WEBVTT 00:00:01.139 --> 00:00:04.360 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're really thrilled 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:06.919 to have you here with us today because we are 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:11.279 exploring a truly bizarre, almost chaotic piece 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:13.580 of sports history. It really is. It's one of 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:16.660 those things that almost feels made up when you 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:19.640 first read it. Right. Today, we're looking at 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:22.879 the incredibly brief, incredibly strange story 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.300 of... The Real World Championship. Yes. Which 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:28.579 was also known as the World Heavyweight Championship 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.660 or the Sekai Hebegucha. Exactly. And it holds 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:34.859 this very specific, weirdly obscured place in 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.799 history because, well, because it was the very 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:41.100 first top title of New Japan Pro Wrestling. commonly 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:43.960 known as NJPW. And it is such a captivating subject, 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:45.859 particularly when you hold it up against what 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:48.039 NJPW is today. Because, you know, when we talk 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:49.539 about New Japan now, we are talking about one 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:51.840 of the undisputed global juggernauts of sports 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.780 entertainment. Oh, absolutely huge. But what 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:55.780 we are going to explore today with you is how 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.479 that massive, pristine foundation was originally 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:02.280 built on recycled ideas on phantom timelines 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:06.239 and some of the most improvisational sort of 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.340 fake it till you make it strategies you'll ever 00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:10.379 encounter. And our source material. for this 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:14.299 deep dive, is a comprehensive historical breakdown 00:01:14.299 --> 00:01:17.939 of this championship. We're talking the Wikipedia 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.079 article, right down to all the footnotes, the 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:22.859 obscure match data, and that massive corporate 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:25.260 timeline cataloged at the very bottom of the 00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:27.500 historical record. The nav box at the bottom. 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:30.280 Yeah, the massive nav box. We're going to unpack 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:33.760 how a globally recognized institution basically 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.560 started its championship lineage with a borrowed 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.209 belt and... And a lot of hope. Okay, let's unpack 00:01:40.209 --> 00:01:42.569 this. To really understand what happened here, 00:01:42.689 --> 00:01:45.950 we need to set the stage. The year is 1972. Right. 00:01:46.069 --> 00:01:48.370 New Japan Pro Wrestling is newly established. 00:01:48.530 --> 00:01:50.989 And whenever you launch a new combat, sports, 00:01:51.010 --> 00:01:53.290 or sports entertainment promotion, you immediately 00:01:53.290 --> 00:01:56.450 face a glaring existential problem. You need 00:01:56.450 --> 00:01:59.090 a top prize. Exactly. You need a world championship 00:01:59.090 --> 00:02:01.650 for your athletes to fight over. Because that 00:02:01.650 --> 00:02:03.989 prize is the entire narrative engine of your 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:05.739 business. That's the whole point. But a brand 00:02:05.739 --> 00:02:09.199 new championship inherently has zero prestige. 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:12.300 It has no history, no legendary matches attached 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:14.659 to it. There's no emotional weight for the fans. 00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:17.819 Right. If you just if you create a brand new 00:02:17.819 --> 00:02:21.759 piece of metal and leather on day one, everyone 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:23.780 knows it's just a shiny new prop. It doesn't 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:26.520 mean anything yet. No. So how does NJPW solve 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:29.580 this problem? Well, they didn't forge a new legacy 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:32.740 from scratch. Instead. They build a renowned 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.939 wrestler named Carl Gotch as their first champion. 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:38.879 But they didn't hand him a new NJPW belt. No, 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:42.659 they didn't. NJPW recognized Carl Gotch as the 00:02:42.659 --> 00:02:45.060 inaugural champion using the physical belt of 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:47.780 a completely different, older championship. And 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:49.639 the historical record actually includes this 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:51.979 hilarious little parenthetical note suggesting 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:54.099 it. might not have even been the real belt. They 00:02:54.099 --> 00:02:56.539 used the belt, quote, or its replica. What's 00:02:56.539 --> 00:02:59.060 fascinating here is the sheer audacity of this 00:02:59.060 --> 00:03:01.300 move. The records specify that the belt they 00:03:01.300 --> 00:03:03.300 used was from the American Wrestling Alliance 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.620 out of Ohio. Specifically, it was the AWA World 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:08.319 Heavyweight Championship. And we should definitely 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:10.139 pause and clarify that because the footnotes 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:11.879 make a very clear distinction here. They do. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.560 Because when a lot of people hear AWA... They 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:16.979 immediately think of Vern Gagne. Exactly. They 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:19.259 think of the famous American Wrestling Association 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:21.860 promoted by Vern Gagne. That was a massive... 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:24.169 massive, highly respected promotion in the United 00:03:24.169 --> 00:03:26.689 States. Right. Vern Gagne's AWA was essentially 00:03:26.689 --> 00:03:29.930 the big leagues for a large portion of the country. 00:03:30.050 --> 00:03:33.330 But that is not what NJPW used. Not at all. The 00:03:33.330 --> 00:03:35.129 belt they decided to use was from an entirely 00:03:35.129 --> 00:03:38.030 different American wrestling alliance in Ohio, 00:03:38.469 --> 00:03:41.590 Indiana and Colorado based territory. Which is 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:44.699 wild. And the kicker is the timeline. Carl Gotch 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:47.900 had previously held that specific Ohio AWA title, 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:51.379 but his reign lasted from September 11th, 1962 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:55.419 to September 7th, 1964. Wait, so it is 1972. 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.080 Yes. And they are literally importing a defunct 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:01.460 piece of hardware from a title reign that ended 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:03.629 eight years prior. That is exactly what they 00:04:03.629 --> 00:04:05.650 did. If we look at the psychology behind this 00:04:05.650 --> 00:04:08.710 decision, it is an absolute masterclass in manufacturing 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:11.990 legitimacy. NJPW needed instant credibility in 00:04:11.990 --> 00:04:13.710 Japan. They needed the audience to look at their 00:04:13.710 --> 00:04:16.350 top guy and see a legitimate international world 00:04:16.350 --> 00:04:19.149 champion. So by bringing out this older American 00:04:19.149 --> 00:04:21.930 belt, they were seamlessly trying to borrow its 00:04:21.930 --> 00:04:24.850 history. They are nonverbally communicating to 00:04:24.850 --> 00:04:27.529 their audience that this isn't some new made 00:04:27.529 --> 00:04:29.889 up title for a startup company. It's already 00:04:29.889 --> 00:04:32.959 important. Exactly. They are presenting it as 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.600 a real prestigious championship with a global 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:39.360 lineage, even if that lineage was pulled from 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.319 an eight year old run in Ohio. It's like it's 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:44.579 like starting a brand new tech company today 00:04:44.579 --> 00:04:46.879 and putting an eight year old employee of the 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.600 month plaque from a totally different out of 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:52.399 business regional firm on your front desk just 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:54.160 to make yourself look established. That is a 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:56.920 perfect analogy. And that detail about it possibly 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.579 being a replica is just incredible to me. They 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:01.220 might have literally just made a copy. of an 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:04.040 old Ohio belt to pass off as their premier Japanese 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.240 world championship. It highlights the chaotic 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:08.540 nature of getting an enterprise like this off 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:11.480 the ground. But it also reveals something deeper 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.660 about how prestige actually operates in the world 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:17.259 of sports and entertainment. How so? Well, prestige 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:20.139 is entirely a social construct. If the promotion 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:22.319 treats the physical belt as the most important 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:24.839 object in the world, and if they put it on a 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:27.579 highly respected, legitimate athlete like Carl 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:30.120 Gotch, the audience will eventually buy into 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.379 it. The physical object is just a prop. The meaning 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:35.600 is derived entirely from what the promotion and 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:37.699 the athletes pour into it. They certainly tried 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:39.899 to pour meaning into it. But if we look at the 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.319 actual timeline of this real world championship, 00:05:42.699 --> 00:05:45.180 it is a blink and you miss it situation. Very 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:47.870 much so. We're talking about an incredibly short 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:51.029 lifespan. The entire history of this championship 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:54.009 lasted less than a single calendar year. Less 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:56.290 than a year. In that time, there were only two 00:05:56.290 --> 00:05:59.050 champions. And between those two men, there were 00:05:59.050 --> 00:06:01.589 exactly three title reigns. That is the entire 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:04.269 historical footprint of this supposed premier 00:06:04.269 --> 00:06:07.009 world title. The statistics are remarkable when 00:06:07.009 --> 00:06:09.389 you break them down. Let's look at Carl Gotch's 00:06:09.389 --> 00:06:12.310 inaugural reign. The historical data has a highly 00:06:12.310 --> 00:06:14.870 unusual note for his start date. Oh, this part 00:06:14.870 --> 00:06:17.240 is amazing. It says Gotch is recognized as the 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:20.540 champion, quote, no earlier than January 13th, 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:24.500 1972. How does a promotion not have a definitive 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:27.339 start date for its own inaugural champion? No 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:29.240 earlier than. They just know it wasn't before 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:32.040 mid -January. It operates like a phantom rain. 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:34.220 You see this occasionally in early sports entertainment. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:37.300 It's retroactive booking. Right. They likely 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:40.360 needed a reigning champion to market their upcoming 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:43.660 events. So they essentially willed this title 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:46.920 reign into existence on paper, backdating it 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.500 to give the illusion of an ongoing active championship. 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:53.160 Just writing it into reality. Exactly. It speaks 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.420 to the human desire for legacy. Fans are often 00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:58.579 willing to accept a title that was retroactively 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:00.660 established as long as the person holding it 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:03.259 is credible. but during this entire first Phantom 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:06.189 Rain. which lasted an unknown number of days 00:07:06.189 --> 00:07:08.990 or months, the statistics table clearly shows 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:12.110 exactly zero successful title defenses. Zero. 00:07:12.149 --> 00:07:15.329 He just held this potentially replica belt from 00:07:15.329 --> 00:07:18.009 an old Ohio promotion and never successfully 00:07:18.009 --> 00:07:20.209 defended it on record. And that brings us to 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:22.269 the first actual title change in the history 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:24.910 of the company's top prize. It happens on October 00:07:24.910 --> 00:07:28.410 4th, 1972 at an event called the New Golden Series 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:32.269 in Tokyo. This is where Antonio Onoki defeats 00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:34.769 Carl Gottsch. to claim the real world championship. 00:07:35.170 --> 00:07:37.149 And we should probably explain who Antonio Inoki 00:07:37.149 --> 00:07:39.310 is for you listening, because he is not just 00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:41.730 a random wrestler on the roster. Far from it. 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:44.790 Antonio Inoki is the founding father of New Japan 00:07:44.790 --> 00:07:48.009 Pro Wrestling. He is a massive legendary figure 00:07:48.009 --> 00:07:51.310 in Japanese culture and the sport itself. So... 00:07:51.769 --> 00:07:55.029 Having him win the top prize is the logical, 00:07:55.129 --> 00:07:57.910 necessary move for the company. He is the face 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:00.769 of the franchise. But the details of how he won 00:08:00.769 --> 00:08:04.389 it are deeply unorthodox. Yes. The records note 00:08:04.389 --> 00:08:07.329 that Inoki won the title via a countout. Now, 00:08:07.350 --> 00:08:09.389 if they are literally scripting the matches behind 00:08:09.389 --> 00:08:12.050 the scenes to crown their ultimate hero, why 00:08:12.050 --> 00:08:14.230 on earth would they choose a countout? It is 00:08:14.230 --> 00:08:16.629 a baffling booking decision. In scripted sports 00:08:16.629 --> 00:08:18.449 entertainment, you get to completely control 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:20.910 the narrative. Right. You write the ending. Exactly. 00:08:21.350 --> 00:08:24.110 Usually to build the prestige of a new champion, 00:08:24.269 --> 00:08:26.930 especially your founding father, you want a decisive 00:08:26.930 --> 00:08:29.769 heroic victory, a pinfall or a submission in 00:08:29.769 --> 00:08:32.649 the dead center of the ring. A clean win. Winning 00:08:32.649 --> 00:08:34.690 your brand's ultimate prize simply because the 00:08:34.690 --> 00:08:36.649 opponent couldn't get back into the ring before 00:08:36.649 --> 00:08:40.190 the referee counted to 20 is incredibly anticlimactic. 00:08:40.370 --> 00:08:43.470 Yeah. To put it in perspective, it is the storytelling 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:47.830 equivalent of ending a massive action movie by 00:08:47.830 --> 00:08:50.210 having the main villain accidentally trip on 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:53.350 a shoelace and knock himself out Yes. It does 00:08:53.350 --> 00:08:56.110 not make the hero look strong. And it certainly 00:08:56.110 --> 00:08:58.210 doesn't legitimize the championship. It really 00:08:58.210 --> 00:08:59.950 doesn't. It makes it feel like they are completely 00:08:59.950 --> 00:09:02.210 making it up as they go along. Which they probably 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:04.710 were. But they clearly knew they needed some 00:09:04.710 --> 00:09:07.389 level of gravitas because there is another amazing 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:10.610 detail about this specific match in Tokyo. The 00:09:10.610 --> 00:09:12.809 special guest referee for this countout title 00:09:12.809 --> 00:09:16.870 change was Luthez. Luthez. Yes. Bringing in Luthez 00:09:16.870 --> 00:09:19.429 is a fascinating counterweight to the bizarre 00:09:19.429 --> 00:09:22.659 countout finish. For those unfamiliar, Lou Thez 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:24.679 was essentially the Babe Ruth of professional 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:26.899 wrestling. He was the guy. He was the gold standard 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:29.720 of legitimacy and international prestige during 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:33.379 that era. By having him referee the match, NJPW 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:36.419 is trying to sprinkle imported, undeniable credibility 00:09:36.419 --> 00:09:39.659 onto this chaotic situation. Right. They are 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:42.379 using his sheer presence as a coat of paint to 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:44.860 cover up a very shaky narrative house. So you 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:47.639 have this long phantom reign from January to 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:50.700 October where nothing officially happens. Then 00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:53.440 suddenly at the new Golden Series, the momentum 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:56.700 shifts at breakneck speed. Breakneck. You go 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:59.500 from a stagnant championship to a title change 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:03.000 via countout refereed by Luthez, which instantly 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.919 creates a wildly unstable dynamic for Antonio 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.379 Inoki as the new champion. Unstable is putting 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:11.460 it mildly because this brings us to Antonio Inoki's 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:14.259 reign itself. He won the belt on October 4th. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:16.419 The historical data lists Zanocchi as holding 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:18.320 the record for the shortest reign in the title's 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.860 history. He held the real world championship 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:24.139 for a grand total of six days. Six days. Six 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:26.620 days. You crown your company founder, your ultimate 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:29.159 hero, and less than a week later, his run is 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.779 over. It's astounding. But within those six days, 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:34.259 something historically significant does happen. 00:10:34.809 --> 00:10:37.330 And this is easily my favorite piece of trivia 00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:39.389 in the entire historical record we are looking 00:10:39.389 --> 00:10:41.090 at. Oh, I know what you're going to say. In the 00:10:41.090 --> 00:10:43.649 entire complete history of the New Japan Pro 00:10:43.649 --> 00:10:46.350 Wrestling Real World Championship, it was successfully 00:10:46.350 --> 00:10:50.129 defended exactly one time. Ever. One single time. 00:10:50.250 --> 00:10:53.450 And that lone defense happened on October 9th, 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:57.330 1972. It was day 12 of the New Golden Series. 00:10:58.090 --> 00:11:01.490 And Tony Onoki defended his newly won title against 00:11:01.490 --> 00:11:04.340 a challenger named Red Pimpernel. Red Pimpernel. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:06.639 Red Pimpernel. It is a name that just leaps off 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:09.100 the page and demands attention. The fact that 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:11.740 the singular, solitary, successful title defense 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:14.120 in the entire history of this world championship 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.019 was against a performer named Red Pimpernel perfectly 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:19.539 encapsulates how surreal this early timeline 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:21.659 is. It really does. You have this grand real 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:24.360 world championship that is actually an old Ohio 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:27.759 belt won on a technicality. And its sole moment 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:30.220 of glory is a defense against Red Pimpernel on 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.220 a Monday. On a Monday. Because the very next 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:36.539 day. Tuesday, October 10th, 1972, at day 13 of 00:11:36.539 --> 00:11:38.799 the new Golden Series in Osaka, Carl Gotch wins 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:41.019 the title right back from Inoki. This raises 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:42.980 an important question, though. Carl Gotch wins 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:45.259 his championship back. He is now a two -time 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:47.299 champion, technically holding the record for 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:49.919 the most reigns in the title's history. With 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.480 two. With two. So what happens next? According 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.039 to the historical data... Absolutely nothing. 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:59.240 The timeline simply stops. The championship completely 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:02.980 vanishes. The record explicitly states that the 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.899 title was deactivated on October 10th, 1972. 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.240 That is the exact same day Carl Gotch won it 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:11.419 back. The exact same day. He wins the belt in 00:12:11.419 --> 00:12:14.620 Osaka and then is gone. And the craziest part 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:17.240 is the detail regarding how it ended. The record 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:20.059 notes, quote, the championship was abandoned 00:12:20.059 --> 00:12:22.100 without any formal announcement. Just dropped. 00:12:22.509 --> 00:12:24.549 How did the fans not notice that the top prize 00:12:24.549 --> 00:12:27.129 in the company just evaporated overnight? You 00:12:27.129 --> 00:12:29.169 have to remember the context of the era. This 00:12:29.169 --> 00:12:32.370 is 1972. There is no Internet, no social media, 00:12:32.509 --> 00:12:35.289 no instant global communication and very little 00:12:35.289 --> 00:12:37.730 access to behind the scenes dirt sheets for the 00:12:37.730 --> 00:12:40.429 average fan. If a promotion stopped talking about 00:12:40.429 --> 00:12:42.649 a championship, it just slowly faded from the 00:12:42.649 --> 00:12:45.629 collective memory. But the abruptness of it is 00:12:45.629 --> 00:12:48.309 still staggering. They put immense effort into 00:12:48.309 --> 00:12:51.549 manufacturing this lineage, sourcing the old 00:12:51.549 --> 00:12:54.809 AWA belt, billing Gotch as the inaugural champion, 00:12:55.190 --> 00:12:58.250 bringing in Lou Fez to referee the title change. 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:00.850 For it to be abandoned without a single press 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:03.690 release suggests that behind the curtain, the 00:13:03.690 --> 00:13:05.769 experiment was a failure. Right. They realized 00:13:05.769 --> 00:13:08.669 it wasn't working. The constructed prestige wasn't 00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:11.169 landing with the audience or they simply found 00:13:11.169 --> 00:13:13.350 a much better alternative. And the historical 00:13:13.350 --> 00:13:15.929 succession boxes tell us exactly what that alternative 00:13:15.929 --> 00:13:18.730 was. Yeah. The real world championship was succeeded 00:13:18.730 --> 00:13:21.610 by the NWF heavyweight championship as the new 00:13:21.610 --> 00:13:24.870 top title in NJPW. Yes. They essentially just 00:13:24.870 --> 00:13:27.789 swapped one set of alphabets for another, quietly 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:29.870 swept the real world championship under the rug 00:13:29.870 --> 00:13:32.909 and moved on. It is a stark reminder of how fragile 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:36.299 institutional history is in its infancy. Today, 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:38.120 we view these sports leagues and entertainment 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:41.639 companies as monolithic entities with deep, unbroken, 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:44.580 sacred traditions. But in their early days, they're 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:46.320 often just throwing things against the wall to 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:48.679 see what sticks. Literally throwing an Ohio build 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.659 at the wall. Exactly. A world championship can 00:13:51.659 --> 00:13:53.879 be the most important prize on Monday and be 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:56.460 entirely erased from the active company narrative 00:13:56.460 --> 00:13:58.919 by Tuesday night. Here's where it gets really 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:02.139 interesting, though. If we step back from this 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:04.929 chaotic... one -year history of the real world 00:14:04.929 --> 00:14:08.230 championship, we can look at the massive corporate 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:11.330 catalog of what New Japan Pro Wrestling is today. 00:14:11.570 --> 00:14:14.509 The contrast is mind -blowing. The contrast between 00:14:14.509 --> 00:14:18.889 that messy six -day reign in 1972 and the sheer 00:14:18.889 --> 00:14:22.509 scale of the modern corporate behemoth is astounding. 00:14:22.529 --> 00:14:24.750 The scope of the current operation is staggering. 00:14:25.470 --> 00:14:27.909 The modern records list an incredibly structured, 00:14:28.090 --> 00:14:30.889 complex hierarchy of active championships, completely 00:14:30.889 --> 00:14:33.409 divorced from that early Ohio belt experiment. 00:14:33.730 --> 00:14:35.110 Just to give you an idea of the modern scale, 00:14:35.190 --> 00:14:37.549 they currently have an IWGP World Heavyweight 00:14:37.549 --> 00:14:40.950 Championship, an IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, 00:14:41.129 --> 00:14:44.480 and IWGP Tag Team titles. And we should probably 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.059 clarify that IWGP stands for International Wrestling 00:14:47.059 --> 00:14:49.620 Grand Prix. Yes, which is the fictional governing 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:51.820 body they eventually created to legitimize their 00:14:51.820 --> 00:14:54.039 own titles rather than borrowing American ones. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:55.860 A much better strategy. Absolutely. They also 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:58.899 have an entire junior heavyweight division with 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.500 its own singles and tag titles. They have an 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:03.720 openweight division featuring titles like the 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:06.460 Never Openweight Championship. And open way is 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:08.559 a crucial distinction there. It means competitors 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:11.200 of any size or weight class can challenge for 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.220 it, which creates incredibly unique matchups. 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:15.779 Right. The never acronym actually stands for 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:20.620 new blood evolution, valiantly eternal radical. 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:24.110 That is quite the alphabet soup. It is, but it 00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:27.509 shows how heavily they lean into highly specific 00:15:27.509 --> 00:15:30.590 branding now. They even have a rapidly expanding 00:15:30.590 --> 00:15:33.889 women's division with the IWGP Women's Championship 00:15:33.889 --> 00:15:36.090 and the Strong Women's Championship. That is 00:15:36.090 --> 00:15:38.929 just the active roster of belts. It is a massive 00:15:38.929 --> 00:15:41.110 leap from having one replica belt you don't even 00:15:41.110 --> 00:15:43.509 officially announce. And that completely ignores 00:15:43.509 --> 00:15:45.850 the tournaments, which form a backbone of their 00:15:45.850 --> 00:15:48.110 modern business model. The tournaments are huge. 00:15:48.450 --> 00:15:51.149 They host active, grueling annual tournaments 00:15:51.149 --> 00:15:54.990 like the G1. Climax, the New Japan Cup, the Best 00:15:54.990 --> 00:15:57.049 of the Super Juniors, and the World Tag League. 00:15:57.370 --> 00:15:59.610 They transitioned from struggling to maintain 00:15:59.610 --> 00:16:02.409 a single borrowed belt to orchestrating year 00:16:02.409 --> 00:16:05.190 -round, globally recognized competitive tournaments 00:16:05.190 --> 00:16:08.190 that athletes all over the world dream of competing 00:16:08.190 --> 00:16:10.250 in. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:16:10.370 --> 00:16:12.509 you can clearly see the corporate maturation 00:16:12.509 --> 00:16:15.529 of NJTW. They didn't just expand their in -ring 00:16:15.529 --> 00:16:19.009 offerings, they evolved into a massive, diversified 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:22.340 corporate entity. A real powerhouse. NJPW is 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:25.059 currently owned 85 % by a major Japanese entertainment 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:28.679 company called Bushiroad and 10 % by TV Asahi. 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.820 They own subsidiaries like the World Wonder Ring 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:34.120 Stardom Women's Promotion. They have their own 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:36.679 highly successful video game franchises like 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:38.840 Wrestle Kingdom and Fire Pro Wrestling World. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.399 Not to mention their global footprint. The list 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.340 of current and former partnerships reads like 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:45.279 a definitive history of the entire industry. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.379 Currently, they have working relationships with 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:50.080 all elite wrestling in the United States, CMLL 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.299 in Mexico, Ring of Honor, and domestic rivals 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:55.299 in Japan. It's a massive network. Historically, 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:57.639 they have collaborated with the biggest names 00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:00.269 imaginable. World Championship Wrestling, the 00:17:00.269 --> 00:17:03.129 World Wrestling Federation, Total Non -Stop Action, 00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:05.910 and even mixed martial arts organizations like 00:17:05.910 --> 00:17:08.250 Pride Fighting Championship. Yes. They went from 00:17:08.250 --> 00:17:11.109 a localized Japanese startup relying on an eight 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:13.750 -year -old American belt to a global nexus point 00:17:13.750 --> 00:17:15.630 for the entire professional wrestling industry. 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:18.349 It completely reframes how we should view that 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:22.630 messy 1972 origin story. It proves that a chaotic, 00:17:22.769 --> 00:17:25.769 improvisational beginning does not preclude massive 00:17:25.769 --> 00:17:30.289 future prestige. NJPW is now a highly structured, 00:17:30.549 --> 00:17:33.069 globally partnered organization with deep pockets, 00:17:33.410 --> 00:17:36.289 international reach and a legacy that is revered 00:17:36.289 --> 00:17:38.549 worldwide. Unrecognizable from where they started. 00:17:38.769 --> 00:17:41.269 But absolutely none of that existed when Antonio 00:17:41.269 --> 00:17:43.309 Inoki was defending a phantom title against Red 00:17:43.309 --> 00:17:45.329 Pimpernel. They had to survive that awkward, 00:17:45.509 --> 00:17:47.970 duct taped phase to eventually build the pristine 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:50.910 corporate structure they operate today. So what 00:17:50.910 --> 00:17:52.630 does this all mean for you listening to this 00:17:52.630 --> 00:17:55.230 right now? Why should you care about an abandoned 00:17:55.230 --> 00:17:59.130 wrestling belt from 1972? I think it is a brilliant, 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:02.670 highly encouraging reminder that prestige is 00:18:02.670 --> 00:18:05.009 often a construct, especially in the beginning. 00:18:05.190 --> 00:18:08.049 It absolutely is. If you are starting a new project, 00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:11.309 a new business, or a new creative endeavor, and 00:18:11.309 --> 00:18:13.009 you feel like you are just faking it till you 00:18:13.009 --> 00:18:16.279 make it, don't panic. Don't worry if your initial 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:18.559 efforts feel held together by tape and borrowed 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.440 legitimacy. Even one of the world's premier sports 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:24.299 entertainment organizations started with a discarded 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:27.279 Ohio belt and a world championship that literally 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:29.380 evaporated on a Tuesday without a single press 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:31.160 release. You just have to keep moving forward, 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.890 trying new things. until something sticks. It 00:18:33.890 --> 00:18:35.789 leaves us with something quite profound to consider. 00:18:35.950 --> 00:18:38.930 If NJPW's very first world championship, the 00:18:38.930 --> 00:18:41.450 supposed absolute pinnacle of their early business 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:43.950 model, could be abandoned on a random Tuesday 00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:46.130 in Osaka without a single formal announcement, 00:18:46.390 --> 00:18:48.549 it makes you wonder. Yeah. What other discarded 00:18:48.549 --> 00:18:50.910 experiments, forgotten artifacts, and unspoken 00:18:50.910 --> 00:18:53.289 histories are quietly holding up the foundations 00:18:53.289 --> 00:18:55.730 of the legendary institutions we revere today? 00:18:56.009 --> 00:18:58.490 That is a fascinating thought to end on. Thank 00:18:58.490 --> 00:19:00.269 you so much for joining us on this deep dive. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:02.980 Keep questioning the history you are told and 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:04.119 we will see you next time.