By Don Becker & Justin Baisden

Tournament Schedule

All photos courtesy All Japan Pro Wrestling

TOSHIAKI KAWADA Born December 8, 1963 Height: 6’ Weight: 231 lbs.

In recent months, Toshiaki Kawada has been the calm center of the universe in the midst of All Japan’s turbulence.  Kawada has been with All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1984.  He was elevated to the main event around the late eighties to early nineties.  Initially teamed with Hiromichi “Samson” Fuyuki to form the Footloose team, which won the All-Asia tag titles in the late eighties.  Later teamed with Mitsuharu Misawa, winning the Double Tag Titles on two occasions.  Later teamed with rival Akira Taue to form one of the most successful tag teams in AJPW history winning the Double Tag Titles on six occasions.  Has won the Triple Crown twice, beating Misawa each time.  Kawada is a three-time former Triple Crown champion (12th, 18th, and 21st), and is the only wrestler in All Japan history to beat Mitsuharu Misawa twice for that title.  His third reign was shortened due to a broken arm suffered during the match with Misawa.  Was the only major wrestler to remain with AJPW after the big split that created NOAH.  He is arguably the greatest heavyweight wrestler in the world today.  This will be Kawada's 10th Champion Carnival.  He competed in 1991 (tied for 5th), 1992 (tied for 6th), 1993 (5th), 1994 (1st), 1995 (tied for 3rd), 1996 (6th), 1997 (1st), 1998 (4th), and 2000 (lost to Misawa in the first round).

GENICHIRO TENRYU Born February 2, 1950 Height: 6’2” Weight: 264 lbs.

Tenryu, the 2nd and 26th (and current) Triple Crown heavyweight champion, is one of wrestling's oldest competitors, yet at age 51 he is still a top international talent. Tenryu was a main event worker in AJPW during the eighties into the early nineties.  He has held the Triple Crown once before, beating at the time #1 AJPW guy Jumbo Tsuruta.  He has also been one half of the Double Tag Champions on four occasions.  Tenryu is a very well respected name in the Japanese wrestling community.  After leaving AJPW, he became the top wrestler in the SWS promotion.  After SWS folded in 1993, he created WAR (Wrestling and Romance).  Eventually the federation disbanded and Tenryu worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling.  He beat Keiji Mutoh for the IWGP heavyweight title on 12/10/99, making him the first native Japanese wrestling to win both the Triple Crown and the IWGP titles. Tenryu's return to All Japan last year was an emotional high point for the promotion, mere weeks after Mitsuharu Misawa led a mass exodus, taking 75% of the company's talent with him.  He put on what is considered to be the 2000 Match Of The Year with his student Toshiaki Kawada in the finals of the Triple Crown title tournament.  Tenryu is also a former AJPW World Tag Team champion (w/ Ashura Hara and Stan Hansen), IWGP Tag Team champion (with Shiro Koshinaka), WAR Six-Man Tag Team champion (with Animal Hamaguchi & Kouki Kitahara, and with Nobutaka Araya & Ultimo Dragon), and J1 Rikidozan Memorial champion. This will be Tenryu's second Champion Carnival.  He last competed in 1982, where he placed 5th.

Formerly known as Maunakea Mossman.  Kea wrestled in the AJPW junior division for the first few years of his tenure.  He is a very hard worker and is known specifically for his stiff strikes.  He has recently been pushed very hard in AJPW and won the Double Tag Titles with Johnny Smith.  Kea will prove to be the next big figure to be pushed in All Japan.  He is young, works very hard, and has the admiration of the fans.  He got his first (and so far only) shot at The Triple Crown on 03/03/2001, but was defeated by Genichiro Tenryu.  Don’t be surprised if Kea wins the Champion Carnival tournament, as it would prove that he’s got what it takes to beat the “big boys” in AJPW.  This will be Kea's first Champion Carnival. 

“Dr. Death” has been a mainstay in AJPW for the better part of the nineties.  He works a very brutal style with various types of suplexes that would not be acceptable over here.  His “Homicidal Backdrop Driver” is one of the nastiest moves in wrestling today.  Williams has made quite a name for himself in AJPW since his first tour with the company in 1990.  At present, he is the top gaijin (foreign wrestler) in AJPW since the retirement of Stan “The Lariat” Hansen.  He is one of the bookers for AJPW and in charge of foreign recruitment for All Japan.  He has held the Triple Crown and is a seven-time Double Tag Titles champion.  He is always considered a viable threat in any kind of championship match or tournament.  Williams will go far in the tournament but it is unlikely that he will be there in the finals.  This will be Williams' 8th Champion Carnival.  He competed in 1992 (tied for 4th), 1993 (tied for 3rd), 1994 (2nd), 1996 (2nd), 1997 (tied for 4th), 1998 (tied for 5th) and 2000 (lost to Takao Ohmori in the semi-finals). 

Smith has been working for AJPW for a good ten years now.  Billed as the cousin of former WWF and All Japan wrestler Davey Boy Smith, Johnny Smith made a name for himself in Canada and Japan as part of the British Bruisers, the heel version of the British Bulldogs, with the Dynamite Kid as his partner.  He won to All Asia Tag Team Titles with The Dynamite Kid, beating Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in 1991.  He was Dynamite Kid’s partner during his last wrestling tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling.  Smith has also won the All Asia Tag Team Titles with Wolf Hawkfield.  Smith has always been a very solid wrestler but has only gained a significant push in the last couple of years.  He went to the finals of a All Asia round robin tag team tournament with Maunakea Mossman, but lost in the finals to Tamon Honda & Masao Inoue.  Smith recently won the Double Tag Titles again teaming up with Taiyo Kea, defeating Toshiaki Kawada & Masanobu Fuchi in the finals of a round robin tournament.  The titles had been vacated when AJPW split up.  Smith is moving on up in the promotion but it is highly unlikely that he will get too far in the tournament.  This will be Smith's fourth Champion Carnival.  He competed in 1991 (tied for 11th), 1994 (tied for 9th) and 2000 (lost to Kenta Kobashi in the quarter-finals).

Formerly known as Bart Gunn in the WWF, Barton left the promotion after the humiliating loss to Butterbean at Wrestlemania XV.  He started teaming up with Johnny Ace as The Movement,. A stable which eventually added Johnny Smith, Wolf Hawkfield, and George Hines.  Barton has gained recognition for his hard left hand, and his unexpected success in the WWF’s Brawl For All toughman tournament in 1998.  He’s become a far better rounded wrestler since leaving the WWF.  He gained his first gold in AJPW on 06/09/2000 when he and Ace beat Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama in a phenomenal match for the Double Tag Titles.  With the AJPW split also came the loss of Johnny Ace as he assumed a position on the WCW booking team.  Barton has taken a lot of Ace’s moveset as his own including the Ace Crusher, which he now uses as one of his finishers.  Though an accomplished wrestler, Barton has no chance of getting anywhere in the Champions Carnival 2001.  This will be Barton's second Champion Carnival.  He lost to Takao Ohmori in the quarter-finals in 2000 in his only Carnival appearance so far. 

Steele has wrestled as The Lacrosse and Wolf Hawkfield (based on the character from Sega's Virtua Fighter), but with limited success. However, with All Japan needing to rely more and more on gaijin talent, 2001 may be Steele's breakout year.  Steele's been wrestling for All Japan since 1994, and had a nine-month reign as one half of the All Asia Tag Champions with Johnny Smith in 1998 (which ended the three-year reign of Jun Akiyama and Takao Ohmori).  “Jungle” Jim Steele also had a brief run with WCW in the mid 90’s.  Recently Steele has been teaming with Mike Barton, with whom he was a member of The Movement.  This will be Steele's third Champion Carnival.  As Wolf Hawkfield, he competed in 1998 (10th) and 2000 (lost to Jun Izumida in the first round). 

Hines is better known as Jackie Fulton, one-half of the New Fantastics, who wrestled in the South in the early '90's.  Hines has wrestled for All Japan on and off for most of the 90’s, and is best known there as The Eagle, tag team partner of The Patriot.  Eagle & Patriot won the All-Asia tag titles in 1993.  This is Hines' second Champion Carnival.  As The Eagle, he last competed in 1994 (tied for 9th) 

Nagai first made a name for himself working for Akira Maeda's RINGS promotion.  He made the transition from mixed martial arts to pro wrestling with a brief stint in BattleArts before joining All Japan. Nagai is currently a regular tag team partner of former UWFi fighter and AJPW mainstay Masahito Kakihara.  Nagai is the smallest competitior in this year’s field, and may end up fighting it out with George Hines for last place.  This will be Nagai's first Champion Carnival. 

Fujiwara debuted with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972.  He is best known for his wakigatame (aka: Fujiwara Armbar/armbar takedown), which has become a standard submission hold in both shoot competitions and professional wrestling.  Fujiwara left New Japan for the UWF, Akira Maeda’s shoot-style promotion, in 1984, and took part in the promotion’s feud with New Japan Pro Wrestling.  Fujiwara’s wrestling promotion, Fujiwara-gumi, is responsible for launching the careers of shooters such as Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki.  In 1995, members of Fujiwara-gumi formed BattleArts. Fujiwara has also made a name for himself as an artist in recent years; he specializes in pottery.  Fujiwara has made spot appearances for All Japan since July 2000.  This will be Fujiwara's first Champion Carnival.

Past winners (size of field):

1973: Giant Baba (15)*
1974: Giant Baba (15)*
1975: Giant Baba (12)
1976: Abdullah The Butcher (14)
1977: Giant Baba (15)
1978: Giant Baba (15)
1979: Abdullah The Butcher (16)
1980: Jumbo Tsuruta (13)
1981: Giant Baba (13)
1982: Giant Baba (18)

1983-1990: No tournaments held

1991: Jumbo Tsuruta (14)
1992: Stan Hansen (20)
1993: Stan Hansen (13)
1994: Toshiaki Kawada (12)
1995: Mitsuharu Misawa (11)
1996: Akira Taue (12)
1997: Toshiaki Kawada (13)
1998: Mitsuharu Misawa (13)
1999: Vader (10)
2000: Kenta Kobashi (16)*
2001: Genichiro Tenryu (10)

* denotes single-elimination tournament