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by Noriuji Sotomura, October 19th, 1998 
When Super Japan Pro-Wrestling suspended its operations, they lost a lot of
great stars, one of which was one-half of former All-Asian tag team
champions, Black Sun Rising. Months later, Super Japan Pro-Wrestling
was able to bring back its operations, and one of the surprises that they
had was the returning team of Black Sun Rising. This new incarnation
of the team was a far cry from the old one.Black Sun Rising was formed by the wrestlers known as Rob "Blackline" James and Alex Akira. The transition came about after Akira dropped his affiliation with the Reign of Terror. They went on to beat the Big Chill and Nik Nyce, substituting for Nick Patera, for the All-Asian belts and rose to stardom in the tag team ranks with the likes of the Down Boys, the Tokyo Express, and others. In this article, we will take a look at the new incarnation of Black Sun Rising, the strength of the team and the weaknesses that many of the wrestling insiders believe will plague the team. The team will be based on a combination of speed presented by the new member of Black Sun Rising, "The Panther" Kenji Takada. Taking over the role of Blackline in the team, Takada brings with him one of the traditional styles in Japan of a non-stop, aerial assault offense. A man who is not above taking the big risk to win a match, the young Takada will have big shoes to fill in the place of James. Many SJPW insiders feel that Takada will be able to live up and surpass what his predecessor was able to accomplish in the team. Takada's biggest weapon of choice will be his self-named Kenjicult; his small, but growing, following with the fans. Akira brings back his blended style of finese and dangerous repertoire of submission moves. Akira is also the "flagship" of Black Sun Rising because he was part of the team the first time around. With his patience on waiting for the right moment to finish an opponent, this incarnation of Black Sun Rising promises to be an exciting mix. The biggest weakness that Black Sun Rising faces is that Akira and Takada are not familiar with each other as tag team partners. As old SJPW fans may recall, James and Akira were able to win the All-Asian titles on their first outing, but a lot of people feel that this tag team is going to be rough around the edges before they are able to mesh well together. The biggest advantage that Black Sun Rising will have will be the fact that there aren't just two members. Black Sun Rising is made up of three members; Akira, Takada, and Hiroyoshi Takada. Hiroyoshi Takada is a familiar face around Japan, having gained his start in professional wrestling here before traveling to the United States to wrestle in other organizations. Hiroyoshi comes back to Japan to be the third man in Black Sun Rising. The advantage is that the opponents won't know what two members of Black Sun Rising will be wrestling until they are announced. Hiroyoshi Takada is the older brother to Kenji Takada, but the two are very different in their approaches on the mat. Hiroyoshi approaches the mat with the grace of a flyer, but he is as dangerous on the mat as Alex Akira is. Hiroyoshi could be defined as the middle of the two extremes that Kenji and Akira represent. Black Sun Rising looms on the horizon in the SJPW, but will they be able to shine like before, or will Lady Luck turn her back and let them work on it? That is the question on the minds of many fans, but it would be a safe assumption to say that Black Sun Rising will make a mark of some kind. 
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