is a Japanese retired

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 ...

. Debuting for

Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Group (''Purofesshonaru-resuringu Fujiwara-Gumi'', プロフェッショナルレスリング藤原組) was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan, operating from 1991 to 1996. It was formed b ...

(PWFG) in 1993, he is best known for his work in

Battlarts , more commonly referred to as simply Battlarts was a professional wrestling promotion based in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan. The promotion was formed in 1996 by Japanese wrestler Yuki Ishikawa and featured all of the wrestlers from the Fujiwara Gum ...

, where he was a 2 time Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Usuda is also known for his appearances in

Pro Wrestling Zero-One (stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO1), formerly known as Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max (stylised in all capital letters) and often referred to simply as Zero1, is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001. I ...

Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling Fighting of World Japan Pro-Wrestling, frequently shortened to World Japan or WJ was a professional wrestling promotion formed in Japan in 2002 by former New Japan Pro-Wrestling employees Riki Choshu and Katsuji Nagashima, who also served as chairm ...

, Big Mouth Loud, and Fu-Ten.

Career

Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (1993–1995)

A student of

Yoshiaki Fujiwara is a Japanese Professional Wrestler and trainer. He is famous for his long career in wrestling, having worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (ZERO-ONE), and the two incarnations of shoot style promotion Universal Wrest ...

, Usuda debuted in

at the age of 23, going to a 30 minute time limit draw with

Carl Greco Carl Ognibene (born January 25, 1970) is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist who is best known as Carl Malenko who competed in Battlarts, Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pride ...

. He took part in the 1994 Challenge Cup, where he was beaten by

Shoichi Funaki (born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and color commentator signed to WWE, where he is a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion. He currently works for WWE as a Japanese-language play-by-play co ...

in the final. After 2 years and limited success in PWFG, Usuda and the rest of the roster all followed

Yuki Ishikawa is a Japanese female volleyball player who plays for the Japan National Volleyball team. Clubs *Kawagoe Municipal High School → Takefuji Bamboo (2006–2009) → JT Marvelous（2009-2014） National team * 2006, 2009, 2011 Awards Individu ...

in an exodus on November 19, 1995, after Ishikawa discovered that the sponsors of Fujiwara Gumi planned to massively restructure the roster and change the landscape of the entire promotion.

Battlarts

The entirety of the PWFG roster (bar Fujiwara himself) jumped to

, including Usuda, who was pushed as a top star in the junior heavyweight division and primarily feuded with Minoru Tanaka, with the two trading victories back and forth early in the promotions life. In 1998, Usuda won his first championship, beating

Minoru Fujita (born September 5, 1977) is a Japanese professional wrestler who works as a freelancer. He is known for working at Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. He is the current Super Asia Champion in his first reign. Career Fujita started in Big Japan Pro Wres ...

for the

BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship BJW may refer to: * the IATA code for Bajawa Soa Airport, Indonesia * 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 ...

. Usuda successfully defended the belt against Carl Greco and

Ikuto Hidaka (born August 5, 1972) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Hidaka was the regular partner of Minoru Fujita, with whom he has held the Zero1-Max International Lightweight Tag Team and Intercont ...

, before dropping the title to Fantastik in December. In May 1999, he partnered up with Carl Greco to win the Onikobe Tag Team Tournament, beating

Daisuke Ikeda is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently wrestling in the Independent circuit in Japan. Since debuting in 1993, Ikeda has worked for a number of promotions in Japan, including Battlarts, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah an ...

& Ikuto Hidaka in the final. Usuda's stock in Battlarts continued to rise, and on May 11, 2000 he beat longtime rival Minoru Tanaka to win 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 ...

. His reign was short-lived, however, as he lost the belt to newcomer Naoyuki Taira in June. He also competed in

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)'s

Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Super Juniors, the first tournament was held in ...

in June 2000, finishing last in the whole tournament with just four points. Usuda managed to get back to winning form in late 2000, beating Taira in November to win back the Independent Junior Title, and also winning the 6 Man Elimination Tag Team Tournament with Hiroyoshi Kotsubo & Takeshi Ono in December. After Battlarts closed its doors in late 2001, Usuda was forced to vacate the Junior title and go freelance.

Freelance (2001–2015)

Zero-One (2002–2003)

Usuda initially jumped to

but saw limited success, usually competing on the losing end of tag team matches. Despite this, he briefly reunited with his mentor

, forming a short-lived tag team in mid-2003.

WJ (2003–2004)

In October 2003, Usuda jumped to

Riki Choshu , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers ...

's new

, beating Jose Maximo in his debut. During his time in WJ, Usuda was largely used as a measuring stick for younger wrestlers, regularly facing and beating the rookies of the roster. Usuda remained with WJ until it closed its doors in mid-2004.

Fu-Ten and Big Mouth Loud (2005–2015)

Usuda was one of a number of shoot-style wrestlers who joined the newborn Big Mouth Loud in 2005, working a number of matches for the short-lived promotion. He would later join and finally settle in old rival

's Fu-Ten promotion, beating

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

on the debut show. Usuda main evented the second and third shows, losing to Ikeda in tag team action twice with

Kazunari Murakami (born November 29, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah. Murakami is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, ...

and

as his respective partners. Usuda continued to make sporadic appearances until October 2015 when he announced his retirement from wrestling. In his last match, Usuda lost to arguably his biggest rival Minoru Tanaka in a Fujiwara-Gumi Rules Match.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

( 1 time) *

(

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 ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usuda, Katsumi 1970 births People from Hachiōji, Tokyo Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champions BJW Junior Heavyweight Champions (original version)