Trevor Berbick stepped off his airplane in Tokyo anticipating a straightforward payday. The previous WBC World Heavyweight Champion was on the town for a one-off combat towards an expert wrestler underneath kickboxing guidelines. Positive, it wasn’t Berbick’s important self-discipline, however this was a pretend fighter — how troublesome may or not it’s?
Little did he know that he’d quickly be doubled-over in ache, clutching at his knee, earlier than escaping the ring in terror earlier than the beating bought even worse.
The UWFi was a short-lived experiment in Japan within the early Nineties. It was designed to showcase the legitimacy of Japanese “robust type” wrestling, which featured true placing alongside professional wrestling grappling, as a strategy to blur the road between actuality and fiction. At a time the place WWE (then WWF) was leaning extra into entertaining youngsters with vivid, colourful characters, Japan was making an attempt to keep up the realism {of professional} wrestling.
Berbick was booked to come back to Japan and combat towards an expert wrestler in a one-off bout as the primary occasion of “UWF-I Kakutogi Sekaiichi” on the legendary Ryōgoku Kokugikan sumo corridor. It could present the world the facility of Japanese robust type, and switch the heads of those that believed wrestling was pretend.
Berbick was no slouch. This was a person who beat Muhammad Ali within the ultimate combat of Ali’s profession. He took Larry Holmes to the restrict in 1981, shedding after 15 rounds by determination. When Berbick lastly gained the WBC Heavyweight title in 1986 it appeared he was poised for a long term … till he ran right into a 20-year-old Mike Tyson. Berbick was a direct bridge from Ali to Tyson, and despite the fact that he wasn’t at his peak when he went to Japan, he was nonetheless a giant deal.
One downside: Berbick actually didn’t do his homework on his opponent. Nobuhiko Takada started skilled wrestling in 1981, and shortly caught the eye of New Japan Professional Wrestling’s Antonio Inoki. Takada grew to become Inoki’s proper hand man, carrying the torch of robust type world wide. Takada wrestled extensively in Japan and Canada, working towards the likes of Bret Hart, Dynamite Child and Davey Boy Smith — beautiful his opponents with brutal leg kicks and adherence to realism. Working towards Takada wasn’t only a lesson in wrestling, however survival.
Trevor Berbick stepped into the ring On December 22, 1991 and it went off the rails instantly.
Within the first 20 seconds Takada delivered his first leg kick and Berbick had no thought what was occurring. He appealed to the referee to drive Takada to solely kick above the belt, however to no avail. The third leg kick despatched Berbick reeling into the nook, clutching his knee and shedding his steadiness.
The barrage continued to Berbick’s calves and thighs, forcing him to seize the ropes for stability whereas he screamed concerning the kicks being too low. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than he bought his want for a better kick, as Takada blasted him in head when Berbick dropped his gloves to guard his legs.
Three extra kicks and it was over. Berbick escaped the ring and the realm, quitting on the bout — realizing he completely couldn’t deal with the barrage coming his manner. Within the lead as much as the combat Berbick boasted that if Takada kicked him it could “be World Struggle III,” however ultimately he ran like a scared youngster.
The incident sparked super controversy. Berbick claimed he was the sufferer of a bait and swap, saying he was assured the combat could be performed underneath worldwide kickboxing guidelines, which didn’t permit kicks beneath the waist. The issue with this protection was that Berbick clearly wore leg protectors within the combat, which might point out that he not less than had some understanding he’d be kicked low.
UWFi officers mentioned that they repeatedly defined the principles of the combat to Berbick, who didn’t need to hearken to the main points. This falls according to commentators on the occasion, who had been awestruck that Berbick would take offense to being kicked low.
It didn’t change the result both manner. A embellished boxer went to Japan pondering he’d KO his opponent in a number of seconds, and as an alternative was left working on hobbled legs out the door.
Takada would finally transfer to the PRIDE combating championships in MMA, however by the point he entered in his 40s he was too outdated to have any sort of impact. He stays a legendary determine in professional wrestling, and one of the influential people on shaping the game within the nation.
The following time somebody tells you that each one wrestling is pretend, present them the time a boxer ran in terror from some leg kicks. It would make them suppose twice about slamming the game.