Want to be a lawyer? Go to law school. A doctor? Med school. But where do you enroll if you want to learn how to fly off the top rope to deliver a brutal body slam?
Japanese universities don't offer a degree in professional wrestling, so students nationwide have taken physical education into their own hands by establishing pro-wrestling clubs. Their final exam, the fifth annual Student Pro-Wrestling Summit (Gakusei Puroresu Samitto, or GPWS) occurs Feb. 26 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward and gathers talent from as far afield as Kyushu for an intramural battle royale.
Last weekend I met all the major clubs from Kanto at a group study session held in the gymnasium of Teikyo University's Hachioji Campus. The self-taught athletes rely on YouTube to learn technique and the advice of upperclassmen to keep from killing each other. There are no coaches and no medical staff on hand should a suplex go sour. It's just gym mats, guts and raw energy.