SJPW vs WWGP Why SJPW Suspended Operations Last April And How It Made A Comeback by Taro Nakada, September 29th, 1998 In 1997, Super Japan Pro Wrestling signed an agreement with the World Wrestling Grand Prix to allow SJPW to acknowledge the WWGP world titles as their own.  This deal had been signed by Shinsaku Yamashita, then CEO of SJPW.  In essence, the WWGP owned SJPW after the agreement was signed.  After Yamashita's dishonor was revealed to the world by Eddie Rose, Akira Ono and Tiger Kikuchi, Yamashita was dismissed by the SJPW board of directors.  His replacement was Jumbo Kobayashi.  Yamashita somehow acquired a manager's license, and brought Kenji Ishida and Shinji Usami into SJPW to harass SJPW wrestlers.  On another front, he appealed to the WWGP board of directors to file suit against SJPW for violating the spirit of their contract with the WWGP.  The WWGP ordered that all WWGP titles be vacated, and that Kobayashi step down as CEO.  He refused, and with the backing of the SJPW board, fought back in court. Plans for Battlecade '98 proceeded, but at the last minute, a court order prevented the PPV from being shown outside the arena.  They attempted to keep SJPW closed for good, but Kobayashi prevailed in court, and SJPW was allowed to pay a settlement to the WWGP to buy out their contract.  Part of that deal allowed SJPW to broadcast some of the matches from Battlecade on SJPW programming, but not all of them. This court victory allowed SJPW to sever all ties with the WWGP, though Yamashita managed to retain his license, and still manages Kenji Ishida and Shinji Usami.  By the court's decision, SJPW may resume official events in October of 1998, five full months after another court decision caused SJPW to suspend operations. Kobayashi has strived to recruit the best competitors possible for SJPW's return.  Many SJPW veterans have returned, such as Shinji Hamada and Super Tengu, the two most prolific superstars SJPW ever produced.  Along with much of the new talent, SJPW promises that competition will better than it ever was. Many wonder if SJPW can reclaim it's position as the most prominent Japanese wrestling promotion, as Gunyro Pro has become very popular of late.  With the loss of IIWF and MLWO, SJPW hopes to fill part of the gap the demise of these two promotions have left in the world of Pro Wrestling. On October 10th, 1998, SJPW will debut their new show, titled Tsunami.  This show is highlighted by a six man main event featuring six of the more famous veterans of SJPW competition, and will once again see Shinji Hamada and Super Tengu face each other across a ring for the first time since Battlecade '98.  This show truly will make or break SJPW's attempt to return at full strength, and the main event is a sign that SJPW intends on coming out fighting. One last note: The Bonecrushers, who won the All-Asian tag team titles at Battlecade '98 have been allowed to retain those titles, and the current tag tournament is to determine the first team to face them for said titles.  All other SJPW titles have been vacated, as none of the former champions for these titles have returned to SJPW. October 10th, 1998 will see history once more occur in the Tokyo Dome.  Time will tell if it will be a major event, or simply a footnote in Japanese wrestling history.