Known as: Debuted as Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee, changed to Blue Wolf in 2002
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 255lbs
Time in New Japan: 2001-2006
Discipline(s): Mongolian Traditional Wrestling, Sumo, Pro-Wrestling
Signature Moves: Mongol Hammer, Mongol Slam, Ankle Lock
MMA Record: 1-0
A man trapped in tag matches and opening show bouts for most of his career, Blue Wolf still managed to shine because of his immediately apparent skill. The first Mongolian pro-wrestler in NJPW, one of his brothers was a champion Mongolian Traditional wrestler and the other a Yokozuna. His signing to Inoki's New Japan brought press coverage and real credibility that I think we all know Inoki himself was fond of. Here, I present a short overview of his career in the KING OF SPORTS. While not intended to be completely exhaustive, I hope this paints a picture of his abilities in the ring.
An early tag bout in Blue Wolf's career in NJPW at the Samurai TV 5th Anniversary show. Focus on the way that Blue Wolf and Shibata grab each other, the physicality of their exchange can be felt so easily. A great show opener showcasing an elite understanding of the basics and something that Blue Wolf would continue throughout his tenure.
Blue Wolf continually clashed with Hiroshi Tanahashi throughout 2002 and 2003. I sometimes have to wonder what NJPW would have been like after the fall of Inoki if Blue Wolf had ended up coming ahead in these clashes and won the U-30 title. What if Blue Wolf had become the supposed "savior" of NJPW that Tanahashi is said to have become? We can ask what if but lets be honest here, Wolf represented Inokiism too much to have been chosen as the next step forward. A sad world we live in, but don't fret, there is wrestling to watch.
A fun fact: Toru Yano and Blue Wolf were dojo friends and it shows in their tag matches together. Watch them go hard as fuck suplexing Tanahashi to hell. A great little match here!
Inokiism manifested itself in the world of No Holds Barred fighting, and this space of encounter to this day is one of the most misunderstood of the era. People focus so much on the failure of Nagata's two MMA outings that they forget the successes of the philosophy of Inokiism in Vale Tudo combat! Blue Wolf had his only outing at K-1's first fully MMA show titled ROMANEX, a super interesting event that both marked the beginning of a true Japanese competitor to PRIDE and also saw every single INOKI fighter win. Kazuyuki Fujita, Shinsuke Nakamura, Josh Barnett, Blue Wolf, and Lyoto Machida (people forget his Inokiist roots!) all showed the meaning of KING OF SPORTS on this fateful night in 2004.
What was Blue Wolf's strategy in his Vale Tudo debut you might ask? Infinite knees to the skull! It is gross! TBH!!!
After his dominant MMA win, something that carried serious clout within NJPW internally and in the greater fighting world, Blue Wolf saw some of his most serious marquee matches and looked poised to take the title scene by storm. As the evil Makai Club (a definite topic for later in this blog) shattered, Chono picked up the pieces and formed Black New Japan with its former members. Blue Wolf became a defender of New Japan, much as he did earlier in his tenure when he clashed with the dreaded MAKAI. Here he teams with the venerable Yuji Nagata to score one of Wolf's biggest wins!
Sadly, the road ends here for our friend Blue Wolf. In 2005, he went on an excursion to Mongolia and set down roots for a pro-wrestling dojo (I could find no info if this actually manifested or not). In 2006, he failed to renegotiate his contract with New Japan. Despite insisting his intentions to continue wrestling, after having his last match in the short lived UWAI Station he returned to Mongolia and has yet to have another bout since.
I'll leave with this. Put on his very sikk theme and just think: what if this had been the future of NJPW instead of the way things went? Perhaps then the spirit of Inokiism could have continued on just a little longer...
