Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion

Professional wrestling promotion

A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...

 founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu

Genichiro Tenryu

Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...

 as the successor to Super World of Sports

Super World of Sports

Super World of Sports, more commonly known as SWS, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1990 to 1992. Its motto was "STRAIGHT AND STRONG".-Formation:...

, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were either freelance or employed in other promotions, most notably All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling

is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...

. Because of this WAR ran many all-star

All-star

All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...

 cards. It had interpromotional feuds against New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...

, Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling, the new Tokyo Pro Wrestling, and UWF International

UWF International

Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. Although the matches were worked , the UWF-i was very convincing for its time, promoting a more hard-hitting, realistic...

. WAR also continued, albeit in a loose fashion, SWS's old working agreement with the WWF

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

, when they backed the WWF's first Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 tour, in 1994, which unfortunately did not sell out any buildings.

In 1998, WAR cancelled contracts to the roster and began running less and less cards due to Tenryu's comeback in New Japan, and in July 2000, it promoted a farewell show that served as the prelude to Tenryu's return to All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling

is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...

 (a lot of the wrestlers from WAR also joined AJPW to fill the void by those who joined Mitsuharu Misawa

Mitsuharu Misawa

was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling . From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as All Japan Pro Wrestling had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling...

 in forming Pro Wrestling Noah

Pro Wrestling Noah

is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...

). The WAR name was kept for the use of a stable led by Tenryu during a brief angle in All Japan in 2001.

On July 27, 2006, WAR staged a reunion show at Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Korakuen Hall

is an arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts matches. Part of Tokyo Dome City, it is one of Tokyo's biggest attractions. It opened on April 16, 1962 and has a capacity of approximately 1,800 people. The venue hosted the boxing...

. The show was supported by various Japanese wrestling promotions including New Japan, All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling

is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...

 and Dragon Gate

Dragon Gate

is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...

. This was also the final card promoted by WAR.

WAR was the first promotion to create a steady junior heavyweight

Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing 220 lb and less, sometimes 215. The older term junior heavyweight, which was used to describe the division, is more favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles...

 tag team

Tag team

Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...

 title long before New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...

, WCW

World Championship Wrestling

World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

, and Pro Wrestling NOAH

Pro Wrestling NOAH

is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...

 hit upon the idea.

J-1 Heavyweight Championship

Wrestler:	Times:	Date:	Location:	Notes:
Genichiro Tenryu Genichiro Tenryu Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...	1	January 14, 1998	Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Title abandoned		2000

Other titles

Championship:	Current champion(s):	Date won:
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship The WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship was a title contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Wrestle Association R , which closed in 2000. It was part of New Japan Pro Wrestling's short-lived J-Crown Championship in 1996 and 1997. The title was revived in April...	Tiger Shark	June 9, 2010
Dragon Gate I-J Heavyweight Tag Team Championship	Naruki Doi Naruki Doi is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one third of the Open the Triangle Gate Champions. He also wrestled for Ring of Honor, where he is a former World Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi, as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....  and Masato Yoshino Masato Yoshino Masato Yoshino is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion.-Toryumon:...	October 12, 2007
Tenryu Project Six-Man Tag Team Championship WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a tag team title previously contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Wrestle Association R ....	Tatsutoshi Goto Tatsutoshi Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. He competed primarily in WAR and New Japan Pro Wrestling using the name "T2000 Machine". He also briefly competed in WCW as part of the nWo Japan.-Career:... , Daisuke Sekimoto Daisuke Sekimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX. He is a former six-time BJW Tag Team Champion, as well as a former NWA United National Heavyweight Champion in ZERO1-MAX...  and Yoshihiro Takayama Yoshihiro Takayama is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...	June 9, 2010