with these Iceberg videos!

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you so much!

[@mashar1]

I'm so happy you made this man you have no idea how much i love these niche typa videos

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@chrisanarchia7620]

Jun Kasai was like "Shit I already do the second option all the time so I'll take that one."

[@AgeOfWrestling]

😂😂😂

[@LoadBulking]

The Jun Kasai Incident is wild.

[@AgeOfWrestling]

I agree. Its insane

[@khaitranngoc4176]

Asuka really done a pipebomb on the entire Joshi scene.

[@josephcjlevel4665]

These iceberg vids are so good! Keep up the good work

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@IXCANADATV]

Asuka is my favorite Japanese female wrestler nobody can replace her she has made a name in wwe and other Japanese female wrestlers can thank her for that

[@sameoldsameold9239]

I split my time between the UK and Japan due to my partner and her family from there (hoping to move later this year). I often go to shows, particularly at Korakuen Hall and regularly strike up conversation with visiting western wrestling fans, many visiting for the first time. Many will often say sweeping statements about Japanese wrestling business being less messy or political, more clean etc and oh boy, do they have no idea how insane and deep it goes is my usual response.

[@LoadBulking]

Japanese wrestling is something else. Great video!

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Japanese wrestling is insane but thats why I love it !

[@johansmallberries9874]

Great vid, tried to play it as background noise, but kept having to pick up the phone and watch the clips

[@marcusbrothers5221]

Show the others how these essays should flow. Very good. And accurate details are rare in these essays but this one is as correct as you can get cross referencing historical accounts

[@eastxsidexswagg]

I've always been a huge Asaka fan, but I was only familiar with her WWE work. This iceberg did an amazing job, she was really a huge deal way before America

[@marcusfridh8489]

She went to America becourse she allready had done it all in Japan

[@deadmanlyndon]

to me, she is the toughest and best woman they have, after surviving suziki and asking for it on top of that, i don't know who in WWE is as tough and as skilled as her.

[@C12K_Gaming]

That Inoki vs Vader story sounds badass... Awesome story telling with meaningful physical damage.. that paid off later Also, Awesome Documentary OP

[@Goochbag8]

I find the idea of Inoki sicking Andre on Maeda to be both heart warming and hilarious.

[@uainjansun]

Whats crazy is that last year when maeda was doing the post press conference of njpw's anniversary he said his fav moment was him facing andre....

[@MrSkerpentine]

The 80’s Puro equivalent of going one on one with da undertaka

[@jeffersonaugusto7280]

The Tsukushi/Kagetsu stabbing incident was not in a IR show. It was in a fair, a local that have party and people sells food. Kagetsu was working for Hana's mom, she had a food truck before the suicide of her daughter, and she made vegan food.

[@leigh7507]

This is bloody awesome. I always knew WWF, WCW, ECW, and a little TNA so its great to see a whole new world of wrestling shown here.

[@poindextertunes]

Man, a chronological cut of this would slap 🔥

[@ethanseale3]

41:02 When you said that was a mouthful, it sounded funny 😅 But I agree, that was a mouthful. 😅

[@danielpeter9308]

I find it a coincidence that asuka and kairi was paired up,both have their fair share of nanae. You wonder why she is so protective over kairi.

[@Kratosx23]

She can't be that protective of Kairi. They did a "How much do you know about your partner" quiz and Asuka didn't even know Kairi's real name, lol. Kairi obviously looks up to Asuka, but I think Asuka just sees her as a work acquaintance.

[@NatePhillips-c6s]

Exactly what I’ve been waiting for 🙏

[@MinnaNoPeace20]

Honey, get the popcorn ready!

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnkrummel2956]

Inoki losing to Hogan was Inoki's idea... he staged his own fake concussion without telling Hogan or anyone else in New Japan... He did that to insert some realism into the work.

[@kinnbenet]

Great video. I totally haven't heard about some of these stories. Thanks for a bit of education!

[@toddcribbs6844]

Thank you for doing this I know a lot about Japanese wrestling but I actually like the way you explain things thank you so very much sir

[@CARL_093]

i knew a few but after i watched this video i learn more deeper kudos to the age of wrestling channel for this video

[@sp4cepigz174]

Ay dog this video right here is in my opinion great enough to appeal to more than just wrestling fans. Great video very interesting

[@MinnaNoPeace20]

Could you do an Iceberg on TNA next maybe?

[@antoniodearry7114]

I need the link to those asuka videos for research purposes 😅

[@shadowof7662]

Lol I literally recommended this, and coincidentally, it came.

[@arthurjones3670]

I love Japanese wrestling

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Me too bro. Me too.

[@emanuelstornello8009]

From this video i learned that joshi wrestling is basically game of Thrones

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Drinking challenge: Take a shot every time I say Yakuza!

[@NullarVoid]

No thanks, i want to live😅

[@AgeOfWrestling]

@NullarVoid 😂😂😂 Thanks for watching!

[@LoadBulking]

If i get alcohol poisoning I'm blaming you!

[@johnpepper8508]

More of a every time you say Antonio Inoki

[@LoadBulking]

LOL.

[@DanielDeLeon69]

Japanese Wrestling Is Awesome

[@AgeOfWrestling]

OH HELL YEAH

[@neverangel24officialytchan87]

The sky is blue.

[@ethanseale3]

42:47 IT'S TRUE! IT'S DAMN TRUE! Nice Kurt Angle reference! 👍

[@SinInDark]

I enjoyed the video. Knowing many of the wrestlers here. the surprise of hearing this with how respectful American wrestlers speak of the Japanese wrestlers & wrestling style. (which some say is more intense than shown in North America) .... I do miss the wrestling style of Kana, not a fam of WWE's watered down version & rename of Asuka, but understand the WWE keep the wrestlers name ( which is weird)

[@alfianbon9885]

21:10 The Japanese bookers were something else. GENIUS. PURE GENIUS

[@rusnacigor8791]

The Japanese iceberg is far more darker than in wwe

[@poindextertunes]

Oof 😂

[@mrjamescarlin]

I'm very inpressed at how you have covered the Queen's Shout incident three separate times on your channel and have still made no effort to try and add additional context to the situation based on the things we do know that were happening in STARDOM at the time, as well as more information about the aftermath and where Yoshiko, Act Yasukawa and Nanae Takahashi are now, who are the three main people involved in this incident. First, her name is pronounced Yaskawa, the u in her name is silent. Nobody knows why Act Yasukawa and Yoshiko fought. Nobody knows if it was because of popularity or jealously. No one except Act and Yoshiko know why it happened. Act and Yoshiko were in a unit together known as Trouble Maker 2/Kawakatsu Plus One. The two were in this group for over a year with no issues, so it's a bit odd that you don't bring up that they had worked together extensively prior to this taking place. There is also no mention of Act returning as a manager to Oedo-Tai the following year, whilst the fallout of the incident sees trainers Natsuki Taiyo and Nanae Takahashi as well as Yoshiko leave the company to form SEAdLINNG, and which Taiyo still runs today with Sareee as their champion. There is no mention of Nanae Takahashi and Yoshiko returning to STARDOM in 2021 either, and Takahashi (who trained Yoshiko) quite literally wrestled on STARDOM's last show of the year today. Both Act and Yoshiko apologised to each other for the incident snd moved on. Why is there no mention of the relationship being mended? You bring up Act retiring but not her return to wrestling in 2021, then officially bringing back the Act character in October 2022. She is about to be based out of America next year so it would have been nice to bring up that she is an active wrestler again. I hope that on your fourth time covering this incident where not a lot of knowledge is known about why it took place, that there will be more adequate research done besides the bare minimum that touches on the context of STARDOM at the time, to improve the experience of those who watch the video. If you would like to talk to me about this some more, please do reach out to me on Twitter at @mrjamescarlin and I will answer as many questions as I can for you.

[@AgeOfWrestling]

I completely agree with what you are saying and a lot of the stuff you mentioned I already knew before publishing the video. However, because the video has about 75 incidents in Japanese wrestling, i couldnt delve into each one in depth, thus leaving out many intimate details, as is the case with the act vs yoshiko shoot. Every incident has much more to it and if i were to delve deeper into each individual incident, the video would be many hours long. Its already long at 1 hour and 6 minutes as it is so I decided to cut some stuff out. hope you understand.

[@mrjamescarlin]

@@AgeOfWrestling Please don't see this as an attack on you in any way. It just gets very tiring seeing the same incident covered over and over in the same way by different people without any differences, where context and more knowledge would definitely improve and make things better when looking at it. I hope that makes sense too.

[@charliestrees3891]

acoustic

[@dingusuhum]

@@AgeOfWrestling ok but what about the other two times then

[@joelowdon1615]

He doesn't care. He just wants to exploit controversy and tragedy for views.

[@RendMaim]

that Ali vs Inoki fight was funny

[@alfianbon9885]

12:39 crazy how that incident actually probably made it into a much better match

[@chrismccarty7128]

Kitao's issue was he thought he was better then Tenta all because he was ranked higher in Sumo

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thats true. I read that they had some major heat with each other cause they are both sumo wrestlers

[@uainjansun]

Atleast they fixed it and both had another match later from what I read

[@sameoldsameold9239]

Kitao is also considered one of the weakest Yokozuna, having got there during adown period.

[@the_word_bearer]

You know its a dark iceberg when the first level starts with deaths

[@darkchocolate3390]

The Yakuza is really something else Jesus Christ 💀

[@red4life848]

I love your videos and your voice helps me relax and sleep 😊

[@essdeeluckof893]

Plz keep these ice berg videos coming

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Like Stone Cold Says: OH HELL YEAH. More are coming

[@qb335]

I love your iceberg videos.🙏🏿👏🏿❤️

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@joshfrozt2876]

DAAAMN!! I am like 75% more into Asuka now. 😆

[@shivaarsookoo]

Old school AJPW had some of the greatest matches and wrestlers on the planet wish ajpw got more respect it always new Japan that talk about more making Japanese wrestling popular but it was all Japan people forgot all Japan made guys like Terry funk stan hansen vader and many other even ted dibiase had a run in all Japan and it feels like aew is really trying to be all Japan but aew is failing at do the kings road style i wish they get more mentioned from aew because aew does alot of all Japan booking

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Yeah All Japan is an under appreciated promotion. While doing this video, I realised how significant they were in the Japanese wrestling scene

[@doctorattitude2611]

AEW is not King's Road style, AEW is a more acrobatic version of WCW-style sports entertainment. As a die hard fan of old-school AJPW, the closest American equivalant to King's Road style was Vince McMahon Sr.'s booking in the "WWF on MSG Network" era, especially the late 70s to early 80s era. The Don Muraco & Pedro Morales saga can be compared to that of Dr. Death (Muraco) vs. Kenta Kobashi (Pedro) in terms of storytelling, presentation, booking, etc. but the latter feud more dangerous-looking. Not that surprising, as 1993/1994 a lot of things were grunge & dangerous.

[@t3rror5am]

This reminds me of what my Japanese exgf told me "Japan only has low crime rates because cops don't make arrest, they just turn their heads". Now I see Japan as the same as Mexico.

[@michaelmcgillicutty639]

Okay Vader is what I know consider the toughest wrestler ever. His eyeball popped out of the socket and he pushed it back in and continued wrestling

[@jameslinebarger5503]

Great video, made me fall down the rabbit hole, I have a question though. I’ve seen that Jun is still wrestling and wrestling hardcore, do you think he’s still forced to do these dangerous spots or does he love it now?

[@yugiboi209]

4:18 I believe Oshi No Ko took this as an inspiration for a few episodes involving a reality show with many top teen celebrities and events in the episodes were similar to this event IRL.

[@Sather23]

Great video, loved it

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you very much for watching the video!

[@benjaminsmock2628]

9:45 lol they weren't even in the same library XD

[@DeepDeepSouth]

This about to be a banger

[@bailey3209]

This was brilliant, i didn't know much about Japanese wrestling and god damn they are brutal, i really need to gwt into watching this stuff

[@WhackedoutCookie]

5:32 well gyat dayum, there is a god.

[@SUNSHINE-t-m]

bro how hard was it to use He/Him on Kagetsu when your talking about his transition?

[@torking7813]

take a shot everytime someone dies

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Ooooooof

[@Goofyah880]

Love your videos ❤

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you for watching!

[@JunkyardGod]

Never thought id see Asuka on here 🤘 Edit: I didn't realize it's Asuka as the thumbnail haha

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Haha lol it is Asuka!

[@ChristopherJames1993]

She was Kana at that point right?

[@JunkyardGod]

@@ChristopherJames1993 yeah you're right 🤘

[@NYCDemonDiva]

Loving these iceberg videos!

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you for watching!

[@TheRealCertifiedG.]

TNA/Impact Iceberg Next Please. Love your videos dark and eerie

[@DClovers1989]

Iyo, Asuka and Kairi 😍😍😍

[@toxiczombiewolf5692]

Fucking love Asuka

[@samamv9893]

Great video!!

[@Bendana2012]

I really hope you do Mexico my brother this is talent

[@KasumiRINA]

While they're banning piledrivers, the worst injuries seem to be from back suplexes (especially when they land on the back of their neck) and headbutt, and sometimes a powerbomb.

[@eljohncabildo4086]

That last one, it would make a good movie

[@KasumiRINA]

Okay your very first item and I never knew it, that Yuke's saved NJPW from bankruptcy... honestly their later games during the height of 3D fighters era is kinda what made people dismissing wrestling check it out in the West too. Shame their latest game is so poorly optimized it makes my aging PC turn off (while 2K somehow doesn't).

[@Tinderbox101]

Funny how nanae and maeda was always beef to wrestlers that are prettier or have a better starpower than them

[@Zzeerroo01]

Great watch , how about a hardcore wrestling iceberg of some sort ?

[@newnamesoon]

Interesting photo for Kairi 👀

[@dgyakushi2937]

Great video. Okada vs Naito please

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Thank you for watching!

[@shivaarsookoo]

You should do a impact wrestling/tna iceberg or more video's about them

[@AgeOfWrestling]

Yeah I’m gonna do a TNA iceberg soon!

[@prideglory99]

Hana Kimura was told by the producers of the show to act upset. When she removed the hat from her boyfriends head the producers were ecstatic and completely were encouraging her to act like a jerk for the camera. They were behind her behavior the whole time. That is a major part of that story. According to some stories, Rikidozans knife that stabbed him was soaked in urine and that's where a lot of the bacteria formed which help contribute to his death. Although I find the story odd since doctors in surgery will sterilize the open womb. The gavure model videos are pretty common among a lot of Joshi girls.Besides Asuka and Hikaru Shida doing them plenty of other girls in wrestling have. Everybody from Konami, Syrui, Mina Shirakawa, Risa Sera, Yuki Kamifuku, Sayaka Unagi and countless others have done them. Piranhas stuff was total a work. Regardless what you might see in movies, tv shows they are not the kind of animal to attack something like a person. it can happen, but they mostly go after small fish. Could they hurt you? For sure, but this stuff was a total work in pro wrestling.

[@peechitmanuel6663]

Thumbnail, now that's a real creepy Asuka

[@uainjansun]

Unrelated but also happy birthday to bull nakano as well!

[@suoquainen]

Yeah hitting Okada's upper (hard) part of head with the forehead (softer part) was the most stupid thing Shibata could do.

[@JasonSum1979]

Really interesting video (I knew about maybe 1/2 this stuff) when you break it down FMW was to some extent a front for the Yakuza to launder money from the start. 👍👍👍👍

[@dylanbryant3547]

Japanese wrestling is brutal

[@hellionus]

So Inokiism is just Brawl for all before Brawl for all.

[@bloodysabboth5964]

@20:55 OMG the heat so nuclear the threw seat on fire!!

[@BrickFighter13]

Asuka has been through some wild stuff in her time in Stardom and such.

[@duckmercy11]

Not to nitpick but she wasn't in Stardom, she was just involved with a few of the names that later made up Stardom's early roster (Nanae Takahashi, Io Shirai, Kyoko Kimura etc)

[@MrTubeStuck]

i was about to say that Hana Kimura's story is really close to how Oshi no Ko told Akane's arc but a quick google search and there it was, her arc was inspired by Hana's story. That is really sad

[@suoquainen]

I remind a crazy food / living animal match with the Brahman Brothers. No idea which promotion it was, but i'm sure it was either DDT or a deathmatch promotion. There were scorpions, eels and so on...a very crazy and entertaining match. Maybe it can be found on the tube...

[@roribelsomwatches]

this all kinda remembers yakuza games. i don't really know why

[@michaelmendoza6557]

I know I'm high and possibly starting to get hungry... but am I hearing "corn"........ Is there some type of popular Japanese "corn" entertainment I'm unaware of??

[@AgeOfWrestling]

I have to use corn instead of the actual word for adult videos 😂

[@dingusuhum]

or you could say adult videos

[@lewisaino]

Now we wait for ECW