The History of the WWF World Martial-Arts Championship
#PWHS #Article #History #WWF #WorldMartialArtsTitle
In 1975 the World Wide Wrestling Federation, at the time operated by Vince McMahon Sr., began a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling. New Japan, similar to the WWWF, was a relatively new promotion in the sense that they sprouted from a more established entity before it - WWWF from the National Wrestling Alliance (which it would rejoin throughout the majority of the 70s) and NJPW from the Japanese Wrestling Association.
New Japan’s founder and feature attraction, Antonio Inoki, made his first appearance with the WWWF on December 13th, 1975 at Madison Square Garden. Later, in January 1978, WWWF reinstated the WWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship after being inactive for six years. The Championship was soon claimed by New Japan talent Tatsumi Fujinami at Madison Square Garden and from there out primarily defended in Japan as a way of strengthening ties between the two corporations.
That same year WWWF’s relationship with New Japan continued to grow as the WWWF Championship was defended in Japan for the first time by both Superstar Billy Graham and later Bob Backlund. Toward the end of the year on December 18th, Inoki made his second appearance at Madison Square Garden, his first in over three years. During this appearance Inoki was presented the WWWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship for his achievement to raise the valuation of pro-wrestling through the matches against fighters of other sports, largely in reference to his infamous clash with Muhammad Ali a year and a half previously.
Japan has very rich cultural and historical ties with martial arts. While the concept of mixed martial arts only took off within the United States with the rise of Ultimate Fighting in the ‘90s, it is ingrained within the Japanese culture. Judo is even taught at Japanese public schools, making it a concept the Japanese crowds understand, relate to, and respect very much (thus giving it a stronger market earlier on than it found in the United States, where the casual fan had to go through a learning period prior to properly appreciating it). Inoki already had a strong background in martial arts, taught by the legendary Karl Gotch in the art of “hooking” and “shooting”, a submission-based form of free-style and Graeco-Roman amateur wrestling that’s roots trace back to the post-American Civil War traveling carnival scene, and before that to England and France respectively. Inoki routinely fought practitioners of varying martial arts backgrounds, including boxers, judoka, karateka, kung fu practitioners, sumo wrestlers, and wrestlers. Though the bouts were mostly, if not completely pre-determined, they broke ground and led way to modern Mixed Martial Arts.
Some of Inoki’s opponents included Undisputed Boxing Heavyweight Champion Leon Spinks (who defeated Ali in ‘78), top German heavyweight boxer Karl Mildenberger (who also fought Ali), and celebrated Pakistani wrestler Akrum Pelwan (who suffered a severe arm break in the match).
What could be called a precursor (in both lineage and spirit) to the WWWF Martial Arts Championship can be found in the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship, of which the only records I can find state that the Championship was originally created to be determined by the infamous Ali vs. Inoki bout of June 1976. Initially the Inoki vs. Ali bout was to be a tightly scripted, dramatic exhibition, but with tension and nerves mounting, Ali backed out of the arrangement and the bout was set to be a legitimate contest. Unfortunately for Inoki, with only days until the contest, Ali would only agree to continue if his terms were accepted. These severely limited Inoki’s offensive capabilities to the point of handicapping his grappling and striking options, but with the amount of money Inoki and New Japan‘s financial backers had riding on the contest, he had no choice but to oblige. The fight ended in a lackluster fifteen round draw.
Later that year in Japan, Inoki successfully defended the Real World Martial Arts Championship against Andre the Giant and Willem Ruska, with both victories via referee decision. After the creation of the WWWF Martial Arts Championship it seems the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship was dissolved, however Inoki did defend the (by this point renamed) WWF version on a card which research indicates was titled “Real World Martial Arts Championship”.
The WWWF Martial Arts Championship was very similar to the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship that proceeded it, which was created in 1979 and seemingly with the intention of giving a young Ted DiBiase more of a foothold with the northeast crowds. It also bore a strong likeness with the WWWF United States Championship, which preceded it from ‘63 to ‘77 and was essentially Bobo Brazil‘s way of maintaining credibility in New York. At this point wrestling fans were conditioned to see Japanese foreigners as villains, despite being nearly forty years removed from the attacks of Pearl Harbor, so the WWWF World Martial Arts Championship was likewise created in 1978 to give credibility and American appeal to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s founder and perennial headliner, Antonio Inoki.
The same night Inoki was awarded the Championship he made his first defense against the masked Texas Red (long time ring veteran Red Bastien) in a standard professional wrestling match. Following that, the Championship was defended in what would most accurately be described today as mixed martial arts exhibition matches, which is to say that the outcomes appeared to be largely pre-determined. In Japan the bouts typically included round systems in play, as well as legitimate combat art rules, such as downed opponents having to answer to a ten count or else losing via technical knockout. The Championship was also defended in standard professional wrestling match rules, mostly during its few defenses in the United States with the WWF. Records indicate that the Championship was seldom defended:
-February 6th, 1979, NJPW in Osaka, Japan: Inoki defeated Mr. X in round 3.
-April 3rd, 1979, NJPW in Miyagi, Japan: Inoki defeated “Left Hook” Mike Dayton (renowned kyokushin, kung fu, power lifting, and bodybuilding practicioner, who was also known for his “Chi Mind Control” course - the ads featured graphic photos of him breaking handcuffs and hanging himself) at 1:25 in round 6 via TKO.
-October 5th, 1979, NJPW in Seoul, South Korea: Inoki defeated Willem Ruska (Dutch Judoka and 1972 Olympic gold medalist) at 15:06 (with seemingly no round system).
-December 13th, 1979, NJPW in Kyoto, Japan: Inoki defeated Kim Klokeid in round 3 via KO.
-February 2nd, 1980, NJPW in Tokyo, Japan: Inoki fought Willie B. Williams (Kyokushin black belt and Karate World Champion) to a draw in round 4.
-July 23rd, 1984, WWF “The Brawl to Settle it All” in MSG, New York, New York: Inoki defeated Charlie Fulton (professional wrestling journeyman) at 4:10.
-December 12th, 1984, WWF in MSG, New York, New York: Inoki defeated David Schultz at 5:17.
As the WWF moved away from the territory system of working alongside fellow promotions and into the national (and soon global) spotlight, they ended their business arrangement with New Japan on October 21, 1985. The newly renamed NJPW World Martial Arts Championship was not defended again until February 24th, 1989 in Tokyo, Japan at the famous Tokyo Dome, where in the main event of New Japan’s first event there, Inoki was defeated for the Championship for the first and only time in its history by Russian Judoka and 1972 Olympic gold medalist Shota Chochishvili, when he failed to answer a ten count in round 5. Chochishvili wore a traditional Judogi and the ropes were removed from the ring prior to the contest. Inoki would have a rematch with Chochishvili a little over a month later on May 25th in Osaka, Japan, where Inoki won via KO in round 2.
The World Martial Arts Championship was in total defended nine times by two different holders under the banner of WWWF and WWF, and finally, NJPW (not including the three Championship matches for the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship in 1976). It was formally introduced and first defended December 18th, 1978 in Madison Square Garden in New York City, and last defended on May 25th, 1989 in Osaka, Japan.
Later, in 1990, during the thirtieth anniversary of Inoki’s career, NJPW created the “Greatest 18 Club”, a Hall of Fame led by founder Lou Thesz. NJPW then introduced the Greatest 18 Club Championship, which was intended to compliment the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, New Japan’s top Championship. While this did not hold the same lineage as the World Martial Arts Championship, it did use the same physical Championship belt (though never officially recognized as such by New Japan). The Championship was awarded to Riki Choshu in 1990, who lost the it to The Great Muta in 1992. The Greatest 18 Championship was later abandoned on September 23rd of that same year in order for Muta to focus on his IWGP Heavyweight Championship title defenses. Both the Championship and the title belt were subsequently officially retired by New Japan Pro Wrestling.
New Japan’s founder and feature attraction, Antonio Inoki, made his first appearance with the WWWF on December 13th, 1975 at Madison Square Garden. Later, in January 1978, WWWF reinstated the WWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship after being inactive for six years. The Championship was soon claimed by New Japan talent Tatsumi Fujinami at Madison Square Garden and from there out primarily defended in Japan as a way of strengthening ties between the two corporations.
That same year WWWF’s relationship with New Japan continued to grow as the WWWF Championship was defended in Japan for the first time by both Superstar Billy Graham and later Bob Backlund. Toward the end of the year on December 18th, Inoki made his second appearance at Madison Square Garden, his first in over three years. During this appearance Inoki was presented the WWWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship for his achievement to raise the valuation of pro-wrestling through the matches against fighters of other sports, largely in reference to his infamous clash with Muhammad Ali a year and a half previously.
Japan has very rich cultural and historical ties with martial arts. While the concept of mixed martial arts only took off within the United States with the rise of Ultimate Fighting in the ‘90s, it is ingrained within the Japanese culture. Judo is even taught at Japanese public schools, making it a concept the Japanese crowds understand, relate to, and respect very much (thus giving it a stronger market earlier on than it found in the United States, where the casual fan had to go through a learning period prior to properly appreciating it). Inoki already had a strong background in martial arts, taught by the legendary Karl Gotch in the art of “hooking” and “shooting”, a submission-based form of free-style and Graeco-Roman amateur wrestling that’s roots trace back to the post-American Civil War traveling carnival scene, and before that to England and France respectively. Inoki routinely fought practitioners of varying martial arts backgrounds, including boxers, judoka, karateka, kung fu practitioners, sumo wrestlers, and wrestlers. Though the bouts were mostly, if not completely pre-determined, they broke ground and led way to modern Mixed Martial Arts.
Some of Inoki’s opponents included Undisputed Boxing Heavyweight Champion Leon Spinks (who defeated Ali in ‘78), top German heavyweight boxer Karl Mildenberger (who also fought Ali), and celebrated Pakistani wrestler Akrum Pelwan (who suffered a severe arm break in the match).
What could be called a precursor (in both lineage and spirit) to the WWWF Martial Arts Championship can be found in the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship, of which the only records I can find state that the Championship was originally created to be determined by the infamous Ali vs. Inoki bout of June 1976. Initially the Inoki vs. Ali bout was to be a tightly scripted, dramatic exhibition, but with tension and nerves mounting, Ali backed out of the arrangement and the bout was set to be a legitimate contest. Unfortunately for Inoki, with only days until the contest, Ali would only agree to continue if his terms were accepted. These severely limited Inoki’s offensive capabilities to the point of handicapping his grappling and striking options, but with the amount of money Inoki and New Japan‘s financial backers had riding on the contest, he had no choice but to oblige. The fight ended in a lackluster fifteen round draw.
Later that year in Japan, Inoki successfully defended the Real World Martial Arts Championship against Andre the Giant and Willem Ruska, with both victories via referee decision. After the creation of the WWWF Martial Arts Championship it seems the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship was dissolved, however Inoki did defend the (by this point renamed) WWF version on a card which research indicates was titled “Real World Martial Arts Championship”.
The WWWF Martial Arts Championship was very similar to the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship that proceeded it, which was created in 1979 and seemingly with the intention of giving a young Ted DiBiase more of a foothold with the northeast crowds. It also bore a strong likeness with the WWWF United States Championship, which preceded it from ‘63 to ‘77 and was essentially Bobo Brazil‘s way of maintaining credibility in New York. At this point wrestling fans were conditioned to see Japanese foreigners as villains, despite being nearly forty years removed from the attacks of Pearl Harbor, so the WWWF World Martial Arts Championship was likewise created in 1978 to give credibility and American appeal to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s founder and perennial headliner, Antonio Inoki.
The same night Inoki was awarded the Championship he made his first defense against the masked Texas Red (long time ring veteran Red Bastien) in a standard professional wrestling match. Following that, the Championship was defended in what would most accurately be described today as mixed martial arts exhibition matches, which is to say that the outcomes appeared to be largely pre-determined. In Japan the bouts typically included round systems in play, as well as legitimate combat art rules, such as downed opponents having to answer to a ten count or else losing via technical knockout. The Championship was also defended in standard professional wrestling match rules, mostly during its few defenses in the United States with the WWF. Records indicate that the Championship was seldom defended:
-February 6th, 1979, NJPW in Osaka, Japan: Inoki defeated Mr. X in round 3.
-April 3rd, 1979, NJPW in Miyagi, Japan: Inoki defeated “Left Hook” Mike Dayton (renowned kyokushin, kung fu, power lifting, and bodybuilding practicioner, who was also known for his “Chi Mind Control” course - the ads featured graphic photos of him breaking handcuffs and hanging himself) at 1:25 in round 6 via TKO.
-October 5th, 1979, NJPW in Seoul, South Korea: Inoki defeated Willem Ruska (Dutch Judoka and 1972 Olympic gold medalist) at 15:06 (with seemingly no round system).
-December 13th, 1979, NJPW in Kyoto, Japan: Inoki defeated Kim Klokeid in round 3 via KO.
-February 2nd, 1980, NJPW in Tokyo, Japan: Inoki fought Willie B. Williams (Kyokushin black belt and Karate World Champion) to a draw in round 4.
-July 23rd, 1984, WWF “The Brawl to Settle it All” in MSG, New York, New York: Inoki defeated Charlie Fulton (professional wrestling journeyman) at 4:10.
-December 12th, 1984, WWF in MSG, New York, New York: Inoki defeated David Schultz at 5:17.
As the WWF moved away from the territory system of working alongside fellow promotions and into the national (and soon global) spotlight, they ended their business arrangement with New Japan on October 21, 1985. The newly renamed NJPW World Martial Arts Championship was not defended again until February 24th, 1989 in Tokyo, Japan at the famous Tokyo Dome, where in the main event of New Japan’s first event there, Inoki was defeated for the Championship for the first and only time in its history by Russian Judoka and 1972 Olympic gold medalist Shota Chochishvili, when he failed to answer a ten count in round 5. Chochishvili wore a traditional Judogi and the ropes were removed from the ring prior to the contest. Inoki would have a rematch with Chochishvili a little over a month later on May 25th in Osaka, Japan, where Inoki won via KO in round 2.
The World Martial Arts Championship was in total defended nine times by two different holders under the banner of WWWF and WWF, and finally, NJPW (not including the three Championship matches for the NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship in 1976). It was formally introduced and first defended December 18th, 1978 in Madison Square Garden in New York City, and last defended on May 25th, 1989 in Osaka, Japan.
Later, in 1990, during the thirtieth anniversary of Inoki’s career, NJPW created the “Greatest 18 Club”, a Hall of Fame led by founder Lou Thesz. NJPW then introduced the Greatest 18 Club Championship, which was intended to compliment the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, New Japan’s top Championship. While this did not hold the same lineage as the World Martial Arts Championship, it did use the same physical Championship belt (though never officially recognized as such by New Japan). The Championship was awarded to Riki Choshu in 1990, who lost the it to The Great Muta in 1992. The Greatest 18 Championship was later abandoned on September 23rd of that same year in order for Muta to focus on his IWGP Heavyweight Championship title defenses. Both the Championship and the title belt were subsequently officially retired by New Japan Pro Wrestling.
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Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
The History Of The WWF World Martial-Arts Championship.
Author: Kris Levin (of IMPACT Wrestling).
Published: July 2014.
Article: #4.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
The History Of The WWF World Martial-Arts Championship.
Author: Kris Levin (of IMPACT Wrestling).
Published: July 2014.
Article: #4.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
During the series of the mixed martial arts matches, Inoki wasn't defending any championship until the WWF title was awarded to him by Vince Sr.
The name of those matches before Dec 1978 can be translated to something like "World's Number One (Best/Top/Strongest) Martial Art Decision Match", but there was no such thing as "NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship".
There was, however, "Real World Heavyweight Title", which was brought to NJPW by Karl Gotch, who traded it with Inoki. This title has no connection with the WWF Martial Arts Title at all (different physical belt too).
Courtesy of Hisaharu Hanabe of puroresu.com, wrestling-titles.com & nyprowrestling.com.
The name of those matches before Dec 1978 can be translated to something like "World's Number One (Best/Top/Strongest) Martial Art Decision Match", but there was no such thing as "NJPW Real World Martial Arts Championship".
There was, however, "Real World Heavyweight Title", which was brought to NJPW by Karl Gotch, who traded it with Inoki. This title has no connection with the WWF Martial Arts Title at all (different physical belt too).
Courtesy of Hisaharu Hanabe of puroresu.com, wrestling-titles.com & nyprowrestling.com.
Other articles by Kris can be Read Here.