10 Things You Need To Know About Minoru Suzuki
9. He Was Part Of The Newborn UWF
The Universal Wrestling Federation began in 1984 when Akira Maeda left New Japan Pro Wrestling to help form the brand-new organization. Even the Strong Style of New Japan couldn't compare to the shoot-style UWF, which was designed to look (and feel) as real as possible. Within a couple of years, the UWF dissolved, with many of the stars coming back to New Japan to run a successful invasion angle.
In 1988, Maeda left New Japan again to restart the UWF (now known as the Newborn UWF). The following year, UWF vet Yoshiaki Fujiwara left NJPW to join the new promotion, and he brought his protege, Minoru Suzuki, with him.
It was in the newborn UWF that Suzuki got his first exposure to an ultra-hard-hitting style, and he clearly liked it. When the UWF folded once again, he joined Fujiwara's Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi promotion. However, shoot-style wrestling wouldn't satisfy him for long.