All Japan Pro Wrestling · 全日本プロレス

Summer ActionSeries II · 1988

20 AUGUST — 9 SEPTEMBER 1988

Tom Zenk’s complete 1988 return to Japan: the tour program, match record, contemporary reporting, ringside action and life between the matches.

01
Background

Introduction

Tom Zenk returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling for the Summer Action Series II, a three-week tour opening at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on 20 August and closing in Chiba on 9 September 1988.

The tour immediately paired Zenk with Johnny Ace. Their televised opener against Yoshiaki Yatsu and Takashi Ishikawa introduced the Japanese audience to Ace’s new finishing move—the Ace Crusher—after Zenk suggested that Ace establish a recognizable finish for the fans.

“Zenk … is far larger and more muscular than when he was on tour here during the tag tournament … Ace and Zenk are being groomed for the tag tourney this year. Zenk’s dropkicks are still among the best.”Wrestling Observer · 5 September 1988

The schedule also carried unusual emotional weight. On 29 August, Zenk and Jerry Oates wrestled Hiroshi Wajima and Takashi Ishikawa at the Bruiser Brody Memorial Show in Budokan Hall, held six weeks after Brody’s death in Puerto Rico.

15 documented bouts
7–2–6 wins · losses · draws / NC
21 days across Japan
1988 Summer Action Series II tour emblem
02
Official tour material

The Program

The complete surviving program sequence—tour correspondence, schedule, cover, roster, team portraits, wrestler profiles and contemporary promotional photography.

Summer Action Series II program cover
All Japan Pro Wrestling tour letter
Official tour schedule
Tour roster and participant portraits
Tom Zenk and Johnny Ace
Tom Zenk and Johnny Ace program profiles
Translation of the program note

“Whirlwind Warrior” — Tom Zenk

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1960. Throughout high school and university, he devoted himself to amateur wrestling and bodybuilding.

In 1983, he entered professional wrestling after attracting the attention of renowned trainer Eddie Sharkey. After making his debut as a television-match wrestler for the MSWA—now the UWF—he returned to Minneapolis. At the Gagne Wrestling Camp, he received formal professional-wrestling training from Brad Rheingans.

It was there that he formed a close friendship with former AWA World Champion Rick Martel, who became something of a senior mentor to him. The two later enjoyed success as a tag team in Montreal.

More recently, Zenk has competed primarily in the Oregon territory and his former promotion, the AWA, concentrating entirely on singles competition. He first visited Japan with Martel for the 1986 World’s Strongest Tag Determination League. This is his third tour of Japan.

Height: 185 cm · Weight: 107 kg

Tom Zenk and Johnny Ace studio portrait
Tom Zenk in the ring
Tom Zenk, 1988

9 program images · click any image to enlarge

03
20 August — 9 September 1988

Results from the Matches

Date Venue Result Time
20 AUG 1988 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo 2,200 · TV Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace defeated Yoshiaki Yatsu & Takashi Ishikawa; Ace pinned Ishikawa after the Ace Crusher. 7:49 WIN
21 AUG 1988 Kitamoto, Saitama 2,100 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace defeated The Great Kabuki & Akio Sato; Ace pinned Sato after the Ace Crusher. 9:00 WIN
22 AUG 1988 Tatomi, Yamanashi 6,400 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace drew The Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa by double count-out. 12:10 DRAW
25 AUG 1988 Yoshikawa, Saitama 2,100 · TV Tom Zenk & The V defeated The Great Kabuki & Masanobu Fuchi; Zenk pinned Fuchi after a flying crossbody. 10:25 WIN
27 AUG 1988 Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 2,350 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace drew The Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa by double count-out. 8:11 DRAW
29 AUG 1988 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo 14,200 · TV Hiroshi Wajima & Takashi Ishikawa defeated Tom Zenk & Jerry Oates; Wajima pinned Oates after a lariat. Bruiser Brody Memorial Night. 15:36 LOSS
30 AUG 1988 Osaka 3,000 · TV Stan Hansen & Tom Zenk fought Abdullah the Butcher & Jimmy Snuka to a no contest. 7:54 N/C
31 AUG 1988 Tsuruga, Fukui 1,850 Tom Zenk defeated Kenta Kobashi with a diving body press. 6:40 WIN
01 SEP 1988 Kurayoshi, Tottori 3,300 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace drew Tiger Mask II & Shinichi Nakano by double count-out. 9:35 DRAW
03 SEP 1988 Omihachiman, Shiga 2,700 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace defeated Shunji Takano & Isao Takagi; Ace pinned Takagi with a diving press. 12:09 WIN
04 SEP 1988 Kanazu, Fukui 2,450 Giant Baba, Yoshiaki Yatsu & Akio Sato defeated Tom Zenk, Johnny Ace & Jerry Oates; Oates submitted to Yatsu’s prison deathlock. 11:34 LOSS
05 SEP 1988 Asahi, Toyama 3,500 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace drew Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano by double count-out. 11:32 DRAW
06 SEP 1988 Takaoka, Toyama 2,200 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace defeated Shunji Takano & Akira Taue; Ace pinned Taue with a diving body press. 10:39 WIN
07 SEP 1988 Tsubame, Niigata 2,250 Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace drew Takashi Ishikawa & Masanobu Fuchi by double count-out. 22:34 DRAW
09 SEP 1988 Chiba 2,750 · TV Tom Zenk & Jimmy Snuka defeated Isao Takagi & Akira Taue; Snuka pinned Taue with the Superfly splash. 11:19 WIN
20 AUG
1988
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace vs Yoshiaki Yatsu & Takashi Ishikawa
04
At ringside

Action Images

Korakuen Hall, Kitamoto and Tatomi: Zenk and Johnny Ace face Yoshiaki Yatsu, Takashi Ishikawa, The Great Kabuki and Akio Sato.

20 August 1988 — Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
20 August 1988 — Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
20 August 1988 — Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
20 August 1988 — Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
20 August 1988 — Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
21 August 1988 — Kitamoto, Saitama
21 August 1988 — Kitamoto, Saitama
21 August 1988 — Kitamoto, Saitama
22 August 1988 — Tatomi, Yamanashi
Tom Zenk and Johnny Ace — double dropkick
Summer Action Series II — televised action
Summer Action Series II — televised action
30 August and 9 September 1988 — tour action
30 August and 9 September 1988 — tour action
30 August and 9 September 1988 — tour action
30 August and 9 September 1988 — tour action
Tom Zenk in action — Japan, 1988
Tom Zenk in action — Japan, 1988
Johnny Ace — Japan, 1988

19 opening-tour action images · click to enlarge

29 August 1988 · Budokan Hall

Bruiser Brody Memorial

The memorial super-card honored Frank “Bruiser Brody” Goodish. His widow Barbara and their son attended as the Budokan audience placed roses and gifts beside his casket.

“The crowd was so into it you could feel Brody’s spirit. It truly touched me … Brody was a true hero and the Japanese loved him.”

In the ring, Hiroshi Wajima and Takashi Ishikawa defeated Tom Zenk and Jerry Oates when Wajima pinned Oates after a lariat at 15:36.

Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — 29 August 1988, Budokan Hall
Bruiser Brody Memorial — Budokan Hall, 29 August 1988
29 AUG
1988
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
The Bruiser Brody Memorial Tribute

Hiroshi Wajima & Takashi Ishikawa vs Tom Zenk & Jerry Oates.

29 AUG
1988
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
Hiroshi Wajima & Takashi Ishikawa vs Tom Zenk & Jerry Oates; Bruiser Brody Memorial Night.
05
Osaka to Chiba

The Tour Continues

Televised highlights from the closing stretch include Zenk alongside Stan Hansen against Abdullah the Butcher and Jimmy Snuka.

Stan Hansen & Tom Zenk vs. Abdullah the Butcher & Jimmy Snuka, August 30, 1988.

30 AUG
1988
Osaka, Japan
Stan Hansen & Tom Zenk vs. Abdullah the Butcher & Jimmy Snuka
06
The tour in print

Press Reports and Images

Japanese coverage presented Zenk as a returning international prospect and emphasized both his physical development and his established aerial offense.

The contemporary tour report also focused on the emerging Zenk–Ace combination. Their Korakuen opener gave the Ace Crusher its first important Japanese reaction, while Zenk’s dropkicks remained a defining feature of the pairing.

Japanese press feature on Tom Zenk
Japanese press coverage of Tom Zenk
Japanese press coverage — Japan, 1988
Japanese press profile — Japan, 1988
Tom Zenk — Japan, 1988
Tom Zenk dropkick — Japanese press, 1988
07
Life between the matches

Behind the Scenes

Touring photographs from Japan: wrestlers, friends and colleagues away from the ring, preserved together as the personal record of the 1988 trip.

Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Life between the matches — Japan, 1988
Jimmy Snuka and Tom Zenk
Behind the scenes — Japan 1988, photograph 1
Behind the scenes — Japan 1988, photograph 2
Behind the scenes — Japan 1988, photograph 3
Behind the scenes — Japan 1988, photograph 4
Behind the scenes — Japan 1988, photograph 5

20 behind-the-scenes images · click to enlarge

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