(born Go Il-myeong (

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

: 고일명,

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

promoter,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and mixed martial artist. Maeda was also known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Kwik-kik-Lee during his time on the British wrestling's slot on the sports show '' World of Sport'' (WoS). Maeda helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s. He founded Fighting Network RINGS in 1991 which would become one of the top MMA promotions before it folded in 2002.

Professional wrestling career

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1978–1984)

Maeda entered the

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW)

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

in 1978, after being discovered at a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

tournament, and debuted the same year. Like many other New Japan stars before and after him, Maeda embarked on a foreign tour to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1982, where he adopted the Kwik-kik-Lee moniker. In 1983, he participated in the first

International Wrestling Grand Prix (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

tournament, won by

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

. He was one of three Japanese entrants to the international tournament, alongside

Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...

and Rusher Kimura.

World Wrestling Federation (1984)

Maeda would briefly join

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...

's WWF for a few months in the Spring of 1984 working in the opening matches of shows and even appearing a few times in televised bouts. He defeated Pierre Lefebvre in a tournament final for the vacated WWF International Heavyweight Championship on March 25 in Madison Square Gardens.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1984–1985)

In 1984, Maeda,

Yoshiaki Fujiwara is a Japanese professional wrestler, trainer and wrestling promoter. He is famous for his long career in wrestling, having worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (ZERO-ONE), and the two incarnations of shoot style pro ...

, and other New Japan defectors formed the Japanese UWF. It was during his time in the first incarnation of the UWF that his willingness to show his displeasure in the ring became known; he quarreled with

Satoru Sayama (born November 27, 1957) is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, writer, and mixed martial arts (MMA) and wrestling promoter, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He has wrestled under his real name as well as the names ...

(the original Tiger Mask) over the direction of the UWF, as Maeda and other wrestlers were reportedly resentful of Sayama's cramming too much creative power. This included booking himself to win all his matches, where others, Maeda included, " jobbed" in the worked matches. The promotion folded a year later, and Maeda returned to New Japan, where he became one of the promotion's biggest stars.

Return to New Japan Pro Wrestling (1985–1988)

Maeda became involved in a real-life feud with New Japan booker and top star, Antonio Inoki, refusing to work with him in what could have been a huge moneymaking program. In April 1986, he was involved in one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history during a match with

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...

; neither man could agree to losing the match. Andre appeared drunk and started no selling Maeda's moves. Then Maeda proceeded to shoot kick André's legs and repeatedly take him down. After nearly 30 minutes of this, André voluntarily laid down to be pinned (in spite of being assured that Maeda would lose the match), but Akira refused to do so. Inoki eventually came to the ring and demanded the match to end as a No Contest, much to the bewilderment of the audience. On November 19, 1987, during a six-man tag team match, as

Riki Choshu , better known by his ring name , is a South Korean-Japanese retirement, retired Puroresu, professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a Booker (professional wrestling), bo ...

was putting Osamu Kido in a '' Sasori-gatame'', Maeda delivered a stiff kick to Choshu's face, breaking his orbital bone. The flow of the match was disrupted, as Choshu then tried to attack Maeda, and a finish had to be improvised. The resulting injury would sideline Choshu for well over a month and Maeda was immediately suspended for his actions. The promotion's management offered Maeda to lift the suspension in exchange for going on a training excursion to Mexico to learn lucha libre, but Maeda refused and abandoned New Japan along with his partners in February 1988. Although the kick is popularly believed to have been a deliberate attack, Maeda has claimed it was actually an accident, with Choshu having supposedly failed at protecting his face at the cue (a tap on his back) before the kick was thrown. Referee Mr. Takahashi, despite disapproving Maeda's stiff style, has agreed it was an accident on a scripted

spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot Coll ...

, declaring that such miscommunications were not uncommon at the time. Years later, Maeda and Choshu reconciled amicably, to the point where Maeda attended his retirement ceremony.

Newborn UWF (1988–1990)

In 1988, Maeda formed Newborn UWF with

Nobuhiko Takada Nobuhiko Takada (, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and the Uni ...

and others, this time as its number one star, using the notoriety he gained in New Japan to draw large crowds. Maeda's UWF became the first promotion to hold a show at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

, drawing 60,000 to watch Maeda defeat Willy Wilhelm in the main event. In December 1990, Newborn UWF dissolved due to disagreements over the direction of the company.

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting Network RINGS (1991–2002)

Maeda would go on to form Fighting Network RINGS in 1991, while

formed Union of Wrestling Force International with most of the Newborn UWF roster. Fighting Network RINGS would no longer bill itself as wrestling in 1997, after the collapse of

UWF International Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. The UWF international was the successor to the ''Newborn UWF'' th ...

, holding shoot style wrestling matches, legitimate mixed-style fights and later competitive

on the same cards since 1992. In 1999 he retired from active competition after being defeated in a match against three-time Olympic Gold medalist Alexander Karelin, drawing an incredible gate of $2.5 million. The match gained widespread media coverage, including mentions in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''. Following Maeda's retirement, he switched his promotion's style from shoot style to fully competitive mixed martial arts fighting. The new Rings held two King of Kings tournaments, which introduced such mixed martial artists as Fedor Emelianenko,

Dan Henderson Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American former mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a Middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champi ...

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...

, Jeremy Horn and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira to the Japanese audience. RINGS folded in 2002, due to the growing popularity of

PRIDE Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

Revived Rings (2008–present)

When

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

wanted to start a new MMA brand after their previous attempt with ''K-1 Romanex'', Fighting and Entertainment Group hired Maeda as a consultant for

Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex'' ...

. However, FEG retired Hero's in February 2008 to team up with former PRIDE staff to create

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

. Maeda's new project was called ''The Outsider'', an amateur MMA series that uses Hero's rules. RINGS brand was revived for ''The Outsider'' series and several events have been held since March 30, 2008. On January 22, 2012, Maeda decisively resurrected the Fighting Network RINGS brand with Battle Genesis: Vol. 9, the continuation of the ''Battle Genesis'' series the last event of which was held on September 20, 2001. The event was sanctioned by ZST.

Mixed martial arts record

Akira Maeda's Mixed Martial Arts record. The validity of matches is contested. , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 , Alexander Karelin , Decision (unanimous) , Rings: Final Capture , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 ,

Kiyoshi Tamura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be on ...

, n/a , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Mitsuya Nagai , n/a , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 ,

Nikolai Zouev Nikolai Nikolayevich Zouev (; 20 May 1958 – 21 May 2022) was a Russian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. Career He had a background in sambo (martial art), sambo and freesty ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rings – Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:17 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Andrei Kopylov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rings – Extension Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:32 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission (leg lock) , Rings – Extension Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:47 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Maurice Smith , n/a , Rings – Budokan Hall 1997 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Yoshihisa Yamamoto , Submission , Rings – Budokan Hall 1996 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Dick Vrij , n/a , Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Chris Dolman , Submission (armbar) , Rings Holland – Free Fight , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:07 ,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, Holland , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission , Rings – Budokan Hall 1995 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

, Japan ,

Personal life

Maeda's interest in martial arts developed as a schoolboy while watching the ''

Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...

'' television series. By the time he was in high school, his only interests were motorcycles and karate. He is friends with

Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

series creator Shigesato Itoi. Maeda was a third-generation

Zainichi Korean () are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...

prior to naturalization. He is an 8th degree black belt in Kyokushin Budokai.

Works

* (1988) * (1988) * (1992) * (1994) * (1994) * (1998) by Toru Sasaki (Shueisha) ISBN 408780285X * (1999) - With Kazuya Fukuda * (2009) - With Kotetsu Yamamoto * (2011) * (2017) * (2017) * (2021)

Championships and accomplishments

Joint Promotions The history of professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over one hundred years. After a brief spell of popularity for Greco Roman wrestling, Greco Roman professional wrestling during the Edwardian era, the first catch-as-catch-can base ...

European Heavyweight Championship The European Heavyweight Championship is a name used for various top titles competed for throughout the European professional wrestling circuit. The title was recognised as official by UK national TV network ITV for the purposes of their coverage ...

( 1 time) * Fighting Network RINGS **RINGS Battle Dimensions Tournament (1993–1996) *

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. T ...

( 2 times) – with Osamu Kido (1) and

(1) ** Greatest Wrestlers (Class of 2009) *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

**PWI ranked him #40 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI ranked him #13 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Nobuhiko Takada in 2003 *

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards References External links

* http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp Official website 1960 establishments in Japan Da ...

** Effort Award (1981) ** Match of the Year Award (1986) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami on June 12Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
purolove.com ** MVP Award (1989) ** Special Grand Prize (1988) ** Technique Award (1983) * Universal Wrestling Federation **UWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)Akira Maeda｜Greatest Wrestlers｜DataBase｜New Japan Pro-Wrestling
. Njpw.co.jp. Retrieved on April 17, 2015. *

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

** WWF International Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards ** Promoter of the Year (1989) ** Wrestler of the Year (1988) **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

( Class of 1996)

Filmography

Notes

:1.Per Fighting Network Rings practice of having both worked

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

matches and legitimate

Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

bouts, it is not certain which matches are real or fixed. Matches between 1991 and 1994 can be verified of being worked, but there is also no certain indication that the matches from 1995 onwards are fully legitimate.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Akira 1959 births Living people Japanese male professional wrestlers Japanese catch wrestlers Professional wrestling promoters Japanese male mixed martial artists Japanese male karateka Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan Mixed martial artists utilizing Shorinji Kempo Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing shoot wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Japanese sambo practitioners Japanese people of Korean descent Japanese writers Professional wrestlers from Osaka Japanese professional wrestling trainers Naturalized citizens of Japan Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial arts executives IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions 20th-century Japanese sportsmen