Introduction Puroresu is one of the purest forms of wrestling, sure, it has storylines, but unlike WWE, the storylines aren't the biggest part of the show, the wrestling is. Puroresu is Japanese for Pro-Wrestling, but it is a term used also to describe the style of wrestling, which would be the Japanese style, which pushes good wrestling over the glitz and glamour that the WWE serves up.

Puro, as it is known as for short, is my favourite type of wrestling, even know it can come in a variety of different sub-styles, such as lucha libre, which is slightly different than the Mexican style, strong style, which uses strong moves and impact offence, and various other variants. This guide is to help people who haven't seen puroresu, so they can get into it the easiest way, know what promotions and events to buy first, and to help them with anything else that they need to enjoy puro to the fullest extent.

Overwhelming Style
If you go straight out and buy a NJPW or NOAH event, you may enjoy it, but some may be surprised at the different style, the best way, and the way I got into it, was to start with promotions like ROH and Michinoku Pro. Both promotions have puro styles, but also have high-flying wrestling also. If you enjoy the technical side of these promotions then you know puro is for you, if you don't, then enjoy the kick ass spots and then stick to US wrestling because puro is not for you.

First Impressions Are Everything
Well, you're new to puro, you haven't seen true puro yet, and you have no idea what wrestlers are good and what wrestlers are bad. So what you should do is choose wisely, buy a recommended show, read reviews, and make sure the show is decent, because if you buy a bad show then it may turn you off, and you might be missing something great.

Where Do I Get My Puro"
I use www.simania.com, which is the greatest tape trader of them all, and he converts the tapes to DVD for all you people with DVD players. But this is an English site, you can order from the US. If you live in the US, then you might want to try www.goldenboytapes.com, I haven't used them but they have been recommended and it looks like a top site with a good selection.

The Essentials
I suppose you've all heard of the Super J Cup '94, a brilliant tournament and the first show people should buy in my opinion. I also recommend the other 2 in the series, the WAR Super J Cup '95 and the NJPW J Crown Tournament '96, these are 2 tournaments that I think are just as good as '94. After that the world of puro is your oyster, search Google for puroresu reviews or check out forums. Later I will name my favourite puro shows for all of you, and why they rule.

Here are some great shows for puro fans and for people new to puro:
NJPW Super J Cup '94
NJPW J Crown Tournament '96
NJPW Skydiving J
NJPW vs NOAH - Fued Of The Year 2000
WAR Super J Cup '95
MPW (Michinoku Pro) Fukumen Masked Man Tournement '95
MPW (Michinoku Pro) Super J Cup 2000
MPW (Michinoku Pro) These Days
MPW (Michinoku Pro) Heartbreak

Thanks for reading this, and I hope it was informative and will help some of you get into puroresu. It's a very enjoyable form of wrestling and I hope you all at least check it out.

by Chris Hawker ..