Fighting Network RINGS
RINGS was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1991 to 2002. It was founded by Akira Maeda on May 11, 1991, following the dissolution of the Newborn UWF.
At that time, Maeda and Mitsuya Nagai were the only two people to transfer from UWF International, which had been inaugurated just the day before. However, soon afterwards wrestlers such as Kiyoshi Tamura, Hiromitsu Kanehara, and Kenichi Yamamoto transferred from UWF International.
RINGS's system was very much like the NWA in which members of "foreign promotions" (actually stables composed of fighters from a given country) competed against the Japanese members. The major countries represented were:
- Netherlands (Dirk Vrij, Valentijn Overeem, Alistair Overeem)
- Australia (Chris Dolman)
- Bulgaria (Todor Todorov)
- Georgia (Zaza Grom, Tariel Bitsadze).
- Russia (Volk Han, Fedor Emelianenko).
Later, United States and United Kingdom groups were added.
Maeda retired from active duty in 1998, leaving Tamura as the top star, but the collapse of UWF International and the subsequent rise of the PRIDE fighting circuit did in Tamura's worked winning streak, forcing the promotion to become a "real" martial arts circuit. Nevertheless, in 2002 the promotion ceased activity.
Japanese RINGS stars who made transitions into puroresu since then include Nagai, Masayuki Naruse, Wataru Sakata and Hiroyuki Ito.