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 ...
better known simply as . He is best known for his work in
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, ...
, where he is a former record eight-time
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a seven-time
World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the promotion's
board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
.
Professional wrestling career
All Japan Pro Wrestling
Early days (2004–2006)
Suwama was scouted and recruited to
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, ...
(AJPW) by
Hiroshi Hase, particularly because of his amateur wrestling background. He joined the All Japan dojo on March 1, 2004, and teamed with AJPW president
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 ...
early in his career, defeating many of his seniors. In 2005, he defeated Muto in the 2005
Champion Carnival
The is a professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname and is sometimes abbreviated to CC. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since ...
.
Voodoo Murders (2006–2008)
Suwama aligned himself with the
Voodoo Murders
Voodoo-Murders (stylised in all capital letters), or more simply as VDM, is a professional wrestling stable and the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring. They perfo ...
stable on January 8, 2006, following a
Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
History
The championship was established after the unification of its then-flagship title the PWF World Heavyweight Champions ...
match between
Satoshi Kojima and stable leader
Taru. Upon joining the group, he officially changed his name to Suwama, which translates to "Suwa evil spirit".
He formed a team with
RO'Z in early 2007, as the two set their sights on the vacant
World Tag Team Championship. Their pursuit would be unsuccessful, as
Toshiaki Kawada and
Taiyō Kea
Maunakea Mossman (born November 18, 1975) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known under his stage name . He is the only wrestler to have held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and t ...
defeated them in a decision match for the vacant belts on February 17, 2007. Suwama was sent by the group to Orlando, Florida on July 2, 2007, in order to secure
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling star
Scott Steiner
Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championsh ...
for All Japan's Pro Wrestling Love in Ryogoku, Vol. 3 event in Sumo Hall on August 26, 2007. Suwama had observed Steiner's match and shortly afterwards came to an agreement with Steiner to team with him and challenge the team of
The Great Muta and
Tajiri. They were unsuccessful in the challenge.
For the rest of the year, Suwama mainly competed in six-man tags with Taru and
Satoshi Kojima (who joined the group in July), but also had a short feud with rookie gaijin
Joe Doering. Suwama teamed with Kojima in the 2008
World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
, where they defeated
Toshiaki Kawada and
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of ''puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heavyw ...
to reach the finals, but lost to
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 ...
and
Joe Doering. Suwama and Kojima scored 10 points.
All Japan Ace (2008–present)
At All Japan's New Year's Shining Series show on January 3, 2008, Suwama saved
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 ...
and
Joe Doering from a post-match attack by the Voodoo Murders stable. After Suwama tore off his Voodoo Murders shirt, he shook hands with Mutoh and signaled his return to the All Japan Seikigun. On March 1, 2008, Suwama defeated Taru at Pro Wrestling Love in Ryogoku, Vol. 4. From April 5–9, Suwama participated in All Japan's annual Champion Carnival tournament, which he ultimately won on April 9 by defeating
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) star
Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywe ...
in the finals. Suwama finished the Carnival group stage with 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, which earned him 5 points.
On April 29, 2008, Suwama defeated
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of ''puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heavyw ...
to win the All Japan Triple Crown Championship.
Suwama first defended the Triple Crown on June 28, 2008, against
Osamu Nishimura
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. Nishimura formerly worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and MUGA World Pro Wrestling (MUGA).
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1991–1998)
Nishimura debuted ...
, beating Nishimura with the Last Ride. Suwama challenged
Taiyo Kea and
Minoru Suzuki
(born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, Suzuki has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice h ...
on August 3, 2008 for the World Tag Team Championship teaming with Osamu Nishimura but did not win the belts. Suwama's second defense of the Triple crown was on August 31, 2008 versus Taiyo Kea it went to a 60-minute time limit draw. Suwama team up with
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 the
All Asia Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). It was created on November 16, 1955, in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) when King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh defeated JWA founde ...
tournament on January 2–3, 2009 to crown new All Asia Tag Team Champions. Suwama and Hijikata got eliminated in the first round of the tournament by losing to Satoshi Kojima and
Kai when Kojima used a lariat on Hijikata. Suwama and
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 heavyweig ...
defeated Joe Doering and
Zodiac on March 1, 2009, to become the number one contenders for the World Tag Team Championship, but did not win the championship from Taiyō Kea and Minoru Suzuki. On August 29, 2010, Suwama defeated Minoru Suzuki to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He would go on to lose the title to
Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-h ...
on October 23, 2011.
In later 2012, Suwama formed the
Last Revolution tag team with Joe Doering, which in early 2013 was also joined by
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 heavyweig ...
, Shuji Kondo and
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 Champion. He started his career in All Japan P ...
.
On March 17, Suwama defeated
Masakatsu Funaki to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the third time. In June, Joe Doering disbanded Last Revolution, when Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo announced their resignation from All Japan following Nobuo Shiraishi taking over as the new president of All Japan and Keiji Mutoh leaving the promotion.
[ While several other wrestlers also quit All Japan following the change in management, Suwama emerged as one of the first wrestlers to publicly show his support to Shiraishi, announcing that he was going to be staying in the promotion. In September, Suwama came back together with Joe Doering, with the two forming a tag team named " Evolution". On October 22, Evolution defeated ]Burning
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...
(Go Shiozaki and Jun Akiyama) to win the World Tag Team Championship, making Suwama the first "Quintuple Crown Champion" in 12 years. However, just five days later, Suwama lost the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to Akebono. On December 8, Evolution defeated Xceed (Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is the current six time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He was trained by Kensuke Sasaki and started his career in his Kensuke Office promotio ...
) in the finals to win the 2013 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. On February 16, 2014, Hikaru Sato
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name . Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five times ...
joined Suwama and Doering, turning Evolution into a stable. On June 28, Suwama and Doering lost the World Tag Team Championship to Wild Burning
Wild Burning is a tag team composed of Japanese professional wrestlers Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori. Although Akiyama and Omori have been using the team name since 2013, their team goes back almost to the era of their debut in All Japan Pro Wrest ...
(Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the All Japan Board of Directors. He ...
). However, the next day, Suwama defeated Omori to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time. That same day Suwama was made a part of All Japan's new board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
. He was later also given the title of "senior managing director". On July 27, Suwama lost the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to his Evolution stablemate Joe Doering. In December 2015, Suwama resigned from his senior managing director role. On January 2, 2016, Suwama defeated Jun Akiyama to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the fifth time. However, Suwama was stripped of the title only ten days later after suffering an achilles tendon rupture.
Suwama returned to the ring on July 14, 2016. On September 19, Suwama defeated Zeus in the finals to win the 2016 Ōdō Tournament. Suwama would then unsuccessfully challenge the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Kento Miyahara
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is the current six time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He was trained by Kensuke Sasaki and started his career in his Kensuke Office promotio ...
on November 27. On September 23, 2017, Suwama won his second Ōdō Tournament is a professional wrestling tournament held annually by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) since 2013. The single-elimination tournament is a spiritual successor to the Open Championship tournament, which was held in 1975. Typically, the winner of the ...
in a row. On October 9, Suwama defeated Miyahara to win the Triple Crown for a record sixth time. He lost the title to Joe Doering on October 21.
On November 19, Suwama allied with Shuji Ishikawa
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2017 Champion Carnival.
Ishikawa is also known f ...
to enter the World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
, which the two won by defeating Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani in the finals. On January 3, 2018, the two won the World Tag Team Championship by defeating Wild Burning
Wild Burning is a tag team composed of Japanese professional wrestlers Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori. Although Akiyama and Omori have been using the team name since 2013, their team goes back almost to the era of their debut in All Japan Pro Wrest ...
(Takao Omori and Jun Akiyama). They dropped the belts to Kento Miyahara and Yoshi Tatsu on February 3.
Between April 7 and April 30, Suwama took part in the Champion Carnival
The is a professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname and is sometimes abbreviated to CC. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since ...
, winning four matches and losing three. He was unable to reach the finals, but scored an important victory against eventual winner 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 ...
.
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, ...
** Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
History
The championship was established after the unification of its then-flagship title the PWF World Heavyweight Champions ...
( 8 times)[
** World Tag Team Championship ( 7 times, current) – with Joe Doering (1),][ ]Shuji Ishikawa
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2017 Champion Carnival.
Ishikawa is also known f ...
(4), Shotaro Ashino
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was trained by and best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he was a former two time Wrestle-1 Champion.
Early life
Ashino was an amateur wrestler th ...
(1), and Kono (1, current)
** Champion Carnival
The is a professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname and is sometimes abbreviated to CC. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since ...
(2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
)[
** January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2005)
** Mika Kayama Cup (2010) – with ]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 heavyweig ...
** Ōdō Tournament is a professional wrestling tournament held annually by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) since 2013. The single-elimination tournament is a spiritual successor to the Open Championship tournament, which was held in 1975. Typically, the winner of the ...
(2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
, 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
, 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)[
** Taiwan Cup (2009)
** ]World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
(2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
) – with Joe Doering[
** ]World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
(2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
) – with Kento Miyahara
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is the current six time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He was trained by Kensuke Sasaki and started his career in his Kensuke Office promotio ...
** World's Strongest Tag Determination League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
(2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
, 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
) – with Shuji Ishikawa
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2017 Champion Carnival.
Ishikawa is also known f ...
* ''Nikkan Sports
is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1946.
It has a circulation of 1,661,000, and is an affiliate newspaper of the ''Asahi Shimbun
is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also ...
''
** Best Bout (2011) – vs. Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-h ...
on October 23
* '' Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
** Ranked No. 14 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
* 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 World 6-Man Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Arashi
is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...
and Tomohiro Ishii
* '' Tokyo Sports''
** Outstanding Performance Award (2010)
** Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Taru, Shuji Kondo, and "brother" Yasshi
** Tag Team of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019) with Shuji Ishikawa
References
External links
All Japan Pro Wrestling profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suwama
1976 births
Living people
Japanese male professional wrestlers
People from Fujisawa, Kanagawa
Professional wrestling executives
Japanese male sport wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions
Tenryu Project World 6-Man Tag Team Champions