Video if you have NJPW World, if you don’t have NJPW World as always I’ll have a highlight gif album at the bottom.

I wanted to do some content to replace the normal Tuesday Arena Mexico report that I do. Originally I was going to do a lucha libre time machine covering Pierroth Jr. vs El Supremo, mask vs match. That of course would relate to the 1985 earthquake. In that El Supremo was scheduled to main event 85′s EMLL Anniversary which was canceled because of that earthquake.

7 years later Supremo would take on Pierroth in a mask vs mask match. I decided against doing a write up on that match… mostly because it’s not a great match. It was on CMLL TV in 1992 and is actually an interesting look into one of the darkest periods in CMLL history back when AAA had just formed and CMLL had to worry about AAA usurping them as the Mexican wrestling company.

For those who want to watch Pierroth Jr. vs El Supremo : here is a link to the full match on Youtube.

Instead we are looking at :

Tatsumi Fujinami © vs Chavo Guerrero for the WWF Jr. Heavyweight Title(Card with Guide)

Who’s who?

Tatsumi Fujinami at the time was finding his footing in NJPW. In 1974 he took part in the Karl Gotch Cup a tournament for rookies, precursor to the later established Young Lions Cup.

In 1976-77 he would work with NWA and UWA on his excursion. He would return to NJPW, but continue working with those companies in the early 1980′s when he also held the WWF Junior Heavyweight title which he held for 2 reigns and a combined 1,375 days. It was one of a few Junior belts floating around before NJPW made their own IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title which would become their main Jr. title when it was created in 1986.

By the time the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title was created Tatsumi Fujinami had already been bumped up to the Heavyweight division and thus never held the IWGP Jr. belt. One of the reasons Fujinami was bumped up was to make room for Tiger Mask in the Jr. Division who would be a star in that division. Though he too never held the IWGP Jr title… instead holding the precursor belts : NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Fujinami would go on to become one of the biggest stars in NJPW’s history. Considered by some to be better than Antonio Inoki himself though however you spell it out he was a huge name for the company and continues to wrestle having had 7 matches in 2017 at the age of 63.

Chavo Guerrero at the time was most known for being NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship, Guerrero held the title 15 times between 1975 and 1980 and even feuded with Roddy Piper over it. He was also of note being son of Gory Guerrero who was and still is considered one of the best workers to ever grace the Lucha Libre wrestling scene.

In the late 70′s early 80′s Chavo would set his sights on Japan. Following in the footsteps of famous luchador Mil Mascaras who had success in AJPW. Even getting Tokyo Sports match of the year in 1977 : Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mil Mascaras



From 1978-1983 Chavo’s time was mainly spent working for NJPW/AJPW.

His involvement in the scene alongside Mil Mascara, Dos Caras, and Canek planted the seeds for Lucha Libre in Japan. Which lead to things like Tiger Mask, Liger, Michinoku Pro, Super Delfin and Great Sasuke.

How’s the match?

Great! Tatsumi works great as a Junior here and really meets Chavo blow for blow throughout. It amazes me this match is from 1980 as it feels so contemporary and very comparable to the match I covered in Lucha-Resu #1 featuring Chavo’s younger brother Eddie Guerrero under the Black Tiger mask, which was 16 years later!

Chavo’s run of AJPW/NJPW set a good example of how Lucha Libre can work and did work in Japan. Planting seeds that would later bear fruit opening the door for talents like Eddie, Dr. Wagner Jr. and in more recent years guys like Dragon Lee, Mistico, Rush and La Sombra to wow the crowds of Japan working with their local talent. Though like I said above Chavo wasn’t the only one or the first as Mil Mascaras went to Japan earlier in the 70′s.

At the moment New Japan World only has 2 Chavo Guerrero matches, but hopefully with time more will be uploaded. I’m really glad they have them up there. It might have less to do with it being Chavo and more to do with both being vs Tatsumi Fujinami who is one of the most important names of NJPW’s 45 year history.

Sadly early in 2017 we lost Chavo Guerrero to liver cancer, he was remembered/memorialized on WWE Television and on Netflix Original series ‘GLOW’ which his son worked on. We lost a legend this year, in fact quite a few with the recent passing of Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan and earlier passing of George ‘The Animal’ Steele who passed the same week as Chavo back in February. Sometimes the heroes between the ropes can seem immortal, so it can hit hard when the reaper comes for them too.

Luckily for Chavo, Heenan, and Steele along with the many other legends we have lost this year, most of them live on in classic moments and matches like this bout Chavo Guerrero had with Tatsumi Fujinami 37 years ago.

I keep Mexico City in my thoughts as they deal with the aftermath of the Earthquake that hit yesterday. Mashable has a nice article about what you can do to help including a link to donate. If you can help out in any way, please do as Mexico City could use it!

Puroresu-Rewind #1

Lucha Libre Time Machine #1

Lucha-resu Rewind Machine #1