Sho Tanaka
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(born August 27, 1989), known mononymously as Sho (stylised in
all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
as SHO), is a Japanese
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 ...
. He is signed to
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), where he is a member of
House of Torture House of Torture is a villainous professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW); it was formerly a sub-grouping of the stable Bullet Club. The stable is led by Evil and also consists of ...
, a former member of
Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...
, and a double champion; being one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions alongside
Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田 蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club ...
and
Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He is one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Ren Narit ...
in their first reign as a team and his third individually, and being one-half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with Douki in their first reign as a team and his sixth individually. He is a former member of
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 * ...
and was a part of the junior heavyweight
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
Roppongi 3K, along with Yoh. The tag team were five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and three-time winners of the Super Junior Tag League. Additionally, Sho is a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He has previously worked for the American promotion
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) and 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). In the latter promotion, he was known under 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 ...
, named after the Japanese God of thunder, and was part of '' La Ola Amarilla'' ("the Yellow Wave") alongside Okumura,
Kamaitachi is a Japanese yōkai from the oral tradition of the Kōshin'etsu region. It can also refer to the strange events that this creature causes. They appear riding on dust devils and cut people using their sickle-like front claws, delivering shar ...
and Fujin (the name Yoh worked under in Mexico).


Early life

Sho Tanaka was born on August 27, 1989, in Uwajima, Ehime,
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 ...
. While in high school he became involved with
Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...
, something he continued to practice as he attended
Tokuyama University is a public university in Shunan, Yamaguchi, Japan, established as a private university in 1971. It was formerly called Tokuyama University, but was transferred into a public university in 2022. Organisation and administration The University h ...
. At Tokuyama, he was the vice-captain of the wrestling team, competing in the 7th All-Japan University Championship for Greco-Roman wrestling, where he came in third over all.


Professional wrestling career

Inspired by
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) wrestler
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 ...
, Tanaka attended the NJPW Dojo in February 2012, training for his professional wrestling career.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2012–2016)

On November 11, 2012, Tanaka made his professional wrestling debut in the opening match of the NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament 1st round show where he lost to Takaaki Watanabe. Tanaka competed as one of NJPW's "Young Lions" a class of rookie wrestlers who work mostly against each other early on, wearing all black gear and with no particular ring character, all part of the structured learning process in NJPW. Throughout 2013 and 2014, Tanaka often faced off against fellow Young Lion Yohei Komatsu, with both men trading victories in both singles and tag team competition. By 2015, Tanaka and Komatsu had begun teaming together on a regular basis, including working together in the New Japan Rumble as part of
Wrestle Kingdom 9 Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 201 ...
on January 5, 2015. The two teamed up to eliminate
Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...
and Taichi but were both eliminated by Tama Tonga. Tanaka was called upon to replace an injured
Rey Cometa Mario Alberto González (born March 11, 1983), better known by his ring name Rey Cometa (Spanish language, Spanish for "King Comet"), is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' (or professional wrestler), working for the Mexican professional wrestling ...
on a NJPW/
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 ...
co-promoted Fantastica Mania 2015 show on January 14. Tanaka and Stigma lost to '' La Peste Negra'' ("The Black Plague"; Bárbaro Cavernario and Mr. Niebla) On February 11, 2015, Tanaka defeated rival and occasional tag team partner Yohei Komatsu in the opening match of NJPW's 2015 The New Beginning in Osaka show. In June and July 2015, Tanaka represented NJPW in Pro Wrestling Noah's
Global Junior Heavyweight League The Global Junior Heavyweight League is a professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling Noah. The purpose of the tournament is to determine the promotion's top junior heavyweight wrestler. It was originally designed to be a ...
. During the tournament, he earned two points by defeating Hitoshi Kumano, but lost the rest of his matches to be eliminated from the tournament. At Destruction in Kobe, Tanaka and Komatsu defeated fellow Young Lions David Finlay and
Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...
. In early 2016, it was announced that Tanaka and Komatsu would compete in the 2016 Fantastica Mania series of shows, competing in what NJPW called the "Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka send-off game", announcing that the two would travel to Mexico and work for CMLL as part of their continued in-ring skill development. The team worked the opening match for each of the six Fantastica Mania events, losing each time.


Overseas learning excursion (2016–2017)

Tanaka and Komatsu became be the latest in a long line of young Japanese wrestlers to travel to Mexico to learn the ''
lucha libre ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...
'' style. In Mexico, Tanaka was given 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 ...
Raijin, named after the Japanese God of Thunder, teaming with Komatsu who would be known as Fujin, named after the Japanese God of Wind. The duo made their Mexican debut on January 31, 2016, teaming up with Okumura, forming the most recent version of '' La Ola Amarilla'' ("The Yellow Wave"). The group was joined by
Kamaitachi is a Japanese yōkai from the oral tradition of the Kōshin'etsu region. It can also refer to the strange events that this creature causes. They appear riding on dust devils and cut people using their sickle-like front claws, delivering shar ...
, a previous NJPW trainee who had worked for CMLL since 2014. In October 2016, Tanaka and Komatsu, now billed as "Sho" and "Yohey" and known as "The Tempura Boyz", began working regularly for American promotion
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), with whom NJPW also had a working relationship.


Return to NJPW (2017–present)


Chaos (2017–2021)

On October 9, 2017, at King of Pro-Wrestling, Tanaka and Komatsu, billed as "Sho" and "Yoh", returned to NJPW, when they were revealed as
Rocky Romero John Raymond Rivera (born October 28, 1982), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ, ''Rokkī Romero''), is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrest ...
's new tag team Roppongi 3K. The two defeated Funky Future (
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 ...
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 their return match to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Through their affiliation with Romero, Sho and Yoh also became part of the
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 * ...
stable. On November 5 at
Power Struggle A power struggle is situation where two or more people or groups fight to gain dominance over each other. The term is most commonly used in a political context, when parties contend for power or leadership positions, but can also be applied to a ...
, Roppongi 3K defeated Super 69 ( ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the finals to win the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. On January 4, 2018, Roppongi 3K lost the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) at Wrestle Kingdom 12, but won it back on January 28 at the New Beginning in Sapporo. Roppongi 3K lost the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Suzuki-gun ( El Desperado and
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He also works as a backstage producer for NJPW. Professional wrestling career ...
) at the NJPW 46th Anniversary Event in March 2018. In May 2018, he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with three wins and four losses, failing to advance to the finals. In October, Sho and Yoh entered the 2018 Super Junior Tag League, winning the tournament for the second time in a row to face Desperado and Kanemaru at
Wrestle Kingdom 13 Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2019 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the twenty-eighth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the ...
. However, an earlier loss to the team of
Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...
and Bushi made the title match a triple threat, that Takagi and Bushi would go onto win, with Takagi pinning Sho. At New Japan's 47th Anniversary Event, Sho and Yoh would defeat Takagi and Bushi to win the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for a third time. Sho would then start to call out Takagi for a singles match, even hoping to face Takagi in the Best of the Super Juniors finals. Takagi and Sho would meet on the first night of the tournament with Takagi defeating Sho. In June, Roppongi 3K would lose the Junior Tag Team Championship to
Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...
(
El Phantasmo Riley Vigier (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs under the ring name El Phantasmo (often shortened to ELP) and is the NJPW World Tel ...
and
Taiji Ishimori is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its List of Bullet Club members#War Dogs, War Dogs sub-group. Ishimori is a three-time IWGP Junio ...
). In November, Sho and Yoh would win the Super Junior Tag League for the third time in a row. At Wrestle Kingdom 14, Roppongi 3K would defeat Phantasmo and Ishimori to win the titles for a fourth time. Roppongi 3K would make their first successful title defense against Desperado and Kanemaru at The New Beginning in Osaka. They would make their second successful title defense against Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi on the first night of the New Japan Road tour. Following New Japan's return to producing wrestling shows, Sho entered the 2020 New Japan Cup avenging his loss to Takagi in the first round before losing to
Sanada Sanada is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Asami Sanada (born 1977), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese shogi player * Juzo Sanada (1923–1994), Japanese baseball player * Hiroki Sanada (born 1984), Japanese baseb ...
in the second. Sho challenged for his first singles title, the NEVER Openweight Championship, in a defeat to Takagi at
Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...
. Unfortunately during that time, Roppongi 3K was forced to relinquish the Junior Heavyweight Tag Championship due to Yoh suffering a knee injury against Bushi during the New Japan Cup. In November 2020, he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with 6 wins and 3 losses, failing to advance to the finals. In 2021, Sho challenged for the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold ...
for the first time in his career, but failed to capture the title from Hiromu Takahashi in the main event of The New Beginning. Yoh made his return from injury at
Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since Invasion Attack (2013), 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack ...
, reuniting Roppongi 3K. The team would then capture the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the fifth time, defeating Desperado and Kanemaru. On June 23 at Kizuna Road, 3K would lose their titles to El Phantasmo and Ishimori. In the following months 3K would hit a major slump after losing their Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with both members having no clear direction or feuds, and with the team taking numerous losses in multi man tag matches. In late July, Yoh, who had also started sporting a more toned down look and demeanor, began to undergo a large losing streak, taking the pins in three straight matches prior to Super Jr. Tag League beginning, which left Sho seemingly worried for him and the team's future. Roppongi 3K entered the tournament, but lost their first three straight matches, immediately being eliminated from the tournament they had never failed to win in any year prior, with Yoh once again taking the falls each time out. On August 16, Roppongi 3K would lose their fourth tournament match to Desperado and Kanemaru, after Sho chose to not help Yoh escape a submission hold from Desperado. After the match Sho would attack Yoh and claim that he was now useless to him, disbanding their team after eight years, and turning heel for the first time in his New Japan career.


Bullet Club and House of Torture (2021–present)

On September 4, 2021, he defeated his former tag team partner Yoh by referee stoppage on Night 1 of
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on September 4 and 5, 2021, at the Belluna Dome, MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Tokorozawa, Ja ...
. After the match, Sho joined
Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...
, by accepting the shirt given to him by
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 ...
. Alongside Evil,
Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He is one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Ren Narit ...
and
Dick Togo , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Togo is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. Togo has spent the major ...
, Sho joined the sub-group
House of Torture House of Torture is a villainous professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW); it was formerly a sub-grouping of the stable Bullet Club. The stable is led by Evil and also consists of ...
. At
Power Struggle A power struggle is situation where two or more people or groups fight to gain dominance over each other. The term is most commonly used in a political context, when parties contend for power or leadership positions, but can also be applied to a ...
, Sho, Takahashi and Evil defeated Sho's former
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 * ...
stablemates Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Tomohiro Ishii, to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The following week, Sho entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Sho's tournament campaign ended with a total of 12 points, with a loss to Yoh on the final night, preventing him from reaching the finals. On January 5 at Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16, House of Torture defeated Chaos in a rematch for the Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The following night, Sho defeated Pro Wrestling Noah's Atsushi Kotoge. In February at NJPW Golden Series, House of Torture retained their titles against Chaos. The following month, Sho entered the New Japan Cup, but was defeated by Hiromu Takahashi in the first round. In April at Hyper Battle, Sho challenged El Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated. Later that month, House of Torture successfully defended their Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Guerillas of Destiny ( Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and
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 ...
. The following month, Sho competed in the Best of the Super Juniors, competing in the A Block. Sho finished the tournament with 10 points, failing to advance to the finals. The following month at Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, House of Torture defeated Suzuki-gun (El Desperado,
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He also works as a backstage producer for NJPW. Professional wrestling career ...
and
Zack Sabre Jr. Lucas James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his ring name and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the second and current leader of the ...
) to retain their Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship once again. In July, the trio lost the Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Yoh), ending their reign at 241 days. In September at Burning Spirit, House of Torture regained the Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. In November, Sho and Dick Togo entered the Super Junior Tag League, but failed to advance to the finals after finishing with 4 points. On January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom 17, Sho competed in the New Japan Rambo, where he lasted until the final four, and earnt a spot in the four-way match for the 2023 provisional KOPW Championship at New Year Dash!! the following day. At the event, Sho failed to win the match, which was won by
Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...
. At The New Beginning in Osaka, House of Torture lost the Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to
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 ...
,
Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田 蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club ...
and El Desperado. The trio failed to regain their titles in a rematch in April. In May, Sho entered the Best of the Super Juniors, competing in the A Block. Sho ended the tournament with 8 points, failing to advance to the semi-finals. In August, House of Torture embarked on a feud with Just 5 Guys. After a match between the two sides, on August 13, after Sho scored a direct pinfall victory over provisional KOPW Champion Taichi in an eight-man tag team match, Sho proceeded to attack him with the title belt, before declaring that he would take it from its rightful holder, setting up a title match 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 ...
. At the event, he defeated Taichi in a seconds handcuffed match, with help from Kanemaru (who turned on Just 5 Guys), to become the new provisional KOPW Champion. At New Japan Road, in a match guest refereed by Kanemaru, Sho dropped the provisional title back to Taichi, and as a result of the stipulation, was banned from wrestling in the
Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...
. On February 23, 2024 at The New Beginning in Sapporo, Sho defeated El Desperado to win the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold ...
for the first time.


Mixed martial arts career

Tanaka was scheduled to make his
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 ...
debut on May 27, 2017, fighting Nicholas Trochez in
Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, for Golden MMA Championships. Trochez first failed to make weight for the fight, which Tanaka was reportedly willing to overlook, but the fight ended up being canceled when Trochez's medical information also did not come in on time.


Championships and accomplishments

*
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 Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold ...
( 1 time) **
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team 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 August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junio ...
( 6 times, current) – with Yoh (5) and Douki (1, current) ** NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship ( 3 times, current) – with
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
Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He is one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Ren Narit ...
(2) and
Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田 蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club ...
and Yujiro Takahashi (1, current) ** KOPW Provisional Championship ( 1 time) ** Super Jr. Tag Tournament/Super Junior Tag League (
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
) – with Yoh ** Concurso (2019) * ''
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. 163 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 2018 ** Ranked No. 10 of the top 50 tag teams in the '' PWI Tag Team 50'' in 2020


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sho 1989 births Tokuyama University alumni Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people People from Uwajima, Ehime Chaos (professional wrestling) members Contestants on Japanese game shows IWGP Junior Heavyweight champions IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club members 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers KOPW Champions Super Junior Tag League winners