Apr 18, 2022
Dylan hosts a very special historical episode of the Eastern Lariat, joined by his good friend Dr. Jonathan Foye, the author of Ganbaru, the story of how AJPW survived the 2000 NOAH split & his new friend, who happens to be a legendary journalist, who has experience in writing, podcasting, commentating, & working behind the scenes in Japanese wrestling for over 3 decades, Fumi Saito. We discuss many topics on this show centered around Sumo Palace (aka Sumo Hall). We start all the way from the original incarnation of the building nearly 200 years ago to the incarnations of the Kokugikan that followed, then the many big matches and events that took place there over the years and it's recent resurgence over the last month with STARDOM, Zero1, NJPW & NOAH all have or are about to run shows there in the span of a month. Historical content we touch on is too much to list but include:
Rikidozan's start in Sumo Palace and incident with Masahiko Kimura.
NJPW's success in the 80's and Inoki's ways & matches.
The IWGP Title inaugural tournaments.
Tiger Mask(s)!
The famous riots in 1984 & 1987 at the venue.
WWF running in Japan and their interactions with AJPW & NJPW in the early 90's.
Super J Cup and it's legacy among English speaking fans as well as Japanese.
The dark ages of wrestling in Japan in the 2000s and the many companies that ran it over the years.
Thank you for listening to our show and please follow Fumi @fumihikodayo , Dylan @Viva_Zero , Jonathan @JonthanFoye and of course the show @EasternLariat for updates on all things Japanese wrestling, and a new episode with Dylan re-joined by STRIGGA very soon!
Thank you!