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Ryota Hama
(born November 21, 1979) is a retired Japanese sumo wrestler and current professional wrestler, signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division. Sumo career Hama joined sumo in July 1995, and he fought for the Hakkaku stable run by former ''yokozuna'' Hokutoumi. His ''shikona'' was Hokutoarashi (meaning "North Victory Storm") and he reached a highest rank of ''makushita 6'' in November 2001. Injury-prone in his knees, he fell greatly in rank and announced his retirement in May 2008. His career record was 235 wins to 169 losses, with 114 absences due to injury. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2008–2013) After retiring from sumo, Hama became a professional wrestler. Hama debuted in professional wrestling on November 3, 2008, losing to former Sumo champion Akebono. On September 23, 2009, Hama and Akebono, known collectively as SMOP (Super Megaton Ohzumo Powers), won the All Asia Tag Team Championship, defeating Minoru Suzuki and Nosawa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Raijin
(born July 17, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working under the ring name Sushi (stylized as SUSHI). He is a two-time holder of the Gaora TV Championship. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name and is also known for working in North America for the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion under the ring names Kiyoshi and Suicide (character), Suicide. Early life Akira Kawabata was born on July 17, 1978, in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Hyōgo. Professional wrestling career Early career Trained by former junior heavyweight contender Masanobu Kurisu, Kawabata made his debut in 1998, using the ring name Akira Raijin, working primarily on the Japanese independent circuit. All Japan Pro Wrestling (2004–2010) On August 28, 2004, Raijin debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling losing to Ryuji Hijikata. His early years with All Japan would be mostly uneventful which is normal for a new wrestler in a Japanese prom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makushita
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For more information, see '' kachi-koshi'' and ''make-koshi''. Wrestlers are also ranked within each division. The higher a wrestler's rank within a division is, the general level of opponents he will have to face becomes stronger. According to tradition, each rank is further subdivided into East and West, with East being slightly more prestigious, and ranked slightly higher than its West counterpart. The divisions, ranked in order of hierarchy from highest to lowest, are as follows: ''Makuuchi'' , or , is the top division. It is fixed at 42 wrestlers who are ranked according to their performance in previous tournaments. At the top of the division are the four ranks of "titleholders", or "champions" called the ''san'yaku'', comprising ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manabu Soya
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, and he previously lived in Canada training at the Can-Am Wrestling School under Scott D'Amore, working regularly for the Maximum Pro Wrestling promotion. Professional wrestling career MUGA (2007) Soya debuted in MUGA as Osamu Nishimura's pupil, losing to Katsushi Takemura on April 11. Over the next few days however Soya reached a five-minute draw with Yutaka Yoshie, Katsushi Takemura, and Nobuyuki Kurashima On July 1 Soya got a match against Tatsumi Fujinami himself, but Fujinami would have little trouble putting him away. In October Soya and Nishimura would leave MUGA for All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Soya would join the other All Japan dojo mates (such as T28 and Seiya Sanada). All Japan Pro Wrestling (2007-2014) Soya teamed with Sanada for much of the year in the mid-card, as they gained valuable experience wrestling against t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voodoo Murders
Voodoo Murders (stylised in all capital letters, also stylised as VDM) were a professional wrestling stable who were best known as the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011, and 2022 to 2023. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring and later performed primarily for Pro Wrestling ZERO1 in the stable's final years. The group, famously led by former Toryumon wrestler Taru, performed violent actions in their matches and displayed a lack of respect for their opponents. History 2005–2007 After competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling briefly in the early 2000s, Taru returned to All Japan on January 3, 2005, teaming with Johnny Stamboli to defeat David Flair and Keiji Mutoh. The duo was later joined by Chuck Palumbo, Shuji Kondo, "brother" Yasshi and briefly Giant Bernard; proclaiming themselves as Voodoo Murders with Taru as their leader. Although the phrase Voodoo Murders is thought to be Engrish by some fans, it seems to be a tribute to a pulp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenzo Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), in Mexico with Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion in the latter company. He currently performs for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name Kenso, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time Gaora TV Champion. Early career Suzuki was a rugby union player, playing at the international level for Japan prior to his professional debut as a wrestler in January 2000.Famous Ruggers by Wes Clark and others retrieved 19th August, 2009 Professional wrestling career Early career (2000–2003) Suzuki debuted on January 4, ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masayuki Kono
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is working as a freelancer. He is best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he is a former two-time Wrestle-1 Champion. Career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2003–2005) Kono began training in the All Japan Dojo in late 2002 and made his debut on March 28, 2003 in a losing effort to Nobutaka Araya.The Internet Wrestling Database Cagematch. Retrieved on 2011-01-26. For the next two years, Kono was largely featured in opening matches where he worked with fellow newcomers and older wrestlers, often coming out on the losing end, a common practice for young wrestlers in Japan as a way of paying dues. During this time, Kono had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stable (professional Wrestling)
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...s and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the nature of the business. Into the 21st century, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms. Many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to in-ring terms. A B C D E F G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a former two-time MLW World Heavyweight Championship, MLW World Heavyweight Champion and former one half of the MLW World Tag Team Championship, MLW World Tag Team Champions in his second reign. He also makes appearances for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and AJPW's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, Triple Crown Championship simultaneously, the fourth to win the three major heavyweight championships in Japan with the Triple Crown Heavyweight, IWGP Heavyweight, and Noah's GHC Heavyweight Championship, and one of three wrestlers to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Triple Crown Championship, and NWA World Heavyweight Championship, NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. The current champion is Jun Saito, who is in his first reign. Title history The championship was established after the unification of All Japan's then-flagship title, the PWF World Heavyweight Championship, with the NWA United National Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship. The titles were unified on April 18, 1989, when NWA International Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta defeated the PWF World Heavyweight and NWA United National Champion Stan Hansen. Unlike most unified championships, the Triple Crown was originally represented through the continued use of the three individual championship belts. From 1989 to 2000, the holder of the Triple Crown was also presented by Nippon TV (AJPW's broadcaster at the time) with a large, globe-shaped trophy bearing the words "World Heavyweight Champion". The original title belts were returned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__ The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually called the Open Tag League, but it was renamed to its present name the following year. The tournament is held under round-robin rules, with 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss; in earlier tournaments, only a time limit draw would provide the one point, with other methods (such as a Double Disqualification and Double Countouts) providing nothing for either team. The name "Real World Tag League" was a mistranslation by AJPW promoter Giant Baba; "saikyō" in Japanese means "strongest," not "real", but Baba used Engrish for promotional material. Between 1988 and 1994, the World Tag Team Championship was annually vacated in time for the tournament, which would be used to determine the new champions. The rule was reinstated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazushige Nosawa
, better known by his ring names Nosawa and , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions. Career Early career (19952004) Nosawa spent most of his early career training and wrestling in Mexico, most notably with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He also spent much of his early career competing on the U.S. independent scene, Nosawa has competed for American promotions such as Ring of Honor (ROH), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW). Along with Mitsunobu Kikuzawa, Kazuhiko Masada, Minoru Fujita and Katsushi Takemura, Nosawa created the group " Tokyo Gurentai". In 2004, he would adapt the "Nosawa Rongai" or "Nosawa Out of the Question" ring name as a play off to a comment made by Kaz Hayashi, who had replied "Nosawa is out of the question" when he was asked about whether he was going to allow Kazushige to challenge for the World Junior Heavyweight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minoru Suzuki
(born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, known for his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, former two-time NEVER Openweight Champion, former one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, former one-time NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship, NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champion (with former Suzuki-gun stablemates El Desperado (wrestler), El Desperado and Ren Narita) and a former KOPW (professional wrestling championship), Provisional KOPW Champion. He also makes appearances for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a member of Contra Unit and is a former MLW World Tag Team Championship, MLW World Tag Team Champion, with Ikuro Kwon. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s, he was widely considered one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
