Team Japan is a professional wrestling group that was brought together as a part of

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

's World X Cup Tournament.

History

2004

Team Japan started as six-man team as team captain Nosawa from

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Bab ...

teamed with Osaka Pro Wrestling's Ebessan and Kamen competed in non-tournament exhibition match. They lost to Elix Skipper, Sonjay Dutt and Chris Sabin. For the World X-Cup event in May 2008, Nosawa dropped Ebessan and Kamen and replaced them with Mitsu Hirai Jr., Ryuji Hijikata and Taichi Ishikari, all of whom were like Nosawa from All Japan. They enjoyed some success in exhibitions and singles matches not related to the tournament itself, but failed to have any significant success in the actual tournament and were quickly eliminated, leaving Team Canada, Team Mexico, and

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

for the finals which were held under Ultimate X rules. After the X-Cup event, Nosawa teamed with fellow All Japan wrestler Kazushi Miyamoto for several months under the Team Japan name. They disappeared from TNA after Victory Road.

2006

Team Japan returned to TNA for the

TNA 2006 World X-Cup Tournament The TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling X Cup Tournament staged by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in April and May 2006. The tournament pits stables of X Division-style wrestlers from around the world against one another i ...

. On the March 11, 2006 episode of

TNA Impact! ''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...

, Mike Tenay said that Puma would be on Team Japan for the competition.

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...

was shortly thereafter announced to be the captain of the team. Rumored members of the team included

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...

, Black Tiger, and

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 ...

. Oddly, the character of Black Tiger has always been that of a heel in Japan while Tiger Mask is the babyface. The characters are that of "twins" with Black Tiger being the "evil twin". They do not tag and this would have been considered an unusual decision for TNA to make. These were proven as nothing more than rumors, and none of the rumored competitors were included on the team. Team Japan made its return at TNA Lockdown 2006, with members

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishi ...

, Minoru Tanaka, and Black Tiger competing in an exhibition six man tag match against

members

Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champion ...

Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonj ...

, and

Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and physical therapy clinician, better known by the ring name, Alex Shelley, makes appearances with Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) ...

. Team Japan pulled out the win in light of miscommunication on the part of Team USA. Liger was supposed to be a part of the exhibition competitions at Lockdown, as he was slated to face off with

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best know ...

. Due to travel conflicts, Liger was unable to make the pay-per-view, and TNA had to alter the card, declaring Daniels' opponent to be a mystery competitor. The competitor was later announced to be Senshi. Liger did, however, compete in a second round match against Petey Williams from Team Canada. Liger pulled out the win after a double underhook faceplant after teammates Hiroko Goto and Black Tiger interfered in the match. Team Japan was heavily favored to win the 2006 World X-Cup in light of TNA's talent-swap agreement with

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...

, but to the surprise of many, the team finished in last place. It is speculated that this may be due to a lack of participation from Team Captain,

who only made on-screen appearances in the tournament during Sacrifice. All four members of the 2006 Team Japan were also members of Liger's heel Control Terrorism Unit (C.T.U.) stable from NJPW.

2008

Team Japan returned to

TNA Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

for the 2008 World X-Cup. Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino debuted on the June 12 edition of "Impact!" with a loss to The Motor City Machine Guns of Team TNA. Team Mexico would go on to win the World X Cup. American T. J. Perkins, performing as Puma, became the first wrestler to represent two different countries in the World X Cup, having wrestled as part of Team Mexico in 2006.

Members

2004

* NOSAWA (Captain) *

Kuishinbo Kamen is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known as , a wrestling mask, masked clown character. Kuishinbo Kamen is Japanese for "Gluttonous Mask". For a while he was forced to give up the Kuishinbo Kamen character, instead ...

(Never wrestled in the 2004 World X Cup) *

Mitsunobu Kikuzawa (born November 17, 1976), better known as his wrestling persona and formerly , is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler. Though best known for wrestling under a mask, he also regularly works unmasked under the ring name Kikuzawa (stylized ...

(Never wrestled in the 2004 World X Cup) * Mitsu Hirai Jr. *

Ryuji Hijikata (born May 17, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler also known under the ring name . Hijikata is best known for his tenure in Battlarts and All Japan Pro Wrestling since 2002 where he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Profe ...

Taichi Ishikari (born March 19, 1980) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name , shortened from his previous ring name . He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Taichi is a former NEVER Openweight Champion, a form ...

Miyamoto Miyamoto (written: 宮本 lit. "base of the shrine") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ariana Miyamoto, beauty queen * Fumiaki Miyamoto, oboist *, shogi player *Kanako Miyamoto, (born 1989) voice actress and singer ...

(Joined TNA after the 2004 World X Cup)

2006

Jushin Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...

(Captain) * Black Tiger IV * Minoru Tanaka *

2008

* Milano Collection A.T. (Captain) * Puma *

Naruki Doi is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate. He also wrestled for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA); in the former promotion, he was a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi. Career Toryumon Doi debuted in ...

Masato Yoshino is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, best known for working in Dragon Gate, where he was known as ''Speed Star''. Dragon Gate's second Grand Slam champion, having been a record six-time Open the Brave Gate Champion, four-time Open th ...

(Never wrestled as part of the team, was replaced by Puma)

Competitive Record

World X Cup Record

References

{{reflist

External links

TNAWrestling.com (Official Website of TNA Wrestling)
Impact Wrestling teams and stables