Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

WWE Comes Out Swinging in Japan

Wrestling giant opens Japanese office to compete in key Asian market

By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 7, 2008 7:13 PM CDT

(Newser) – Move over, sumo. WWE is pushing hard into Japan, tailoring its blend of sport and spectacle to this key Asian market, AP reports. The company opened a Japanese office this year—its only overseas outpost devoted to a single country—and now 35,000 Japanese users subscribe to WWE’s mobile phone website. "Japanese fans are changing" to embrace WWE, its only Japanese star told the AP.

"The key is to give them more opportunities to watch WWE," he added. That’s happening at the SummerSlam Festival, where fans gather to watch smackdowns on giant screens. Still, WWE faces competition from homegrown wrestling and ultimate fighting. “Japanese are a very suppressed people," one wrestler said. "And so it takes a special kind of performance skill to fire up their passion.”

The WWE's big push to market itself in Japan is nowhere clearer than at events like the SummerSlam Festival, which charges fans $30 to watch recorded WWE pay-per-view events on giant video screens. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

WWE wrestler Victoria, center, plays with Japanese fans during the WWE SummerSlam Public Viewing event in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Japanese WWE wrestler Shoichi Funaki speaks to reporters before the WWE SummerSlam Public Viewing event in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

WWE wrestler Maria, left, and Victoria, right, play with Japanese comedian Tamuken during the WWE SummerSlam Public Viewing event in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Japan's Economy Shrinks More Than Expected

Rising yen, falling international demand, led to 2.3% contraction

(NEWSER) - Economists were expecting the Japanese economy to contract in the last quarter of 2011, but not this badly, reports the BBC . Japan's gross domestic product shrunk 2.3% in the last three months of the year, much worse than the 1.4% economists were predicting, due to the yen rising 7% against the US dollar since April, the effects of last March's earthquake and tsunami, and the general worldwide economic slowdown. More»

Japan's Emperor to Have Heart Bypass

Akihito has suffered from variety of health problems in recent years

(AP) - Japanese Emperor Akihito will have heart bypass surgery later this month, his palace said today after the 78-year-old monarch was hospitalized for tests over the weekend. Akihito returned to the palace today after the tests and has scheduled the surgery for Feb. 18, the Imperial Household Agency said. More»

US Military Looking for Foothold in Philippines

But doesn't intend to reopen bases

(NEWSER) - The US military is seeking more access to the Philippines, sources tell Reuters , though not, they hasten to add, new full-blown bases there. The Philippines voted to remove gigantic US naval and air bases 20 years ago, but the country remains a US ally, and the US is hoping for more access to its ports and airfields to refuel warships and planes. "It's access, not bases," one official clarified. And the desire seems to be mutual. More»

Japan Kept Worst-Case Nuclear Fears Under Wraps

Fukushima report warned that all of Tokyo might need to be evacuated

(NEWSER) - Japanese officials were told that last year's nuclear disaster could have required the evacuation of tens of millions—but they didn't mention it, worried that the information might cause a panic. A 15-page report, given to the prime minister two weeks after the earthquake, was obtained by the AP and Japanese media. It says that meltdowns could cause vast amounts of radiation and necessitate the evacuation of homes within at least a 105-mile radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. More»

Japan Reports 1st Trade Deficit in 30 Years

And that could mean trouble for its national debt

(NEWSER) - Japan reported its first trade deficit since 1980 today, a $32 billion shortfall caused in part by the tsunami that struck the country, and in part by the strengthening yen. And while the tsunami may have been a freak occurrence, experts tell the AP that the deficit isn't. "It reflects fundamental changes in Japan's economy," one economist at Japan Research Institute says. "Japan is losing its competitiveness," with its manufacturing giants largely moving production abroad. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

WWE Comes Out Swinging in Japan

Wrestling giant opens Japanese office to compete in key Asian market

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Japan • professional wrestling • WWE

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Japan's Economy Shrinks More Than Expected

Rising yen, falling international demand, led to 2.3% contraction

Japan's Emperor to Have Heart Bypass

Akihito has suffered from variety of health problems in recent years

US Military Looking for Foothold in Philippines

But doesn't intend to reopen bases

Japan Kept Worst-Case Nuclear Fears Under Wraps

Fukushima report warned that all of Tokyo might need to be evacuated

Japan Reports 1st Trade Deficit in 30 Years

And that could mean trouble for its national debt

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

WWE Comes Out Swinging in Japan

Wrestling giant opens Japanese office to compete in key Asian market

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Japan • professional wrestling • WWE

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Japan's Economy Shrinks More Than Expected

Rising yen, falling international demand, led to 2.3% contraction

Japan's Emperor to Have Heart Bypass

Akihito has suffered from variety of health problems in recent years

US Military Looking for Foothold in Philippines

But doesn't intend to reopen bases

Japan Kept Worst-Case Nuclear Fears Under Wraps

Fukushima report warned that all of Tokyo might need to be evacuated

Japan Reports 1st Trade Deficit in 30 Years

And that could mean trouble for its national debt

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?