Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are calling today’s action, still broadcasting from Springfield, Massachusetts.
What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 15, 1991
Yoshiaki Yatsu
SWS Toyama City Gymnasium 09/17/91
Super World Sports – Toyama City Gymnasium 09/17/91
Toyama, Toyama City Gymnasium
Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center
Attendance: 3,130
It’s the day after the previous show so there’s no news, let’s jump to the dodgy wrestling instead.
SWS Return To Fukui Fukui-Shi Taiikukan 09/16/91
Super World Sports – Return To Fukui Fukui-Shi Taiikukan 09/16/91
Fukui, Japan
Fukui City Gymnasium
Attendance: 4,570
There’s no Sano on this show and he wasn’t at the latest PWFG show either, which featured another legit shoot between Minoru Suzuki and Lawi Napataya which out-drew this SWS show with a crowd of 5,240. I guess he needed a rest from carrying the undercard.
UWF-i (now funded by SWS’ money backers) also out-drew this show with the debut of GARY FUCKING ALBRIGHT who destroyed Yoji Anjo quicker than an angry Gracie with a machete.
After Universal’s 09/12 show, Yoshihiro Asai responded to rumours of him signing with SWS as “false” and insisted he’s staying with Universal.
On a completely unrelated note, SWS announced they’re creating a tournament for the brand new WWF junior heavyweight title. But there’s not a lot of juniors running around so I wonder how they’ll deal with this issue? Meltzer ruthlessly predicts that Randy Savage could potentially enter.
SWS New Revolution For SWS 08/09/91
Super World Sports – Takasaki-Shi Central Gymnasium 08/09/91
Yokohama Arena
Attendance: 14,650
Tonight, SWS goes head-to-head with NJPW who were running the same night nearby. NJPW were worried that SWS and the device they use to give away free tickets would mess with their attendance, but they sold out all three days for their long weekend at Sumo Hall with LOADED shows, so they needn’t have worried.
Also this week, Koji Kitao announced his retirement from wrestling. He’d get better.
SWS Takasaki-Shi Central Gymnasium 08/05/91
Super World Sports Takasaki-Shi Central Gymnasium 08/05/91
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Attendance: 2,769
Aired on WOWOW Cable TV
Meltzer delivered his awards and SWS walked away with MOST UNDERRATED WRESTLER (Naoki Sano), ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Ishinriki) and BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER (Orihara Moonsault) which is a nice positive for a promotion so criticized. Meltzer hopes Orihara survives doing the move on a regular basis to see 1992, which is kind of back-handed after you’ve rewarded the crazyness.
Oh also Tenryu picked up the Observer award of Newest President of SWS.
This show is a set-up for SWS’s big show at the Yokohama Arena in four days time (going head-to-head with New Japan’s first Sumo Hall show) which will feature the second annual SWS tag team tournament. SWS wasn’t crazy enough to run a 17,000 seater without something special so today’s show features the return of his old tag partner Ashura Hara.
SWS Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center 07/09/91
Super World Sports – Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center 07/09/91
Sendai, Miyagi
Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center
Attendance: $$$
Glass Man (boop boop) Tanaka is looking at funding another new promotion, this one based around Koji Kitao. I don’t know if this was the early days of what would eventually become Kitao Dojo but he’d have to wait until 1994 if it was.
Tanaka is reportedly is confused how the deep SWS roster can barely give tickets away for their shoes whereas the four-member PWFG’s NK Hall is nearly sold out. So clearly the answer is “more Kitao.”
UWF-i ran their third show and they’re still ironing out certain issues, like flying in JT Southern (aka the drummer from Clash Of The Champions X) before checking to see if he can actually wrestle shoot-style. For an idea on how it went, here’s Kazuo Yamazaki’s happy face after winning.
Meltzer is dubious at SWS’ plan to run the 17,000 seat Yokohama Arena in a month’s time given that they’ve only been able to sell out Korakuen Hall with a half-paying crowd. I’m sure some sort of big return might help.
SWS The Battle Hall IV 06/26/91
Super World Sports – The Battle Hall IV 06/26/91
Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 2,297
Apparently Randy Savage is trying to work out a deal where he’ll work for All Japan while remaining with WWF and even called Baba’s office several times. This despite WWF and SWS working together. Savage wouldn’t appear again for SWS so maybe there’s some truth to this. Or maybe I just want it to be true for the sheer nerve of it all. (and in case you were wondering, Savage wouldn’t wrestle for AJPW either and would return to Japan for the WWF/WAR Mania 1994 tour).
It’s been reported that SWS was so desperate to draw a legit sell out for this show to shut up the HATERS that they lowered the price of GA tickets from the usual price of $22 to just $7. However it doesn’t say who you had to cheer for if you sat in those seats.
SWS Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 06/10/91
Super World Sports – Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 06/10/91
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Attendance: 7,709
SWS Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 06/07/91
Super World Sports – Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 06/07/91
Tokyo, Japan
Ryogoku Kokugikan
Attendance: 8,691
The one with Tenryu getting his revenge on Haku!
SWS The Battle Hall III 05/23/91
Super World Sports – The Battle Hall III 05/23/91
Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 2,179
The one with Macho Man headlining the Korakuen Hall!
SWS Region Plaza Joetsu 04/23/91
Super World Sports Region Plaza Joetsu 04/23/91
Region Plaza Joetsu
Attendance: 2,769
Aired on WOWOW Cable TV
SWS Wrestle Dream In Kobe 04/01/91
Straight And Strong Wrestle Dream In Kobe 04/01/91
Kobe World Hall
Attendance: 5,877
Aired on WOWOW Cable TV
SWS Wrestlefest In Tokyo Dome 03/30/91
SWS Wrestlefest In Tokyo Dome 03/30/91
Tokyo Dome
Attendance: 64,618 (yeah right)
Aired on WOWOW Cable TV
SWS Declaration Of War 02/22/91
SWS Declaration Of War 02/22/91
Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall
Attendance 2,309
SWS Osaka Fighting Party Begins 12/07/90
SWS – Beginning of Hamamatsu Fighting Party 11/22/90
SWS – Commencement of War ’90
When we previously left SWS, their first show ended with Isao Takagi getting his head kicked into pâté so it was probably just as well it was unofficial. This week we’re looking at their first proper show and VHS release: Commencement of War ’90.
Yokohama Arena
Attendance: 14,800
SWS Echizen Fighting Party Beginning Charity Preview Event 09/29/90
Prologue To The Prologue
In 2020 I was faced with the triple threat of lockdown, COVID and WWE’s Thunderdome so I decided I needed to sink my teeth into a big sanity-sandwich and started looking at the history of the fascinatingly big little Japanese wrestling company Super World Sports. These were going to lead to a series of articles for WrestleJoy because at the time I needed some positivity in my life and I wanted to think a company with JOY in it’s title would be a good way to get it. Sadly, I got two articles in before the owners of the site completely derailed their reputation by supporting former AEW Shenna wrestler’s tweets declaring all Muslims should be banned from France. This caused several of their writers to immediately quit and made the owner of the site have a boo-hoo-why-me-why-me meltdown on twitter rather than apologise or admit fault like a normal person. Once I realised their brand was simply a graft to get AEW press passes, I left them to wallow in their self-made pool of misery and stayed positive by playing hours of Hades instead.
The Blog Of Doom is generally more genuine (at least whenever Scott’s not posting the e-mails he gets) so I might as well carry it on over here so Manjiimortal can correct me on the parts I’ve copy-pasted from the Observer Archive.
What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – February 18, 1990
Tony Schiavone and Gorilla Monsoon are doing commentary and they are taped from Fort Myers, Florida.