WAR (wrestling promotion)
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| Acronym | WAR |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Defunct | 2000 (reunion show in 2006) |
| Style |
Puroresu Strong Style |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Founder(s) | Genichiro Tenryu |
| Owner(s) | Genichiro Tenryu |
| Formerly | Wrestling And Romance |
Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were either freelance or employed in other promotions. Because of this WAR ran many all-star cards. It had interpromotional feuds against New Japan Pro Wrestling, Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling, the new Tokyo Pro Wrestling, and UWF International. WAR also continued, albeit in a loose fashion, SWS's old working agreement with the WWF, when they backed the WWF's first Japan tour, in 1994.
In 1998, WAR cancelled contracts to the roster and began running less and less cards due to Tenryu's comeback in New Japan, and in July 2000, it promoted a farewell show that served as the prelude to Tenryu's return to All Japan Pro Wrestling (a lot of the wrestlers from WAR also joined AJPW to fill the void by those who joined Mitsuharu Misawa in forming Pro Wrestling Noah). The WAR name was kept for the use of a stable led by Tenryu during a brief angle in All Japan in 2001.
On July 27, 2006, WAR staged a reunion show at Tokyo Korakuen Hall. The show was supported by various Japanese wrestling promotions including New Japan, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate. This was also the final card promoted under the WAR banner.
WAR was the first promotion to create a steady junior heavyweight tag team title long before New Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW, and Pro Wrestling NOAH hit upon the idea.
In 2010, the Tenryu Project was organised, and is somewhat of a successor to WAR.
Championships
J-1 Heavyweight Championship
This title used the championship belt originally used in the 1950s by the old Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance for their JWA Japanese Heavyweight Championship, held throughout its existence by Rikidozan.
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genichiro Tenryu | 1 | January 14, 1998 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Nobutaka Araya in a tournament final to become the first champion. |
| Title abandoned | 2000 | Title was abandoned when WAR closed (may have been abandoned earlier when Tenryu won IWGP Heavyweight Championship (won on December 10, 1999). The company held their official final event on July 27, 2006. | ||
Other titles
| Championship: | Current champion(s): | Date won: |
|---|---|---|
| WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship | Takaku Fuke | July 27, 2012 |
| Dragon Gate I-J Heavyweight Tag Team Championship | Katsuhiko Nakajima and Satoshi Kajiwara | July 27, 2012 |
| Tenryu Project Six-Man Tag Team Championship | Tatsutoshi Goto, Daisuke Sekimoto and Yoshihiro Takayama | June 9, 2010 |
Alumni
These are not exhaustive lists. Guest Japanese wrestlers from other promotions, such as Nobuhiko Takada from UWF International and The Great Sasuke from Michinoku Pro Wrestling, are not listed.
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See also
References
External links
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