VIEW FROM THE RISING SUN
by Masanori Horie

My Past Two Weeks In Wrestling

Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher (October 7, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

The Funks and Abdullah the Butcher were the prime movers in letting me become captivated by pro wrestling. "The Funks vs. Butcher & The Sheik" was one of the biggest and bloodiest feuds in Japanese wrestling history. They drew huge money for Giant Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1977 to 1981. These two guys are like God to me.

I visited the United States from September 22 to 30, 2001 to Atlanta, Georgia (Abdullah the Butcher's Restaurant); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (WWF's PPV, Unforgiven); Columbus, Ohio (WWF's RAW), and Texas (Terry Funk in Amarillo and NWA Southwest in North Richland Hills); then, I attended four wrestling shows and met a great many wrestling legends in Tokyo, Japan on October 7 and 8. I had a very good time to be proud of being a big wrestling fan.

Abdullah the Butcher (September 22, 2001---Atlanta, GA)

Rob Van Dam (September 23, 2001---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA)

Yoshihiro Tajiri (September 23, 2001---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA)

Tajiri will be able to be a superstar who surpasses Great Muta's 1989.

September 23, 2001 (7:45 p.m.)---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
WWF Unforgiven (PPV)
(9) WWF Heavyweight title match: Kurt Angle beat Steve Austin (23:12)
(8) WCW U.S. title match: Rhyno beat Yoshihiro Tajiri (4:50)
(7) WCW World Heavyweight title match: The Rock beat Booker T & Shane McMahon (15:23 Rock beat McMahon)
(6) WWF Hardcore title match: Rob Van Dam beat Chris Jericho (16:33)
(5) WCW Tag Team title match: The Undertaker & Kane beat Kronik (10:22 Undertaker beat Bryan Clark)
(4) Intercontinental title match: Christian beat Edge (11:53)
(3) Perry Saturn beat Raven (5:07)
(2) Four Corners Elimination: Bubba & D-Von Dudley beat Matt & Jeff Hardy, Lance Storm & Hurricane, and The Big Show & Spike Dudley (14:21)
(1) Billy Gunn beat Tommy Dreamer (3:12)

WWF Commissioner William Regal (September 23, 2001---Pittsburgh International Airport)

X-Pac (September 23, 2001---Pittsburgh International Airport)

Tommy Dreamer (September 23, 2001---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA)

WWF's Director of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis, a.k.a. Johnny Ace (September 23, 2001---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA)

WWF agent Ricky Santana (September 23, 2001---Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA)

Chris Jericho (September 24, 2001---Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH)

Chris Jericho had very good careers in Japan, and that helped him develop his great ability. He is a WWF superstar now, but he is always one of the nicest persons I've ever seen in my life.

September 24, 2001 (7:45 p.m.)---Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
WWF RAW
(9) WCW Heavyweight title match: Rock beat Rob Van Dam
(8) William Regal beat X-Pac
(7) Kanyon beat Matt Hardy
(6) Chris Jericho beat Christian via DQ
(5) WWF Heavyweight title match: Kurt Angle beat Booker T
(4) Big Show, Spike Dudley & Molly Holly beat Lance Storm, Hurricane & Ivory
(3) WCW U.S. title match: Rhyno beat Jeff Hardy
(2) Tazz beat Tajiri
(1) Undertaker, Kane & Bradshaw beat Dudleys & Test

Lance Storm (September 24, 2001---Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH)

Terry Funk (September 28, 2001---Amarillo International Airport)

(L-R) B.J. Turner, Miss Celeste, NWA-SW promoter Ken Taylor, Mike Thunder, and Hotstuff Hernandez (September 28, 2001---Hooters North Richland Hills, TX)

Former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Mike Thunder (September 28, 2001---Texas Indoor Arena, North Richland Hills, TX)

September 28, 2001 (8:00 p.m.)---Texas Indoor Arena, North Richland Hills, TX
NWA Southwest Wrestling
(5) Hotstuff Hernandez & B.J. Turner beat Hellraiser Hark & Brett Bonz
(4) Joey Corman beat Jonah Dewald
(3) Al Jackson beat Road Block
(2) Largus Black beat Fred Dredd
(1) Mike Thunder beat Live Wire

Joey Corman of "Over Boyz" (September 28, 2001---Texas Indoor Arena, North Richland Hills, TX)

I hope Mike Thunder and Joey Corman and other young aspiring wrestlers in Texas will have opportunities to be wrestling in Japan someday.

Adam Windsor and Dory Funk Jr. (October 6, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Osamu Nishimura (October 7, 2001---Korakuen Hall)
Photo credit: MW

I'd like to become a fan who can catch something that Dory wants to hand down from generation to generation.

October 7, 2001 (6:30 p.m.)---Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
New Japan Pro Wrestling/MUGA
(6) Dory Funk Jr. beat Osamu Nishimura (22:30)
(5) Bob Backlund drew Tatsumi Fujinami
(4) Steve Keirn & Brian Blair beat Kengo Kimura & Wataru Inoue (12:13 Blair beat Inoue)
(3) Tony St. Clair beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (9:45)
(2) Shin-ichi Nakano beat Nobuyuki Kurashima (9:57)
(1) Katsushi Takemura beat Kazuhiko Masada (10:54)

Bob Backlund (October 7, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Bob Backlund vs. Tatsumi Fujinami (October 7, 2001---Korakuen Hall)
Photo credit: MW

October 8, 2001 (3:00 p.m.)---Tokyo Dome "Big Egg"
New Japan Pro Wrestling "Indicate Of Next"
(9) Yuji Nagata & Jun Akiyama beat Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase (28:04 Nagata beat Hase)
(8) Kazuyuki Fujita TKO Kensuke Sasaki (6:36)
(7) Manabu Nakanishi beat Tadao Yasuda (6:02 sleeperhold)
(6) Riki Choshu & Osamu Nishimura beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (10:40 Choshu beat Tenzan)
(5) Pro Wrestling's 50th Memorial Match: Bob Backlund & Tatsumi Fujinami beat Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (10:40 Fujinami beat Dory)
(4) IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match: Tokimitsu Ishizawa beat Masayuki Naruse (26 seconds)
(3) Gary Goodridge TKO Michiyoshi Ohara (3:36)
(2) Giant Silva & Giant Singh beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenzo Suzuki, Yutaka Yoshie & Wataru Inoue (9:06 Silva beat Inoue & Tanahashi)
(1) El Samurai, Jushin "Thunder" Liger & Minoru Tanaka beat Gedo, Jado & Akira Nogami (11:18 Tanaka beat Nogami)

Steve Keirn (October 8, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Brian Blair (October 6, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Brad Rheingans (October 6, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Osamu Nishimura (October 6, 2001---Tokyo, Japan)

Osamu Kido (October 7, 2001---Korakuen Hall)

Steve Williams and Mike Rotundo (October 8, 2001---Korakuen Hall)

All Japan Pro Wrestling had shows at 12:30 p.m. on October 7 and 8, before New Japan shows.

Chris, Thank you, good bye!

"Gentleman" Chris Adams (July 10, 1994---Tokyo, Japan)

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