(born November 15, 1977),
better known by his ring name Cima ( ) (most often stylized as CIMA), is a Japanese professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
who currently works for Gleat
Gleat (stylized as GLEAT) is a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2020 by former Pro Wrestling Noah parent company Lidet Entertainment after the acquisition of Noah and DDT Pro-Wrestling by CyberAgent. Th ...
. He had previously worked for Oriental Wrestling Entertainment
Oriental Wrestling Entertainment (OWE) () is a Chinese-based professional wrestling promotion founded in 2017. OWE shows normally combine wrestling with musical performances by the C-pop all-girls group SNH48.
The promotion currently promotes o ...
(OWE), where he had also served as the company's president. He also made appearances for All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
(AEW) in 2019 and 2020.
Cima is best known for his work with Dragon Gate (DG), whom he worked for from the promotion's formation in 2004 up until 2018. In Dragon Gate, he held every available championship in the promotion, including the Open the Triangle Gate Championship
The Open the Triangle Gate Championship is a professional wrestling trios title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. It was created on November 7, 2004 when The Italian Connection faction of Milano Collection A.T., Anthony W. Mori and Yossino ...
a record 12 times.
Professional wrestling career
Toryumon and Dragon Gate (1997–2018)
Nobuhiko Oshima, otherwise known as Cima, graduated from the first class of Último Dragón
(born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, better known as . In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the "Asa ...
's Toryumon dojo. He quickly became the Toryumon wrestling promotion's biggest star. He first wrestled as Shiima Nobunaga (making a few appearances in WCW
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...
under that name), then as Shiima (stylized in all capital letters), until finally shortening his stage name to Cima (also stylized in all capital letters), under which he still wrestles today. He was one of the founders of the Crazy Max stable, and had a years-long feud with Magnum Tokyo, another first class graduate. He began as a high flyer, utilizing the '' Mad Splash'' as his finisher. This, however, took a toll on his body and especially his knees. After returning from knee surgery he changed his style and started using the ''Schwein
Schwein (German for ''pig'' as well as ''pork'') is a music group comprising members of Buck-Tick, KMFDM, and PIG. Members Raymond Watts (vocals, programming, guitar) and Hisashi Imai (Buck-Tick; guitar and noise), both having worked together in ...
'' as his finisher. He wrestled in Toryumon Japan until 2004, when the promotion separated itself from Último Dragón's dojo, and changed its name to Dragon Gate. He created the Blood Generation stable in 2005, which had its final match in January 2007. On July 1, 2007, Cima won Dragon Gate's main title, the Open the Dream Gate Championship
The Open the Dream Gate Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The wrestler who holds it is considered the top singles wrestler in Dragon Gate. It was created on Jul ...
, from 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 ...
in Kobe, Japan. Cima thus became the first wrestler to hold this title on two occasions.
Some time in May 2008, Cima developed a neck injury. He tried to recuperate from it early as best as he could, but by the end of June, it was becoming obvious that he would need to take considerable time off to rest and heal up properly. On June 29, he vacated the Dream Gate title, just a day shy of a one-year reign as champion. On September 8, 2008, Cima appeared in a non-wrestling role at Dragon Gate's event Dragon Gate Hawaii at the Waikiki Shell, although he got involved in one match accidentally, hitting Stalker Ichikawa with a steel chair. Cima would return to the ring on December 28, 2008, when he teamed with Jushin Thunder Liger in a losing effort to capture the Open the Twin Gate Championship
The Open the Twin Gate Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title created and promoted by the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. Dragon Gate had used the WAR IJ Tag Team Championship since 2006, until 2007 when Masato Yoshino and Nar ...
. It was also on this day that his Typhoon unit was brought to an end, after Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka lost in a Unit Split Survival Three-Way Six-Man Tag Match to teams from World-1 and Real Hazard. After that, nothing more was heard from him for over a month.
The silence was broken when, on February 9, 2009, before ''WWE Friday Night SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'', he wrestled in a dark match against Jamie Noble
James Gibson (born December 23, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jamie Noble. He is currently signed to WWE as a producer. In addition to his appearances with WWE, Noble is known for his appearan ...
in a losing effort. He also wrestled for WPW in California on February 15 in a tag match. On March 1, he made his return to Dragon Gate, and announced the formation of the Warriors-5 stable along with Susumu Yokosuka, Gamma, and Kagetora. The fifth member, Ryoma, was added on the 20th.
Two days later, he defeated Masato Yoshino to become the new Open the Brave Gate Champion
The Open the Brave Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate; it has a weight limit of , though it has been defended against heavier wrestlers in the past. It can be considered the secondary singles t ...
. On April 15, he, Gamma, and Kagetora won the Open the Triangle Gate Title from Shingo Takagi, Taku Iwasa, and Dragon Kid. They would eventually lose the belts to Masato Yoshino, BxB Hulk
, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk stylized as ( ), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate. He was also known for his longstanding rivalry with Shingo Takagi.
Professional wrestling career
He was the seco ...
and Pac. He also challenged Open the Dream Gate Champion Naruki Doi to a Title vs. Title Match on July 19, and despite putting up a valiant effort, he lost the Brave Gate to Doi.
He and Gamma then participated in the 2009 Summer Adventure Tag League
Summer Adventure Tag League is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held in the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate since 2007. It features a round-robin first round, after which the top four teams participate in the single-elimination ...
Tournament, but they performed very poorly, only winning one match out of eight and finishing in last place. On December 29, they won the Open the Twin Gate Title from Shingo Takagi and Yamato, but they immediately handed them back, declaring themselves only tentative champions, and desired to face a strong team to determine the actual champions. On February 10, Cima and Gamma defeated Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino, officially becoming the Open the Twin Gate Champions. This win made Cima the first man to win every title in Dragon Gate. On March 22, Cima and Gamma lost the title to Takagi and Cyber Kong
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known by his ring name . He currently wrestles for Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate under his real name.
Professional wrestling career
Cyber Kong's career started in 2006. He competed as an arm wre ...
. On May 13, 2010, Cima, Gamma and Genki Horiguchi defeated Don Fujii
(born July 6, 1970), better known by his ring name Don Fujii, is a Japanese wrestler who currently works for Dragon Gate. He was one-half of the inaugural Open the Owarai Twin Gate Champions and is also a former two-time Open the Twin Gate Champ ...
, Masaaki Mochizuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah. Mochizuki is a former FIP World Champion and three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion.
Professional wrestling career
Early years
A former karateka ...
and Akebono to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championship. On October 25, 2010, Cima, Gamma and Horiguchi lost the Open the Triangle Gate Championship to Naoki Tanisaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Gleat. He also previously worked for Oriental Wrestling Entertainment promotion under the ring name T-Hawk. He is also known for his work with Mexican promotion International Wrestling ...
, Yasushi Kanda
is a Japanese wrestler currently performing for the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion in Japan. He is considered one of Toryumon's greatest heel characters, and was a founding member of the M2K stable. In his pre-injury days, he was famous for h ...
and Takuya Sugawara
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently wrestling for Pro Wrestling Zero1.
Career
Toryumon/Dragon Gate (2001–2004)
He debuted in the 9th term of Toryumon 2000 Project as Henry III Sugawara, an English prince character. He joined with a ...
. Cima would regain the title on December 26, 2010, teaming with Dragon Kid and 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 ...
.
On January 14, 2011, Cima and the Warriors turned heel, revealing themselves as the masked men who had been interfering in matches, and attacking Masato Yoshino and the World–1 group, before joining forces with Naruki Doi's group. On January 18 the new group was named Blood Warriors, a combination of the names of Cima's two previous stables, Blood Generation and Warriors.[ On May 15, the rest of Blood Warriors turned on Dragon Kid and kicked him out of the group, despite the fact that he still held the Open the Triangle Gate Championship with Cima and Ricochet, and replaced him with Cyber Kong and Tomahawk T.T. As a result, the title was declared vacant. On July 17, Cima and Ricochet defeated Dragon Kid and Pac of rival group Junction Three to win the Open the Twin Gate Championship. On September 11 at Way of the Ronin 2011, Cima and Ricochet defeated Masato Yoshino and Pac in a title vs. title match to win ]Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.
Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice Pr ...
(DGUSA)'s Open the United Gate Championship
The DGUSA Open the United Gate Championship was a tag team championship within the Dragon Gate USA promotion. The first champions were World–1 (Masato Yoshino and Pac) and were crowned at ''United: Finale'' in the tournament final, which was hel ...
. After their third successful defense of the Open the Twin Gate Championship on November 30, Cima and Ricochet vacated the title in order for Ricochet to concentrate on defending the Open the Brave Gate Championship and Cima to concentrate on chasing the Open the Dream Gate Championship. On December 25 at ''Final Gate 2011'', Cima defeated Masaaki Mochizuki to win the Open the Dream Gate Championship for the third time. On January 19, 2012, BxB Hulk and Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa (戸澤 陽, ''Tozawa Akira'', born July 22, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and WWE 24/7 Champion, winning the ...
turned on Cima, causing him to lose a ten-man "Loser Leaves Unit" tag team match; as a result, Cima was kicked out of Blood Warriors.
After fifteen successful defenses and a reign of 574 days, Cima lost the Open the Dream Gate Championship to Shingo Takagi on July 21, 2013. During 2014, Cima won both the Open the Triangle Gate and Open the Twin Gate Championship alongside his Veteran-gun stablemates, but lost both titles in first defense. On December 3, 2014, after losing the Open the Twin Gate Championship, Cima and Gamma were forced into joining the villainous Mad Blankey
Mad Blankey, or MB for short, was a professional wrestling stable in the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate, formed on March 1, 2012. It was founded by former Blood Warriors members Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk, Cyber Kong, Tomahawk T.T., and Kzy. On ...
stable. As part of the stable, Cima made unsuccessful attempts at recapturing the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.[ Cima remained a part of Mad Blankey until May 5, 2015, when members of the stable turned on him, costing him a six-way steel cage match, as a result of which he was shaved bald.][ On June 14, he, Don Fujii and Gamma defeated the Jimmyz (Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Jimmy Susumu and Ryo "Jimmy" Saito) to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.][ On October 8, Cima formed a new unit with Eita, Gamma, El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga, and rookies Kaito Ishida and Takehiro Yamamura. On November 1, the unit was named Over Generation. The same day, he, Gamma, and Don Fujii defended the Open the Triangle Gate Championship against the Jimmyz (Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy K-Ness J.K.S., and Ryo "Jimmy" Saito), and vacated the title afterwards. In the summer of 2016, Cima took part in the 2016 King of Gate, finishing with 6 points and failing to advance to the final. Cima teamed up with Gamma once again for the Summer Adventure Tag League, making it to the semi finals where they lost to VerserK (Naruki Doi and Yasshi). On November 3, Cima and Dragon Kid captured the Open The Dream Gate Titles, defeating Jimmy Kagetora and Jimmy Susumu in Osaka. The two held the titles for over a year until they were forced to vacate them due to Dragon Kid suffering an injury. Cima found a new partner in Susumu, but the two were unsuccessful in defeating Eita and T-Hawk for the vacant titles at Final Gate in December 2017.
]
Overseas promotions (2005–present)
Cima also made his first appearance in a North American wrestling promotion in about seven years in August 2005, appearing in 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, when the promotion was so ...
in a match against A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, who Cima defeated.
Cima would return to North America for a three-day tour with 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, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH). On March 30, 2006, in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, Cima teamed with fellow Blood Generation members Naruki Doi and 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 the ...
to defeat Ring of Honor faction Generation Next, represented by Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...
, Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...
, and Jack Evans.
On March 31, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Cima would once again team with fellow Blood Generation members Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino in Ring of Honor, this time losing a match to another stable from Dragon Gate, Do Fixer (Dragon Kid
is a Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate as .
Nakamura initially broke into the wrestling business with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW), but was not allowed to be a wre ...
, Ryo Saito, and Genki Horiguchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is currently a full-time wrestler for Dragon Gate. He has also competed in Wrestling Society X and Ring of Honor.
When Horiguchi's hairline began receding, the fans began t ...
). Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...
of The Wrestling Observer gave the match the coveted 5 star rating.
On April 1, 2006, once again in Chicago, Illinois, at the third and final 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, when the promotion was so ...
show, Cima teamed with Naruki Doi in a losing attempt to win the Ring of Honor Tag Title from champions Generation Next (Austin Aries and Roderick Strong).
In September 2006 during the Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
, Cima participated in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...
(PWG) Battle of Los Angeles
The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...
super tournament. He was able to advance all the way to the finals where he lost to Davey Richards.
Cima's next return to Ring of Honor happened in late December 2006. Cima teamed with Shingo Shingo can refer to:
Religion
*Shingon Buddhism
Locations
*Shingō, Okayama (神郷町), a town located in Atetsu District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
*Shingō, Aomori
is a village located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the village has an estima ...
on December 22 in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, to challenge 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 kno ...
and Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...
for the ROH World Tag Team Title, but the Japanese stars came up short in the match. The next night, in Manhattan, New York
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, Cima and Shingo teamed with Matt Sydal to take on the team of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Delirious
Delirious may refer to:
* A state of delirium
Film and television
* Delirious (1991 film), ''Delirious'' (1991 film), an American comedy directed by Tom Mankiewicz, starring John Candy
* Delirious (2006 film), ''Delirious'' (2006 film), an Americ ...
. This time, they were successful in their outing, when Cima pinned Delirious. After the match, Cima proclaimed "Thank you US, thank you ROH, see you in 2007".
On January 6, 2007, Cima traveled to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and competed in the Australasian Wrestling Federation. In the main event, he wrestled the AWF Champion Steve Ravenous and TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
in a three-way elimination match, which Cima won to become the AWF Champion. The next night in Newcastle, TNT defeated Cima for the AWF Title.
On September 2, 2007, Cima won Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle of Los Angeles
The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...
tournament, defeating Human Tornado
Craig Williams (born May 1, 1983), better known by his ring name, Human Tornado, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. His character was that of a 1970s blaxploitation street pimp.
He performed primarily on the California independent ...
, Shingo and Pac on his way to the finals where he eliminated both El Generico
Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline.
Prior to joi ...
and Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...
.
On September 5, 2007, Cima made his debut in Hawaii (along with Dragon Kid, Susumu Yokosuka and Shingo Takagi) for Action Zone Wrestling, losing to AZW Heavyweight Champion Kris Kavanaugh. After the match, Cima thanked the fans and asked if Hawaii enjoyed Dragon Gate, to which the crowd started a loud Dragon Gate chant. He promised Dragon Gate would be back in Hawaii, and in AZW. He returned to AZW on January 7, 2008 at Battleclash III to defeat "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney
Alexander K. Whybrow (February 18, 1981April 11, 2011) was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney. He performed primarily on the American independent circuit, but also competed in Canada, Mexico, ...
.
On January 29, 2012, Cima returned to PWG, teaming with 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 ...
in a match, where they were defeated by the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma). On March 30, Cima and Ricochet were forced to vacate the Open the United Gate Championship, after Cima was sidelined with a neck injury. On July 29 at Enter the Dragon 2012, Dragon Gate USA's third anniversary event, Cima and A. R. Fox
Thomas James "T. J." Ballester (born September 5, 1987), better known by his ring name A. R. Fox, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is also known for his work in promotions like Combat Zone Wrestlin ...
defeated Rich Swann
Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cha ...
and Ricochet to win the vacant Open the United Gate Championship. They lost the title to The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) on April 6, 2013. He participated in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles, making it to the second round where he lost to Joey Janela
Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. Janela is most known for his work with promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) ...
.
Cima appeared at All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
's Double or Nothing
Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...
event on May 25, 2019 with StrongHearts stable mates T-Hawk and El Lindaman against SoCal Uncensored.
Oriental Wrestling Entertainment and Gleat (2018–present)
In early 2018, Cima announced his departure from Dragon Gate after 21 years working for the promotion, and also announced the formation of a new promotion, Oriental Wrestling Entertainment
Oriental Wrestling Entertainment (OWE) () is a Chinese-based professional wrestling promotion founded in 2017. OWE shows normally combine wrestling with musical performances by the C-pop all-girls group SNH48.
The promotion currently promotes o ...
(OWE), to be primarily based in China. T-Hawk, El Lindaman and Takehiro Yamamura also left Dragon Gate to join OWE. At OWE's inaugural event on May 7, Cima defeated T-Hawk. On June 22, representing OWE, he debuted in 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 ...
, defeating Jun Tonsho. The rest of the OWE roster soon debuted in the promotion too, and named themselves "#StrongHearts", later recruiting Dezmond Xavier
Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wes Lee, and is the current NXT North American Champion in his first rei ...
and Zachary Wentz
Zachary Green (born April 29, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Nash Carter and in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Zachary Wentz (or ...
to the group. Cima and Strong Hearts also debuted for DDT Pro-Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
(DDT) in September, defeating All Out (Konosuke Takeshita
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to both All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in the United States and DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) in Japan. Takeshita was named the Rookie of the Year by '' Tokyo Sports'' in 2013 and is the youngest KO-D ...
, Akito, Shunma Katsumata
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT).
Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2014–present)
Katsumata is known for tenures with various Japa ...
and Yuki Iino
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) under the ring name .
Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2017-present)
Iino participated in ''DDT/S ...
). On October 28, Cima, Duan Yingnan and T-Hawk defeated Damnation
Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth.
In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...
(Mad Paulie
is a Japanese professional wrestler primarily working for DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where he competes as part of the Damnation T.A unit under the ring name . He was previously known under the name .
Professional wrestling career Style-E, IGF and ...
, Soma Takao
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Takao has taken part in every edition of DDT's flagship annual event, Peter Pan, where he had a series of 13 stra ...
and Tetsuya Endo) to win the KO-D 6 Man Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion.
The title was first announced during DDT's year-end event on December 23, 2012, becoming the promotion's fifth active title. The first champions were ...
. The group dropped the titles to All Out on January 3. In May 2021, it was announced that Cima, along with El Lindaman and T-Hawk, would be leaving OWE to join Gleat
Gleat (stylized as GLEAT) is a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2020 by former Pro Wrestling Noah parent company Lidet Entertainment after the acquisition of Noah and DDT Pro-Wrestling by CyberAgent. Th ...
. During the 2022 Wrestle Kingdom 16
Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in To ...
event, he participated in the 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 shares ...
(NJPW) battle royal match marking his first appearance for the promotion in over a decade.
Personal life
Oshima is married to television personality Eleni Masuda. The pair met in 2003 during a baseball game in Fukuoka, where he threw out the first pitch. He proposed to her in 2005 during a vacation in Greece and they finally wed in June 2009.
In 2009, Cima was one of many Dragon Gate wrestlers embroiled in an animal abuse scandal surrounding Cora, the pet monkey that lived in the Dragon Gate dojo. It was alleged the monkey had been choked until it passed out, burned with charcoal, thrown into a tub of boiling hot water, fed sake regularly until it would pass out, dragged around by a chain on its neck, and burned with fire crackers. Cima was reportedly the one who had brought the monkey into the dojo, but had failed to keep up with the exotic animals preservation laws, though he was not accused of any of the abuse. After the events came to light, Cima took a three-month pay cut and shaved his head to show remorse.
Championships and accomplishments
*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 Baba, ...
:* World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Australasian Wrestling Federation
:*AWF Australasian Championship (1 time)[
*]DDT Pro-Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
:*KO-D 6 Man Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion.
The title was first announced during DDT's year-end event on December 23, 2012, becoming the promotion's fifth active title. The first champions were ...
( 1 time) – with Duan Yingnan and T-Hawk
* Dragon Gate
:*Open the Brave Gate Championship
The Open the Brave Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate; it has a weight limit of , though it has been defended against heavier wrestlers in the past. It can be considered the secondary singles ti ...
( 1 time)[
:*]Open the Dream Gate Championship
The Open the Dream Gate Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The wrestler who holds it is considered the top singles wrestler in Dragon Gate. It was created on Jul ...
( 3 times)[
:*]Open the Owarai Gate Championship
The Open the Owarai Gate Championship was a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The word ''owarai'' in the title's name is the Japanese word for ''comedy''.
The championship was first conceived during Stalker Ichika ...
( 3 times)[
:*]Open the Twin Gate Championship
The Open the Twin Gate Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title created and promoted by the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. Dragon Gate had used the WAR IJ Tag Team Championship since 2006, until 2007 when Masato Yoshino and Nar ...
( 5 times) – with Gamma
Gamma (uppercase , lowercase ; ''gámma'') is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter re ...
(3), 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 ...
(1) and Dragon Kid
is a Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate as .
Nakamura initially broke into the wrestling business with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW), but was not allowed to be a wre ...
(1)
:*Open the Triangle Gate Championship
The Open the Triangle Gate Championship is a professional wrestling trios title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. It was created on November 7, 2004 when The Italian Connection faction of Milano Collection A.T., Anthony W. Mori and Yossino ...
( 12 times) – with 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 ...
and Shingo Takagi
, known by his ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the provisional KOPW 2022 champion in his first ...
(1), Naruki Doi and Don Fujii
(born July 6, 1970), better known by his ring name Don Fujii, is a Japanese wrestler who currently works for Dragon Gate. He was one-half of the inaugural Open the Owarai Twin Gate Champions and is also a former two-time Open the Twin Gate Champ ...
(1), Magnitude Kishiwada
(born May 19, 1971), better known under his ring name Magnitude Kishiwada (マグニチュード岸和田), is a Japanese wrestler.
Career
During his highschool life, Fujita trained in artistic gymnastics, mixed martial arts and powerlifting, a ...
and 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 the ...
(1), Jack Evans and BxB Hulk
, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk stylized as ( ), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate. He was also known for his longstanding rivalry with Shingo Takagi.
Professional wrestling career
He was the seco ...
(1), Ryo Saito
(born August 15, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler, who currently works for Dragon Gate. He is a former member of the Jimmyz stable, where he was known by the ring name Ryo "Jimmy" Saito. His name is sometimes abbreviated as SaiRyo, so ...
and Susumu Yokosuka
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Dragon Gate. He is not related to fellow Dragon Gate wrestler and long term ally/rival Masaaki Mochizuki, who debuted much earlier for WAR.
Professional w ...
(2), Gamma and Kagetora (1), Gamma and Genki Horiguchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is currently a full-time wrestler for Dragon Gate. He has also competed in Wrestling Society X and Ring of Honor.
When Horiguchi's hairline began receding, the fans began t ...
(2), Dragon Kid and Ricochet (1), and Don Fujii and Gamma (2)
:*Open the Triangle Gate League (2006)
*Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.
Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice Pr ...
:*Open the United Gate Championship
The DGUSA Open the United Gate Championship was a tag team championship within the Dragon Gate USA promotion. The first champions were World–1 (Masato Yoshino and Pac) and were crowned at ''United: Finale'' in the tournament final, which was hel ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with Ricochet (1) and A. R. Fox
Thomas James "T. J." Ballester (born September 5, 1987), better known by his ring name A. R. Fox, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is also known for his work in promotions like Combat Zone Wrestlin ...
(1)[
*]International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan, Sta ...
:*IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship
The IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Intercontinental Welter IWRG'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) since ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)[
:*]Copa Higher Power
The ''Copa Higher Power'' (Spanish for "Cup of Higher Power") is an annual tournament promoted by the Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Gru ...
(1998) – with Judo Suwa, Lyguila, Magnum Tokyo, Ryo Saito, Sumo Fujii and Último Dragón
(born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, better known as . In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the "Asa ...
:*Copa Higher Power
The ''Copa Higher Power'' (Spanish for "Cup of Higher Power") is an annual tournament promoted by the Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Gru ...
(2007)
*Michinoku Pro Wrestling
(originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...
:*Futaritabi Tag Team League (1999) – with Suwa[
*]Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...
:*Battle of Los Angeles
The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...
(2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
)[
*'']Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
:*Ranked No. 44 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
in 2000
*''Tokyo Sports
is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960.
See also
* Tokyo Sports Film Award
* Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...
''
:* Technique Award (2006)
* Toryumon Japan
:*NWA International Light Heavyweight Championship The NWA International Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship promoted by Último Dragón's Toryumon 2000 Project (T2P) promotion. Although having the "NWA" initials, it was not officially sanctioned by the Nationa ...
( 1 time)[
:* Último Dragón Gym Championship (]2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
:*UWA World Trios Championship
The UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. Since then, the championship has been defended in various p ...
( 4 times) – with Suwa and Big/Don Fujii (3), and Big Fuji and Taru (1)[
:*El Numero Uno League (2003)][
:*One Night Tag Tournament (2002) – with Suwa][
:*UDG Championship Tournament (2004)][
]
''Luchas de Apuestas'' record
Note
References
External links
Dragon Gate profile
*
Blog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cima (wrestler)
1977 births
Expatriate professional wrestlers
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Living people
People from Sakai, Osaka
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
World Junior Heavyweight Champions (AJPW)
UWA World Trios Champions
KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions
Open the Dream Gate Champions
Open the Brave Gate Champions
Open the Twin Gate Champions
Open the Triangle Gate Champions
Open the Owarai Gate Champions