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 ...
. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and in the United States with
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a
one-time WWE Tag Team Champion
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
in the latter company. He currently performs for
All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name Kenso, where he is a one-time
World Tag Team Champion and a one-time
Gaora TV Champion.
Early career
Suzuki was a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player, playing at the international level for
Japan prior to his professional debut as a wrestler in January 2000.
[Famous Ruggers by Wes Clark and others]
retrieved 19th August, 2009
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2000–2003)
Suzuki debuted on January 4, 2000, at
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)'s
Wrestling World 2000
Wrestling World 2000 was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on January 4, 2000 in the Tokyo Dome. Wrestling World 2000 was the ninth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. The show drew 53,500 ...
event at the
Tokyo Dome, losing to
Manabu Nakanishi.
Later that year, Suzuki won NJPW's Young Lion Cup tournament, defeating
Shinya Makabe. He also won Rookie of the Year honors from NJPW in the same year. Following this, he would go on to win the Young Lion Tournament after defeating
Hiroshi Tanahashi in the finals,
[ later forming a tag team with Tanahashi known as The Kings of the Hills.
In 2003, Suzuki resigned from NJPW, choosing to follow his mentor and trainer, Riki Choshu, to Choshu's ]World Japan
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 ...
promotion. Later in the year, he left to wrestle in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. It is speculated that he was forced to resign because a wrestler he was helping to train, Giant Ochiai, died while training on his watch. As a result, this led to Suzuki venturing to the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
' independent circuit, where he worked for the Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotions during 2003 before ultimately quitting World Japan, citing a lack of competition within the latter promotion.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2005)
In 2004, Suzuki signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to their developmental territory
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a highe ...
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in February. Originally, Suzuki was scheduled to debut on the Raw brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...
in May under the ring name ''Hirohito'', a Japanese patriot who held anti-American views. However, the gimmick was dropped, and Suzuki as well as his valet and legitimate wife Hiroko
is a common feminine Japanese given name.
Name meanings
Hiroko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*裕子, "kind child"
*弘子, "Beautiful child"
*寛子, " small child"
*浩子, "large child"
*博子, "wise child"
* ...
were instead moved to the SmackDown! brand. Together, they made their television debut on the June 10 episode of ''SmackDown!'', where Suzuki defeated Scotty 2 Hotty. Suzuki then began a short feud with Billy Gunn, which ended with Suzuki defeating Gunn at The Great American Bash. On the July 15 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Suzuki, René Duprée, and Booker T defeated John Cena in a 3-on-1 elimination match. on the July 29 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Suzuki competed in an 8-man elimination match for the vacant United States Championship, which was won by Booker T. On the September 2 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Suzuki, Duprée and Booker T lost to Cena, Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio.
On the September 9 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Suzuki and Duprée defeated Paul London and Billy Kidman to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. During the title reign, Suzuki adopted a comedic pro-American
Pro-American may refer to the following ideologies that express support for the United States, its culture, or its government:
* American imperialism, a term used to describe the far-reaching cultural and political influence of the United States b ...
gimmick that saw him poorly sing popular songs. At No Mercy, Suzuki and Duprée successfully defended their titles against Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio. After continued weeks of feuding, Suzuki and Duprée lost the titles to Van Dam and Mysterio on the December 9 episode of ''SmackDown!''. They failed to regain the titles in a rematch at Armageddon.
Suzuki entered a feud with John Cena over the United States Championship. On the January 6, 2005 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Suzuki challenged United States Champion John Cena to a battle rap. He then challenged Cena for the championship on the January 13 and January 27 episodes of ''SmackDown!'', but was unsuccessful in both attempts.
Suzuki entered the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble as the sixth entrant, but was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. His final WWE match came on the February 26 episode of ''Velocity
Velocity is the directional speed of an object in motion as an indication of its rate of change in position as observed from a particular frame of reference and as measured by a particular standard of time (e.g. northbound). Velocity i ...
'' where he lost to Booker T. In the following months, Suzuki suffered a collapsed lung. He returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling to continue his recovery. Suzuki and Hiroko were traded to Raw during the 2005 Draft Lottery. However, the pair were released from their contracts on July 6, 2005 before ever making an appearance on the brand.
Hustle and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2005–2006)
After leaving WWE, Suzuki returned to Japan, where he began performing for Hustle and wrestled in a number of humorous matches against the likes of Liosazer and Razor Ramon HG. In addition to Hustle, Suzuki also began performing for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) alongside fellow WWE alumnus Mark Jindrak, who began performing as Marco Corleone. Together, they were put into a feud with Shocker and Universo 2000, which led to Suzuki and Corleone losing a hair vs. hair match on June 12 and thus being forced to have their heads shaved. Following this, Suzuki was used sparingly before eventually leaving CMLL.
AAA (2007–2010, 2015)
On March 13, Suzuki was seen on AAA after jumping from the rival CMLL. He is a part of the Legion Extranjera with Konnan as the ring leader. On July 7, Suzuki lost his hair in the main event of AAA's Triplemanía XV. Sean Waltman was also in the match with his fiancee, Alicia Webb. Suzuki has been an active member of Konnan's Legion Extranjera since his debut and he had an opportunity for the AAA Mega Championship against Cibernético. He has teamed up with the returning Electroshock who is also a member of the Legion Extranjera. They have feuded with La Parka and Octagón. As of Triplemania XVI he has received a mini who accompanied him to the ring for a six-man tag match teaming with Electroshock and Bobby Lashley to take on Chessman, La Parka, and the returning Silver King. Suzuki's team won in the end. Suzuki was part of the 2009 Rey de Reyes, losing to La Parka on March 15.
After Triplemania XVII, Konnan's Legion Extranjera lost control of AAA; Konnan was suspended from Mexican wrestling for an indefinite time. At this time Legion Extranjera was dissolved leaving only Electroshock, Chessman, and Suzuki. Suzuki made an alliance with El Oriental and they formed their own team with Sugi San getting victories in their debut. They would lose to the Psycho Circus at Verano de Escandalo. In December 2009, Suzuki re-joined La Legión Extranjera before leaving the promotion in mid-2010.
Suzuki returned to AAA on May 24, 2015, when he, Masamune and Tiger Mask III
(born Kim Il-Sung (김일성); October 31, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer.
Professional wrest ...
formed a trio for the Lucha Libre World Cup. They were defeated in the first round of the tournament by Team MexLeyendas ( Blue Demon Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Solar).
Dragon Gate (2007)
On November 7, 2007, Suzuki made his debut in Dragon Gate as the surprise member of the Muscle Outlaw'z unit. He came out to Anthony W. Mori
is a retired Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate, under the ring name Anthony W. Mori, where he is a one-time Open the Brave Gate Championship, Open the Brave Gat ...
's entrance theme to trick the Typhoon unit into believing one of their own betrayed them. Suzuki competed in a six-man tag team match with new teammates Genki Horiguchi and Yasushi Kanda against Cima, Dragon Kid, and Ryo Saito that resulted in a disqualification loss for his team after assaulting the referee. Afterward, he and the rest of the MO'z assaulted Dragon Kid and removed the ring ropes to be used against him. This set up a match between Suzuki and Dragon Kid at the big November 25 show in Osaka. He faced on November 18 Kenichiro Arai in Fukuoka in his first match for the promotion.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2010–present)
On July 25, 2010, Suzuki, disguised under a La Parka mask, made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), helping the Voodoo Murders put Keiji Mutoh through a table. Afterwards, Suzuki unmasked himself, adopted the ring name Kenso and joined the heel group, which also included his former tag team partner René Duprée. On November 20, 2010, Kenso entered the World's Strongest Tag Determination League, teaming with fellow Voodoo Murders member Kono. After winning six out of their eight round robin stage matches, Kenso and Kono finished first in the group and on December 7 defeated Ryota Hama and Suwama in the finals to win the 2010 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. Kenso and Kono received their shot at the World Tag Team Championship on January 3, 2011, but were defeated by the defending champions, Akebono and Taiyō Kea. Shortly afterwards Kenso left the Voodoo Murders, turning face and on February 13, 2011, defeated Kono and Akebono in a three-way match to become the number one contender to the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, held by Suwama. On March 21 Kenso failed in his challenge for the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. On June 19, Kenso and The Great Muta defeated Akebono and Ryota Hama to win the vacant World Tag Team Championship. After losing the title to Dark Cuervo and Dark Ozz on October 23, Muta turned on Kenso. The turn was part of a storyline, where other AJPW wrestlers did not take Kenso seriously and refused to team with him as part of his Kenso Kakumei ("Kenso Revolution") stable.[ After failed attempts to form new partnerships with Kaz Hayashi and Great Sasuke,][ Kenso announced on November 18, 2013, that he had decided to join Go Shiozaki's new Xceed stable. However, in the two's first match together three days later, Kenso turned on Shiozaki and announced he was forming a new heel stable named Dark Kingdom (DK) with foreigners ]Bambi Killer
Chris Raaber (born September 6, 1981) is an Austrian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bambikiller (occasionally spelled Bambi Killer). He runs his own promotion European Wrestling Association.
Raaber is a former one time ( ...
and D'Lo Brown. On April 23, 2014, Kenso introduced AJPW outsiders Bear Fukuda
(born June 27, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He currently wrestles as a freelancer in the Japanese independent circuit and as a regular in Secret Base.
Professional wrestling career
Toryumon (2003–2004)
A Último Dragón Gym g ...
, Kengo Mashimo, Kenichiro Arai, Mitsuya Nagai and Takeshi Minamino as the newest members of DK, proclaiming this the "real beginning" of the stable. On December 14, Kenso won his first singles title in AJPW, when he defeated Kotaro Suzuki for the Gaora TV Championship. He lost the title to Sushi in his fourth defense on June 4, 2015. On July 31, it was announced that Kenso would begin freelancing following the expiration of his AJPW contract. He would, however, continue working for AJPW as a freelancer.
Personal life
Suzuki married Hiroko Suzuki in 2003,[ who acted as his valet during their time in WWE.
]
Championships and accomplishments
* All Japan Pro Wrestling
:* Gaora TV Championship ( 1 time)[
:* World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) –with The Great Muta
:* World's Strongest Tag Determination League ( 2010) –with KONO
* DDT Pro-Wrestling
:* KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) –with Danshoku Dino and Super Sasadango Machine
:* King of Dark Championship ( 1 time)
* Ganbare☆Pro-Wrestling
:* World's Strongest Ganbare Tag Tournament (2017) – with Kazma Sakamoto
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
:*]Young Lion Cup
__NOTOC__
The is an infrequent professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a means of showcasing the younger talent on their roster. The tournament is the successor to the Karl Gotch Cup that NJPW promoted in t ...
( 2000)
:*Young Lion Tournament (2002)
* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
:*PWI ranked him #392 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
* Tokyo Sports
:* Rookie of the Year (2000)
*VKF Battle Entertainment
:*VKF Championship (1 time)
* World Wrestling Entertainment
:* WWE Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) –with René Duprée
Luchas de apuestas record
References
Notes
External links
All Japan Pro Wrestling profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Kenzo
1974 births
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Japanese rugby union players
Living people
People from Hekinan
Sportspeople from Aichi Prefecture
Japan international rugby union players
21st-century professional wrestlers
World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)
Gaora TV Champions
King of Dark Champions
KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions