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by Riki Fudo, November 29th, 1998 
The man across from me isn't even thirty but he's already a 12 year veteran
of the ring. I'm sitting across from him in his office at the
"Steel Wind Dojo" and am just in awe of this legend."That's me and Papa after my first match," Keiji Asamiya says as he points a faded color photo of himself and his legendary father Gen. I was only 16 and Papa knew that getting me in the ring in Japan would be tough, so he booked me at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit." Asamiya relates how his match actually turned into a shoot after "Thunder" Soichiro decided to start working stiff with Keiji. "Soichiro and my father never got along, so the big lummox thought by pounding on me he could send a message to Papa." Asamiya smiles and chuckles to himself as he recalls the memory as if it only happened a mere few hours ago. I know I've heard the story before, Shinji Hamada related it to me because his father Gori told it to him. But the way Asamiya tells it can only be described as captivating. "Soichiro wasn't expecting me to go behind him and start going for arm holds. He went nuts and nearly knocked my head clean off with a running elbow. It was when he went for a second elbow that I invented the armdriver." Ah, the infamous "Asamiya Armdriver", one of the most feared submission holds in wrestling. To think that Asamiya invented the hold on the fly is just amazingly twisted. The "invention" led to Soichiro being taken to the hospital for surgery. That night Keiji Asamiya became an instant celebrity. Word got back to Japan about what happened and suddenly Asamiya found himself being courted by everyone. "I was just sixteen at the time and suddenly people who usually knocked on door to see my father were coming over to offer me matches," Asamiya shakes his head in disbelief, "I mean I was trying to get through High School and now people were offering money, lots of money, to wrestle at Korakuen Hall!!" Asamiya finally took an offer from Kenshiro Matsumoto for a rematch with Soichiro. This time though it was billed as a "Martial Arts" match. Asamiya put any doubt of his ability in that match as he KO'd Soichiro in 25 seconds. That's when the nickname started to surface. "'The King of Strong-style' I honestly never wanted the name," he says with a sigh, "But everywhere I wrestled that's how I was introduced. It was damn frustrating!!" So frustrating that when the UFC offered Asamiya a contract, he turned it down. Instead he opted to open up his own dojo and train others for competition in whatever fighting style was their preference. Asamiya attracted great competitors from all over the world to teach at what is now known as "The Steel Wind Dojo." But the life of "Sensei" was not Keiji was after. One of the first people Shinnasaku Yamashita contacted when he opened was Keiji Asamiya. "Yamashita needed people with reputations. Men who the people would know and draw fans to the arena. He signed me but I had on condition... Kazuya had to be signed as well." Kazuya Asakino, the reckless ninja to Keiji's stern samurai. Cousins through marriage (Don't ask me to explain it, it's more trouble than its worth) Kazuya had spent the last 3 years wrestling in Mexico teaming with Tetsuo Matsumoto (and we all know who he is, right kids?). Kazuya came back to Japan eager to wrestle in a tag team. Keiji got his cousin the spot he wanted. "It was like oil and water," Keiji smiles as he says this. Despite the conflict the two displayed towards each other in training and press conferences their is genuine affection between the 2. Though they never got their hands on the All Asian tag team belts they were highly regarded as one of the top teams in Japan. They hold the distinction of being the only tag team in history to wrestle on all 7 continents. Say how did they get a match in Antarctica anyway? "I could tell you but then Maiko-chan will hunt me down and kill me." Asamiya chuckles as he says this, an obvious reference to his ruthless cousin, Kazuya's twin sister Maiko Asakino, better known the world over as Lady Mai Tai. But now it's time for the question. Heck, it's not even a question. Just a name. Fukada... The second Mayashi Fukada's name comes up Asamiya's demeanor changes. Before he was candid and personable. Mention Fukada and the first thing Asamiya points to is the picture on his mantle. A copy of the Sporting news dated July 15th, 1997. The Headline reads "TIUJUANA RIOT!!" The picture that accompanies it is that of a rabid Asamiya with a chokehold on arch rival Fukada. Behind them are thousands of fans trying to get close to touch the two men. This is the match that spilled into the fans. Fukada hit Asamiya with a low blow late in the last round. Keiji, instead of dropping t the floor, became enraged and attacked Fukada. Fukada tried escaping into the arena stands but Asamiya followed him and beat him down in rage. And this is SHVF's marquee feud? Hadi Moditian is a booking genius by getting these two in the ring again. It will result in one man leaving the ring in a pine box and Moditian lining his pockets with enough yen to run the Tokyo Dome. The fifth match between these two men will be so utterly violent that I fear for all humanity. I hope that Asamiya breaks that jerks arm off though. 
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