THE FIRE WITHIN:
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING AND FIGHTING SPIRIT
By Jasmine Olan
Since 1972, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s incredibly talented roster has been known and respected the world over for its fighting spirit. That passion and never give up attitude can be seen in every match featuring these gifted performers. Fighting spirit is one of the major tenants of the Japanese wrestling culture and plays a vital role in NJPW’s story telling. From the hungry young rookies who dedicate their lives to training as young lions to the promotion’s top main event stars, it is at the very core of why they do what they do aside from the fact that they love what they do. For so many of them, it’s about the love of the game. They push themselves in training and in every match in an effort to prove that they are the best of the best. This also makes them an inspiration to wrestling fans around the world as well as loads of critical acclaim.
Puroresu godfathers like Rikidōzan and later Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba were among the earliest examples of the fighting spirit associated with the Japanese wrestling culture. That tradition continues on through present day mega stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito. It is also one of the most important principles taught to the young lions who train at the New Japan dojo, and stays with them for the rest of their wrestling careers. It is represented by NJPW’s iconic logo, the lion’s mark. That logo can seen in the promotion’s merchandise as well as on the front door of the original dojo in Tokyo and the new dojo in Los Angeles.
In Puroresu, wrestlers are taught to show fighting spirit from the beginning which is a major part of their evolution as athletes and performers. Its message of being strong and never giving up even when faced with the hardest of challenges has been inspiring fans for the past four and a half decades. That message is on display the most at NJPW’s biggest events, WRESTLE KINGDOM, DOMINION, and the prestigious G1 CLIMAX tournament. Fighting spirit and a positive attitude are particularly essential to surviving the grueling G1 season every year. During that time of the year, each of the twenty men competing put themselves through rigorous training in order to survive the tournament and its brutal schedule. They do that with the goal of winning the opportunity to main event NJPW’s biggest show of the year, WRESTLE KINGDOM and challenge for the company’s highest honor, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
One of the purest examples of fighting spirit in New Japan Pro Wrestling is Hiroshi Tanahashi. For the better part of a decade, the Ace Of The Universe carried the company on his back during the hardest of times almost completely on his own. In the face of a challenge that would’ve probably broken other wrestlers, Tanahashi stepped up without complaint and never gave up. That loyalty and passion put him at the forefront of the new golden age NJPW has been experiencing over the past several years and earned him an unbreakable bond with wrestling fans. His example has helped pave the way for future stars like his biggest rivals, Okada and Naito as well as long time friend, Kota Ibushi. To this day, Tanahashi remains one of the most respected figures in the NJPW locker room.
Foreign born talents like Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Juice Robinson also stand as prime examples of New Japan’s fighting spirit. Each of their journeys to championship gold show how they were able to find success even when the odds seemed to be against them and the lessons they learned along the way. As the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega stands as one of the greatest examples of this. To make it to the top of the international wrestling scene, Kenny had to face his biggest challenge in the form of the Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada. When it seemed like everything was lost, fighting spirit and one other thing helped Kenny finally get that win, love. Through his reunion with long time partner, Kota Ibushi, Kenny had learned to let love back into his life. That lesson helped give Kenny the fighting spirit and the will to ultimately end the Rainmaker’s historic nearly two year title reign.
Fighting spirit is part of what makes New Japan Pro wrestling’s matches some of the greatest of all time. It also makes NJPW’s finest some of the entertainment world’s most relatable figures and has pro wrestling fans always clamoring for more. New Japan Pro Wrestling remains one of the most respected names in the industry because of this. Any wrestler looking to make it to the top must have it. In the face of any big match or challenge, the wrestlers of New Japan will always look to that fire within to make their dreams a reality.
