Takeshi Inoue (born December 20, 1972) known by his
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
,
is a
Japanese 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 ...
, who worked for
Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former
sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestler.
Sumo career
He made his sumo debut in March 1988, after leaving junior high school. He joined at the same time as future ''
yokozuna
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the o ...
''
Takanohana and
Wakanohana. He initially trained at the same
stable
A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed.
Styles
There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
as these two,
Futagoyama-beya, but when former ''yokozuna''
Takanosato branched off to set up
Naruto-beya in March 1989, Inoue was one of the young recruits to follow him to the new stable. He also changed his ''
shikona
A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the .
Given by the master to his di ...
'', or fighting name, from Futagozakura to Rikio. In July 1993 he was promoted to the second highest ''
jūryō
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...
'' division, becoming the first wrestler from Naruto stable to reach elite ''
sekitori'' status. He was demoted from that division after just one tournament, but returned to ''jūryō'' in May 1994 and was promoted to the top ''
makuuchi
, or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous ...
'' division in July 1996 after winning his second ''jūryō'' ''
yūshō
is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo.
It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Yūs ...
'', or tournament championship. In September 1997 he was promoted to his highest rank of ''
maegashira'' 4, but he did not take part in the tournament. This was initially said to be due to a liver disorder, but it was later revealed that relations with his stablemaster had broken down, and Rikio was forced to retire from sumo. Due to the dispute he was unable to have a formal retirement ceremony, but some of his friends in the sumo world organised an informal one for him in early 1998, with
Akebono and
Konishiki among the attendees.
Professional wrestling career
After leaving sumo he was soon scouted by
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 ...
. After training in their dojo, he made his debut in 2000 in a
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 ...
match in which he partnered
Masao Inoue against
Takeshi Morishima and
Jun Akiyama. However, before he could build any momentum,
Mitsuharu Misawa
was a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter. He is primarily known for spending 18 years with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and subsequently leading the 2000 All Japan Pro Wrestling mass exodus, which culminated in him forming Pro W ...
left AJPW and in the process, took most of the native talent with Rikio being among these talents. In
Pro Wrestling Noah, he has seen much success. He dethroned the legendary
Kenta Kobashi
(born, March 27, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired wrestler. Broadly referred to by the nickname , he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He is best known for his two run ...
for the
GHC Heavyweight Championship (at the end of this match Rikio can be seen sobbing as he accepts the title from Kobashi), ending his two-year reign, before losing the title to
Akira Taue some time later. On June 4, 2006, he captured his second
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 ...
with
Jun Akiyama when he pinned
Muhammad Yone after a
Musou. However, Rikio and Akiyama were forced to vacate their title on September 25, 2006 after Rikio suffered a neck injury.
On November 27, 2011, Rikio announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to serious neck injuries.
Championships and accomplishments
*''
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 ...
''
**Outstanding Performance Award (2005)
*''
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 #82 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 2010
*
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 ...
( 3 times) – with Takeshi Morishima (1), Jun Akiyama (1) and Muhammad Yone (1)[
**Two Day Tag Team Tournament (2004) – with Naomichi Marufuji
**Global Tag League Outstanding Performance Prize (2008) – with Jun Akiyama
*]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 ...
** Outstanding Performance Award (2005)
** Rookie of the Year (2000)
Sumo career record
See also
* List of sumo tournament second division champions
*
*List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
References
External links
*
Profile at Green Destiny
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rikio, Takeshi
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Living people
Japanese sumo wrestlers
1972 births
Sumo people from Nara Prefecture
GHC Heavyweight Champions
GHC Tag Team Champions
21st-century male professional wrestlers
21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers