Credit to our enthusiastic Japanese writer & photographer Tokio Tsukada for sharing his latest experience of Tatsumi Fujinami wrestling for the Pro Wrestling Heat-Up (founded in 2013) promotion. I have adapted his text for better understanding:
** Please give credit to Tokio Tsukada and eWrestlingNews.com if you are sharing the report or photographs elsewhere. Thank you! **
Tokio Tsukada: Now that the TOKYO 2020 Olympics & Paralympics have ended, Kazuhiro Tamura held a house show for Pro Wrestling Heat-Up at Kawasaki, Japan on September 17th. The promotion has been contributing to society by supporting mobility impaired people through its participation in various social activities. This includes charity, visiting long-term health care facilities, and food donation events. Some of the staff who helped to organize the house show are mobility impaired people.
Under COVID-19 restrictions, the audience had social distanced seating, were required to have their temperature taken at admission, along with wearing their own mask. No shouting (without a mask) or shaking of hands were allowed. The referee was required to wear a mask as well. For additional safety, staff stepped into the ring and wiped the mat and ropes down thoroughly after each match.
– Former WWE Superstar YOSHI TATSU defeated Raimu Imai (he has hearing loss)
– Daisuke Kaneshita & Tetsuya Izuchi defeated Kaz Hayashi and Takanori Itoh to become the new Heat-Up Universal Tag Team Champions (the titles had been vacated).
– On the day, Legendary Tatsumi “Dragon” Fujinami agreed to wrestle TAMURA, the HEAT-UP and PWL World Champion in the main event.
Despite the size difference between Fujinami 5’7” and TAMURA 5’4”, TAMURA was trying to attack Fujinami’s knee and legs with many flying drop kicks. However, Fujinami changed the flow of the match with his trademark Dragon Screw and Dragon Sleeper Hold, and finally defeated TAMURA with an abdominal stretch. Fujinami won both Heat-Up Universal and PWL World Title, 23 years after his latest IWGP Championship at New Japan Pro-Wrestling back in 1998.
The next day, Tatsumi Fujinami was inducted in to the Japan Pro-Wrestling Hall of the Fame at the Korakuen Hall. They inducted 5 other legendary Japanese Wrestlers into the Hall Of Fame with him, including: Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, Riki Choshu & Tenryu. At 67, Fujinami is the only one still actively wrestling, and had this to say during his induction:
“It is a great honor for me to step in the ring for the championship match even today after 22 years since my latest reign of championship holder. Today, becoming new champion is a gift to me, celebrating the 50th anniversary of my Pro-Wrestling career, it was a great gift. I will keep working hard to maintain good shape to wrestle as long as I can.”
There is no limit in Pro-Wrestling in terms of age and other difficulties, such as hearing loss, so long as one tries to make their audiences happy and change the world.
Also Read: Wrestle & Groan From Big Japan Pro Wrestling Under COVID-19
You can see all of Tokio’s photographs below. I have added descriptions for each.