Fighting Network RINGS
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RINGS was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion and later a mixed martial arts organisation from 1991 to 2002. It was founded by Akira Maeda on May 11, 1991, following the dissolution of the Newborn UWF.
At that time, Maeda and Mitsuya Nagai were the only two people to transfer from UWF International, which had been inaugurated just the day before. Wrestlers such as Kiyoshi Tamura, Hiromitsu Kanehara, and Kenichi Yamamoto later transferred from UWF International.
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[edit] Japanese roster
- Akira Maeda
- Mitsuya Nagai
- Yoshihisa Yamamoto
- Tsuyoshi Kosaka
- Wataru Sakata
- Kiyoshi Tamura
- Kenichi Yamamoto
- Hiromitsu Kanehara
- Ryuki Ueyama
- Hiroyuki Ito
[edit] Foreigners
RINGS's system was very much like the NWA in which members of "foreign promotions" (actually stables composed of fighters from a given country) competed against the Japanese members. The major countries represented were:
- Netherlands (Dirk Vrij, Hanse Nyman, Gilbert Yvel, Joop Kasteel, Valentijn Overeem, Alistair Overeem, Chris Dolman)
- Australia (Chris Haseman)
- Bulgaria (Todor Todorov, Dimitar Petkov)
- Georgia (Zaza Grom, Tariel Bitsadze, Amiran Bitsadze).
- Russia (Volk Han, Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Kopilov, Nikolai Zuyev, Mikhail Ilyukhin).
- Brazil (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Renato Sobral).
Later, United States and United Kingdom groups were added.
[edit] Decline
Maeda retired from active duty in 1998, leaving Tamura as the top star, but the collapse of UWF International and the subsequent rise of the PRIDE fighting circuit did in Tamura's worked winning streak, forcing the promotion to become a "real" martial arts circuit. Nevertheless, on February 15, 2002 the promotion ceased activity.[1]
Japanese RINGS stars who made transitions into puroresu since then include Nagai, Masayuki Naruse, Wataru Sakata and Hiroyuki Ito.
[edit] See also
- Akira Maeda
- BattlARTS
- PRIDE Fighting Championships
- Pancrase
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Professional Wrestling
- Newborn UWF.
- UWF International
[edit] External links
| Professional mixed martial arts organizations | |
|---|---|
| Major promotions: | Ultimate Fighting Championship | PRIDE Fighting Championships | HERO'S |
| Other promotions: | Pancrase | KOTC | Rumble on the Rock | Icon Sport | Elite XC | EFC | WEC | MFC | ZST | DEEP | Cage Rage | Cage Warriors | FFC | IFL | TKO | Strikeforce | WWCN | Cage Fury | BodogFight |
| Defunct promotions: | IVC | RINGS | WFA |
| Sanctioning bodies: | Shooto | International Sport Combat Federation | NSAC |
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| Global Professional Wrestling Alliance | ||
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Major promotions |
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Independent promotions |
