International Wrestling Association of Japan
Encyclopedia
International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, was a Japanese professional wrestling
promotion operating from 1994 to 1996.
It was formed by Victor Quiñones
as a successor to the W*ING promotion which was folding at the time. Most of the wrestlers jumped ship to Quiñones' new IWA Japan group. He found a sponsor in Tatsukuni "Kinroku" Asano, a business man who owned several restaurants in Tokyo and had bought and run several wrestling shows prior to IWA Japan.
Quiñones booked talent from all over the world to compete in IWA, including Cactus Jack
and Terry Funk
who engaged in some of their most famous bouts.
defense, as Tarzan Goto
challenged then-champion Dan Severn
for the title.
The standout in this tournament were the three matches in which Mick Foley
wrestled. The first one was a "Barbed Wire
, Baseball Bat, and Thumbtack
Match". The second was a "Barbed Wire Board Spike Nail Match". The third was a "Barbed Wire Rope, Exploding C4
, and Time Bomb Match".
Quarter-Finals:
Mid-Card:
Semi-Finals:
World Championship Bouts:
Finals:
King of the Death Match Tournament winner: Cactus Jack
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
promotion operating from 1994 to 1996.
It was formed by Victor Quiñones
Victor Quiñones
Victor Quiñones was a Puerto Rican professional wrestling promoter, the founder and owner of International Wrestling Association. Quiñones was primarily a manager for The Headhunters and Mr...
as a successor to the W*ING promotion which was folding at the time. Most of the wrestlers jumped ship to Quiñones' new IWA Japan group. He found a sponsor in Tatsukuni "Kinroku" Asano, a business man who owned several restaurants in Tokyo and had bought and run several wrestling shows prior to IWA Japan.
Opening stage
They had their first show in Yokosuka, Kanagawa on May 21, 1994 which was taped for TV. The early shows often featured many ex W*ING wrestlers like Yukihiro Kanemura, Shoji Nakamaki, Nobutaka Araya and the Head Hunters. They also had fans to fill out questionnaires about the shows and sometimes gave away freebies.Quiñones booked talent from all over the world to compete in IWA, including Cactus Jack
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
and Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
who engaged in some of their most famous bouts.
1995 King of the Death Match Tournament
With IWA getting more popular due to the charisma of some of their wrestlers, they decided to produce a show called Kawasaki Dream, which was held on August 20, 1995 at the Kawasaki Baseball Stadium. The main attraction of the show was the first ever 8-man single elimination deathmatch tournament, which featured Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Shoji Nakamaki, Hiroshi Ono, Leatherface, Tiger Jeet Singh, Terry Gordy and former FMW wrestler Mr. Gannosuke. The show also featured an NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
defense, as Tarzan Goto
Tarzan Goto
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler who has wrestled on the independent circuit most of his career. He is best known for his exploding steel cage matches againest Atsushi Onita and Pat Tanaka in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling ....
challenged then-champion Dan Severn
Dan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...
for the title.
The standout in this tournament were the three matches in which Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
wrestled. The first one was a "Barbed Wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
, Baseball Bat, and Thumbtack
Thumbtack
A drawing pin , thumbtack , or push pin is a short nail or pin with a circular, sometimes domed, head, used to fasten items such as documents to a wall or board for display. Various designs and names are used. They are inserted and removed by hand, hence the terms "thumbtack" and "push pin"...
Match". The second was a "Barbed Wire Board Spike Nail Match". The third was a "Barbed Wire Rope, Exploding C4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
, and Time Bomb Match".
Show results
Dark Matches:- Keisuke Yamada & Keizo Matsuda defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri & Taisuke Tagami via pinfall (11:44)
- Kyoko Ichiki defeated Emi Motokawa via pinfall (10:24)
Quarter-Finals:
- Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Mr. Gannosuke in a Barbed Wire Board & Chain Match via pinfall (7:11)
- Terry FunkTerry FunkTerrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
defeated Leatherface in a Barbed Wire Board & Chain Match via pinfall (8:54) - Cactus JackCactus JackCactus Jack may refer to:* Cactus Jack, Serbian hard rock band* The UK and Australian release name of the 1979 movie The Villain, starring Kirk Douglas as Cactus Jack.* A ring name of professional wrestler Mick Foley...
defeated Terry GordyTerry GordyTerry Ray 'Bam Bam' Gordy, Sr. was a professional wrestler who was best known in North America for being a member of the Fabulous Freebirds.-Career:...
in a Barbed Wire Baseball Bat & Thumbtacks Match via pinfall (6:58) - Shoji Nakamaki defeated Hiroshi Ono in a Barbed Wire Baseball Bat & Thumbtacks Match via pinfall (7:19)
Mid-Card:
- Takashi Okano defeated Flying Kid Ichihara via pinfall for the WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (17:01)
- Iceman defeated Kamikaze via pinfall (9:45)
Semi-Finals:
- Terry Funk defeated Tiger Jeet Singh in a Barbed Wire Board & Glass Match via pinfall (6:04)
- Cactus Jack defeated Shoji Nakamaki in a Barbed Wire Board & Spike Nail Match via pinfall (9:49)
World Championship Bouts:
- The Headhunters defeated Los Cowboys via pinfall for the IWA World Tag Team Championship (17:39)
- Dan Severn successfully defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Tarzan Goto via submission (11:35)
Finals:
- Cactus Jack defeated Terry Funk in a No Rope Barbed Wire, Exploding Barbed Wire Boards & Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match via pinfall (13:21)
King of the Death Match Tournament winner: Cactus Jack
Post 1996 and The Demise of IWA Japan
Quiñones left IWA at the end of 1995, along with the NWA affiliation. Goto, Gannosuke, and Flying Kid Ichihara followed suit in late-1996 to join Tokyo Pro. Subsequently, IWA started to go downhill after losing much of the talent that Quiñones booked and then in late 1996 the promotion having lost all of its major talent went out of business.Titles
- IWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipIWA World Heavyweight Championship (IWA Japan)The IWA World Heavyweight Championship is the top singles title in the International Wrestling Association of Japan. The title has been in use since the IWA was founded in 1994.-Title history:...
- IWA World Tag Team Championship
- IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
- AJPW/IWA Women's World Championship
Roster
- Natives: Great KabukiAkihisa MeraAkihisa Yone Yoshi Mera , better known as The Great Kabuki, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was famous for being the first to blow "Asian mist" in his opponents' faces.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Tarzan Goto (Masaji Goto)Tarzan Goto, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler who has wrestled on the independent circuit most of his career. He is best known for his exploding steel cage matches againest Atsushi Onita and Pat Tanaka in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling ....
, Mr. Gannosuke, Yoshihiro TajiriYoshihiro Tajiri, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
, Shoji Nakamaki, Nobutaka Araya, Daisuke Taue, Takashi Okano, Yoshiya Yamashita, Ryo Miyake, Flying Kid Ichihara - Foreigners: Dick SlaterDick SlaterRichard Van Slater , better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, is a retired American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid 1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling .Slater began wrestling with Mike...
, Terry FunkTerry FunkTerrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
, Cactus JackMick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, Tracey SmothersTracy SmothersTracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, "Hacksaw" Jim DugganJim DugganJames Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
, The HeadhuntersThe Headhunters (professional wrestling)The Headhunters is a professional wrestling tag team that consists of twin brothers Manuel and Victor Santiago , better known by their respective ring names, Headhunter A and Headhunter B.-Career:The Santiago brothers trained under Johnny Rodz and both debuted in 1987.In the early 1990s, The...
(Headhunter A and Headhunter B)