(born December 28, 1973), known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Mikami, is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. He is best known for his work for

Dramatic Dream Team is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

both as a singles wrestler and with Thanomsak Toba in a tag team called Suicide Boyz.

Career

Coming from a background in

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

and

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

, Mikami started training professional wrestling in

Universal Lucha Libre Universal Lucha Libre (Universal Pro-Wrestling until 1991; Federación Universal de Lucha Libre afterward; UWF and FULL used as acronyms) was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1990 to 1995. The name Universal Lucha Libre is used to ...

in 1993. After passing another tentative year in

Michinoku Pro Wrestling (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...

, he eventually joined Pro Wrestling Crusaders, where he served as a referee before debuting in 1996 against

Nosawa Rongai , better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions. Career Early career (19952004) Nos ...

. In 1997, he followed Sanshiro Takagi to his recently founded

Dramatic Dream Team (1997-2015)

Mikami competed in DDT from its first event. Initially under his real name and later in all caps as Mikami, he developed the

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

of an aloof high-flyer, nicknamed "Suicide Boy", who carried a metal

ladder A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such a ...

to the ring to use it as both a weapon and a jumping platform. In April 2000, after Mikami's return to Japan from a stint in International Wrestling Association, he formed the tag team Suicide Boyz with

Thanomsak Toba is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Dramatic Dream Team (DDT). His ring name is an hommage to Thai professional boxer Thanomsak Sithbaobay. Professional wrestling career Indepe ...

. Taking inspiration from

The Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

, which included sleeves similar to

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

's, they won the

KO-D Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The title was established in 2001. In its early days, DDT occasionally referred to the title as the . It is currently the only tag tea ...

thrice. In 2005, he launched Cruiser's Game, his own brand within Dramatic Dream Team, which focused on junior heavyweight action. It saw the participation of names like

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

Kaz Hayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...

Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...

, Cima and

The Great Sasuke , born July 18, 1969), is a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and politician, currently wrestling for Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW) under the ring name . Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly l ...

. Cruiser's Game had its final event in 2013, hosting a tournament that was won by

Tatsuhito Takaiwa (born Go Yong-Il (Hangul: 고 용일), July 5, 1972) is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Pro Wrestling Zero1, ...

. Two years later, Mikami announced he was leaving DDT. Mikami made his return to DDT on March 20, 2022, at Judgement 2022: DDT 25th Anniversary where he teamed up with

Poison Sawada Julie is a semi-retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) under the ring name . Professional wrestling career DDT Pro Wrestling (1999–2012; 2022–present) Initially trained by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Sawa ...

, Akarangers (

Takashi Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler and the owner of Pro Wrestling Freedoms (Freedoms). A regular on the Japanese independent circuit for over 25 years, Sasaki began his with IWA Kakutō Shijuku and Dramatic Dream Team before transitioning into ...

and Gentaro and his Suicide Boyz tag partner

, being accompanied to the ring by Naomi Susan to defeat

Toru Owashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Championship, KO-D Openweight Champion and two time KO-D Tag Team Championship, KO-D Ta ...

Antonio Honda is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). He is the son of actor Tetsu Watanabe. Professional wrestling career Indepen ...

Kazuki Hirata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Professional wrestling career DDT Pro-Wrestling (2010-present) Hirata's first known match as a professional wrestle ...

and Yoshihiko for the

KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling promotion. Meant for teams of five wrestlers, the title is believed to be the first of its kind in professional wrestling. The title was first announced on April 30, 201 ...

Championships and accomplishments

Apache Pro-Wrestling Army was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 2004 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2016. History Following the closure of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in 2002, Hiromichi Fuyuki formed his own promotion, which ran under the names F ...

/Pro-Wrestling A-TEAM :*WEW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) :*

WEW Tag Team Championship The WEW (World Entertainment Wrestling) World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship formerly contested in the Japanese promotion Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and World Entertainment Wrestling and currently co ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Rion Mizuki (1) and HASEGAWA (1) *

DDT Extreme Championship The is a singles title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling. The title was established in 2006 and it is mostly defended in stipulation matches, with the defending champion being given the right to choose the stip ...

( 1 time) :*

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as i ...

( 11 times) :*

KO-D Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world openweight championship and the top singles accomplishment in the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand division. It is one of CyberFight's top major world title ...

( 3 times) :*

( 6 times) – with

Super Uchuu Power was a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, also known under the ring name . Kimura was known for his work in promotions like Dramatic Dream Team, W*ING, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, among ...

(2),

(1),

(2) and

Tatsumi Fujinami (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...

(1) :*

(1 time, current) – with Poison Sawada Julie, Gentaro, Takashi Sasaki and Thanomsak Toba :*

KO-D Tag League The Ultimate Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by DDT Pro-Wrestling. It was created in 2000 as the and was renamed in 2001. In 2021, the tournament was brought back 16 years after the previous edition un ...

– with Super Uchuu Power (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) and Thanomsak Toba (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

) :*KO-D Tag Team Title League (2008) – with Thanomsak Toba :*Takechi Six Man Tag Scramble Cup – with Kudo and

Shiima Xion Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is a American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Paris began his career in 2004 ...

(2006) * International Wrestling Association :*

IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was a title for wrestlers that weight 225 pounds and under that was being defended in the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico. The championship is generally contested in professional wre ...

( 1 time) *Pro Wrestling Kageki :*Hakata Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikami, Kyohei Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people People from Shimane Prefecture 1973 births Fictional mummies 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers DDT Extreme Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions KO-D 8-Man/10-Man Tag Team Champions KO-D Tag Team Champions KO-D Openweight Champions WEW World Tag Team Champions