Thunk! The wrestler slams his arm down on his fellow grappler’s chest. It is perilously close to the supine man’s neck, which is already in a brace.

“That’s no good. A hit on the neck and he might die,” jokes the compere.

The audience at the Shinjuku Face hall in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district laughs and cheers Critics say it is a freak show, but those taking part in the “Disabled Power” wrestling tournament call it empowerment.

Twenty-two wrestlers recently took part in the 76th event organized by volunteer group “Super Handicapped Pro-Wrestling: Doglegs.” Since 1991, the Tokyo NGO has welcomed grapplers with disabilities ranging from seeing and hearing impairments to learning difficulties to cerebral palsy.

“Even someone who is completely bed-bound can be a wrestler,” says Doglegs co-founder Yukinori Kitajima. “But they have to be interesting for the spectators; they need some special individuality.”

One of the most popular wrestlers in the group is “E.T.,” a grimacing grappler who has cerebral palsy. His special attack is the “scary face.”

Kitajima says he got the idea for a wrestling event after witnessing two disabled men have a fight over a girl.

Over 300 spectators are at today’s bout featuring wrestlers with names like “No Sympathy,” “Hard Rock” and “Welfare Power.” Not all the wrestlers are disabled. One non-disabled grappler fights with his legs bound to match the impaired mobility of his opponent. Kitajima himself, who is non-disabled and muscular, fights against a pudgy 23-year-old deaf man aiming to join the group. The audience is made up of a mixture of friends, family, care workers and interested members of the public. Many of the wrestlers’ families have come along. A group of children play happily in the corner.

But in contrast to many non-disabled wrestling bouts, the fighting is brutally real. More than one wrestler leaves blood on the canvas before exiting the ring. One bout is stopped when a masked grappler splits his eye. Another fast and violent bout takes place between a judo black belt, who is blind, and a cancer patient.

Wrestler Makoto Tsuruzono works as an office administrator during the week. “It’s completely different to my daily life. I’m the center of attention here,” he says. “I like to win. I know I am always No. 1.”

Tsuruzono uses a wheelchair outside the ring. Is he scared of injury? “I’ve had a few black eyes. That’s all. I’m tough.”

He says other wrestlers have been told not to participate, but he refuses to be patronized. “If somebody told me I shouldn’t do this, I’d just say, ‘Why? What’s wrong with having fun doing what you want to?’ ”

Organizer Kitajima is well-used to criticism. “Some people say it is a freak show,” he remarks. “But they don’t come and watch the events. The people who do come see that the wrestlers are really fighting.” ❶