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by Natsumi Kuroyama, October 31st, 1998 
When Hiryuu Batsu member Kabuki Master turned on his comrades and became TORA
Wanizame, many fans felt betrayed and angered. But industry insiders
know that this development, more than any other, has helped rejuvenate and
energize this young wrestler's career. Unpopular as it may have been
for him to defect, the obvious results for Wanizame have been universally
positive.What also may be surprising to some is that the "cockiness" and "arrogance" he brings to the ring are simply characteristics of a new-found confidence he has gained. Winning the G-Pro Trios Title along with Kashan Akuma and Frazer Fury validated this young warrior's belief in himself and whether you like Zokugun Sangai's antics or not, defeating three other highly capable trios was certainly an accomplishment worth noticing. And many have noted that Wanizame's new "attitude" has definitely improved his performance in the ring. Since joining up with Zokugun Sangai, he has picked up a lot of new moves and has been wrestling much more aggressively. With this in mind, it is easy to see how his defection may have been the best thing for him. And in a moment of frankness, Wanizame reveals that while being a member of Hiryuu Batsu didn't exactly hold him back, Zokugun Sangai has given him a much-needed career boost. In another "peek-behind-the-scenes", rumour has it that the pranks and practical jokes that The Banshee and Wanizame have been trading back and forth have proven to be a great source of amusement in the G-Pro locker rooms. Wanizame was always known for his wicked sense of humour and being given freer rein in Zokugun Sangai has allowed his imagination to run wild. Pride is important to Wanizame. Beneath the devil-may-care frivolity lies a man who is serious about his work and cares deeply about his craft. His immediate goal would be to secure one-on-one contests with both The Kabuki Kid and The Banshee in order to demonstrate that he truly is the premier super-middleweight wrestler in G-Pro. And just to make sure he doesn't get bored, there is still some unfinished business with "Demon Boy" Ishrinku. Here is another example of how Wanizame has flourished with his newfound confidence and temperament. He is one of the few super-middleweight competitors to cross over to the jisatsu division where he has had some memorable brawls with Ishrinku. But his preference is for the more conventional matches as while he enjoys jisatsu matches every now and again, he does not feel the wrestlers in that division are exactly virtuosos in their field. On a side note, he also prefers the pacing and coordination of team matches over one-on-one confrontations. Another thing which may surprise some of Wanizame's critics is his resistance to the commonly-held prejudice against non-Japanese wrestlers. In his view, the ability of the competitor depends on who the individual wrestler is. He isn't so much hung up on nationality as he recognizes that after a gaijin has wrestled in Japan, he begins to wrestle in the puroresu style. But he does feel that most North American wrestlers are usually much more one-dimensional whereas the Japanese tend to branch out into many different areas of their game. Where Wanizame's attitudes tend to run towards the negative is in his views towards G-Pro management. He truly believes that the federation officials are against Zokugun Sangai and have refused to book him against any of the luchadors now that G-Pro has gone to Mexico. Subscribing to a conspiracy theory, he is convinced that they're trying to put him into the ring with as many heavyweights and jisatsu wrestlers as possible in order to put him out of wrestling. But his enhanced confidence is evident even in his reaction to the disappearance of Frazer Fury. While acknowledging that Zokugun Sangai without Fury is obviously different, he thinks that the disappearance has actually been good for the team. Akuma has assumed a leadership role and the two of them have become much more unified. Though lacking a regular trios partner at the moment, Wanizame has revealed that there are numerous people who want to join Zokugun Sangai. When asked about his feelings toward other members of the G-Pro roster, Wanizame grudgingly admires the wrestling abilities of Shoji Suzuki or even his current arch-rival, The Banshee. But he has little respect for their principles and holds The Daimyo in complete contempt. In closing, then, there is far more to the book that is TORA Wanizame than can be seen from the cover. He is proud of his accomplishments and his abilities, honing his Wanizame Special (a Victory Star Drop followed up by La Majistral cradle) into one of the most effective finishers in the business. And he is still the fan of puroresuring that he always was, having gained a deeper appreciation for it now that he's actually *doing* it. So step back, folks. There's blood in the water and the Tiger Shark has caught the scent! 
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