Porn actor Chocoball Mukai to bite into world of professional wrestling
Chocoball Mukai has finally made his professional wrestling debut with one of Japan’s major troupes, shouts Shukan Jitsuwa (1/5).
Mukai, renowned for combining careers as one of the country’s best known adult movie actors and a professional wrestler for a series of minor grappling groups, made it to the big time in mid-December during the New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dead or Alive card at Korakuen Hall.
“Chocoball has been active in the adult video world since about 1990. From around 1999, he also started wrestling professionally. That is, he was a professional in the sense that he got paid, but he was wrestling for minor groups who wanted him more for his popularity than his fighting,” a reporter for a sports newspaper tells Shukan Jitsuwa. “New Japan Pro Wrestling apparently contacted Chocoball after Taka Kato, another adult actor, won accolades for taking part in a wrestling match.”
Celebrities have been taking a beating around the ring for a while now. Motoya Izumi, a performer of the traditional art of kyogen, got into a wildly popular wrestling bout, while other celebrities have appeared in martial arts sports like K-1 and Pride.
With a 33-year history, New Japan Pro Wrestling is one of Japan’s oldest and proudest wrestling troupes. The presence of a porn actor amongst its ranks has raised eyebrows — and rancor. Some say 39-year-old Chocoball cheapens the name of the troupe, others argue that he won’t fight seriously. Even as the uproar flares around the troupe and Chocoball, still more are pointing out that they go back a long way.
“Chocoball came to Tokyo from his home in Gunma Prefecture not long after he graduated from high school. He went straight to New Japan Pro Wrestling for a tryout. He couldn’t handle the training and ran away after a week,” an insider from the adult video world of more than two decades ago tells Shukan Jitsuwa, adding that the troupe had some pretty big names at the time and Chocoball’s flight was somewhat understandable.
Chocoball was apparently reluctant to immediately offer his services when New Japan Pro Wrestling came calling. The troupe, meanwhile, would probably have to have taken a fairly big chunk of humble pie to make the offer. In the end, joining up works out well for both parties.
“Professional wrestling has lost a lot of ground to other fighting sports like Pride and K-1. New Japan Pro Wrestling needs the 700 people Chocoball will be able to bring to their bouts each time he gets into the ring,” the hack tells Shukan Jitsuwa. “Chocoball has been on probation since getting arrested last year while filming a stick flick in a bar. His film work has dropped off remarkably since his arrest. It was perfect timing for him to move into the real thing as far as professional wrestling goes and he wanted to make his major debut. Everything worked out well for both sides.” (By Ryann Connell)
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