>Japanese wrestlers from the 90's >fake fighters
Most JP wrestlers of that era actually trained in actual legitimate Shoot Fighting which is basically early MMA before UFC.
>>17999440
That's true but it's very easy to transition from using the real moves and submissions they learned to use in a work to an actual real fight.
>>17999720
Misawa wasn't at All Japan though. Can't speak for AJPW of that era but Misawa did have legitimate amateur wrestling background as well as being trained by Lou Thesz who was a legitimate competitive wrestler.
>>17999720
Jumbo was a legit Olympian and guys like Tenryu and Taue had impressive Sumo backgrounds. The only shoot style guy they pushed was Gary Albright.
>>18000135 >Unrelated to wrestling though https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shootfighting?useskin=vector
"Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestling and kenpo." >the most principal of these being wrestling
>>18003636
Sorry you're right, memory is hazy and i wrote that post at like 3 in the morning and I was thinking of JPWA at the time. Forgive me anon, my history on it was a bit clouded at the time
>>18003820 >If anything Taue was the weakest link of the four.
Nobody would disagree with this, but people equating that with "Taue is bad" are fucking retarded. If you watch his initial feud with Kawada or the Miracle Run '95 and still think he's "bad" you shoot know jack shit fuck all about wrestling.
https://youtu.be/i0Rn4Mjdn3c?si=XKg4ARiz1H0ioEQL
This is my go to watch because it’s interesting and not because it is good matches. It’s from either the first or second zero 1 show. Misawa completely changes his moves to accommodate the “hybrid” style and Rikio manages to make sumo look like both a legit martial art and has a great comeback using it. Rikio may not have been the star NOAH had hoped but there’s a huge misconception in the west about his ability. He was incredibly talented and had many great performances.