Delusion: New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 20XX

President Hiroshi Tanahashi was worried.

On January 4, 2026, the day of Hiroshi Tanahashi's retirement match, he handed over the "baton of professional wrestling" to former 100kg-class judo gold medalist Aaron Wolf, who accepted it and was growing steadily as a professional wrestler without being crushed by the pressure of high public expectations.

Aaron Wolf developed the "Wolf Splash," a unique variation of the "Olympic Slam," which was the finishing move of Kurt Angle, who won a gold medal in the 100kg freestyle wrestling category at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and later became a star in the world's largest professional wrestling organization, WWE.

Armed with that finishing move, Aaron Wolf climbed to the top of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, reigning as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. With his proven ability as a professional wrestler and his skillful talk, he led the popularity of New Japan Pro-Wrestling alongside other rapidly growing young wrestlers. However, their ability to perform freely in the ring was largely due to President Hiroshi Tanahashi's support, which was characteristic of a former wrestler, and his unique sensitivity that led to unconventional matchmaking.

Yes, New Japan Pro-Wrestling was about to enter a "new golden age."

However, the more successful the wrestlers became, the more troublesome problems New Japan Pro-Wrestling faced. This was because, following the god-like performance of Shohei Ohtani in MLB and the success achieved by Rui Hachimura in the NBA, many Japanese wrestlers began to look toward America and aspire to succeed there.

For them, succeeding in New Japan Pro-Wrestling was no longer the ultimate goal of their professional wrestling careers; their goal was to make a name for themselves as professional wrestlers in the two American organizations, WWE and AEW, and rise to become worldwide figures. However, the departure of wrestlers who had been carefully nurtured since their youth was a major blow to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

However, given the gap in pay between Japan and the US, and the situation where a "weak yen and strong dollar" had become the norm, it was fundamentally impossible to tell the affiliated wrestlers not to look toward American organizations. This crisis of talent outflow to America was a heavy burden on the management of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, led by President Hiroshi Tanahashi.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling seemed to be sailing smoothly. But that only holds true if excellent employees—that is, excellent wrestlers—solidify the organization. "People are the castle, people are the stone walls, people are the moat..." President Hiroshi Tanahashi made a major decision regarding the supply of new talent while repeatedly recalling this maxim, said to have been left by the Sengoku period warlord Takeda Shingen, who was feared as the "Tiger of Kai."

*****

Instead of just waiting for entrants to New Japan Pro-Wrestling as in the past, President Hiroshi Tanahashi newly established an in-house "Special Mission Scouting Department," composed of a small number of elites who would actively search for raw gems of professional wrestlers.

If this department, born from the president's enthusiasm, does not unearth the future wrestlers who will support New Japan Pro-Wrestling, there is no bright future for the organization. For that, conventional scouting activities are not enough. The scouting direction refined by the Special Mission Scouting Department was strange and unique from the perspective of the traditional professional wrestling industry, and even surprised President Hiroshi Tanahashi.

First, they would not approach the amateur wrestling world for the time being. This is because there are few medium-to-large male athletes in the Japanese amateur wrestling world. Besides, New Japan Pro-Wrestling had a man named Yuji Nagata on its management team who had won the All-Japan Championship in amateur wrestling. If a talent appeared in the amateur wrestling world, that information would naturally reach Nagata's ears. The Special Mission Scouting Department judged that there was no need to focus efforts there, and President Hiroshi Tanahashi agreed with that opinion.

They also decided to take the same approach with the judo world. Although he had passed away several years prior, Seiji Sakaguchi, who won the All-Japan Judo Championships in 1965, was once a wrestler belonging to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and had also served in the heavy responsibility of president during difficult times. Also, since the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Aaron Wolf is also from a judo background, the pipeline to the judo world remained strong, and they could always catch the latest information quickly.

However, if there were athletes from the amateur wrestling or judo worlds who wished to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Special Mission Scouting Department's basic stance was "never turn away those who come."

Therefore, the Special Mission Scouting Department set its sights on players who were forced to leave the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the men's professional basketball league (B.League) at a young age due to various circumstances. Since these players once belonged to top-level organizations in Japan in those worlds, their qualities as athletes were guaranteed. The Special Mission Scouting Department would select and pick up "stones that would shine if polished" from among those "discarded stones" and send them to the "polishing factory" in Noge, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

*****

The basic "polishing work," which was repeated thoroughly without mercy on both hot and cold days, was completed, and several former professional baseball players and former professional basketball players finally celebrated their glorious debut as Young Lions (a collective term for young wrestlers in New Japan Pro-Wrestling).

Around that time, "that case," which had remained unresolved within the Special Mission Scouting Department, was being hotly debated again.

The new scouting method had certainly achieved a certain level of success. It successfully garnered public attention with the surprise that a former professional baseball player or a former professional basketball player was making their professional wrestling debut! The achievements of the Special Mission Scouting Department and the "polishing factory" in bringing out the athletic qualities they possessed and adding depth to the New Japan Pro-Wrestling roster were significant.

However, there was still an untouched matter remaining for the Special Mission Scouting Department. It was how to handle wrestlers who had retired from Japan's national sport, Grand Sumo. The debate over whether or not to make them targets for scouting had been repeated many times. Yet, opinions within the department remained split down the middle every time, and only endless, circular arguments continued, with conclusions always being carried over to the next meeting.

A typical argument from those in favor of scouting former Grand Sumo wrestlers was that those who left the sport for various reasons while still boasting well-trained bodies and remaining potential had extremely high adaptability to professional wrestling, just like those from amateur wrestling or judo backgrounds.

The basis for their argument was the success stories of Rusher Kimura, Killer Khan, Genichiro Tenryu, and Akira Taue. All of them utilized the bodies they had honed in Grand Sumo to become tough and rough wrestlers who thrived in the professional wrestling world.

In contrast, the typical argument from the opposition was that the four mentioned above were about the only former Grand Sumo wrestlers who had achieved great success in the professional wrestling world.

Since the dawn of post-war Japanese professional wrestling, countless former Grand Sumo wrestlers have turned to the professional wrestling world. However, only a handful have achieved any degree of success. Even Koji Wajima, Koji Kitao, and Akebono Taro, who climbed all the way to Yokozuna, did not succeed.

Furthermore, the opposition argued that the fighting style of former Grand Sumo wrestlers was highly likely to become "Showa-era style." They claimed it would have no affinity with the Reiwa-era professional wrestling style and would not fit in.

The Special Mission Scouting Department scouted promising former professional baseball and basketball players and achieved satisfactory results. However, regarding scouting former sumo wrestlers, endless debates had been exchanged over whether it was the right thing to do.

After hearing the opinions of both the proponents and the opponents, President Hiroshi Tanahashi felt it was necessary to change his perspective slightly when thinking about the direction of scouting. Perhaps both sides were too fixated on the "past" of being "former" wrestlers? Hiroshi Tanahashi was convinced that as president, he needed to make a "Solomonic judgment" to put an end to this debate and provide a clear direction for the Special Mission Scouting Department.

*****

Regarding the evaluation of former wrestlers who have retired from Grand Sumo, I agree with the opinion of the opposition, especially the fear that their fighting style could become "Showa-era style." Therefore, I judge that there is no need for us to reach out to former wrestlers. However, if they wish to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Special Mission Scouting Department will examine whether they have the qualities of a professional wrestler and decide whether or not to allow them to join.

Furthermore, contact with active Grand Sumo wrestlers is strictly prohibited. One wrong move could be perceived as poaching by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. If that happens, the relationship with the Grand Sumo world will deteriorate, and in the worst case, there is a possibility that Ryogoku Kokugikan, an important venue for New Japan Pro-Wrestling events, could become unavailable.

However, talent emerging in the amateur sumo world is too valuable to discard. From now on, we will narrow our scouting targets to promising sumo wrestlers who have not yet experienced Grand Sumo, such as those in high schools, universities, and corporate teams who have not yet joined a sumo stable, and focus our scouting efforts on them.

These were the instructions President Hiroshi Tanahashi gave to the Special Mission Scouting Department.

*****

President Hiroshi Tanahashi sought amateur talent that had not yet been "modified for Grand Sumo," rather than "former" wrestlers who had once been steeped in the sumo world and still had the faint scent of hair oil (bintsuke-abura) on them.

There must be young people who were filtered out by height or weight and could not enter the Grand Sumo world even if they wanted to. There are also young people who like sumo but do not have a strong longing for Grand Sumo and hold favorable feelings toward professional wrestling. President Hiroshi Tanahashi thought that even if they were physically incomplete, he needed young and fresh talent who had learned the basics of grappling martial arts to some extent through the sport of sumo.

From now on, staff from the Special Mission Scouting Department must visit the pinnacle of amateur sumo, the All Japan Sumo Championships and the National Student Sumo Championships, just as scouts from professional baseball teams visit Koshien. And if a young person with wonderful talent appears, New Japan Pro-Wrestling might end up in a tug-of-war with various sumo stables.

However, there is a limit to what the Special Mission Scouting Department can do alone. Unless New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a more attractive "employer" for amateur sumo wrestlers than the Grand Sumo world, they will not aim to become professional wrestlers at New Japan Pro-Wrestling. New Japan Pro-Wrestling must be a corporate organization worthy of being their "employer," including in terms of money, benefits, and career planning. And it is the role of the top leadership to make New Japan Pro-Wrestling that way.

President Hiroshi Tanahashi was well aware of that. However, it is difficult to persuade amateur sumo wrestlers with that alone. He thought that some kind of "special mechanism" was needed to support scouting activities.

We need something special...

*****

January 4, 20XX.

The approximately 50,000 spectators filling the venue began to buzz all at once.

Young wrestlers had climbed into the ring set up in the center of the Tokyo Dome, and suddenly, all the ring ropes were removed and taken away. Then, several mat-like objects were newly laid out on all four sides under the ring.

All the lights were dimmed, and as the dome was enveloped in darkness, a single beam of light from directly above the ring clearly illuminated the figure of Makoto Abe, a ring announcer belonging to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, standing in the ring.

"We will now begin today's special exhibition match."

The audience murmured. They had been informed that a special match would take place on this day as an "X vs. X match". However, New Japan Pro-Wrestling had not revealed any details and had imposed strict media restrictions. Who would be fighting whom? Pro-wrestling fans' speculations flooded all social media. But according to ring announcer Makoto Abe, this was an exhibition match. What kind of match would it be? And why were the ring ropes removed? The audience was focused, not wanting to miss a single word from the ring announcer.

First, the ring announcer announced the name of this match. It was a special match titled "Onko-Chishin (Learning from the Past) Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition Match".

The audience filling the dome was surprised. Although it was an exhibition match, they were surprised that it was a mixed martial arts match.

Mixed martial arts matches were a pioneering match style that strongly influenced and became the foundation for the development of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which emerged in the late 90s. However, due to technically advanced MMA, mixed martial arts matches were weeded out and had been buried in history as relics of the past.

Against Muhammad Ali, against Willem Ruska, mixed martial arts matches were once the specialty of Antonio Inoki, but that now only exists in the memories of the "old guard." For today's audience, who grew up watching new-generation wrestlers like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Kazuchika Okada, mixed martial arts matches are nothing more than something learned slightly on the "Showa Era Events" page listed in the "pro-wrestling textbook."

Since such a relic of the past was revived at the Reiwa Tokyo Dome tournament, it is no wonder the audience was surprised. However, in a sense, this might be called a fresh match-up precisely because it is old.

And it was announced by the ring announcer that those fighting in this mixed martial arts match revived from history would be a former pro-wrestler and a former sumo wrestler from professional sumo.

This mixed martial arts match using a former sumo wrestler was a ploy to connect the pro-wrestling world and the sumo world, and to turn the public's eyes toward New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Hisashi Shinma, a former general manager of sales known by the nickname "the radical mastermind," would likely give a passing grade from beyond the grave to this ploy that aimed to kill two birds with one stone.

If this match could not be realized and led to success, scouting for amateur sumo wrestlers would become even more difficult. President Hiroshi Tanahashi was pouring all his energy into the realization of this match.

*****

The rules for the "Onko-Chishin (Learning from the Past) Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition Match" were projected onto the large screen set up on the Tokyo Dome's back screen, and ring announcer Makoto Abe began to read them out.

This revealed the reason why the ring ropes were removed. Although it is a quadrilateral, the ring was considered a dohyo (sumo ring). In this match, "falling out of the ring" equals "breaking the dohyo."

And to prevent injuries from falling off the ring, this time, instead of standard mats, the area under the four sides of the ring was covered with special "αGEL" mats, which have such high shock-absorption performance that an egg dropped onto them would not break.

However, this rule seems clearly advantageous to the sumo side. In just 10 seconds, a wrestler cannot drain an opponent's stamina with ground techniques, nor is it easy to force a submission. Including the fact that both wrestlers are wearing mawashi, New Japan Pro-Wrestling must have made significant concessions to the sumo side regarding the rules to make this match possible.

*****

I understood the outline of the match. However, the one thing the audience wanted to know most was: who would be participating in this match? But ring announcer Makoto Abe refrained from announcing the participating wrestlers. This was a clever production choice by New Japan Pro-Wrestling; by intentionally delaying the introduction of the participants, they aimed to make the audience impatient and heighten the anticipation and tension for the mixed martial arts match.

The audience began to imagine who might participate. Even if it is an exhibition match, this is a mixed martial arts fight. New Japan Pro-Wrestling would surely choose a wrestler who possesses all three: skill, experience, and guts, especially since it is a match held under special rules with a unique sense of tension. So, will it be Minoru Suzuki, who retired from active duty a few years ago but has a background in UWF-style mixed martial arts? Or perhaps it will be Masakatsu Funaki, who was once Suzuki's friend and led Pancrase with him? If it is either of the two who were trained by the "Demon of Joint Locks" Yoshiaki Fujiwara, they would be able to handle a mixed martial arts match without any problems.

Who would the sumo wrestler be? It might be Asashoryu, who retired voluntarily after a scandal where he allegedly assaulted a civilian man during his prime. Being a strong-willed man, he is well-suited for a mixed martial arts match. Besides, Asashoryu's older brother, Blue Wolf, was affiliated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling for a short period. It is highly likely that the New Japan side contacted Asashoryu through his connections and requested his participation.

The imagination of the pro-wrestling fans filling the Tokyo Dome only continued to grow.

*****

"Burn, burn, burn your anger"

As the entrance theme "Ikari no Jushin" roared at high volume, Jushin Thunder Liger, wearing a mawashi, appeared on the entrance ramp, and deafening cheers echoed throughout the Dome. For the pro-wrestling fans filling the venue, Jushin Thunder Liger's participation in a mixed martial arts match was a big surprise in the best sense, completely defying their expectations.

"I see, so New Japan chose that man..." the "old-timers" from the Showa era nodded.

The man transformed into Jushin Thunder Liger is Keiichi Yamada, who suddenly "became the wind of Liverpool" and disappeared in January 1989 while training in England. Yamada, who lacked the height, gave up on his pro-wrestling debut in Japan and went to Mexico alone, where he met Gran Hamada, who introduced him to Kotetsu Yamamoto, a man feared as the "Demon Sergeant" at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo, and through Yamamoto's introduction, he was finally granted entry into New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a man who had worked his way up.

The small-statured Keiichi Yamada worked harder than anyone else in the dojo training. Through repeated sparring with the "Demon of Joint Locks" Yoshiaki Fujiwara, he acquired the skills to handle dangerous, serious fights, also known as "gachinko" or "cement" matches. Furthermore, after training at the dojo, he learned "Kenka-gei Koppo" under the founder of Nihon Budo Den Koppo, Masashi Horibe, showing an extraordinary pursuit and desire for improvement in martial arts.

Although Keiichi Yamada was such a man, his love for pro-wrestling was also extraordinary, and he himself wished to transform into Jushin Thunder Liger, working to revitalize the junior heavyweight scene in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In other words, Keiichi Yamada / Jushin Thunder Liger is a rare wrestler who can perform highly entertaining pro-wrestling while harboring outstanding martial arts abilities deep within.

Although Keiichi Yamada retired a few years ago and spent his days immersed in his hobby of building monster plastic models, the martial arts bug did not go away, and he spent much of his time training with the young wrestlers at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo, so there were no problems with his physical condition for participating in an exhibition-style mixed martial arts match. Moreover, New Japan Pro-Wrestling thought that if it were Jushin Thunder Liger, played by Keiichi Yamada, he would be able to handle it sufficiently even if the match deviated from the "tacit understanding" into a "dangerous development," so they appointed him for this mixed martial arts match.

*****

The clear sound of wooden clappers, which a yobidashi strikes in sumo to signal a wrestler's ring entry, resonated solemnly throughout the Dome. Then, a barefoot man wearing a black hooded long coat appeared from the entrance gate at the back of the ramp. With his hood pulled deep over his head, perhaps concentrating on the upcoming match, the man kept looking down. His face was not visible. However, judging from his physique, the man did not seem to be Asashoryu.

Who on earth could it be? The man, who drew all the audience's attention, began to walk slowly down the ramp. A black long coat covered his entire body. The only things visible were his well-trained calves below the knees. It was impossible to identify the man's true identity from this alone.

The man slowly climbed into the ring and took his position in the red corner, as if to tease the audience and his opponent, Jushin Thunder Liger.

When the venue had quieted down a little, ring announcer Makoto Abe called out Jushin Thunder Liger, who had finished his stretching exercises and was waiting in the blue corner.

After the loud cheers of "Liger!" and "Yamada!" died down, the ring announcer slowly called the man who had been waiting quietly in the red corner.

The man, who had been standing tall in his corner, took off his long black coat and revealed his true form to the world.

Appearing under the dazzling lights was the disheveled-haired, sharp-eyed Mainoumi Shuhei.

The excitement of the audience reached its peak, and the loud chant of "Ma-i-no-u-mi!" was repeated over and over, echoing throughout the dome.

Mainoumi is a former Komusubi who was once called the "Department Store of Techniques." He moved freely around the ring, using his base of left-hand inside grip and underarm throws, along with a variety of surprise techniques like the kirikaeshi, sansho-zeme, and neko-damashi.

A considerable amount of time had passed since he retired from professional sumo, but Mainoumi's body was beautifully toned. This was likely because he had been training daily while regularly taking health supplements like "Glucosamine + Chondroitin" from Setagaya Shizen Shokuhin, the company whose TV commercials he had appeared in for many years.

However, what surprised the audience even more was that Mainoumi was wearing black short spats under his vibrant purple mawashi. Perhaps Mainoumi wore the spats to prevent his buttocks from getting lacerations from rubbing against the mat if the match were taken to the ground.

Jushin Thunder Liger and Mainoumi walked to the center of the ring, underwent a body check by referee Red Shoes Unno, and received explanations about illegal moves and precautions from the 39th Kimura Shonosuke.

Comparing the two standing with the referee between them, their physiques were almost equal. Both were about 170cm tall and weighed around 95kg. However, hardcore fans who love sumo as much as pro-wrestling knew. Mainoumi was about three and a half years younger than Jushin Thunder Liger. Would this be an advantage for Mainoumi?

After shaking hands in the center of the ring, the two returned to their corners and waited for the opening bell to ring.

*****

Jushin Thunder Liger and Mainoumi spent the whole time gauging each other's moves. They would engage and immediately break apart. Even when Liger tried to take him down with a tackle, he was blocked. It might have looked like they were struggling to attack, but there was a reason for that. It was because both of them were fighting in such a situation for the first time.

Liger was used to being in a ring, but this time there were no ropes on the four sides, so he couldn't use his usual rope-based movements. On the other hand, Mainoumi, who was used to fighting on a hard, circular sumo ring, was clearly confused by the softness and shape of the wrestling ring.

Liger and Mainoumi spent the first round observing each other's movements and getting used to this special match venue, which was neither a normal ring nor a sumo ring.

Entering the second round, the two began to engage head-on. Liger took Mainoumi down many times, but he was blocked by the 10-second limit on ground combat and couldn't lock in the joint techniques he learned directly from Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Besides, in this mixed martial arts match, no points were added even if a takedown was successful.

Thinking that would do, Liger rushed in to push Mainoumi out of the ring, but Mainoumi dodged him with a "neko-damashi" and toyed with Liger using his unpredictable movements.

Seizing an opening, Mainoumi grabbed Liger's mawashi and executed an underarm throw twice in a row. Liger, whose blood had completely rushed to his head and who had lost his composure, perhaps out of frustration at being thrown by the same move twice, did not reflect on it and rushed at Mainoumi with the same movement as before, only to have his mawashi grabbed again instantly and be thrown with an underarm throw. This was the result of Liger's short temper and stubbornness backfiring.

Judging that the opportunity had arrived, Mainoumi dove into the chest of the stunned Liger and executed a "Modified Sansho-zeme," a move that adapted the "Sansho-zeme" that had even defeated the giant Akebono into a throwing technique.

With this, Mainoumi had successfully executed a total of four throwing techniques, and if he were to execute one more, Liger's defeat would be decided at that point.

Liger was driven into a corner. He tried to get behind Mainoumi and execute a "back drop" by grabbing his torso with both hands and throwing him backward, but Mainoumi hooked his own left leg around Liger's right leg, sealing the "back drop" in the manner of a "kawazu-gake." Mainoumi had learned somewhere how Rikidozan had once sealed the "back drop" of the Iron Man Lou Thesz. Besides, being from professional sumo, his hips were heavy and stable. Liger judged that pro-wrestling throwing techniques would not work on Mainoumi.

Wearing a mawashi, points added for throwing techniques, and ground combat limited to 10 seconds. As expected, the rules for this match are disadvantageous for a professional wrestler. Also, while unrelated to the current rules, Liger's field of vision is quite narrow because he is wearing a mask where the eye area is covered with mesh fabric. This was a handicap weighing on Liger as he faced the agile Mainoumi. However, the match has already begun. He cannot take off his mask now and fight as Keiichi Yamada.

"Alright, then I'll use that move..." At the end of the second round, Liger decided to use "that move" he had been saving up in the upcoming third round to go for the win all at once.

As soon as the gong for the third round rang, Liger rushed toward Mainoumi, who was in the diagonal corner. Mainoumi was caught off guard for a moment, but without panicking, he turned around and immediately moved to the center of the ring. As Liger, having turned his body, approached the center of the ring, Mainoumi lowered his upper body slightly and, from a low stance, unleashed a barrage of "tsuppari" (thrusts) and "nodowa" (throat thrusts) aimed at Liger's chin.

Liger's upper body swayed unsteadily. Although he had taken considerable damage, this was the kind of man-to-man "brawling" style of fighting that Liger had been waiting for. Liger chuckled to himself and thought, "Plenty of hair, plenty of cat ash—if that's how you want to play it, then I'll use that move..."

Pushed to the edge of the ring by Mainoumi's relentless barrage of "tsuppari" and "nodowa," Liger was nearly knocked out of the ring and defeated. However, Liger braced himself at the edge of the ring, regained his stance, and returned to the center of the ring. With a fearless smile hidden beneath his mask, he muttered, "A slugfest, huh? That's exactly what I wanted..." and unleashed a storm of "palm strikes," "that move," aimed at Mainoumi's face.

"Palm strikes" are a technique where you strike the opponent using the base of the palm (palm heel) instead of a fist. In his younger days, Liger used to go with Katsuyuki Suzuki to visit Masashi Horibe, where he mastered the "palm strike," one of the essential attacking techniques of "Kenka-gei Koppo."

Mainoumi was surprised by the barrage of "palm strikes," which were similar to but distinct from "tsuppari," and took significant damage. He avoided a knockdown, but unfortunately lost his balance and dropped to one knee on the ring. Liger did not miss this opportunity and laid Mainoumi face down on the mat. Then, in an instant, he executed another "that move" on Mainoumi.

The moment Liger executed "that move" on Mainoumi, a great roar spread through the dome. The audience couldn't believe their eyes. They never expected to witness a scene where "that move" would be decided in an inter-disciplinary martial arts match...

"Come on, Give up!"

Liger's loud voice urging Mainoumi to give up reached the broadcast booth at ringside. However, despite his expression of agony and his screams, Mainoumi kept shaking his head from side to side.

The move Liger used on Mainoumi is a complex joint technique called the "Romero Special." It is a high-difficulty move where you lock both of the face-down opponent's legs with your own, grab both wrists, fall backward, and lift the opponent up in a back-arching position.

The person who devised this technique was a professional wrestler from Guadalajara, Mexico,Rito Romero. He named this move "La Tapatía" in honor of his hometown of Guadalajara, but in Japan, this move is called the "Romero Special" or "Suspended Ceiling Hold."

"Wait a minute, this is strange..." many in the audience thought.

More than 10 seconds had passed since the "Romero Special," a type of ground technique, was locked in, but referee Red Shoes Unno did not order a break for Liger to release the hold. If Red Shoes Unno were refereeing in favor of Liger due to "nepotism," the 39th Kimura Shonosuke should have stepped in to stop it, but...

The audience had assumed that ground attacks were limited to 10 seconds under the rules of this inter-disciplinary martial arts match. However, under the rules of this match,"attacks of 10 seconds or more on an opponent in a ground state"are considered a foul. So, is Mainoumi, who is being attacked, in a ground state? No, it is Liger, the attacker, who is in a ground state, while Mainoumi is being attacked by Liger while in an "aerial state" being lifted up. Therefore, the "Romero Special" executed by Liger is not a foul. This was the reason Red Shoes Unno did not order Liger to break.

Liger was well-versed in the rules regarding ground combat for this match. And with a "Columbus's egg" style of reverse thinking, Liger chose the "Romero Special" as the move to finish off Mainoumi. To force a submission with this chosen move, Liger relentlessly squeezed the agonizing Mainoumi while shaking him violently up and down.

However, unfortunately, this move is also a double-edged sword. It also causes damage to the person performing it, Liger himself. This is because he must continue to lift the opponent's body with only his legs while lying down. Although he is a small-statured wrestler, Mainoumi weighs about 95kg. While Liger was forcing Mainoumi to give up with the "Romero Special," his own legs were suffering under Mainoumi's weight.

Judging that it would be physically difficult to continue holding the "Romero Special," Liger was forced to release the move. However, because he had been lifting Mainoumi with his legs for several minutes, muscle fatigue had accumulated in Liger's legs. For a while, Liger felt a dull pain accompanied by tension and heaviness in his thighs.

Meanwhile, Mainoumi, who had been continuously attacked with the "Romero Special," had also sustained damage to his shoulders, back, and knees, so he could not immediately stand up and regain his stance.

Liger, who had stood up first, pulled up Mainoumi, who was trying to stand while staggering slightly, and moved behind him. He did this to execute a "naked choke" (also known as a sleeper hold), a choking technique that compresses the carotid artery with an arm extended around the opponent's neck from behind, to force a submission.

Sensing Liger's intent, Mainoumi, using the technique of the rare sumo move "ushiro-motare" (back lean), instantly grabbed Liger's mawashi with his backhand, pulled him toward his own back, and poured his entire body weight onto Liger while leaning back strongly. He did this because he was trying to escape the "naked choke" by falling backward together with him.

However, since it was immediately after the "tsuri-tenjo-gatame" (hanging ceiling hold) had been broken, Mainoumi and Liger's legs and knees still had damage remaining. The two did not fall like they would in a "ushiro-motare." As they staggered toward the edge of the ring with their hips crushed and their footing unsteady, they fell out of the ring together.

Under the rules for this match, the person who knocks their opponent out of the ring is the winner. So, in the case of a simultaneous fall, who is the winner?

Referee Red Shoes Unno and the 39th Kimura Shonosuke began deliberations. As a result, they concluded that it was first necessary to confirm whether the "ushiro-motare" initiated by Mainoumi was the decisive move that knocked Liger out of the ring. This verification task was assigned to the gyoji, the 39th Kimura Shonosuke.

Red Shoes Unno conveyed the above to the audience, who were concerned about the outcome of the match, over the microphone, and then drew a large square with both arms toward the broadcast booth under the ring, requesting a video review. Then, the 39th Kimura Shonosuke headed to the verification monitor installed next to the broadcast booth to perform a replay review using the recorded footage.

The footage of the controversial fall scene, which was the subject of the verification, was shown from various angles on the monitor next to the broadcast booth that the 39th Kimura Shonosuke was staring at, as well as on the large screen installed on the back screen of the Dome. For the few minutes until the decision was made, Liger and Mainoumi, along with the audience, watched the footage, but the two who were actually fighting knew what that scene was really like.

"Ushiro-motare" was not a move intended by Mainoumi to knock Liger backward out of the ring at the edge of the ring. Although the development was similar to "ushiro-motare," the two, who had suffered damage to their legs, simply lost their balance and fell out together. Therefore, "ushiro-motare" is not recognized as an effective move that decided the match, and this decision is a draw due to a simultaneous fall.

The above was the decision handed down by the 39th Kimura Shonosuke.

The large crowd that packed the Dome was also convinced by this decision. Initially, the 39th Kimura Shonosuke, who had nothing to do with professional wrestling, was thought of only as a "decorative presence" for the inter-promotional match, but the audience gave him generous applause for the splendid judgment he showed as a gyoji at the end.

Also, the match was a great contest in which Liger and Mainoumi exhausted all the techniques they had and clashed their pride and determination head-on. Even though it was an exhibition match, the audience was very satisfied, and after the match, Liger calls and Mainoumi calls rang out, and even though it was not the Ryogoku Kokugikan, cushions were thrown into the ring.

*****

20XX年1月4日"WRESTLE ECSTASY in Tokyo Dome"で行われた"Onko-Chishin Inter-promotional Exhibition Match"はテレビ朝日系列の各局から全国ネットで当日のメインイベントと共に生放送されていた。

The response was significant, and several amateur sumo wrestlers visited the "polishing factory" in Noge, Setagaya Ward, to observe New Japan Pro-Wrestling's unique training methods, such as circuit training using their own body weight like Hindu squats, push-ups, bridges, and rope climbing, as well as practical sparring.

Also, when scouting personnel visited amateur sumo tournaments, the fierce battle between Jushin Thunder Liger and Mainoumi was often brought up in conversations with coaches.

The "Onko-Chishin Inter-promotional Exhibition Match," which was held with the strong support of President Hiroshi Tanahashi, achieved more than enough results both as a highlight of the Tokyo Dome event and as PR to support the activities of the special scouting department.

How many amateur sumo wrestlers will join New Japan Pro-Wrestling from now on? How many of them will be able to reach their debut match? And will they be able to become part of the castle, stone walls, and moats, and continue to protect the prosperity of New Japan Pro-Wrestling?

*****

The January 4th Tokyo Dome event was a success. However, in the cutthroat world of entertainment, one must not let their guard down, and there was no time to be intoxicated by the sweet wine of success.

This is because WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling organization, announced that it would soon establish WWE Japan in Tokyo and use it as a base to hold regular events in the Asian region, including Japan.

Also, against the backdrop of the overwhelming "weak yen and strong dollar," they will likely plot to poach New Japan Pro-Wrestling's backbone, mid-tier wrestlers and promising young prospects, by offering them several times the contract money of New Japan.

If New Japan Pro-Wrestling does not win the promotional war against WWE, there is no tomorrow for the company. So, how should they counter the overwhelming financial power of WWE?

It would likely not be a wise strategy to stand against the mighty enemy, WWE, alone. Should they join forces with South Korea's emerging promotion PWS KOREA (Pro Wrestling Society), Mexico's long-standing promotion CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre), the revived British Joint Promotions, and the Austria and Germany-based CWA (Catch Wrestling Association) to establish a 'collective wide-area defense organization' in the pro-wrestling world, similar to NATO, where member organizations help each other against events launched by WWE?

President Hiroshi Tanahashi was troubled.