Michinoku Pro will present a special event on March 19 at Yahaba Townspeople General Gymnasium in Yahaba Town, Iwate (6:00 PM start time). Existing since 1993, Michinoku Pro was created with Iwate in mind, so many events in Iwate feature matches that are not seen anywhere else in the country.
At this Michinoku Pro event, GAINA & Taro Nohashi will defend the UWA World Tag Team Championship against Koji Kawamura & Yasutaka Oosera. This is GAINA & Nohashi’s third reign together in the past four years, and this will be their first defense during this current reign. Kawamura & Oosera are members of a group of young wrestlers collectively considering themselves to be the new generation of Michinoku Pro.
GAINA & Taro Nohashi defeated Jinsei Shinzaki & The Great Sasuke for the UWA World Tag Team Championship last year in October. Shinzaki & Sasuke are still holders of the Tohoku Tag Team Championship, which they will be defending against GAINA & Nohashi on March 6, so there is a possibility that GAINA & Nohashi will be arriving at the March 19 event with both championships.
[UPDATE- as a result of the events that took place on March 6, the Tohoku Tag Team Championship and Kyushu Pro Tag Team Championship will also be on the line.]
The history of the UWA World Tag Team Championship
The UWA World Tag Team Championship has a unique history, with its roots older than Michinoku Pro itself. The championship was established in 1982 in the Universal Wrestling Association, which was based in Mexico.
Interestingly, even though the UWA was in Mexico, the first UWA World Tag Team Champions were Riki Chosu and Gran Hamada, two Japanese wrestlers who primarily wrestled in Japan, making it seem like perhaps the championship was destined to eventually become a long-term aspect of the Japanese pro-wrestling scene. It has also been held by Mexican talents such as Los Villanos, Los Brazos, Perro Aguayo, Los Cowboys, as well as the American/Canadian team The Can-Am Connection.
After the UWA closed its doors, its tag-team championship found a new home in Japan, where it was held by talents including Mazada and Nosawa, Kagetora and Kota Ibushi, Speed Of Sounds, Isami Kodaka, Masato Shibata & Shuji Ishikawa, and The Brahman Brothers. GAINA & Taro Nohashi’s first reign as champions is the eighth-longest in the history of the championship. It’s a safe bet that GAINA & Nohashi intend for this current reign to be even longer.
Other matches on the card
MUSASHI (Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion and former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) Ayumu Gunji (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) vs. Yappeman 1 (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) Yapperman 2 (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion)
Rui Hyugaji (longest-reigning Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion of all time) vs. Ken 45 °
The Great Sasuke (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) Jinsei Shinzaki (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) vs. Brahman Shu (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion) Brahman Kei (former Tohoku Tag Team Champion)
Manabu Murakami (second longest-reigning Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion of all time) vs. Rasse
Tickets
For those of you who will be in Japan on March 19, tickets are currently on sale for this event.
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