Puroresu Pulse

Teach Me, Ringo-sensei! What Is the No-Touch Rule?

¡Hola a todos!

Hey everyone! Friday has rolled around again! ᐕ)ノ゛

Our theme this week is the rules of pro wrestling!

Have you ever stopped to think about pro wrestling rules!?

We pro wrestlers might look like we’re just brawling wildly inside and outside the ring, but we actually have proper rules!

I’m sure most of you know the basics already, but since there usually aren’t many chances to talk about the finer details…

I’d be thrilled if you took this opportunity to learn about them together with me!

That said, the rules can vary depending on the promotion.

For instance, some promotions use a 10-count on the outside, while others use a 20-count!

You definitely can’t afford a boneheaded loss like thinking you have a 20-count when it’s actually only a 10-count!! ( -᷄ ᴗ -᷅ )

In tag team matches, you tag your partner to transfer legal status.

The basic requirements for a proper tag are:

• Hold firmly onto the tag rope
• Reach your hand out over the top rope
• Keep both feet planted on the ring apron

When making a tag, you aren’t allowed to reach your hand through the middle of the ropes, and technically, the tag won’t be recognized under the rules if your foot is resting on the ropes, either. ( 乂˙-˙)

However, depending on the promotion, sometimes there isn’t even a tag rope attached to the turnbuckle.

Plus, rings vary in both size and rope height, so when a shorter women’s wrestler is competing in a large ring, following those strict textbook rules above might mean she literally can’t reach!!

Because of that, both the wrestlers and the referee have to use their best judgment depending on the situation.

However! In Michinoku Pro Wrestling, which proudly champions “Japanese Lucha,” the standard rule of tagging to transfer legal status doesn’t exist at all!!!

The No-Touch Rule is the standard here.

The No-Touch Rule, right, right. …Wait a second?

You hear the term “No-Touch Rule” all the time, but how does it actually work in practice?

To find out, I ambushed Ringo Yamaya for some answers!! lol

MIRAI: “Ringo-san!! Please teach me all about Michinoku Pro Wrestling’s rules from the ground up!”

Chiming in from the side…

Kakeru Hosonuma: “I know one! When Choriso-san is the referee, you’re not allowed to pin someone with your foot! He’ll yell at you, ‘Don’t pin ’em with your foot!’ lol”

Ringo Yamaya: “Hahaha! Michinoku Pro Wrestling uses the No-Touch Rule, which literally means the wrestlers can freely switch in and out of the ring without tagging. However, the rest of the fundamentals are the same as standard rules, so having multiple wrestlers from the same corner inside the ring at once is basically a foul! And also…”

Chiming in from the side…

Kuu Kumagai: “You can score a fall on anyone… (muttering under his breath)“

Ringo Yamaya: “Ah!! That’s right!! You can get a three-count on anyone!! Under normal tag rules, you can only pin the legal wrestler, right? But since it’s no-touch, if two teammates get caught in a double pin, for example, and either one of them gets pinned for a three-count, your team loses.”

MIRAI: “Double pins count, too?”

Ringo Yamaya: “Yes!”

Once again…

Kuu Kumagai: “Submissions count, too… (muttering under his breath)“

Ringo Yamaya: “Right, right!! For instance, in a 3-on-3 match, if everyone is in the ring at the same time and someone locks in a llave (submission hold), if even one person taps out, that team loses. Because technically, everyone holds legal rights in the match.”

MIRAI: “Whaaat?! Oh, I see… (That’s tricky…)“

Ringo Yamaya: “Is there anything else unusual, Kumagai?”

Kuu Kumagai: “Heheheh.”

Ringo Yamaya: “Other than that, fouls, rope breaks, three-counts, and submissions are all the same as standard rules. What makes it unique is simply that the concept of tagging doesn’t exist.”

MIRAI: “So that means as soon as your partner leaves the ring, you can jump right in, right?”

Ringo Yamaya: “Exactly! Even if you’re on the defensive and taking a beating, as long as you get out of the ring, a fresh teammate can come right in!”

MIRAI: “I see… (It sounds simple, yet complicated at the same time.)“

That’s how they broke it down for me.

Just listening to the explanation, it almost makes you feel like a match would never end if you played the rules smartly enough.

If you’re getting beat down and think you’re in trouble, you can just bail out to the floor and a fresh teammate will rotate in for you.

Even when I understand that in my head, though, I still hate the idea of just running away after taking a beating…

My instincts take over and I end up staying in to fight back and get even no matter what. lol

On top of that, when you’re actually in the ring with them, Michinoku wrestlers have such incredible ring awareness that it makes you wonder if they have eyes in the back and sides of their heads!? And their tag team work is unreal…

Even when you try to exploit an opening, there’s barely ever one to be found…

More often than not, you can’t even escape when you try… (ヽ´ω`) sigh…

Though I suppose a lot of that comes down to how second-nature it is for them after competing under these rules for so many years!

However, for fans other than the regulars who always support Michinoku Pro Wrestling, it’s unfamiliar territory, so I think it can be surprising or a bit confusing to follow.

After all, standard tag rules are much more common to see, and it’s crystal clear who the legal wrestler is, making it easy to understand.

That’s why early on in a match, while I still have some breathing room, I’ll sometimes make a point of tagging even though I don’t have to, just so it’s easier for first-time viewers to follow!!

Still, I feel like the No-Touch Rule makes for much faster-paced action, with way more thrills and surprises!! (⸝⸝⸝꤮︠ ꤮︡⸝⸝⸝)

Rules in pro wrestling—sometimes it feels like there aren’t any, but they’re definitely there.

If you pay close attention to them while watching a match, you might discover a whole new way to enjoy the action.

※By the way, my impression is that Referee Keigo Yoshino is super strict about enforcing the rules during matches!

Well then, please be sure to read again next week~ ´ω`)ノ

Translator’s Notes

• ¡Hola a todos! & “Japanese Lucha” (Japanīzu Rucha): In the original Japanese text, MIRAI includes a katakana pronunciation guide (オラ・ア・トドス) next to the Spanish greeting “¡Hola a todos!” (“Hello everyone!”), which has been omitted in English as the Spanish phrase is already in the Latin alphabet. Founded by The Great Sasuke in 1993, Michinoku Pro Wrestling pioneered the fusion of Mexican Lucha Libre with Japanese pro wrestling—a style known as “Japanese Lucha.” Consequently, Spanish wrestling terminology like llave (Mexican intricate submission holds, which MIRAI glosses in parentheses as 関節技 / joint locks) and Mexican-derived tag rules are staples of the promotion.
• The No-Touch Rule (Nō-Tatchi Rūru): Derived from Mexican Lucha Libre (relevos australianos), a wrestler exiting the ring to the floor automatically makes their teammate on the apron legal without requiring a physical hand tag. In Michinoku Pro Wrestling’s specific adaptation, while double-teaming is still subject to the referee’s five-count, every participant technically holds legal match rights simultaneously—meaning any wrestler caught inside the ring can be pinned or submitted to end the fall, even in multi-person scrambles.
• Michinoku Pro Wrestling Roster & Referees:
  • Ringo Yamaya (山谷林檎), Kakeru Hosonuma (細沼翔流), and Kuu Kumagai (熊谷空風): Young roster members of Michinoku Pro Wrestling. In the dialogue, Kumagai’s stage directions read ボソッ (boso), an onomatopoeia for muttering quietly under one’s breath, playing on his reserved backstage persona.
  • Choriso-san (チョリソさん): Ring name of former Michinoku Pro wrestler Sasaki Daichi, who transitioned into becoming the promotion’s main referee following neck injuries.
  • Referee Keigo Yoshino (吉野恵悟レフェリー): A well-known veteran freelance referee across the Japanese independent and joshi scenes, famous for his expressive reactions and strict adherence to technical ring rules.
• Onomatopoeia & Kaomoji: トホホ・・ (tohoho…) is a classic Japanese comic expression signifying dejected sighing or exasperation when things don’t go one’s way, localized here as “sigh…” alongside MIRAI’s original emoticon (ヽ´ω)`.
• Iwate Dialect Closing (んでば、来週も読んでけどがんせ～): MIRAI closes her column in traditional Iwate dialect (specifically the Nambu/Morioka regional dialect of Iwate Prefecture, where Michinoku Pro Wrestling is headquartered and where MIRAI herself was born and raised in the coastal city of Miyako). んでば (ndeba) corresponds to standard Japanese sore dewa (“Well then” / “Until next time”), and 読んでけどがんせ (yonde kedoganse) is the warm dialectal equivalent of yonde kudasai ne (“please read it”).