Imagine starting a company in your garage, declaring yourself "Employee of the Month," and propping up an old bowling trophy from ten years ago to prove it. In this episode of pplpod, we conduct a structural archaeology of the Real World Championship, the first and most bizarre top prize of New Japan Pro Wrestling. We unpack the "Ohio Hand-Me-Down," analyzing how a newly established NJPW in 1972 bypassed the hard work of building a legacy by recycling a physical belt from a defunct regional American territory. We examine the "Startup Chaos" of the inaugural champion, Carl Gotch, who held the title for nine months without a single defense, and the subsequent six-day reign of Antonio Inoki. By analyzing the involvement of special guest referee Lou Thesz in a murky  ...