The Rivalry That Launched Inoki-ism (Part One)
By Jim Rohan
on Jan 15, 2021, 7:32pm EST
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There is one feud in particular that leads us into the Inoki-ism era and that is the rivalry between Shinya Hashimoto and Naoya Ogawa. Hashimoto, alongside Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto, formed The Three Musketeers whilst on excursion in 1988. The trio returned to New Japan shortly thereafter and quickly began to climb up the rankings in their home promotion. With an amateur background in judo and karate, Hashimoto introduced a martial artist gimmick wherein he utilised shoot striking techniques in his pro-wrestling matches. This lead to Hashimoto taking part in worked mixed martial arts-like bouts in New Japan called ‘Different Style Fights’ – shoot-style pro-wrestling being popular in Japan at the time with rival promotion Union of Wrestling Forces International (more on UWFI here). His style led to success – he first won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 1993 and by 1997, had become recognised as the toughest man in the company, holding the top prize for most of that period.