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International Wrestling Association Japan
The International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 1994 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2014. It was formed by Víctor Quiñones as a successor to the W*ING promotion, which was folding at the time as a rival to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), the pioneer of deathmatch wrestling in Japan and the only deathmatch promotion in Japan at the time. Most of the wrestlers jumped ship to Quiñones' new IWA Japan group. He found a sponsor in Tatsukuni "Kinroku" Asano, a business man who owned several restaurants in Tokyo and had bought and run several wrestling shows prior to IWA Japan. Opening stage They had their first show in Yokosuka, Kanagawa on May 21, 1994 which was taped for television. The early shows often featured many ex-W*ING wrestlers like Yukihiro Kanemura, Shoji Nakamaki, Nobutaka Araya and The Headhunters. They also had fans to fill out questionnaires about the shows and som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hardcore Wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, including ladders, tables, chairs, thumbtacks, barbed wire, light tubes, shovels, baseball bats (sometimes wrapped in barbed wire), golf clubs, hammers, axe handles, chains, crowbars, wrenches, tongs, and other improvised weapons used as foreign objects. Although hardcore wrestling is a staple of most wrestling promotions, where they are often used at the climaxes of feuds, some promotions (such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Syndicate, IWA-MS, Game Changer Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling) specialize in hardcore wrestling, with many matches performed in this manner. Hardcore wrestling was first acknowledged as a major wrestling style in Japan with promotions such as Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and W*ING. It then beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarzan Goto
, better known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled on the independent circuit most of his career. He is best known for his exploding steel cage matches against Atsushi Onita in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW). Sumo wrestling career In 1979, Goto joined a sumo stable, Kokonoe, but shortly afterwards he retired from sumo. Career record Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (1981–1985) Goto debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling on February 19, 1981, against Shiro Koshinaka. While in AJPW, he was student of Jumbo Tsuruta. In 1983, he won the Rookie of the Year award at Tokyo Sports' Pro Wrestling Awards. United States (1985–1989) In November 1985, Goto went to the United States to wrestle. His first stop on his excursion was in Kansas City for the NWA Central States Wrestling. He'd also wrestle for Jim Crockett Promotions on shows within the area. In June 1986, Goto moved to Memphis, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takashi Ishikawa
is a former professional wrestler and sumo wrestler from Fujishima, Higashitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Sumo wrestling career He played baseball up to junior high school, but at Sakata Minami High School he switched to sumo and won the high school section of the National Sports Festival. He was an amateur sumo champion while at Nihon University, winning the All Japan Sumo Championships and the amateur ''yokozuna'' title. From 1975 to 1977 he was a sumo wrestler with the Hanakago stable and used the fighting name of Ōnoumi, which had also been his stablemaster's fighting name. He reached a highest rank of maegashira 4, but was forced to retire at the age of 24 after complications with diabetes. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (1977–1988) After retiring from sumo, Ishikawa decided to become a professional wrestler and joined All Japan Pro Wrestling. Giant Baba sent him to Pat O'Connor for training. After training, he was sent to the F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 in all capital letters), representing Tokyo Gurentai. Kikuzawa has also made appearances in North America, competing in promotions such as Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling. Career Kikuzawa started his wrestling career in 1994, wrestling under his birth name for Japanese hardcore wrestling promotions including FMW and W*ING, he eventually signed with Osaka Pro Wrestling and Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), where he continued to use his real name while competing for DDT. While wrestling for Osaka Pro, he began wearing a mask as a character named Ebessan based on Ebisu, the Japanese god of good fortune. Using comedic spots to get over with the crowd, Ebessan was immediately accepted by the Osaka P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keisuke Yamada
is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . Originally starting his career in International Wrestling Association of Japan, where he worked under his real name, Yamada found a new home promotion in 1999 in Osaka Pro Wrestling, where he began wrestling under a mask and the ring name Black Buffalo. For most of his career in Osaka Pro, Yamada has portrayed a villainous character, having been a part of every major villainous alliance in the history of the promotion. During his first years in the promotion, Buffalo went on to become a four-time Tag Team Champion. In February 2008, Buffalo was forced to unmask and reveal his true identity, after losing a match, and afterwards began teaming with the man, who unmasked him, Tigers Mask, with two becoming two-time Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions together. Finally, in March 2012, Buffalo managed to win Osaka Pro's top title, the Osaka Pro Wrestling Championship. Backstage, Yamada served as the vice president ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuo Sakurada
, better known as Mr. Sakurada, The Dragonmaster, and as the Japanese version of , was a Japanese professional wrestler. He was best known for his work in Stampede Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling. Sakurada was also highly regarded by Bret Hart as one of his most significant trainers alongside Katsui Adachi or Mr. Hito, with whom he taught extensively in Hart Dungeon. Sumo wrestling career Kazuo Sakurada was born on September 26, 1948, in Abashiri, Hokkaido. After graduating from junior high school, he joined the Tatsunami stable to pursue sumo. While there, he first met future professional wrestler Genichiro Tenryu. He made his sumo debut in January 1964 under his last name (櫻田). In September 1966, he changed his shikona to '' Hiroshi Abashiri'' (網走洋 一男). In May 1969, he changed his shikona again to ''Midorimine'' (翠巒). Throughout his seven-year career in sumo, his highest rank was Makushita 13, and his only tourna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetsuo Sekigawa
was a Japanese professional wrestler best known for his work under the ring name . He helped popularize hardcore wrestling in the 1990s with "death matches" in promotions such as Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, W*ING and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Career New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1972–1973) He was originally a decent amateur, having a pre-professional dispute with the future Jumbo Tsuruta over team representation in the Japanese collegiate championships. He joined Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance but did not debut there, instead joining the new New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion's NJPW Dojo and debuting in 1972. Canada (1973–1975) Quickly frustrated with NJPW's rigid norms, he quit in 1973 and wandered the wrestling circuits of North America. He started in Canada, first in Calgary for Stampede Wrestling, where he wrestled for a year under the name Judo Lee. He then moved west to Vancouver for NWA All-Star Wrestling, wrestling there for a year under his real name. United States (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryo Miyake
is a Japanese fencer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Fencing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's foil, Men's foil, but was defeated in the second round. He won a silver medal in the team foil event. During the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Miyake worked as a deliveryman for Uber Eats. References Japanese male foil fencers Living people People from Ichikawa, Chiba Sportspeople from Chiba Prefecture Olympic fencers of Japan Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics 1990 births Olympic silver medalists for Japan Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Asian Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2014 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Japanese male sabre fencers 20th-century Japanese people 21st-century Japanese people {{Japan-fencing-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshihiro Tajiri
is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the masked character Tigre Blanco. He rose to international attention through his work for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1998 to 2001 and World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2008 and a return in 2016–2017. Early in his career, he worked for several Mexican promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). After leaving WWE in 2005 he has worked for a number of Japanese promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Hustle, Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) and Wrestle-1 (W-1). He was also the promoter and featured wrestler for the Smash promotion as well as its successor Wrestling New Classic (WNC). He is currently under a full-time contract with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Kabuki
, better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces. Professional wrestling career Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 1964 at the age of 16 for the Japanese Wrestling Association. He left Japan to compete in the United States in the 1970s. From there he wrestled all over the world, including All Japan Pro Wrestling, several territories of the National Wrestling Alliance including Jim Crockett Promotions, Mid-South, Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Championship Wrestling under the name ''Akihisa Takachihō''. He also used the name ''Yoshino Sato'' (with authorization from his mentor the original Yoshinosato, former sumotori Junzo Hasegawa, who lead JWA during its dying days), which was later shortened to ''Mr. Sato'' (not to be confused with Akio Sato, who later used the moniker in other American territories). Mera adopted the Great Kab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
W*ING World Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling championship contested in Wrestling International New Generations. It was briefly revived in International Wrestling Association of Japan in 1995. Title history Reigns Combined reigns Notes See also * IWA World Heavyweight Championship (IWA Japan) The was a title used on the Japanese independent circuit. The title was the world heavyweight championship of the International Wrestling Association of Japan (IWA Japan). It was later revived in the women's wrestling promotion Gatoh Move Pr ... References External links {{DEFAULTSORT:WING World Heavyweight Championship World heavyweight wrestling championships International Wrestling Association of Japan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IWA World Women's Championship
The IWA World Women's Championship was a major women's professional wrestling title in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. It had its origins with Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta in 1987. Title history See also * List of professional wrestling promotions in Japan * List of women's wrestling promotions * Professional wrestling in Japan Professional wrestling in Japan has existed for many years. The first Japanese to involve himself in catch wrestling, the basis of traditional professional wrestling, was former sumo wrestler Sorakichi Matsuda. There were subsequent attempts before ... References External linksIWA World Women's title history {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwa World Women's Championship All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Championships World professional wrestling championships Women's professional wrestling championships ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
