The Secret History of The Yakuza in Pro Wrestling

Patreon: In Japan, organized crime and pro wrestling share a dark history. One that dates back more than 70 years. Most of that history has been secret, all happening behind closed doors. But sometimes, the violence, tragedy and manipulation bubbles up to the surface and we get a glimpse of the dark side of Japanese professional wrestling. 0:00 The Secret History of the Yakuza in Pro Wrestling 0:51 Who are the Yakuza? A brief history 2:59 Real life wrestling stories involving the Japanese mafia 6:58 The Pro Wrestling NOAH Yakuza scandal 11:40 FMW and the tragedy of Soichi Arai 15:33 The murder of Rikkidozan Photo and footage credits: Watanabe Katsumi, Gangs of Kabukicho Brucer Gilden Rikkidoan newspaper article images and photos via Wildma’s Blog 101 Wrestler fan photos by Masanori Horie Sanja Masturi festival image from awoisoak.com Photo of two shirtless Yakuza thugs by Matthias Ley Blurred photo of Yakuza woman by Martina Baradel, Ofxord University Image of Soichi Arai singing via Ken Suzuki.text Image of Soichi Arai memorial via Weekly Pro Wrestling Sun TV Nippon TV NTV G+ Pro Wrestling NOAH Toshiba EMI BMG Japan FMW Information sources: JB Press Tokyo Reporter Kyoto Journal Cleveland State University Encyclopedia Britannica US Department of Justice The Asahi Shimbun Asia-Pacific Journal The Guardian The L.A. Times VOA News Japan Times Wrestler shoot interviews BBC Jun Izumida’s tell-all book Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling by Jonathan Snowden Soichi Arai autobiography, translated by BAHU Original Pro Wrestling NOAH Yakuza Scandal news release via Wayback Machine Sankei Sports via Wayback Machine Fight Opinion Cyzo