is a Japanese
professional wrestler.
He is signed to both
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 ...
and
Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
(MLW), where he is a former two-time
MLW World Heavyweight Champion and former one half of the
MLW World Tag Team Champions in his second reign. He also makes appearances for
All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
(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
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...
and AJPW's
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 Worlds Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
(the other two being
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
and
Shinya Hashimoto
was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the " Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the p ...
), and is an overall eight-time
world champion in major
professional wrestling promotions.
As a team, he and
Hiroyoshi Tenzan are
six-time IWGP Tag Team Champions and became the first team to win
G1 Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling Round-robin tournament, round-robin tag team professional wrestling tournament, tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in ...
and
World's Strongest Tag Determination League in the same year. He and Tenzan are also former
NWA World Tag Team Champions
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
. Between the NWA, AJPW, NJPW, and Noah, Kojima has held 20 total championships.
Early life
Like many Japanese wrestlers, Kojima has a background in judo, but he chose not to continue the sport when he went to college. He got his start loading trucks for
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), and after some months of persuasion finally convinced head trainer
Animal Hamaguchi to accept him into the dojo.
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1991–2002)
Kojima entered the
NJPW Dojo in February 1991. He debuted as a wrestler on July 16, 1991 in a match against future tag team partner
Hiroyoshi Yamamoto (later to be known as Hiroyoshi Tenzan) where Yamamoto won. In 1994 he defeated
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-t ...
in the Young Lions Cup finals, winning the tournament. In the end of that year he went to Europe, including a spell in
Orig Williams' British Wrestling Federation as face-painted Suzuki Karimoto (including appearances on Williams 's Welsh language TV wrestling show on
S4C
S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...
, ''Reslo'' and for Brian Dixon's
All Star Wrestling as heel Mean Machine, and returned to NJPW in January 1996. When he returned, he formed The Bull Powers with Nakanishi, who had returned from WCW. In May 1997 he defeated
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 ...
and
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his numerous runs in the top three Japanese wrestling promotions; New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling Noah. He was the founder and o ...
with Nakanishi to become an IWGP Tag Team Champion for the first time. At the end of 1998 he joined
nWo Japan, by
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
's leadership. Kojima and Tenzan (known together as
Tencozy, a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of their last names) formed a tag team and ended up holding the IWGP Tag Team title together twice.
Major League Wrestling (2002–2003)
On September 26, 2002, Kojima defeated
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach.
Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
to win the vacant
MLW World Heavyweight Championship in New York. Kojima successfully defended the title five times in both MLW and
All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
. Kojima held the championship for a then record 267 days, before losing the title to
Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
on June 20, 2003.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2010)
In January 2002, in opposition to
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 ...
focusing the IWGP title on unreliable
shoot style
Shoot wrestling is a Japanese hybrid grappling style and combat sport. Shoot wrestling incorporates techniques from various wrestling, submission grappling, kickboxing and karate styles. It was particularly inspired and influenced by catch wrest ...
wrestlers such as
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Championship ...
and
Tadao Yasuda, as well as Inoki debuting his controversial "Inokiism" era where NJPW relied heavily on MMA shoot match crossovers, Kojima left NJPW with his mentor
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
, and joined
All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
where he was finally able to receive the push of a top star. One of Kojima's early feuds in AJPW was against
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams and
Mike Barton (Bart Gunn), who as AJPW loyalists didn't take kindly to Kojima's and Muto's "invasion" of the company. Kojima also fought against
Genichiro Tenryu at this time, who would also become an AJPW loyalist.
In promos throughout 2002, Steve Williams often mentioned Satoshi Kojima as someone he would like to beat. Kojima and Williams would cross paths multiple times in tag-team matches, where on the March 23, 2002 edition of AJPW TV, Williams surprise attacked and suplexed Kojima when Kojima was cutting a promo on Tenryu. Kojima later turned babyface by December 2002, where on the December 6, 2002 pay-per-view Kojima and
Taiyo Kea won the Real World Tag League of that year. Williams would watch the celebration somewhat jealously while reluctantly shaking Kojima's hand, looking down at the title on his shoulder. On the January 2, 2003 edition of AJPW TV Williams aggressively slapped Kojima in the corner of the ring during the New Year's Battle Royal before being eliminated, which Kojima went on to win. In January 2003, Williams and his partner
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda Jr. (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the r ...
defeated Kojima and his team three times in tag-team house show matches, but Williams ultimately left AJPW after its sale finalized. As a result a singles match between Williams and Kojima heading into 2003 never materialized.
Kojima would later hold both of the company's tag team titles, the
World Tag Team Championship
In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
twice. On February 16, 2005, he won the
Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, AJPW's unified heavyweight championship from
Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In the promotion, he was a five-time Triple Crown He ...
. Only four days later he won NJPW's heavyweight championship, the
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...
, from his former tag team partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a cross-promotional double title match. The match had a unique finish designed to fool fans in attendance. The idea was to make it look like the match was going to end in a 60-minute time limit draw. However, with just seconds before the match would be declared a time limit draw, Tenzan, who was known to have a legitimate back injury, could not continue, resulting in Kojima being declared the winner and becoming the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion. NJPW officials had come up with the finish, which was designed to look like a "mistake", having agreed with AJPW that it would be better if Kojima won the match, but not wanting the match to end in a standard pinfall or submission. On May 14, 2005, Tenzan won the IWGP title back, but not the Triple Crown.
Upon joining AJPW, Kojima began to use the Great Koji (copying The Great Muta) and Great Kosuke (copying
The Great Sasuke) personas for special matches.
On July 3, 2006, Kojima lost the Triple Crown to
Taiyō Kea. Three days later it was revealed that Kojima would return to New Japan to compete in the
2006 G1 Climax, where he would go to lose in the finals against former tag team partner and rival Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
In October 2006 it was announced that Tencozy would reform for the upcoming
World's Strongest Tag Determination League tournament. On December 2, 2006, the reformed Tencozy won the
World's Strongest Tag Determination League defeating
Kohei Suwama and
RO'Z in the finals when Kojima used a lariat on RO'Z. The duo next faced
Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese retired Professional wrestling in Japan, professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26-year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of New World Order (professional wrestling), nWo Japan, Tea ...
and
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
at NJPW's
Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome. They lost when Chono forced Tenzan to submit.
In July 2007, Kojima shocked the All-Japan Army when he betrayed them and joined the
Voodoo Murders, where he was quickly made the group's co-leader along with
TARU. Soon after joining, Kojima and TARU won the World Tag Team Championship from Toshiaki Kawada and Taiyō Kea. Kojima left the group in 2008 after returning from injury to side with his sworn friend
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and to feud with the alliance of
Great Bash Heel
, often abbreviated to G・B・H, was a professional wrestling stable and tag team in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Originally formed by Hiroyoshi Tenzan in October 2006, G・B・H was the top villainous group in NJPW until April 2009, when ...
(Tenzan's former group) and the VooDoo Murders.
In 2008, Tenzan and Kojima became the first tag team to ever win
G1 Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling Round-robin tournament, round-robin tag team professional wrestling tournament, tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in ...
and World's Strongest Tag Determination League in the same year. Later he started his 1st stable named F4 (Friend Fight Fan and Future) with young proteges YAMATO and
KAI. A 4th member in Zodiac joined later in 2009. On September 26, 2009, a few days after his 39th birthday Kojima lifted the All-Japan Triple Crown off of
Yoshihiro Takayama, returning the titles to All-Japan and winning them for the 2nd time. He lost the title on March 21, 2010, to
Ryota Hama.
Kojima's AJPW page was taken down soon before he agreed to compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's
20th annual G1 Climax. It is reported that he was plagued with an arm injury that required surgery and needed time off to heal. AJPW then refused to discuss re-signing Kojima until he was healthy. It has been reported Kojima was not pleased with this and began entertaining other possibilities.
Return to NJPW (2010–present)

Kojima returned to New Japan in August 2010 to take part in the 2010 G1 Climax tournament. His return match took place on August 6, 2010, when he teamed up with
El Samurai in a tag team match, where they were defeated by
Hirooki Goto and
Ryusuke Taguchi
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former List of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions, two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, List of IWGP Junior He ...
. In the round robin stage of the tournament Kojima won five out his seven matches and won his block to advance to the finals, where, on August 15, he defeated
Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler.
Widel ...
to win G1 Climax.
On October 11 Kojima defeated
Togi Makabe to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time.
On December 11 Kojima made his first successful defense of the title, defeating
Shinsuke Nakamura. On December 14 Kojima announced that he was starting his own stable, tentatively named Kojima Office, and named
Taichi, who had accompanied him to the ring for his Nakamura match, its first member. Kojima turned
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
on December 23, when he hit his number one contender Hiroshi Tanahashi with a lariat after a match, where he and
Kota Ibushi had defeated Tanahashi and
Prince Devitt. On January 4, 2011, at
Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Kojima lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Tanahashi. On January 30 Kojima defeated Togi Makabe to earn a rematch with Tanahashi. Meanwhile, the newly renamed
Kojima-gun expanded to include
Taka Michinoku and
Nosawa Rongai
, 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 ea ...
, who in turn used his connections to get
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
to also join the group. Kojima received his rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on February 20 at
The New Beginning, but was again defeated by Tanahashi. After Kojima was defeated by Togi Makabe on May 3, Taichi and Taka Michinoku turned on him and named the returning
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 Ch ...
as their new leader, while Kojima himself formed a new partnership with Makabe and MVP, who left the stable after Suzuki took over. On July 18, Suzuki defeated Kojima in a singles match. The two had a rematch on August 1 during the first day of the
2011 G1 Climax, where Kojima managed to pick up the win. Kojima managed to win five more matches in the tournament, but a loss to former partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan on the final day eliminated him from the running for a spot in the finals. After the tournament Kojima was sidelined indefinitely with an eye injury suffered during the match with Tenzan.
On September 19, it was announced that Kojima had signed a contract with New Japan to become an official member of the promotion's roster. Kojima then announced that he would make his return on October 10 at
Destruction '11 and challenged former partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan to be his opponent that day. Kojima would end up defeating Tenzan in his return match. In the
2011 G1 Tag League, Kojima teamed with Togi Makabe as the "Beast Combination". After picking up three wins and one loss in their first four matches, Kojima and Makabe were defeated by the Billion Powers (Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi) on November 4, causing them to narrowly miss advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament. Kojima and Tenzan faced each other yet again on November 12 in a match, which was won by Tenzan. Afterwards, the former tag team partners came together to fend off an attack from
CHAOS
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Science, technology, and astronomy
* '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick
* Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company
* ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae
* ...
. Tencozy wrestled their return match as a tag team on December 4, defeating CHAOS members
Hideo Saito and
Takashi Iizuka. On January 4, 2012, at
Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Kojima and Tenzan defeated
Bad Intentions (
Giant Bernard
Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Bloom is best known for his in-ring appearances wi ...
and
Karl Anderson
Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980) known by the ring name Karl Anderson , is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is primarily performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for his time in WWE.
Ander ...
) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the third time. On May 3 at
Wrestling Dontaku 2012, Kojima and Tenzan lost the title to Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano in their third defense. On July 22, Kojima and Tenzan defeated Iizuka and Yano in a decision match to regain the newly vacated title. On October 8 at
King of Pro-Wrestling, Kojima and Tenzan lost the title to
K.E.S. (
Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and
Lance Archer
Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977), better known by his ring name Lance Archer, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where is a member of The Don Callis Family and one-half of The Murder Machines w ...
). From November 20 to December 1, Tencozy took part in the round-robin portion of the
2012 World Tag League. The team finished with a record of four wins and two losses, winning their block and advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament. On December 2, Tencozy was eliminated from the tournament in their semi-final match by Sword & Guns (Hirooki Goto and Karl Anderson). On December 9, Kojima made a rare appearance for
Pro Wrestling Noah, unsuccessfully challenging
Takeshi Morishima for the
GHC Heavyweight Championship. On April 7, 2013, Kojima unsuccessfully challenged visiting
Rob Conway for the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
at New Japan's
Invasion Attack event. On May 3, Tencozy regained the IWGP Tag Team Championship from K.E.S. in a four-way match, which also included Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano, and Manabu Nakanishi and
Strong Man {{disambig
*Ring name of American professional wrestler Jon Andersen
*Strong Man, a cartoon superhero in '' The Mighty Heroes'' ...
, starting Kojima's sixth reign as champion. From August 1 to 11, Kojima took part in the
2013 G1 Climax. where he finished second to last in his block with a record of four wins and five losses. However, a victory over reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Kazuchika Okada on the final day of the tournament earned Kojima a shot at the title. The title match between the two took place on September 29 at
Destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...
and saw Okada retain his title. Following the match, Kojima was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder and was expected to miss two months of in-ring action. Kojima returned to the ring on November 9 at
Power Struggle, where he and Tenzan lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to K.E.S. in a three-way match, which also included
The IronGodz (
Jax Dane and Rob Conway). In December, Tencozy made it to the finals of the
2013 World Tag League, defeating K.E.S. in the semi-finals, before losing to
Doc Gallows
Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Doc Gallows. He is best known for his three tenures in WWE, where he performed under ...
and Karl Anderson.

During the tournament, Kojima pinned Rob Conway, which led to him challenging him to a rematch for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. On January 4, 2014, at
Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, Kojima defeated Conway to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
The following day, Tencozy unsuccessfully challenged The IronGodz for the
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
with Conway pinning Kojima following a low blow. On February 9 at
The New Beginning in Hiroshima, Kojima made his first successful defense of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Big Daddy Yum-Yum. Two days later at
The New Beginning in Osaka, Tencozy defeated Yum-Yum and
Michael Tarver to earn another shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship. On April 6 at
Invasion Attack 2014, Tencozy defeated The IronGodz to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
Six days later, during New Japan's trip to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, Kojima made his second successful defense of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Rob Conway. The following day, Tencozy also successfully defended the NWA World Tag Team Championship against The IronGodz. On May 3 at
Wrestling Dontaku 2014, Kojima defeated
Wes Brisco for his third successful defense of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. On May 25 at
Back to the Yokohama Arena, Tencozy successfully defended the NWA World Tag Team Championship against Brisco and Conway and K.E.S. in a three-way match. The following week, Kojima returned to the United States to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After successful defenses against Jeremiah Plunkett, Damien Wayne and Houston Carson, Kojima lost the title back to Rob Conway on June 2 in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. Upon his return to Japan, Kojima and Tenzan successfully defended the NWA World Tag Team Championship against K.E.S. on June 21 at
Dominion 6.21. After four successful title defenses, they lost the title to K.E.S. in a rematch on October 13 at
King of Pro-Wrestling. The following month, Tencozy took part in the
2014 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals. In late 2014, Kojima began making appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah, which culminated in him unsuccessfully challenging
Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight Championship on January 10, 2015. On March 21, Kojima unsuccessfully challenged Hiroyoshi Tenzan for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. From July 23 to August 15, Kojima took part in the
2015 G1 Climax, where he finished with a record of three wins and six losses. On March 19, 2016, Kojima unsuccessfully challenged
Katsuyori Shibata for the
NEVER Openweight Championship.
On July 3, Kojima teamed up with
Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...
and
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
to defeat
The Elite (
Kenny Omega
Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
and
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)) for the
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.
Afterwards, Kojima backed out of the
2016 G1 Climax and gave his spot to Hiroyoshi Tenzan to give his longtime tag team partner one final chance to win the tournament. On August 14, Kojima unsuccessfully challenged
Jay Lethal for the
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
(ROH)
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
. On September 25, Kojima, Ricochet and Sydal were stripped of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship due to Sydal failing to make a scheduled title defense at
Destruction in Kobe because of travel issues. That same day, Kojima and Ricochet, now teaming with
David Finlay, defeated
Adam Cole
Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
and The Young Bucks to regain the vacant title.
They lost the title to ''
Los Ingobernables de Japón'' (
Bushi,
Evil
Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others.
Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...
and
Sanada) in a four-team
gauntlet match at
Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017. On March 6, Tencozy defeated
Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the sixth time. They lost the title to
War Machine
War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...
(
Hanson and
Raymond Rowe) on April 9 at
Sakura Genesis 2017
Sakura Genesis 2017 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place on April 9, 2017, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured nine matches (in addition to one match on the pre-show), main ...
.
On August 27, 2017, Kojima made a one-night return to AJPW, wrestling his first match for the company in five years. He defeated Suwama in the match, but was left with a bad aftertaste due to the win coming as a result of a pre-match attack on Suwama by
Joe Doering.
After sitting most of 2018 out with an ACL injury, Kojima returned and teamed with Tenzan in the 2018
World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan:
* World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association
* World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...
, earning 10 points. Kojima would then enter the 2019
New Japan Cup where he was eliminated in the first round by long time rival
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 Ch ...
. Kojima and Tenzan entered the 2019
World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan:
* World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association
* World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...
and finished with 6 points, not making the finals. Kojima would enter the 2020
New Japan Cup, however was eliminated in the first round by eventual winner
EVIL
Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others.
Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...
. In December 2020, after
Juice Robinson sustained an eye injury, Kojima would replace him and challenge
KENTA for his
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Right to Challenge briefcase at
Wrestle Kingdom 15. At the event, Kojima lost. Kojima then began a feud with
Will Ospreay culminating in a No Disqualification Match at
The New Beginning in Nagoya, where Ospreay would defeat Kojima. Kojima entered the 2021
New Japan Cup, but was eliminated in the first round by
Jeff Cobb.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2017, 2024)
On June 28, 2017, Mexican promotion
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
(CMLL) announced that Kojima would be making his debut for the promotion in the
2017 International Gran Prix. He was eliminated from the ''
torneo cibernetico
A ''torneo cibernetico'' is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format ...
'' on September 1 by
Último Guerrero. Kojima also took part in an event held by the Lucha Memes promotion on September 3, losing to
Hechicero.
On May 24, 2024 he returned to the CMLL as part of the CozyMAX (Okumura) tag team, they lost against Los Depredadores (Magia Blanca & Rugido). On May 28, 2024 they made their first defense of the
MLW World Tag Team Championship against Los Depredadores (Magia Blanca & Rugido).
Impact Wrestling (2021)
On the May 20, 2021, episode of ''
Impact!'', a video package aired promoting Kojima arriving to
Impact Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busine ...
as part of a partnership between Impact and NJPW. On the following week's ''Impact!'', Kojima made his debut confronting
Violent by Design where he challenged VBD member
Joe Doering to a match at
Against All Odds. At the event, Kojima lost to Doering. On the June 24 episode of ''Impact!'', he teamed up with
Eddie Edwards to face VBD members Doering and
Deaner for the
Impact World Tag Team Championship, but failed to win. The following week on ''Impact!'', he teamed up with Jake Something to defeat
Brian Myers and Sam Beale, in what would be his final match in the company.
All Elite Wrestling (2021, 2023)
On the August 25, 2021, episode of ''
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
'',
Jon Moxley
Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
announced a match against Kojima at
All Out. At the event on September 5, he lost to Moxley.
On June 25, 2023 at
Forbidden Door, Kojima competed in the
Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament, losing to
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Pro Wrestling Noah (2022–2023)
On April 30 at Majestic 2022, Kojima was revealed to be
Naomichi Marufuji's mystery partner against Kinya Okada and
Yoshiki Inamura which Kojima and Marufuji won. Kojima then challenged
Go Shiozaki for the
GHC Heavyweight Championship after Shiozaki won the vacant title after defeating
Kaito Kiyomiya in the main event. At
CyberFight Festival 2022, Kojima defeated Shiozaki to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time and became the fourth Japanese wrestler to win all the major Heavyweight titles in Japan, having also won the IWGP Heavyweight and Triple Crown Heavyweight Championships in his career.
Return to MLW (2024–present)
In January 2024, Kojima returned to MLW to challenge World Heavyweight Champion,
Alex Kane to a title match. At
SuperFight 2024, Kojima defeated Kane to win the MLW World Heavyweight Championship, 22 years after first winning the title. Kojima also became the first 2-time World Heavyweight Champion in the promotions history. At
Intimidation Games, Kojima successfully defended his title against
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 Ch ...
. At
War Chamber, Kojima team up with The Second Gear Crew (
Matthew Justice and
1 Called Manders
Steven Manders (born 23 October 1993), better known by his ring name 1 Called Manders, is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit. He is also known for his time with American promotions Game Changer ...
) and
Shigeo Okumura, as Team MLW. Together, they defeated World Titan Federation (
Tom Lawlor,
Davey Boy Smith Jr.,
Richard Holliday, and Josh Bishop) in a War Chamber match. At
War Chamber II, Kojima successfully defended his title against
Bad Dude Tito. At
Aztecha Lucha, Kojima teamed up with Shigeo Okumura, calling their team, CozyMax. Together, they defeated The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders) to win the vacant
MLW World Tag Team Championship. Kojima also became a double champion in the process, the first to hold both the World Heavyweight and World Tag Team titles at the same time. He lost the title to Matt Riddle at Kings of Colisseum 2025.
Other media
Kojima, along with fellow NJPW wrestlers Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kazuchika Okada,
Tetsuya Naito
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his 20-year run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he served as the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' stable, and was a multi-time world champion. ...
and Toru Yano, appears as a member of the gang Justis in the 2016 video game ''
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life''. He also appears in the game ''
Fire Pro Wrestling World'' as a playable character.
Personal life
Kojima has a daughter.
Championships and accomplishments

*
All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
**
All Asia Tag Team Championship (
1 time) – with
Shiryu
**
Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (
2 times)
**
World Tag Team Championship
In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
(
3 times) – with
Taiyō Kea (1),
Kaz Hayashi (1), and
TARU (1)
**BAPE STA!! Tag Tournament (2003) – with
Apeman
**
Champion Carnival (
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
)
**
Ōdō Tournament (
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
)
**January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2003)
**
World's Strongest Tag Determination League – with Taiyō Kea (
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
), Kaz Hayashi (
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
), and
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
)
*
Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
**
MLW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
**
MLW World Tag Team Championship (
2 times) – with
Shigeo Okumura
*
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
**
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
(
1 time)
[
**]NWA World Tag Team Championship
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
( 1 time) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan[
*]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 ...
**IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...
( 2 times)[
** IWGP Tag Team Championship ( 7 times) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan (6) and ]Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-t ...
(1)
** NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship ( 2 times) – with Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...
and Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
(1),[ and David Finlay and Ricochet (1)][
** Super Grade Tag League/G1 Tag League – with ]Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
(1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
), and Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2001
The year's most prominent event was 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. The United States led a Participan ...
, 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
)
** G1 Climax (2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
)[
** Young Lion Cup (]1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
)
**Fighting Spirit Award (2001)
**Tag Team Best Bout (2000) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-t ...
and Yuji Nagata on October 9
*''Nikkan Sports
is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background ...
''
**Best Tag Team Award (2008) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan
*''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 ...
''
**Ranked No. 3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500
''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 ...
'' in 2005
**Ranked No. 275 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI Years'' in 2003
* Pro Wrestling Noah
** GHC Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time)
**GHC Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), title in Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Big Van Vader, Vader and 2 Cold Scorpio, Sc ...
( 1 time) – with Takashi Sugiura
*Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max
, often referred to simply as Zero1 and sometimes referred to as Pro Wrestling Zero1 Catch as Catch Can (stylized as ZERO1 and PRO WRESTLING ZERO1 CATCH AS CATCH CAN, respectively), is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001 ...
** Fire Festival (2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
)
*''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 ...
''
** Best Tag Team Award (2000) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan[
** Fighting Spirit Award (2010)]
** MVP Award (2005)
*''Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
''
** Tag Team of the Year (2001)
References
External links
*
*
Official blog
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kojima, Satoshi
1970 births
20th-century male professional wrestlers
20th-century Japanese professional wrestlers
21st-century male professional wrestlers
21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Living people
NWA World Heavyweight Champions
Professional wrestlers from Tokyo
New World Order (professional wrestling) members
IWGP Heavyweight champions
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
GHC Heavyweight Champions
GHC Tag Team Champions
All Asia Tag Team Champions
World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions
MLW World Heavyweight Champions
NWA World Tag Team Champions
Young Lion Cup winners
World Tag League (NJPW) winners
G1 Climax winners
Champion Carnival winners
Odo Tournament winners
MLW World Tag Team Champions
Fire Festival winners
World's Strongest Tag Determination League winners