Puroresu

Puroresu (プロレス) is a type of professional wrestling that was made in Japan. The name Puroresu comes from the pronunciation of "professional wrestling".

Rikidozan is considered to be the father of puroresu

Puroresu is known for having hard hitting strikes in the combat.^[1] A lot of matches in the puroresu style end cleanly without outside interference, angles, or gimmicks. Wrestling in Japan is seen as more of a sport compared to the North American style where it is viewed moreso as entertainment.^[2] There are professional wrestling promotions in Japan that do involve comedy in their matches such as DDT Pro-Wrestling AND HUSTLE. In Japan, the term Puroresu can also refer to all of professional wrestling.

There are different styles of puroresu. Strong Style is a style that is popular in promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).^[3] Ōdō ("King's Road") is style that is popular in promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).^[4] Joshi puroresu is a style that is done by women's wrestlers. It was made popular in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.^[5][6] Current promotions that are popular include World Wonder Ring Stardom and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling.

References

1. "Puroresu - Pro Wrestling Japanese Style". BBC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
2. "Q&A: Fumi Saito, for DROPKICK Magazine". Monthly Puroresu. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
3. "How Japanese Pro Wrestling Merged With Martial Arts: Strong Style & Shoot Style". Black Belt. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
4. "The Wrestling 101: Paving the Road of Kings". Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
5. Pat Laprade; Murphy, Dan (2017). Sisterhood of the squared circle : the history and rise of women's wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press Ltd. ISBN 9781773050157. OCLC 960823276.
6. "【無料公開】僕たちはハーレー斉藤を忘れない…". Lady's Ring Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2024.