, (born December 24, 1985) better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

, 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 wrestles in

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 ...

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, ...

Professional wrestling career

Toryumon (2002-2004)

Yamamoto made his pro wrestling debut in

Toryumon Mexico Toryumon or Tōryūmon may refer to: *Toryumon (Último Dragón) is a professional wrestling promotion that operated in Japan until 2004 and in Mexico, where it's called Toryumon Mexico. The promotion is owned and operated by Yoshihiro Asai, who ...

at only sixteen, being the youngest debutant out of the Último Dragón Gym. He changed his ring name to and joined Pineapple Hanai and

Mango 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 ...

to found Los Salseros Japoneses, a

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

music band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

themed

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

stable led by him. Minamino established himself as a major heel and went to feud with top

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

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 ...

and his Sailor Boys ( Kei and Shu Sato). They had their first bout in Toryumon X, where Minamino unsuccessfully challenged Ishimori for

UWA World Welterweight Championship The UWA World Welterweight Championship is a championship in professional wrestling that is primarily contested for in various Lucha Libre promotions in Mexico. In 1993, the championship was recognized by the Japanese professional wrestling promoti ...

. On August 29, 2004 Minamino got a rematch in Mexico and won the title, retaining it against Taiji on October, 10 with aid from Fukuda and Hanai. The title was vacated after the match. After the Toryumon X demise, Minamino and his colleagues were moved to

Michinoku Pro Wrestling (2004-present)

Upon his arrival to Michinoku Pro, Minamino dissociated himself from Los Salseros Japoneses and formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with Como Leoapard, using a mask and the name Esthetic Jaguar. However, the team fell after the ''Futaritabi Tag Team League 2004'' and Minamino returned to Los Salseros, posing as the top heel team in Michinoku Pro. The trio won the

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 pr ...

from Solar, Ultraman and Ultraman, Jr. in a Toryumon Mexico show, and Minamino captured the

Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship contested in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, where it is the primary singles title, and is strictly for junior heavyweights. It was created on August 25, 2002, when Dick Togo defeated Tiger Mask in a round ...

in a tournament final against Rasse, becoming double champion. His individual reign lasted until May, when he lost his title against

Super Delfín is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently runs Kaisen Puroresu and is also working as a wrestler there. He is better known by his stage name . Professional wrestling career New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1989, 1994) Hiroto Wakita joined N ...

. In June, Los Salseros Japoneses lost the UWA World Trios title against STONED ( Maguro Ooma, Kei Sato and Shu Sato) by a misaimed attack from Minamino to Hanai, after which Los Salseros Japoneses broke up when Hanai turned on him. Minamino went solo and turned

, adopting a traditional Japanese attire with a black

hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from (), the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of in the 6th centu ...

. He also played Happy Man, an

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

character dressed in

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

-like pink attire, and had a title shot against the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Yoshitsune, but he failed. In 2008, Minamino turned heel again and became a member of the Kowloon stable, directed by

Fujita Hayato Hayato Fujita (藤田勇人 ''Fujita Hayato'', born September 20, 1986) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Fujita "Jr." Hayato (フジタ"Jr"ハヤト). Despite his small stature and physique for a professional wr ...

. He formed a tag team with Maguro Ooma, which was called Tonery Family. Minamino and Ooma won the ''Futaritabi Tag Team League 2009'' and beat

Kesen Numajiro is a Japanese professional wrestler and singer, better known for his ring name . He has had a long career in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, where he currently wrestles, being a three-time Tohoku Tag Team champion and a one-time Tohoku Junior Heavyweigh ...

& Kinya Oyanagi to win the

Tohoku Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Michinoku Pro Wrestling. There have been a total of 33 reigns shared between 25 different teams consisting of 33 indivi ...

. They retained the title during months, until they dropped it to Yapper Men ( Yapper Man #1 & Yapper Man #2). After the dissension of Kowloon, Tonery Family and Ken45º turned tweener and followed Hayato to his new stable, Bad Boy.

Championships and accomplishments

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 fou ...

(1 time) – with

Mitsuya Nagai , better known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. He is known for his work in Fighting Network RINGS and later in professional wrestling companies like Battlarts and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJ ...

Gaora TV Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) promotion. On August 28, 2012, AJPW and Gaora TV announced that AJPW would introduce a new championship called the Gaora TV Championship. A tournament for t ...

(1 time) *

Apache Pro-Wrestling Army 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 F ...

WEW 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 co ...

(1 time) – with Maguro Ooma *

( 1 time) :*

( 1 time) – with Maguro Ooma :* Futaritabi Tag Team League (2009) – with Maguro Ooma * Toryumon :*

( 1 time) – with

and Pineapple Hanai :*

( 1 time) :*Young Dragons Cup Tournament (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minamino, Takeshi 1985 births Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people All Asia Tag Team Champions Gaora TV Champions UWA World Trios Champions 21st-century professional wrestlers UWA World Welterweight Champions Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champions Tohoku Tag Team Champions WEW World Tag Team Champions