Episode #01: The Beginnings Of Puroresu! (1880s - 1951)

The time has arrived, as we begin our journey through the history of Japanese Professional Wrestling (Puroresu)! Host Dan Ginnetty and I (Ray Russell) go all the way back to the beginnings in the early 1880s with Sumo's Sorakichi Matsuda and work our way forward to the very first full-fledged tour of Pro Wrestling in Japan, circa 1951. We discuss several failed attempts at wrestlers attempting to bring Pro Wrestling to Japan in the late 1800's and early 1900s. We discuss names like William Muldoon, Ad Santel, Boxing Legend Joe Louis, Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, Bobby Bruns, Promoter Al Karasick, Kokichi Endo, and other early Japanese stars, including the one and only RIKIDOZAN!

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The time has arrived, as we begin our journey through the history of Japanese Professional Wrestling (Puroresu)! Host Dan Ginnetty and I (Ray Russell) go all the way back to the beginnings in the early 1880s with Sumo's Sorakichi Matsuda and work our way forward to the very first full-fledged tour of Pro Wrestling in Japan, circa 1951. We discuss several failed attempts at wrestlers attempting to bring Pro Wrestling to Japan in the late 1800's and early 1900s. We discuss names like William Muldoon, Ad Santel, Boxing Legend Joe Louis, Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, Bobby Bruns, Promoter Al Karasick, Kokichi Endo, and other early Japanese stars, including the one and only RIKIDOZAN!