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by Taro Nakada, January 24th, 1999 
This reporter recently spoke with Genichiro Matsumura, the Director of
Operations for Neo Japan Pro Wrestling, the newest puroresu promotion in
Nippon. He told me about his plans for Neo Japan, which currently
includes cooperating with Super Japan Pro Wrestling [SJPW] on shows
until they fill out their roster. When I asked him about some of the
talent he was recruiting, Matsumura informed me that he was in negotiations
with Katana and Wakizashi, The Tokyo Blades! For those who don't know, The Tokyo Blades are one of the greatest tag teams to come out of Nippon. Their success in Wild West Wrestling, where they were the first team to hold their tag team titles. They had some small success in All Atlantic Pro Wrestling as well. The team was also voted the number seven tag team in the RSPWF tag team 200 of 1997, no small feat for a team that was one of the newer teams on the block. The Tokyo Blades hold victories over fellow Nippon teams such as The Ronin and Tokyo Express, and had a huge feud with the team now known as The Suicide Machines in SJPW. They are currently in a feud with Damage Incorporated in WWW, a feud which is their greatest challenge [see my article on Eiji Miyazaki about one repercussion of this feud]. The Tokyo Blades next goal is to return home. They turned down an offer with Super Japan, and Gunryo Pro has no tag team titles, so Neo Japan may score a major coup by signing them. For the uninformed, here is a short history on the Blades: Katana and Wakizashi started the team in 1990, and competed in the Universal Wrestling Alliance's [UWA] Mid-Atlantic Region. They had a short-lived feud with the Mid-Atlantic branch of The Californians before the UWA closed down. From there, the team floated from independent promotion to independent promotion. They never returned home to compete here, feeling the need to prove themselves overseas. It was during this time that they met The Old Man, the mysterious sensei who once called Hong Kong his home, and has some ties to the man known as The Mandarin. He took them under his wing, and taught them martial arts, and other techniques. This allowed them to become the team they are today. They entered Wild West Wrestling in 1997, and it's been an upward climb ever since. They won the WWW tag titles, and held them with honor. They did take a turn as bad guys when they joined Mandarin's Triad in 1997, but after a feud with The Yakuza, turned back to their old ways. During this dark time, they had a short, and not too successful stint in AAPW. Their recent return to WWW after a short hiatus was nothing short of spectacular, as they immediately targeted Damage Incorporated, one of the most infamous tag teams in the world. Now that DI somehow hurt The Old Man, the Blades are on a rampage. This may be why they have decided to come home after all this time. If The Tokyo Blades do return to Nippon, and do sign with Neo Japan, Neo Japan will need to be watched closely. A team of this caliber could quickly dominate the other teams, many of whom are new to this sport. Still, having the Blades as your inaugural tag team champions is far from a bad thing! I will definitely be keeping an eye on this situation, and see how things progress. 
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