【伝説の無気力試合】長州力vs佐々木健介。北斗晶も激怒！なぜ2人の絆は引き裂かれてしまったのか？　　#プロレス　#格闘技　#RIZIN #アントニオ猪木　#佐々木健介

The relationship between Choshu Riki and Sasaki Kensuke, the main characters of this article, is nothing less than a microcosm of Showa-era pro wrestling organizations, where wrestlers would frequently come together and disband based on their own motives, and financial troubles were commonplace. In November 2002, Choshu finally founded "WJ Pro Wrestling." Naturally, Kensuke was among the members. With Choshu's long-time sponsor as president and his allies, including his older brother Masa Saito and his protégé Kensuke, the organization appeared to be rock solid, but its structure was poor and outdated. The preparation fees for participating wrestlers were an astounding 5 million yen, the office/dojo in a prime location in Meguro was equipped with the latest training equipment, and the tour buses were top-of-the-line. In short, spending was excessive. The 200 million yen invested by the businessman president was quickly wiped out. Just two months after the company's launch, Choshu and the executives' salaries were stopped. As business conditions worsened, problems such as unpaid wages to wrestlers arose one after another. Amidst this, Choshu asked Kensuke for a loan of 5 million yen. At the request of Choshu, whom he regarded as his mentor, Kensuke scraped together the 5 million yen, using up his savings and even canceling his insurance. Looking back on that time in an interview years later, Kensuke commented that his financial situation had become so dilutive that he had to dilute his child's milk. However, the meager 5 million yen that Kensuke lent Choshu was never repaid. When Kensuke asked for the debt back, Choshu reportedly told him: "That's money you lent to the company. I'm not paying it back." I can still picture Kensuke's face, speechless at the thought. #Professional wrestling #Martial arts #RIZIN #Antonio Inoki #Kensuke Sasaki