January 6, 2003 Observer Newsletter: K1 promoter indicted, Raw ratings, more
The entire foundation of sports entertainment in Japan was thrown for a loop when the most powerful man in the Japanese industry, K-1 promoter Kazuyoshi Ishii, 49, was indicted on tax evasion charges on 12/26. He and two other high ranked officials of the company, also indicted in the scandal, resigned the next day.
Besides being president of K-1, Ishii was involved in joint promotions this past year with both Pride and All Japan Pro Wrestling. The arrest came just weeks after the most successful show in the company’s history, and in a year where Ishii’s promotional wizardry peaked with the creation of the Bob Sapp phenomenon.
Indicted along with Ishii were Takeshi Sato, 43, the President of Inter Media Corporation, a company under the K-1 umbrella handling its advertising, and Sanshi Terakubo, 67, who handled the accounting for the parent company.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.