15 Biggest Differences Between WWE And Japanese Wrestling
11. Fewer Gimmicks
WWF during the 1990s was a vastly different place from Japan during the same period and well into today. At that point, every wrestler in WWF had to have a gimmick, some kind of character that made them stand out. Many gimmicks in WWF were unusual or straight up bizarre, like The Goon, Repo Man and Skinner, while others were very successful for the company, like Goldust, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker. In Japan, such things are rare to come across. Most wrestlers are distinguished more by their attire and the moves they use, instead of having a character. Japanese wrestling is all about fighting spirit and determination, so a lot of wrestlers would go through similar stories and psychologies. In other words, its more about what you do in the ring than what you say with a microphone. However, this isnt to say that gimmicks are non-existent in Japan; theyre just seen less frequently. One of the best examples of a gimmick/character is The Great Muta, which has been replicated many times.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
