THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508290126
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
The Iron Horse and Top Gun are accompanying veteran grappler Mark Fleming to Tokyo on Monday for a week of pro ``rasslin','' Japanese style.
The three, all brawny local lads with mat experience ranging from three to 16 years, are making the 16-hour trip to appear in a single, no holds barred, tag-team match against top Japanese wrestlers.
Site of the bout is an arena built in Tokyo for the 1984 Olympics.
The worthy opposition, says trip organizer Mark Fleming, 34, a Norfolk native who wrestled for Norview High School in the late '70s, will be seasoned professionals versed in every form of martial discipline from sumo wrestling to tick-tack-toe.
Fleming's sidekicks include:
The Iron Horse, aka Henry Robinson, 41, an auto body shop instructor at the Virginia Beach Career Development Center, who has six years of experience as a pro, mostly in small East Coast towns and fair grounds.
Top Gun, the nom de guerre of Jack Wareing, 34, one of four brothers who run an Oceanfront gym by the same name and an experienced grappler on the prep, collegiate and the professional levels.
Fleming has made the same tour 16 times and is introducing Robinson and Wareing to a sport that he says has a large, loyal and knowledgeable following in Nippon.
``It's not like it is here,'' said the barrel-chested Fleming. ``There's no showmanship. It's sort of Greco-Roman, free-style wrestling - kind of like kick boxing.
``People over here want to see blood and chairs being thrown around all over the place. Over there, the audiences know good wrestling when they see it.''
In other words, anything goes, said Fleming. Their would-be foes are versed in karate and other forms of Asian hand-to-hand and feet-to-feet fighting as opposed to the chest-thumping, arm-twisting, eye-gouging style of American pro wrestling practiced by super stars like Hulk Hogan, Lex Lugar and Sting.
Those guys would never make it in the Japanese circuit, Fleming contends. First, they don't know how to wrestle - really wrestle. Second, they're too muscle-bound. Third, contenders in Japan don't wear eye shadow, lip gloss or mince around in gold lame capes and skimpy spandex tights.
Fourth, Japanese wrestling is not choreographed and scripted, he says. Winners are determined by knockouts or by a point system that is not influenced by promoters.
Just how will Wareing and Robinson, who are accustomed to the stateside tricks of the trade, such as the suplex, the back breaker, the flying drop kick and elbow drop, fare against canny Japanese foes?
That remains to be seen, says Fleming, who has been working out with the two to prepare them for the best their Pacific Rim opponents can dish out.
Here's a clue, offered by Wareing: ``I plan to stay in close, so they can't use that kick to their advantage,'' he said.
Good thinking, said Fleming. He has been using that strategy to his advantage in his previous 16 trips to Japan. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Pro wrestlers Mark Fleming, Henry Robinson and Jack Wareing will be
on tour in Japan.
by CNB