|
by Sochiro Mizaki, January 13th, 1999 
In the world of puroresuring, there is a strict code which all competitors
are expected to abide by. It is a code of honor that predates the very
sport that has evolved into puroresuring. No true competitor thinks of
breaking this code; it is so firmly entrenched into our sport... indeed our
very society, that to knowingly and willingly abandon this code is a
crime.Central to the code of honor is respect. A competitor must learn to respect all honorable opponents, his elders, and the sport and society itself. Self-reliance is also a major part of it... what one cannot accomplish himself is not worth accomplishing. Some of the younger athletes enter the sport, not really knowing about how deeply critical it is to follow the paths of those who have come before. Age and experience teaches these things... in almost all cases. But there is one group, commonly seen in puroresuring, who rarely behave under a code of conduct acceptable to our traditional standards. I refer to the Americans. For in the wrestling environment in which they develop, they are taught that winning is the most important part of sport, and any means by which one can win are acceptable means. Furthermore, the American wrestling environment is much different than that of Japan. Attacks... "running in"... during the matches of others is a commonplace occurrence. And the elders of the sport are not seen as figures to be respected... but figures to be replaced. And when these athletes come to compete in Japan, it is a culture shock. New restrictions and guidelines are placed upon them, but in most cases are not enforced by fines or written law. That's new to the "crime and punishment" beliefs that most Americans have... they largely hold that if something is not punishable by law or rule, then it is acceptable. To say that this has made some relations between certain American wrestlers and Japanese wrestling organizations difficult is an understatement. For an example, look at the recent SJPW pay per view, Sensou No Jidai. One match in particular... the match which was to be Ace Kilcannon and The Outlaws taking on Rupan Loco and The Young Warriors... showed the problems inherent in wrestlers unused to... or opposed to... the code of puroresuring. To start with, Ace Kilcannon. A top singles star in SJPW, Kilcannon was insulted at his Pay Per View match assignment. He is a man accustomed to the singles spotlight, and rightfully so. One would assume that if a wrestler with the track record of Kilcannon had addressed his concerns to the front office, something would have been done to satisfy him. Instead, he walked out, and announced that he was too good for a six-man tag... and left. That action showed a total disrespect for the sport, his teammates, and his opponents. But is he really to be blamed? Where he comes from, that is a more accepted response to a perceived slight. Though Kilcannon has competed in Japan for a long time, he has apparently never taken the time to learn Japanese custom. Later in the match, Kilcannon's tag partners, The Outlaws, perpetrated an equally distasteful act, when they attempted to publicly denigrate and embarrass Young Warrior Yagyu Retsudo. They forged an embarrassing poster declaring Retsudo's father, the respected Yagyu Buntaro, a coward. They then proceeded to take advantage of the shock this caused, to brutally assault Retsudo's tag team partner Huan Feng Sho. Where the Outlaws normally wrestle, this would be considered effective psychological warfare... but they simply do not understand the depth of their actions. They fail to realize just how deeply they have hurt not only their opponents, but their company, and the entire sport. So, what is to be done about this? Obviously, there are several superlative examples of American wrestlers who have made efforts to conform to the rules of Japanese wrestling. The Banshee for one example. He has taken the time and effort to learn our customs, our language, and he abides by the code of honor just as much as anyone could. So, it is not fair to say that ALL Americans have this problem with our ways... but exemplars such as Banshee are few and far between. Some have proposed 'screening' foreign athletes as they come in to compete in our nation. Interviews, where only athletes who seem to have a sense of fair play, or knowledge of the society where they will be competing, are hired. Some have proposed an 'endorsement' method, where a respected Japanese elder wrestler must endorse a foreign athlete before he may compete in Japan. The most common response, though, is to let things be. The antics of the Americans do make good television, many executives say. It is all a matter of priority. So... what are our priorities? Before another unhealthy incident like that at Sensou no Jidai occurs, we would do well to decide... 
 |