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Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by wrestlers loyal to Mutoh, who left AJPW in a mass exodus during June 2013. Mutoh served as the promotion's first president and the head of its parent company, kabushiki gaisha named GEN Sports Entertainment. In March 2017, Kaz Hayashi took over as the new president of Wrestle-1. The promotion held its first event on September 8, 2013, at Tokyo Dome City Hall. The promotion shares its name with a series of professional wrestling events run by AJPW, K-1 and Pride Fighting Championships in the first half of the 2000s, but it is not considered a direct continuation of that project. On April 1, 2020, Wrestle-1 ceased operations. History 2013 Formation On November 1, 2012, Information technology, IT company Speed Partners bought 100% of All ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kai (wrestler)
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known under the ring name Kai (stylized in all capital letters). Best known for his work in the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, Kai is an accomplished junior heavyweight wrestler, having won the World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice and the Junior League also twice (2008 and 2011), while he and Kaz Hayashi also won the 2011 Junior Tag League. In August 2012, Kai announced that he was ending his junior heavyweight days and becoming a heavyweight wrestler. After taking a seven-month break from in-ring action, Kai returned to All Japan in March 2013, now working as a heavyweight wrestler. However, the following July, Kai quit All Japan following a change in the promotion's management and joined the new Wrestle-1 promotion. In March 2015, Kai won the promotion's top title, the Wrestle-1 Championship. He went on to win the title two more times, before quitting Wrestle-1 in December 2016 to become a freelancer. Professional wrestli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiroshi Yamato
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works as a freelancer. Trained by the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, he started his career in February 2007 working in Mexico for the International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) promotion, where he won the 2007 Rey del Ring tournament. Yamato returned to Japan and his home promotion in February 2008 and during the next five years went on to become a one-time World Junior Heavyweight and All Asia Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2012 Junior Hyper League. In June 2013, Yamato left All Japan in a mass exodus to join the new Wrestle-1 promotion. In January 2016, Yamato won the Wrestle-1 Cruiser Division Championship. Yamato also worked as a trainer and sales manager for Wrestle-1 until his departure from the promotion in 2018. Early life Mihara is an alum of Tokyo University of Agriculture, which he represented at the 2002 JOC Junior Olympic Cup, where he finished third at weight cla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masayuki Kono
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently working as a freelancer. He is best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he is a former two-time Wrestle-1 Champion. Career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2003–2005) Kono began training in the All Japan Dojo in late 2002 and made his debut on March 28, 2003 in a losing effort to Nobutaka Araya.The Internet Wrestling Database Cagematch. Retrieved on 2011-01-26. For the next two years, Kono was largely featured in opening matches where he worked with fellow newcomers and older wrestlers, often coming out on the losing end, a common practice for young wrestlers in Japan as a way of paying dues. During this time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shuji Kondo
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Prior to becoming a pro wrestler, he played rugby. After starting his career in Toryumon, Kondo eventually joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he became one of the promotion's top junior heavyweights, winning the World Junior Heavyweight Championship three times and the All Asia Tag Team Championship once. Upon leaving AJPW in 2013, Kondo joined Wrestle-1, where he became half of the inaugural Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champions. Kondo also worked as the vice president, booker and trainer for Wrestle-1 until its closure in 2020. He now works as a freelancer in promotions like Pro Wrestling Basara and DragonGate. Professional wrestling career Toryumon/Dragon Gate Kondo was part of the T2P class in Toryumon. At first he was a face in the Toryumon Seikigun. He would turn heel and join the Italian Connection, changing his name to Condotti Shuji, after the shopping district. One of his stablemates in the ItaCon was "brother" Yasshi, who ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Wu
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by his ring name who worked for Wrestle-1 until its closure in 2020. He is currently a freelancer. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2012–2013) Andy Wu debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) on July 15, 2012, teaming with Yasufumi Nakanoue in a losing effort against Minoru Tanaka and Gillette. In July, he entered the 2012 Junior Hyper League but finishes with no wins. He also competed in the 2013 Junior Hyper Tag League with Sushi and managed to pick up two wins but would not proceed to the next stage. Afterwards, Wu would go on a learning excursion to Mexico to train under Pantera. He wrestled briefly whilst in Mexico, making rare appearances in Queretaro in the summer and wrestling a dark match for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) on August 18. During his time in Mexico, backstage issues led to the resignation of Keiji Mutoh and several other wrestlers effective July 1. When Wu retu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaz Hayashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight division. After leaving AJPW in 2013, Hayashi competed for Wrestle-1, where he also worked as a trainer. In April 2017, Hayashi took over as the new president of Wrestle-1, remaining in the position until the promotion's closure in 2020; he was also the promotion's final champion of the Wrestle-1 Championship. In August 2020, Hayashi joined Gleat as both an in-ring wrestler and the promotion's Chief Technical Officer. Professional wrestling career Early career (1992–1997) For much of his early career, Hayashi wrestled in Michinoku Pro Wrestling (Michinoku Pro/MPW) under a mask, using the ring name Shiryu (Growing Dragon in Japanese). As Shiryu, he was part of the memorable rudo group, Kaientai Deluxe, which waged war with Michinoku Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minoru Tanaka (wrestler)
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Tanaka first gained prominence in Fujiwara Gumi and Battlarts before moving on to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he became a four time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a five time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2006 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. After leaving NJPW, he joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he found continued success in the junior heavyweight and tag team ranks upon winning the World Junior Heavyweight Championship once and the All Asia Tag Team Championship twice. From 2013 to 2016, Tanaka worked for Wrestle-1. He is currently a freelancer, and primarily competes in Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice. He is a former GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, making him the second man (after Naomichi Marufuji) to hold all three major Japanese junior heavyweight singles titles as well as the only man to hold al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his work as in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the 1980s and 1990s, and from his runs in other American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican promotions. He was the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) from 2002 to 2013 and representative director of Wrestle-1 (W-1) from 2013 to 2020. Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Muto is also one of the first Japanese wrestlers to gain an international fanbase. "The Great Muta" gimmick is one of the most influential in puroresu, emulated by many wrestlers, including Satoshi Kojima (as The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (as The Great Kazushi), Atsushi Onita (as The Great Nita), and Seiya Sanada (as The Great Sanada). Others copied or modified some of the moves that he popularized or innovated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seiya Sanada
, better known by his ring name Sanada (stylized as SANADA), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a member of the stable ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''. As part of NJPW, Sanada is mostly known for his tag team with Evil, with whom he is a two time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two time World Tag League winner, and a three time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion (alongside Bushi). He won his first NJPW singles title, the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, in early 2022. He is also known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the first Gaora TV Champion, a two-time All Asia Tag Team Champion, a one-time World Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 2011 World's Strongest Tag Determination League tournament. Sanada is also known for his time in the Japanese Wrestle-1 (W-1) and American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotions. Through the W-1/TNA working relationship, Sanada became a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasufumi Nakanoue
is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name , currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division, where he is the current BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship, BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and has also worked for Wrestle-1 (W-1), where he is a former one-time Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champion and a two-time UWA World Trios Champion. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2010–2013) Nakanoue debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) on January 2, 2010, losing to Shuji Kondo. On April 29, Nakanoue teamed with Sushi in a losing effort against Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo. Despite the loss, Hayashi and Kondo offered him a spot in Evolution (AJPW), Last Revolution, which Nakanoue accepted. On October 7, Nakanoue reached the finals of a tournament to crown the inaugural Gaora TV Championship, Gaora TV Champion, losing to Seiya Sanada. Following backstage iss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masakatsu Funaki
is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), and Wrestle-1 (W-1). He is also the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations and non-rehearsed shoot wrestling promotions (following five years after the inception of Shooto but predating America's Ultimate Fighting Championship). Funaki was also Pancrase's biggest star; Josh Barnett described him as the "symbol of Japan", Frank Shamrock labeled Funaki "the golden boy" of Pancrase, and Guy Mezger called Funaki "hands down the smartest and most skilled fighter in Pancrase next to Ken Shamrock". Not only the organization's co-founder and most popular fighter, Funaki was also one of Pancrase's most successful fighters to date, scoring submission victories over numerous MMA champions such as Ken Shamrock, Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryota Hama
(born November 21, 1979) is a retired Japanese sumo wrestler and current professional wrestler, signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division. Sumo career Hama joined sumo in July 1995, and he fought for the Hakkaku stable run by former ''yokozuna'' Hokutoumi. His ''shikona'' was Hokutoarashi (meaning "North Victory Storm") and he reached a highest rank of ''makushita 6'' in November 2001. Injury-prone in his knees, he fell greatly in rank and announced his retirement in May 2008. His career record was 235 wins to 169 losses, with 114 absences due to injury. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2008–2013) After retiring from sumo, Hama became a professional wrestler. Hama debuted in professional wrestling on November 3, 2008 losing to former Sumo champion Akebono. On September 23, 2009, Hama and Akebono, known collectively as SMOP (Super Megaton Ohzumo Powers), won the All Asia Tag Team Championship, defeating Minoru Suzuki and Nosawa Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
