Super World of Sports

History

Formation

In April 1990, Genichiro Tenryu, one of the top stars of All Japan Pro Wrestling, left the company to become a spokesmodel for Megane Super, whom were one of the best-known makers of eyeglasses in Japan at the time. However, the company decided to instead used him as the launching pad for a new pro-wrestling circuit, which Megane Super executive Hachiro Tanaka named Super World of Sports.

With his backing, Megane Super began throwing money offers around to build up their roster. Yoshiaki Yatsu, Ashura Hara, Shunji Takano, The Great Kabuki, Hiromichi Fuyuki, Tatsumi "Koki" Kitahara, Masao Orihara, Isao Takagi (the future Arashi), and referee Hiroyuki Umino joined in from All-Japan. But SWS would attract New Japan Pro-Wrestling talent as well, including George Takano (the former Cobra), Naoki Sano, Hisakatsu Oya, Akira Katayama, former superstar yokozuna (grand champion in sumo wrestling) Koji Kitao, and Stampede Wrestling powerhouse Dino Ventura (605 lb bench press) who had extraordinary MMA and technical wrestling skills. Because of this, fans, wrestlers, and administrators of other Japanese promotions criticized SWS as being a "money puroresu" (Megane Super being the money mark) because of the way wrestlers flocked to it. The feeling was compounded when in October, SWS signed a working relationship contract with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, for interpromotional purposes.

Working relationship with the WWF

The SWS/WWF co-promotion produced several cards, including two shows at the Tokyo Dome. The events took place on March 30, 1991, and December 12, 1991 (The March show saw a near-shoot between former sumos Kitao and Earthquake; Kitao was fired for subsequently cutting a shoot promo exposing the business afterwards). SWS also had a small agreement with two smaller Japanese federations, Gran Hamada's Universal Lucha Libre and Yoshiaki Fujiwara's Fujiwara Gumi (shoot-style wrestling), which provided alternative matches and opponents to the cards.

SWS's peak coincided with the general Japanese economic downturn of the early 1990s, though AJPW and NJPW continued to do good business during that period. Along with criticism of the wrestlers for selling out their original promotions, which was still fairly rare at that time, SWS was also hampered by the lack of Japanese vs Japanese rivalries, which had become a staple of NJPW and AJPW booking since the mid-eighties. Tenryu mainly battled foreigners such as Hogan and Flair since none of the other Japanese wrestlers in SWS were positioned as being at or near his level. As Megane Super began withdrawing its support, the company began running fewer cards, and in May 1992 Yatsu withdrew. On June 19 1992, SWS held its final card at Nagasaki International Gym. The promotion's talent split into the following federations: Yatsu's SPWF; Tenryu's new promotion, WAR, including Hara, Fuyuki, Kitahara; NOW, including Kendo Nagasaki, and PWC, including the Takano brothers and Takagi.

Wrestlers

Main roster

Unlike many wrestling promotions, SWS had a wrestling roster that was divided into three stables, reminiscent of the sumo heya system. Revolution was mostly AJPW alumni, Palaestra was mostly NJPW alumni, and Geki Dojo were neutrals led by a heel manager, KY Wakamatsu. Yoshiaki Yatsu, who defected from AJPW three months after Tenryu, was added to Geki Dojo to give the group a senior level star.

Revolution

• Genichiro Tenryu, leader
• The Great Kabuki
• Kōji Kitao
• Ashura Hara
• Takashi Ishikawa
• Samson Fuyuki
• Tatsumi Kitahara
• Masao Orihara
• Nobukazu Hirai
• Toshiyuki Nakahara
• Yuji Yasuraoka

Geki Dojo

• KY Wakamatsu, leader
• Kendo Nagasaki
• Yoshiaki Yatsu
• Goro Tsurumi
• Shinichi Nakano
• Isao Takagi
• Ishinriki Kōji
• Hiroshi Hatanaka
• Hikaru Kawabata
• Tetsuya Yamanaka

Palaestra

• George Takano, leader
• Shunji Takano
• Naoki Sano
• Kenichi Oya
• Apollo Sugawara
• Fumihiro Niikura
• Akira Katayama
• Don Arakawa

Visiting wrestlers

[[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]]

• Randy Savage
• The Brooklyn Brawler
• The Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch)
• The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond)
• Greg Valentine
• Ted DiBiase
• The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty)
• Boris Zhukov
• Koko B. Ware
• King Haku
• Tito Santana
• Jimmy Snuka
• The Warlord
• The Barbarian
• The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)
• Earthquake
• Demolition (Smash and Crush)
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan
• The Ultimate Warrior
• Sgt. Slaughter
• The Texas Tornado
• Mr. Perfect
• The Road Warriors
• Hulk Hogan
• Tugboat / Typhoon
• Power and Glory (Paul Roma and Hercules)
• Paul Diamond
• Pat Tanaka
• Rick Martel
• The British Bulldog
• The Berzerker
• The Undertaker
• The Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake)
• Ric Flair
• Jim Powers
• Giant Kimala

Foreign freelancers

United States

• Killer Tim Brooks
• Chavo Guerrero Sr.
• Jeff Jarrett
• Kenny The Striker
• Bob Orton Jr.
• Rochester Roadblock
• Chris Walker (wrestler)
• Jeff Wheeler
• Snake Williams

Canada

• Giant Goliath
• Dino Ventura

Mexico

• El Dandy
• Atlantis
• Bestia Salvaje
• Emilio Charles Jr.
• Jerry Estrada
• Comando Ruso
• Blue Panther
• El Satanico
• Guerrero El Futuro
• Arkangel de la Muerte

Other

• Kato Kung Lee (Panama)
• Chris Adams (England)
• Gerry Morrow (Martinique)
• The Samoan Swat Team (Samoan Savage and Fatu) (Samoa)

Guests from other Japanese promotions

[[Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi]]

• Masakatsu Funaki
• Yoshiaki Fujiwara
• Minoru Suzuki
• Wellington Wilkins Jr.
• Jerry Flynn

[[Universal Lucha Libre|Universal Lucha Libre/Federación Universal de Lucha Libre]]

• Gran Hamada
• Yoshihiro Asai/Ultimo Dragon
• Punish/Coolie S.Z.
• Crush/Bulldog K.T.

SWS championships

SWS never had a Heavyweight Championship.

SWS Junior Heavyweight Championship

SWS Tag Team Championship

(Earthquake John Tenta and Typhoon)

References

References

1. (2009). "WWE Encyclopedia". [[Dorling Kindersley.
2. "Super World Sports Junior Heavyweight Title".
3. "Super World Sports Tag Team Title".
4. Hoops, Brian. (April 17, 2020). "Daily pro wrestling (04/17): WCW Spring Stampede 1994". [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]].