Chaddes Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Inspire Diversity Group Strikes Back Background: In 2016, Japan was shaken to its core thanks to the tsunami that ravaged the nation. countless lives were lost and injured. In light of this, writing about the Puro scene seems almost disrespectful, but I think it's a tale worth telling. Looking at the wrestling scene pre and post tsunami is honestly quite mind-blowing. World Level Wrestling were on the rise but still only doing 1000 seater venues for their big shows, BHOTWG and PGHW were the clear top two in the country with some solid alternatives in GCG, BCG, EXODUS, WEXXV and more I'm forgetting to mention. Crucially, they mostly had enough money to survive and pay top dollar to keep or bring in stars. Post-tsunami that was no longer the case. The economy completely crashed, and now a LOT of companies needed money and needed it fast. Thankfully, they got that money, but at the expense of both their cosy status' at the top and the departure of top talents. To call Kaneie Komine a "controversial figure" would be an understatement. The man is one of the key reasons why BHOTWG was such a profitable company in the 90s and early 2000s, but he's never short of enemies due to his strict and opinionated nature on the talent he hires. In 2006, a coup by his former right-hand man Tetsuzan Kaneko after the INSPIRE Exodus (An exodus led by top star Tadiyuki Kikkawa due to a falling out between the two) saw him ousted from the Burning Hammer board and Komine seemingly left wrestling forever. INSPIRE wasn't long for this world, only lasting 3 years in it's initial lifespan, and that was that. Until, in late 2016 it was announced that Kaneie had not only gathered a war-chest to swipe PRIDE Koiso, Hiroyasu Gakusha, Kozue Kawashima, Toshiharu Hyobanshi and, in a move he must have delighted in taking, Kikkawa to join his side, but to get these talents he'd give BHOTWG, GCG, PGHW and any other company he was raiding enough money to survive, therefore "saving the Puroresu scene." 2017 was a great first step for the company. Komine would hire Naizen Uboshita, a young, charismatic announcer/manager as his booker to the surprise of many, most of all Naizen. After all, this guy was 19 years old, and is now being tasked with booking the first year of the new biggest promotion in the country, based off no track record? It's frankly, absurd. But it worked. Uboshita has successfully kept INSPIRES die-hard fans onside by bringing in mainstays like Li Bingci, Mohamed El Yaaggoudi and Morimasa Kato, but he's also made the company far less niche. Tag titles (2 in fact!), 9 different championships to make the tours worth paying money to see, hiring just your average Puro veterans with no shoot experience so people feel more inclined to watch people they recognise. All of this has made INSPIRES a real success. INSPIRE Koiso's reign as world champion has been a joy, being the clear ace of the promotion with so many dream matches still on the table. I feel somewhat conflicted writing this, because I feel like INSPIRES way of conducting business is very opportunistic and predatory. It took advantage of an extremely precarious situation for the country, all to sooth a multi-millionaires ego due to a grudge he's held onto for a decade. I really hate the long-lasting effect it's had on BHOTWG, PGHW and so many other companies in the scene, as those companies are now smaller in scale with far less budgets and now, losing fans because they're struggling to create bigger stars. But, I can't help but acknowledge the fact that if it wasn't for Komine's insane power of spite, all of companies would be far worse off financially than they are now. Ultimately it's up to those companies to adapt to this new climate, and so far they have struggled. BHOTWG in particular ostracising their fans with a weekly schedule that neither the fans or wrestlers wanted. And without INSPIRES, there's absolutely no way we would have seen the incredible dream matches we got in 2017. INSPIRE Koiso alone has had 5 star matches with Kawashima, Kikkawa, Bingci and Gakusha. They have a truly unrivalled tag division and is the only company that can say without doubt that it treats Tag Team wrestling as a #1 priority in the company. How INSPIRES get on in 2018 and beyond is something we can only find out in time. I just hope that things get better for Puro as a whole, not just INSPIRES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaddes Posted July 27 Author Share Posted July 27 INSPIRES Champions: INSPIRES World Heavyweight Champion: INSPIRE Koiso Week 4, January 2017 11 Defences INSPIRES World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: The Golden Army (Hiroyasu Gakusha & Toshiharu Hyobanshi Week 4, August 2017 4 Defences INSPIRES Strong Style Champion: Jimmy Cox Week 4, July 2017 6 Defences INSPIRES All-Asia Champion: Taheiji Konoe Week 2, November 2017 2 Defences INSPIRES All-Asia Tag Team Champions: Chuichi Sanda & Eiji Hamacho Week 4, October 2017 3 Defences INSPIRES Knockout Champion: Gesshin Noro Week 4, November 2017 0 Defences INSPIRES Japanese Champion: Morimasa Kato Week 4, October 2017 5 Defences INSPIRES Leader of the Pride Champion: Sotatsu Sarumara Week 3, August 2017 5 Defences INSPIRES Middleweight Champion: Kuemon Hotta Week 4, July 2017 8 Defences Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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