is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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 ...

better known by his ring name Hi69 (pronounced as Hiroki). He is currently signed to

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...

. Since debuting in 2000, Tanabe has frequently worked for

Kaientai Dojo Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion and training facility originally owned and promoted by Taka Michinoku. The promotion places emphasis on a style of puroresu that combines high-flying, technical wr ...

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 ...

Apache Pro Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 2004 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2016. History Following the closure of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in 2002, Hiromichi Fuyuki formed his own promotion, which ran under the names ...

and

Freedoms Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and F ...

Professional wrestling career

Training and early career

Tanabe originally trained in Puerto Rico and was a member of the first graduating class of

Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...

(K-Dojo). He made his debut on November 19, 2000 under the ring name Hi69. Eventually, he returned to Japan, where he became a regular in both

and

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, ...

during the first two years of his career. Throughout 2002 he took part in AJPW's

Giant Baba , best known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota ...

Cup, finishing last in Block A with zero wins and zero points. Whilst also competing in AJPW, he debuted in Kaientai Dojo where he would become a mainstay for the majority of his career, winning the

UWA World Middleweight Championship The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) fro ...

in October. Throughout 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, he competed regularly in a large number of different promotions, including

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasak ...

, Muga,

Real Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling and martial arts promotion founded in 2005 by Satoru Sayama as , before being renamed in 2019. It runs shows every two or three months, and feature both pro wrestling activities and a variety of martial arts ...

, Hustle, and eventually became a regular on

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 ...

's Lock Up cards. After resigning from K-Dojo in April 2006, he primarily competed in Apache Pro Wrestling. On October 11, 2007, Hi69 was teaming with

Tetsuhiro Kuroda is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently competing as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. He is best known for his time with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), where he primarily competed from 1993 until the promotion's cl ...

and

Mammoth Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler and retired sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently working for Pro Wrestling Freedoms under the ring name , where he is a former King of Freedom Tag Team Champion, becoming the longest reigning cham ...

as Apache Army against GBH (

Togi Makabe , better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time ...

Toru Yano , is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2020 and the provisional KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2 ...

and

Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He also makes additional appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work with the independent Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling ( ...

) when Ishii countered a

frankensteiner Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

from Hi69 into a

powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...

which caused him to land awkwardly, suffering a fracture as well as a dislocation to his

thoracic vertebrae In vertebrates, thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. In humans, there are twelve thoracic vertebra (anatomy), vertebrae and they are intermediate in size b ...

. After the match, it was announced that the injury was possibly career threatening and that he would require surgery.

Return (2010–present)

After over two years of surgery, rehabilitation and medical procedures, Hi69 announced his return to the ring in February 2010, stating that he would be splitting his time between K-Dojo and

Pro Wrestling Freedoms often stylized in capital letters as FREEDOMS is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Chigasaki, Kanagawa. Founded by Takashi Sasaki in 2009, the promotion lets wrestlers choose their own fighting style, having the "freedom" of ch ...

, and would now be wrestling as Hiroki (stylised in all capital letters), his birth name. In his return match, he teamed with Miyawaki in a loss to his trainer Taka Michinoku and the man he made his debut against,

Yasu Urano is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. He is best known fot his tenures with Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and Kaientai Dojo promotions. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2001-present) Although some ...

. On May 26 at a Freedoms show, Hiroki faced Tomohiro Ishii in a match billed as a "revenge match", with Ishii portraying the heel and claiming responsibility for Hiroki's serious injury. The match was won by Ishii. On August 15, Hiroki and

Kengo Mashimo is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW). His style is a combination of submission wrestling and hard, martial arts style strikes. Professional wrestling career Kengo Mashimo debuted in Pue ...

captured the

Strongest-K Tag Team Championship The Strongest-K Tag Team Championship is a tag team championship in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion, Kaientai Dojo. It has existed since 2005, and it is currently inactive. Reigns There are a total of 41 reigns and 3 vacancies, sha ...

, defeating

Kaji Tomato is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his tenure with the Japanese promotions Kaientai Dojo, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and many others. Professional wrestling career I ...

and

Taishi Takizawa is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by the ring name . Trained by Taka Michinoku, Takizawa has spent most of his career working for his Kaientai Dojo promotion. From December 2011 to June 2012, Takizawa was signed to WWE, working in ...

. On September 29, Hiroki defeated

Tiger Shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...

to win the Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Championship. On December 14, he dropped the title to

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. Professi ...

. In early 2011, he teamed with

Ricky Fuji Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

in the 2011 Kaientai Dojo Tag League, finishing in Block A with 2 points and failing to advance to the next round. On October 9, after holding them for over a year, Hiroki and Mashimo lost the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship to

Ryuichi Sekine is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his time in the professional wrestling promotion Kaientai Dojo (K-Dojo). Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2008–present) Sekine i ...

and Saburo Inematsu. On November 6, he defeated

Daigoro Kashiwa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and referee best known for his time with the Japanese promotion Kaientai Dojo. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2001-2018) Kashiwa made his professional wrestling debut at ''Osaka Pro ...

to capture the

Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship that is being defended in various independent promotions in Japan. The title was originally created in 1993 by Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. There have been a total of forty-four reigns spread over ...

. Hiroki held the championship for over a year before losing it to Ricky Fuji in January 2013. On March 2, 2014, Hiroki won the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship once again, teaming with

Yuji Hino , better known by the ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed by Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). One of the most well-travelled heavyweights in Japan, Hino was trained by Taka Michinoku and made his debut for his Kaientai ...

to defeat Kaji Tomato and Taka Michinoku. In September 2014, he once again began competing as Hi69. In December 2016, he competed in

for the first time since 2005, teaming with Ricky Fuji in a loss to

Daisuke Harada (born November 13, 1986) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. He’s a four-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion and a six-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Harada is also known for his time ...

and

Akitoshi Saito is a Japanese professional wrestler who is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Early life Before pro wrestling, Akitoshi Saito was trained in karate by Masashi Aoyagi. Saito seconded Aoyagi i ...

. After impressing new president Masayuki Uchida, he was offered a regular position with the promotion and began competing with them as a full-time roster member later that month. In January, he began teaming with

Taiji Ishimori is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he wrestles as part of the Bullet Club. He is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in his third reign, and is also a one-time NEVER Openweight 6 ...

, dubbing themselves "XX". The duo captured the

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight wrestlers. It was created on July 16, 2003 when Kenta and Naomichi Marufuji defeated Jushin Thunder Liger an ...

on February 18, defeating Hayata and

Yo-Hey , better known by his ring name Yo-Hey (stylised in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Fujita started his career in Dragon Gate (DG) under the ring name Ryoma (stylised in ...

to win the vacant championship. On July 4, Noah officially announced that Hi69 had signed with the promotion. On August 26, XX lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Hayata and Yo-Hey. On January 27, 2018, regained the tag team titles. However, they lost the titles once again against

Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...

and Minoru Tanaka on March 11, 2018. Ogawa and Tanaka vacated the titles after Ishimori announced his departure from the promotion. On April 15, 2018, Hi69 and Minoru Tanaka defeated Hayata and Yo-Hey to win the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to

Hajime Ohara is a Japanese professional wrestler. Ohara worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico for several years as part of his training, mixing the ''lucha libre'' style of Mexico with the Japanese Puroresu style of wrestling. In Japan, ...

and

Hitoshi Kumano is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. Early life Kumano first became interested in professional wrestling while still in elementary school after playing ''King of Colloseum 2'' on the PlayStation 2. ...

on December 16. On December 12, 2019, Hi69 and Junta Miyawaki lost to former partner Minoru Tanaka and

Naomichi Marufuji (born September 26, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), R ...

. Two days later, Hi69 was repackaged as and teamed with Haoh to defeat Hajime Ohara and Kinya Okada. The team has appeared in Noah on a regular basis but were unable to win the GHC junior tag team title, and they turned on each other on January 16, 2022 during a tag team match. On April 29, Haoh defeated Nioh in a "loser must change his name" match.

Championships and accomplishments

WEW World Tag Team Championship The WEW (World Entertainment Wrestling) World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship formerly contested in the Japanese promotion Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and World Entertainment Wrestling and currently con ...

(2 times) – with Yusuke Obata (1) and Hasegawa (1) *Guts World Pro Wrestling :*GWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Masamune , was a medieval Japanese blacksmith widely acclaimed as Japan's greatest swordsmith. He created swords and daggers, known in Japanese as ''tachi'' and ''tantō'', in the ''Sōshū'' school. However, many of his forged ''tachi'' were made into ...

Strongest-K Championship The Strongest-K Championship was the top singles title in Kaientai Dojo and was established in 2004. The holder of the title was referred to as the "Champion of Strongest-K". There have been a total of 27 reigns and one vacancy shared between ...

(1 time) :*

(2 times) – with

(1) and

(1) :*

UWA World Tag Team Championship The UWA World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. After the UWA's closing, the title was inactive un ...

(1 time) – with

(1 time) :*

(2 times) :*Bo-So Golden Tag Tournament (2014) *

:*New Year Six Man Tag Tournament (2013) *''

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. 340 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 2019 *

( 3 times) – with

(2) and Minoru Tanaka (1) *

Tenryu Project is an independent Japanese professional wrestling promotion. The promotion was founded by and is owned by puroresu legend Genichiro Tenryu, who has owned and operated it since its creation in 2010. The Tenryu project is the successor to Tenryu's ...

:* Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :* Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Masao Orihara (born June 16, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler. Orihara is known by his career in numerous Japanese promotions such as Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Wrestle Association R, Battlarts and Dramatic Dream Team. Professional wrestling career O ...

References

{{Navboxes, , list1= {{GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship {{Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship {{International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship {{Strongest-K Championship {{Strongest-K Tag Team Championship {{UWA World Middleweight Championship {{UWA World Tag Team Championship {{WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship {{WEW World Tag Team Championship 1981 births Living people Japanese male professional wrestlers GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions UWA World Tag Team Champions 21st-century professional wrestlers Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champions International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions WEW World Tag Team Champions Strongest-K Tag Team Champions UWA World Middleweight Champions