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by Koichi Iwamoto, February 21st, 1999 
Gunryo Pro has been successful recently in bolstering its roster with a
number of highly talented wrestlers. One such is the former CIWF World
Heavyweight Champion, The Avatar, a mysterious masked figure about whom not
much is known.He first came to notice in the CIWF when he debuted on January 11th, 1998 in a match against veteran wrestler, "Curly" Joe Carson. The Avatar won that match handily with his trademark figure-four leglock and then went on to become the first holder of the CIWF World Heavyweight Championship when he won a 12-man battle royal at the Winter Warfare pay-per-view on February 22nd. He successfully defended that title against such top-notch talent as Shaolin and Sidewalk and then formed a tag team known as The Avengers along with his partner, Isaac Fate. His momentum slipped somewhat when he lost his World title to "The Canadian Mat Legend" Jeff Gunn on May 24th. But both in tag team and singles action, The Avatar remained a dominant figure on the CIWF scene until that organization folded last summer. Part of The Avatar's appeal to the fans stems from his standing up for those who cannot do so for themselves. He is a man of honor, not backing down from any opposition and he was given the nickname, "The Avenging Angel" for defending the rights of others. He is known, however, for having a bit of a temper and has been even violated wrestling rules in the heat of a violent feud. During one such conflict with "The American Superstar" Sidewalk, The Avatar changed his attire from white to black and showed a much darker edge to his personality. Granted, this was after Sidewalk had attacked him in the ring and stolen his mask but it showed that The Avatar has his own demons to contend with. After defeating Sidewalk in a brutal ladder match to retain his title, The Avatar "came back to the light" and returned to wearing his white uniform but he has never been quite the same ever since. While The Avatar is only 24 years old and still a relative newcomer to the sport, his success with the CIWF has already given him a taste of glory. Years of amateur wrestling in the Greco-Roman style and extensive skill development at training schools around the United States have provided him with an arsenal of impressive maneuvers and holds. His mat technique is excellent although his aerial repertoire is somewhat limited. At 6'3" and a chiseled 220 pounds, he is wrestling lighter in Gunryo Pro than during his CIWF days and it seems that lately, he has focused himself tremendously. The Avatar debuted in G-Pro on January 31st, 1999 against Jun Fuchiyama. While Fujiyama's aerial mobility posed a few problems for The Avatar, he was able to dominate most of the match and used a perfect belly-to-belly suplex to set up his Cry For Vengeance inverted figure-four leglock to gain the submission victory. He then participated in a trios match along with Kouten and Stripe against the team of El Kondor Magnifico, Chico Rayo Jr. and Estrago at the Cold Blood supercard. The luchadors really took it to The Avatar's team with the action growing especially heated between The Avatar and El Kondor Magnifico. But in the end, Stripe, Kouten and The Avatar proved victorious with their team scoring two falls to the luchador's one. The trios match at Cold Blood may lead to some interesting matches between The Avatar and El Kondor Magnifico. But many observers believe that there will eventually be a clash between The Avatar and another former-CIWF wrestler now in G-Pro... Kashan Akuma. Akuma was a close friend of Shaolin, a brawler from New York who vied for the CIWF World Heavyweight Championship against The Avatar and eventually won it from Jeff Gunn. With that past history, the Zokugun Sangai leader will doubtless want to pit himself against "The Avenging Angel" if only to attempt to demonstrate his supremacy. Things look promising for The Avatar in Nippon and it remains to be seen what he will accomplish next. 
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