{"id":45410,"date":"2019-05-04T12:06:02","date_gmt":"2019-05-04T16:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=45410"},"modified":"2020-05-04T11:41:37","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T15:41:37","slug":"may-the-fourth-be-with-you-star-wars-pro-wrestling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/05\/04\/may-the-fourth-be-with-you-star-wars-pro-wrestling\/","title":{"rendered":"May The Fourth Be With You: Star Wars &#038; Pro Wrestling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s May the 4th, which has universally been accepted as &#8220;Star Wars Day&#8221; due it&#8217;s resemblance to the Star Wars slogan &#8220;May the force be with you&#8221;. And while May the 4th brings out the inner Star Wars fan in millions of fans around the world, even the world of professional wrestling isn&#8217;t immune to the allure of an intergalactic battle in a galaxy far, far away. Here&#8217;s a look at some memorable Star Wars inspired moments throughout wrestling&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>All Japan Summer Action Series, 1979<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45412\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/DAr-8GgXcAA21M4-e1556983623176.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><\/p>\n<p>In the summer of 1979, <strong>All Japan Pro Wrestling<\/strong> ran a tour called Summer Action series, that featured two masked men as characters inspired by Star Wars&#8217; two lovable droids, <strong>R2-D2<\/strong> and <strong>C-3PO<\/strong>. Named <strong>The Robot R2<\/strong> and <strong>The Robot C-3<\/strong>, the pair worked tag team matches. While C-3 is still a mystery, R2 was played by Mexican luchador <strong>El Rebelde<\/strong>. <strong>Raul Rodriguez<\/strong> was C-3.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Darth Vader, 1988<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67874\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/95959267_3117842441615627_581506089040740352_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"281\"><\/p>\n<p>In 1988, Mexican wrestler <strong>Huracan Sevilla<\/strong> portrayed a character called <strong>Darth Vader<\/strong>, clearly inspired by everyone&#8217;s favorite Lord of the Sith, in both <strong>Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL)<\/strong> and <strong>Universal Wrestling Association (UWA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Shockmaster, 1993<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45416\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45416\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-45416\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/maxresdefault-e1556984854269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45416\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When former WWF Superstar <strong>Tugboat\/Typhoon<\/strong> made the jump to WCW, no one was prepared for the repackaging he would receive. The brother in law of WCW star and booker <strong>Dusty Rhodes<\/strong>, he would became a legend based on one unintentionally hilarious debut at WCW&#8217;s <em><strong>Clash of Champions<\/strong><\/em>. While not Star Wars based in character, his infamous helmet was a Stormtrooper helmet covered in silver sparkles!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The unforgettable debut of The Shockmaster\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fahljd_0xjA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Michinoku Pro, Great Space War<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45415\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45415\" style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-45415\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/hqdefault.jpg 480w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/hqdefault-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/hqdefault-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/hqdefault-265x198.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Michinoku Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another Japanese company has used Star Wars themed wrestlers and it was <strong>Michinoku Pro<\/strong>, who holds an event called the Great Space War every year.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michi Monthly Match #16: Great Space War Vol. 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vFV4KGmdooM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>John Cena&#8217;s Star Wars Promo, 2012<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>On a 2012 episode of\u00a0<em><strong>Raw<\/strong><\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em>in June, John Cena turned his fight against then-authority figure\u00a0<strong>John Lauriniatis<\/strong> into a Star Wars-themed promo, comparing the &#8220;People Power&#8221; magnate to Emperor Palpatine.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Citing &quot;Star Wars,&quot; John Cena recalls the fate of John\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4hMYEdJYeQU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Layla&#8217;s Princess Leia Halloween Costume, 2012<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45422\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45422\" style=\"width: 445px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45422 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/fe99865e6856f21dc505e81f8529d755-e1556985837350.jpg\" alt=\"Star Wars\" width=\"445\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Halloween in 2012, multiple WWE Superstars shared their Halloween costumes on the WWE Website, but it was former Divas Champion\u00a0<strong>Layla\u00a0<\/strong>who caught fans&#8217; attention as<strong> Princess Leia<\/strong> from <em><strong>Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Force Choke Slam, 2016<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>During an indie watch with Beyond Wrestling in 2016, one wrestler used a Force Choke to administer a Force Choke Slam to his opponent.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The invisible choke slam\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OYTRm7nYHh4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Leva Bates vs Thunder Rosa, 2017<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45426\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45426 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/aws042917bates-rosa-e1556986259138.jpg\" alt=\"Star Wars\" width=\"600\" height=\"343\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: AWS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At an <strong>Alternative Wrestling Show<\/strong> event in 2017, cosplay specialist <strong>Leva Bates<\/strong> and <strong>Thunder Rosa<\/strong> competed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clickwrestle.com\/pro\/91643\/leva-bates-vs-thunder-rosa\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a Star Wars themed match<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>John Cena&#8217;s Darth Vader Squat, 2018<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last year, 16x WWE World Champion\u00a0<strong>John Cena\u00a0<\/strong>got in on the action, doing a Darth Vader inspired workout on May 4th day.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnCena\/status\/992420087100567552<\/p>\n<h3><strong>WWE Feels The Force<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45418\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45418\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45418 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/Lightsaber_BrettHart-5523e1907a0290cbfb420b98f4886138-e1556985292834.jpg\" alt=\"Star Wars\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45418\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Last year for May 4th, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/inside\/star-wars-superstars#fid-40356968\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE recreated many memorable moments<\/a> throughout their history by superimposing light sabres into their images.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45419\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45419\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-45419\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/05\/Lightsaber_Randy-52bbbea07079cb2d5fd486f52479aed2-e1556985309832.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45419\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Zack Ryder &amp; Curt Hawkins Star Wars Day Pin, 2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The reigning Raw Tag Team Champions <strong>Zack Ryder<\/strong> and <strong>Curt Hawkins<\/strong> co-host a wrestling figure podcast, <em><strong>The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast<\/strong><\/em>, as well as their web series, and this year they&#8217;ve released a special edition pin featuring Ryder and Hawkins as Luke and Yoda from <em><strong>Empire Strikes Back<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Less than 20 pins left!!! HURRY! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kVxJaCTJxE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kVxJaCTJxE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast (@MajorWFPod) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MajorWFPod\/status\/1124688417235849216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s May the 4th, which has universally been accepted as &#8220;Star Wars Day&#8221; due it&#8217;s resemblance to the Star Wars slogan &#8220;May the force be with you&#8221;. And while May the 4th brings out the inner Star Wars fan in millions of fans around the world, even the world of professional wrestling isn&#8217;t immune to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":649,"featured_media":45420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,13,6,3],"tags":[5110],"class_list":["post-45410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-north-america","category-wwe-universe","tag-star-wars"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/649"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}