The Man Who Decided To Attack Andre The Giant For Real
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Wrestling is rife with tales of when things go awry and staged animosities become all too real, and New Japan Pro Wrestling has several of its own examples. Most people get into fights with a fair belief that they can win, making it hardly conceivable that anyone would step to Andre the Giant and feel confident that they could topple The Eight Wonder of the World. But, that's what Akira Maeda did.
Western fans might not know Akira Maeda, but in just a few short years Maeda earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous men in Japan in the 1980s. If anyone were to take the fight to Andre the Giant, it would be Akira Maeda. Though Maeda might have instigated it, depending on where one stands with professionalism in the wrestling business, he might not be the one to blame for the fracas.
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Akira Maeda, The Most Dangerous Man In New Japan
Akira Maeda had garnered a reputation before the infamous match with Andre in April 1986. Although a graduate of the New Japan Dojo, Maeda defected from NJPW in 1984 along with a number of other prominent names, such as Gran Hamada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Nobuhiko Takada. They founded their own promotion, the Universal Wrestling Federation, with an eye for presenting 'shoot style' wrestling, leaning more into martial arts-based matches and presenting them as close to legitimate fights as possible.
Another prominent star of the UWF was the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama. Maeda and Sayama did not see eye-to-eye, with Maeda perceiving the former masked wrestler as a corrupting influence. They met in a pair of matches in 1985, where 'shoot style' was pushed to the limit as they didn't hold back on their strikes. The second match ended as Maeda landed a full-force low blow on Sayama, resulting in a disqualification, a suspension, and then being fired.
The UWF folded not long after, and before Maeda would revive it in 1988, he returned to NJPW. Forming a stable with other UWF returnees, Maeda began to rub people the wrong way. Feeling himself a top star and wanting to keep his vision of 'shoot style' pure, Maeda was considered uncooperative and abrasive.
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Andre the Giant, Well Past His Prime
By the mid-1980s, Andre the Giant wasn't the same athlete he had been when he rose to prominence. Japanese fans still had a soft spot for him, first coming to the country in 1970 for the International Wrestling Enterprise as Monster Roussimoff. Andre became a regular attraction for NJPW throughout the 70s and into the 80s, wrestling hundreds of matches for Inoki's promotion all over Japan, and earning the adoration of the Japanese fans.
But, by the time the Maeda match came about, Andre was in bad shape. The wear and tear of the wrestling business, compounded by the effects of his gigantism, had taken its toll. Tales of Andre's drinking are just as famous as the man himself, but as the pain mounted, his taste for alcohol only grew. The giant that stepped into the ring with Maeda in 1986 was a far cry from who Japan first saw in 1970.
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Maeda Battles the Giant
The match was doomed from the start. Reports say that Andre showed arrived at the arena much more inebriated than usual. Though it took a lot to get Andre under the influence, it could certainly be done. Furthermore, the story goes that Antonio Inoki asked Andre to straighten Maeda out and humble his attitude. Another counterproductive factor was Andre's tradition of keeping finishes secretive, only ever letting a select few know the plan beforehand.
Understandably, Maeda was incredibly irritated before the bell rang. Maeda felt disrespected, kept in the dark, and had to work with a drunken opponent. His annoyance only flared up as Andre stumbled around the ring, barely mobile. Andre invited Maeda in, swatting at his smaller opponent when he came close. But, time and time again, Maeda's technique and speed grounded the aging icon. Maeda repeatedly dropped Andre with double-leg takedowns, grappling on the mat before standing back up, only for the stilted process to start again.
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Both grew increasingly frustrated, and Maeda showed his true killer potential. Looking to punish his much larger opponent, Maeda threw hard kicks at Andre's legs. They faltered under the attack, and Andre began to stumble even worse, even dropping to his knees. With an eye toward damage control, Antonio Inoki emerged at ringside in a bid to get them on the same page. It didn't work. Maeda continued to chop the giant down, and eventually fed up, Andre laid down and told Maeda to pin him. Inoki stormed the ring, followed by members of Maeda's UWF stable and other NJPW personnel, with the referee ruling a no contest in the crowded ring.
Though it's not the most explosive example of a match deteriorating before a live audience, the Maeda/Andre clash shows how dangerous provoking someone with legitimate fighting credentials can be. He might not be one of the men remembered for slamming the giant, but Akira Maeda arguably did one better than that, demonstrating how lethal a competitor he was by grounding the goliath without any assistance.
