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| Founded | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Style | Shoot style |
| Headquarters | Tokyo,Japan |
| Founder(s) | Yoshiaki Fujiwara Masakatsu Funaki Minoru Suzuki |
| Owner | Yoshiaki Fujiwara |
| Predecessor | Newborn UWF |
| Successor |
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Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Group (Purofesshonaru-resuringu Fujiwara-Gumi, プロフェッショナルレスリング藤原組) was ashoot styleprofessional wrestling promotion based inTokyo, Japan, operating from 1991 to 1996. It was formed byYoshiaki Fujiwara,Masakatsu Funaki andMinoru Suzuki after the collapse of the second incarnation of theUWF. The company had the financial backing of eyeglass brand Meganesuper Co., Ltd executive Hachiro Tanaka who was also fundingSuper World Sports (SWS). Its motto was "ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE".
Although the company was considered the smallest of the three UWF offshoots,[1] it had a strong roster which included former UWF wrestlersYusuke Fuke,Bart Vale and future MMA starKen Shamrock.[2] One of its most successful shows took place at theTokyo Dome on October 4, 1992, headlined by Funaki versusMaurice Smith, which was attended by a record 40,000 fans.[3] Legendary wrestlerKarl Gotch acted as the face of the company, much likeLou Thesz did for fellow promotionUWF International.
In December 1992, Suzuki, Funaki, and Fuke left the promotion over Fujiwara's decision to send PWFG wrestlers to appear for SWS,Universal Lucha Libre andW*ING. The trio would go on to formPancrase several months later.[2] Fujiwara decided to close down PWFG in November 1995, however, the company was revived briefly for a few of shows during the following summer. After 1996, when everyone on the roster except Fujiwara left to formBattlARTS, the Fujiwara Gumi name was kept as the name of the booking office handling Fujiwara's appearances for other promotions.[4] In retrospect, PWFG, along with other shoot style promotions, served as a precursor tomixed martial arts and to popular Japanese MMA promotions, particularlyPride FC.
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara-Gumi ran its biggest show in its short history on 10/4 at the Tokyo Egg Dome drawing a crowd announced as being 40,800 fans. Paid attendance was said to have been just over 25,000 thanks to a huge walk-up. With tickets from $240 down to $24, the gate was certainly close to $1.5 million and could have been $2 million, which would be among the largest gates of all-time.
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