Posted in: Movies, TV | Tagged: billy gunn, njw, pro wrestling, the ass man, wrestling

Prestigious Japanese Tournament Will Feature Legendary Wrestler "The Ass Man"

The world of professional wrestling was rocked earlier this week when New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), the largest pro wrestling organization in Japan and second largest in the world, behind WWE, revealed the lineup for its annual World Tag League Tournament, a prestigious competition with a lineage going back to 1980. Over the decades, legendary wrestlers from around the world have competed in the tournament, which boasts winning teams like Antonio Inoki and Bob Backland, Antonio Inoki and Hulk Hogan, Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami, and various other teams not featuring Antonio Inoki. In 2013, current WWE wrestlers Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows won the tournament. This year, the World Tag League has a roster of competitors worthy of its storied history, but perhaps none are more worthy than this year's surprising Gaijin entry, 1990s WWE Attitude Era star "The Ass Man."

That's right, following in the tradition of great Gaijin competitors to win Japan's highest tag team honors that includes Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, and even Rene Goulet, who is literally the number one Frenchman, The Ass Man will team with Yoshitatsu for the sixteen-team round robin tournament which will run through 16 shows from November 18th to December 12th. The Ass Man earned his name due to his well-publicized love of asses, as immortalized in his theme song, The Ass Man Theme Song, the lyrics to which say:

I'm an ass man.
Yeah I'm an ass man. Yeah!
I love to love 'em.
I love to kick 'em.
I love to shove 'em.
I love to stick 'em.
Love to fluant 'em.
I love to watch 'em.
I love to pick 'em.
And I'm gonna kick 'em.
'Cause I'm an ass man.
Yeah I'm an ass man.
Yes I'm an ass man. Ohh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFZj6Fnq4G4

The Ass Man, along with 1990s partner The Road Dogg, won tag team gold six times in WWE and were members of the popular Attitude Era stable D-Generation-X.

The Ass Man was also an Intercontinental Champion and two time Hardcore Champion, the winner of WWE's 1999 King of the Ring Tournament, and won tag team championships three other times in the company with partner Bart Gunn, and twice more teaming with Chuck Palumbo. Chuck and The Ass Man were famously responsible for GLAAD giving WWE an award after The Ass Man proposed to Chuck and scheduled a Life Partnership Commitment Ceremony live on Smackdown, only for Gunn and Palumbo to reveal at the ceremony that the whole thing was a publicity stunt organized by their manager Rico, and that both were actually heterosexual.

Finally, after all these years, The Ass Man will come to NJPW to compete in the World Tag League Tournament, impossibly raising the bar for status and prestige for the event and all of its competitors. It's an inspiring moment which will surely bring chills to anyone lucky enough to witness the historic event. It brings to mind the moving words of the second verse of The Ass Man Theme Song:

So many asses, so little time.
Only a tight one can stop me on the dime.
I'm a lover of every kind.
The best surprises always sneak up from behind.
I'm an ass man.
Yes I'm an ass man. Ohh!
I'm an Ass Man.

The World Tag League consists of two blocks of teams, who will face each other team in matches for points, with the leading team of each block facing each other in the final. The opening show on November 18 can be watched for free on New Japan World. These are the blocks:

A Block
Juice & Tanahashi
Naito & ??? (LIJ)
Brian Breaker & Leland Race
Takahashi & Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
War Machine
Nakanishi & Henare
Tenzan & Kojima
Guerrillas of Destiny (Bullet Club)

B Block
Okada & Yoshihashi
Makabe & Honma
Sanada & Evil (LIJ)
Shibata & Nagata
Omega & Chase Owens (Bullet Club)
Bone Soldier & Fale (Bullet Club)
Goto & Ishii
Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn

Via Wrestlezone

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