Japan’s pretty well known for its martial arts like karate, judo, kendo and sumo. These martial arts have been around for hundreds of years, are sometimes seen at the Olympics, and are taken very seriously A friend of mine tells me that the Japanese sometimes watch their fights in such profound silence that you can hear the fighters breathe.
But Japan’s not all about serious one-on-one fighting; there’s a thriving pro wrestling scene in Japan. It’s called puroresu (プロレス), a shortened version of “professional wrestling.” And just like the American professional wrestling, like the WWE, puroresu is more about crazy story lines and soap-opera drama than about who’s the strongest or quickest. Japan loves showmanship in the ring, so let’s take a look at some of the funniest, coolest, and wackiest puroresu acts in Japan in recent years.
Hard Gay
Have you ever heard of Japanese wrestler and TV personality Masaki Sumitani? No? Well how about leather-clad, waist-gyrating Japanese superstar Hard Gay?
フウ〜！
Hard Gay is Sumitani’s wrestling alter-ego who became hugely popular in 2005 when he started appearing on a Japanese variety show. On the show, Bakusho Mondai no Bakuten!, Hard Gay was a do-gooder who roamed the streets of Japan helping people solve their problems, or sometimes even promoting himself, as you can see in the video below:
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Hard Gay’s popularity continue to grow and grow, culminating in his release of the song “Young Man,” a cover of the Village People’s famous “YMCA.” But in what was surely one of the greatest scandals in Japanese history, Sumitani revealed that he wasn’t as gay as previously believed when he married Japanese swimsuit model Anna Suzuki. The two now have a child together, and the leather hot pants have been in retirement for a few years. Maybe one day our bondage-themed friend will return for us but for now, he’s MIA.
Bob Sapp
Bob Sapp is an American football player and wrestler who never quite found success in America. He was drafted and kicked out by four different NFL teams before he decided to try his hand at something else. At first, Sapp joined an American professional wrestling league but when that didn’t work out, he decided to move to Japan and give puroresu a shot.
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Going to Japan revitalized his career. He quickly became a sensation in the country, becoming a force in puroresu along with making appearances on daytime TV shows and in commercials, eventually releasing his own album It’s Sapp Time, the cover of which bears a slight resemblance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller:
I can’t tell the difference!
Apparently, Bob Sapp’s time in Japan gave his career just the jump start it needed He’ll be playing a part in this year’s upcoming summer action movie, Conan the Barbarian. But Bob Sapp hasn’t forgotten about the country he owes so much too. After this year’s Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Sapp has pledged to return to Japan and help in any way he can.
Joshi Puroresu
The puroresu scene in Japan isn’t all about huge, muscle clad dudes.Women in Japan have a big part in wrestling, with female wrestling called joshi puroresu (女子プロレス). Joshi puroresu can be just as popular as men wrestling in Japan, attracting legions of fans to see tough ladies duke it out in the ring.
90s joshi puroresu superstar, Kyoko Inoue
Just like puroresu, joshi puroresu has its share of novelty acts and showmanship. Just take one look at Kyoko Inoue’s outrageous face paint and costume, and you know that her appearance is for the entertainment of her fans. One of the biggest novelty fights in joshi puroresu was between her and Thai fighter and transwoman Nong Toom.
So what’s your favorite puroresu act? Let me know in the comments or give me a shout on Twitter or Facebook.