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TOTAL LICENSING
vs. RAW 2007” – named for the com- the WWE phenomenon and Japan’s front of Tokyo department store win-
pany’s two best-known television pro- Pachinko gaming machine craze. To dows in 1954 to watch a telecast of
grams – has sold more than 4.3 million those looking elsewhere, each seemed the legendary Rikidozan and partner
units for use on PlayStation 2, PSP and to come out of nowhere. But closer Masahiko Kimura battling the Cana-
the Xbox 360 platforms. scrutiny reveals that enthusiasm for dian tandem of Mike and Ben Sharpe.
In Japan this past April, a merger be- both are deep-rooted. Players have Once televisions became affordable,
tween J Sports and the Toho Corpo- been known to queue up outside families gathered at home to follow
ration was accompanied by the an- Pachinko parlors, inspired by the same Rikidozan’s emotional brawls with
nouncement that the partners would fervor that motivates WWE devotees future WWE Hall of Famer “Classy”
release the Complete Anthology DVD to camp out around arenas during Freddie Blassie – matches that appar-
box set of WrestleMania, WWE’s an- WrestleMania weekend, and the com- ently became so heated that dozens
nual equivalent of the World Cup since pany’s international tours. And just as of elderly viewers were rushed to the
1985. Among the notables WWE dis- Pachinko generates more than 30-tril- hospital with heart ailments.
patched to the press conference: Rey lion yen each year (a higher turnover, In 2002, WWE began touring Japan
Mysterio, a dynamic, masked wrestler reportedly, than the auto industry), regularly, packing venues like Kobe
who captured the World Heavyweight WWE has drawn more than $2-billion World Hall Arena, National Yayogi
Championship at WrestleMania 22 – in pay-per-view revenue, building the Stadium, Yokohama Arena, Hiroshima’s
Sun Plaza, Osaka’s Jo Hall, Saitama Su-
per Arena and Budokan (two events
are scheduled for February, 2008).
Always, WWE goes out of its way to
bow to Japanese tradition, while fans
loudly exhibit their passion for the
American-based company: carefully
lettering banners in English, loudly
singing entrance tunes, and chanting
along – word for word – as the Super-
stars deliver their catch phrases.
In 2006, the team of Triple H and
Shawn Michaels – also known as DX –
were wrestling at Budokan when they
noticed a pair of fans dressed exactly
like them – down to the boots, tights
and blond wigs. When the match was
over, DX invited their admirers into
the ring to join them in posing for the
and acquired much of his dazzling ring medium from the ground up. cheering throngs. As the building flick-
style in Japan – Funaki, a Tokyo-bred Yet, as technology evolves, so does ered with camera flashes, the normally
Superstar who attained a certain cult WWE. Understanding that Japanese intense Triple H lost his game face, and
status by playfully announcing WWE web surfers explore the Internet on burst into laughter.
matches in English, and Candice, one their phones almost as much as their The audience laughed with him.
of WWE’s premier “Divas” and recent PCs, the organization joined with Chokeslam Diplomacy was clearly
Playboy centerfold. Sports Marketing Japan Co., Ltd in making an impact!
As always, WWE was fully aware of 2006 to launch the first version of
the cultural implications of the an- WWE Mobile available in a language
nouncement. With J Sports licensing other than English. The service allows
WWE videos, fans were reminded fans to purchase wallpapers, voicetones
that the Toho Corporation had re- and ringtones from WWE, along with
leased Godzilla films on television – a exclusive “made for mobile” content,
link, WWE was quick to point out, be- including daily newscasts, trivia, results,
tween the Nipponese monster with themed video packages, polls, schedul-
the international “sports-entertain- ing information and approximately 75
ment” behemoth. short-form videos each month.
Likewise, the company concluded The initiative boasts approximately
that the creation of WWE Pachinko, 25,000 Japanese subscribers.
scheduled for sometime in late 2007, But Japanese wrestling observers are
would further cement the organiza- certain that this is only the begin-
tion in the Japanese consciousness. ning. After all, this is the same country
There are several parallels between where thousands of fans converged in
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