Written by: Super Mastodon (@SuperMastodon)
This is a series of articles where we chronologically cover every wrestler that has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship since its existence and discuss their contribution to the history of the belt and New Japan Pro Wrestling as a whole.
Profile:
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 227 lbs.
From: Kunisaki, Oita, Japan
Debut: May 9, 1971
Stats:
Number of Reigns: 6
First Won: May 8, 1988
Last Won: April 4, 1998
Total Combined Defenses: 13
Total Combined Days: 785
Origin:
From the beginning, Tatsumi Fujinami was always destined to surpass Antonio Inoki. In his rookie year, he learned wrestling under Inoki’s wing in the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) in 1971. The following year, he joined his mentor in the creation of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Inoki, Fujinami, Osamu Kido, and Kotetsu Yamamoto are recognized as the founding fathers of the company. For many years, Fujinami primarily competed as a junior heavyweight in NJPW, he won his first title in 1978 when he defeated Jose Estrada for the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship. For 617 days, Fujinami successfully defended the belt 27 times against various opponents in Japan, US, and Mexico. The following year he won the NWA World International Junior Heavyweight Championship twice, had another run with the WWF Junior title this time for an even longer 758 days. Fujinami’s junior campaign was a success and he carried the division before Tiger Mask’s arrival in 1981. As the 80’s rolled around, Fujinami had a great transition into the heavyweights, winning the WWF International Heavyweight Championship and the UWA World Heavyweight Championship in Mexico. He also formed his long time partnership with Kengo Kimura, together they’d become 4x IWGP Tag-Team Champions throughout their careers and it was also around this time where his iconic rivalry against Riki Choshu began that defined the decade for NJPW.
Time as Champion:
Fujinami’s first run with the belt wasn’t really all that eventful. Six days after Inoki vacated the title due to a fractured foot injury, Fujinami defeated Vader for the vacant belt but 19 days into his own reign, he ended up vacating on his own, after his first defense against Riki Choshu finished in a no contest on May 27, 1988.
His second run was a vast improvement over the first one, a month later on June 24, 1988 he defeated Riki Choshu fair and square for the vacant title and thus began his 285 day run as champion. This reign solidified Fujinami’s status as the new Ace of New Japan, although Inoki is still the much bigger draw, it’s clear among the ranks on who’s being pushed better and he is well respected by the fans as well, seeing his journey start from the juniors to elevate himself into the position he was in around this point. He had a total of eight successful defenses, the first one was against Big Van Vader on June 26, 1988, the second was on August 8, 1988 a 60 minute time limit draw against that year’s IWGP League winner: Antonio Inoki. His next match on December 9, 1988 was actually for both the IWGP and World Class World Heavyweight Championship when he took on Kerry Von Erich. The match initially ended in a double countout, the match was restarted and Fujinami ended up winning after the referee’s decision to stop the match as Kerry was unable to continue due to heavy bleeding. Although Fujinami refused to have a run with the World Class title and gave the belt right back to Kerry a day later because of the manner he won it. His next defense on December 12, 1988 was the first time the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was defended outside of Japan when he defeated Tommy Lane of Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in Memphis, Tennessee. His last three defenses in 1989 defeating Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow, Vicious Warrior (aka Sid Vicious), and Jerry “The King” Lawler. On April 5, 1989 Fujinami was vacated of his second run for the belt to be decided in a tournament.
The early 90’s, the belt would pretty much be contested primarily between three men: Choshu, Vader, and Fujinami. He had his third run on December 26, 1990 beating Choshu but mere weeks later dropped the belt to Vader. March 4, 1991 Fujinami won the belt right back for his fourth reign. This was his longest run with the belt at 306 days. Probably the match where majority of fans know him for was on April 21, 1991 when he defeated Ric Flair as the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion and also captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome in the main event of Starrcade collaboration between NJPW and WCW. This is considered by many as one of the greatest matches of all time, certainly for both men’s careers and it was also historic as Fujinami is the first wrestler to hold both of those belts simultaneously. However in WCW, upon their return to the States they’d have their re-match to decide the Undisputed Champion because they did not consider the title change official in the side of the world. The rest of 1991 Fujinami defeate Masahiro Chono twice, but then dropped the belt to Riki Choshu in the main event of the annual January 4th show in the Tokyo Dome for another NJPW/WCW Starrcade in 1992.
In his last two reigns in 1994 and 1998 respectively, Fujinami was basically the elder statesman of the New Japan roster by that point and was mainly there to put over the rising talents, particularly The Three Musketeers: Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono, and Keiji Mutoh. While going up in age, Fujinami was still an excellent worker and was able to put on compelling matches against the new batch of wrestlers that followed his generation.
Aftermath:
In 2006 Fujinami created Muga World Pro Wrestling, which is now Dradition. His own promotion where he mainly books himself as well as other active veterans and independent wrestlers in the scene. He had his last match for New Japan in 2008 after a long tenured career with the company. He has since then become a freelancer, competing for various promotions and at the age of 66 is one of the oldest active pro wrestlers in the world today, still going strong. At Jushin “Thunder” Liger’s retirement earlier in the year, he participated in one of his farewell matches, having been 13 years since he last competed for NJPW, being well received by the Tokyo Dome crowd. Tatsumi Fujinami is not only one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but in the whole world. Ricky Steamboat is not the only dragon in wrestling, Fujinami is too having innovated the Dragon Suplex and Dragon Sleeper Hold. As Bret Hart famously once said “I always wanted to be the great wrestler Tatsumi Fujinami was.” He is well respected by his peers and the fans for his years of dedication.
