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 ...
currently signed to
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).
A two-time
IWGP Heavyweight Champion
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
,
World Heavyweight Champion
At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...
and a
GHC Heavyweight Champion
The is the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the Pro Wrestling Noah brand division. It is one of CyberFight's two top men's world titles, alon ...
, making him a four-time
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in major
professional wrestling promotions
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails manag ...
in Japan, Nagata is considered one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers in history. He is the fifth longest-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion with a reign of 392 days. He held the record for most successful title defenses with 10, until
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 Heavywei ...
broke the record at
Wrestle Kingdom VI. He is the only wrestler to have won Japanese professional wrestling's three biggest singles tournaments; New Japan Pro-Wrestling's
G1 Climax
The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
(in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants 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, ...
's
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 ...
(in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
) and
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 ...
's
Global League
The Global League is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling Noah, established in 2010. In 2019, the Global League was rebranded as the N-1 Victory.
The Global League adopts a points system, with two points f ...
(in
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 fact ...
).
Amateur wrestling career
Before turning professional, Nagata was a successful
amateur wrestler. Nagata met future professional wrestling rival
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 hol ...
in the amateur wrestling circles. In 1986, when they both were seniors, Suzuki beat Nagata first in a Tokyo high school tournament and again at the Japanese sectionals. Competing in the
Greco-Roman
The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...
style, Nagata represented Japan in the Asian Championships twice, placing fifth in 1993 and placing fourth in 1994, in one World Cup at the Espoir level in 1988, and in the 1991 World Championships, placing twenty-first.
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1992–1997)
Nagata joined
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 ...
in April 1992 and trained in the
NJPW Dojo
(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 o ...
. He debuted on September 14 of that year, facing
Hiroyoshi Yamamoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the ...
.
[ Nagata increased in stature during the 1995 inter-promotional ]angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two ...
pitting NJPW loyalists against UWF International
Union of Professional Wrestling Force International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. The UWF international was the successor to the ''Newb ...
wrestlers. Taught the shoot-style by Kazuo Yamazaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, wrestling instructor and commentator who is known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and shoot-style promotions Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and UWF International (UWFi). He curr ...
, who had returned to NJPW after leaving UWFI, Nagata learned the style that has been his trademark ever since.
World Championship Wrestling excursion (1997–1998)
Nagata joined the American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
in February 1997 as an arrogant villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
. He was managed by Sonny Onoo
Kazuo Sonny Onoo (born July 29, 1962) is a Japanese-American professional wrestling manager, and actor better known by his ring name Sonny Onoo. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999 as the m ...
, who also acted as his translator
Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
. He began feuding with Último Dragón
(born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, better known as . In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the " A ...
, with Nagata repeatedly injuring Dragon's shoulder. The two rivals faced one another at Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand, NXT. As the name implies, it is a Halloween-themed show held in October.
It was originally produced as an annual pay-per-view ...
on October 26, with Nagata forcing his smaller opponent to submit with an arm submission hold. They faced one another in a rematch at World War 3 on November 23, with the added stipulation that, should Dragon win, he would receive five minutes alone in the ring with the interfering Onoo. Nagata was able to pin Dragon following a distraction by Onoo, thus ending their feud.
In 1998, Nagata teamed with 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 Heav ...
and entered a tournament for the number one contendership for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...
. Nagata and Sasaki won the tournament, but were unable to win the titles in their subsequent title match. Nagata left WCW in August 1998 and returned to New Japan.
Return to NJPW (1998–present)
Main event run (1998–2010)
Upon his return, Nagata began challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
. On September 23, 1998, Nagata fought Scott Norton
Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order (professional wrest ...
for the vacant title (the previous champion, Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
, had suffered a neck injury) in Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, but was defeated.
On August 28, 1999 in Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champi ...
defeated Tatsutoshi Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He competed primarily in WAR and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and briefly used the name "T2000 Machine". He also briefly competed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as part of the nWo Japan.
Profession ...
and Michiyoshi Ohara
(born November 15, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he wrestled from 1990 to 2004, winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Tatsutoshi Got ...
for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They held the title until July 20, 2000, when they lost to Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G ...
in Sapporo, Hokkaido
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
. Nagata and Nakanishi feuded with Kojima and Tenzan for several months, but were unable to regain the title. On January 4, 2000, his mentor Kazuo Yamazaki retired and Nagata served as his final opponent, winning the match.
In March 2000, Nagata formed an ill-fated stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
known as ''Fighting Club G-EGGS'', with all the stable member having legitimate sporting backgrounds. The stable included Manabu Nakanishi, Nagata's tag team partner and co-IWGP Tag Team Champion at the time, Masakazu Fukuda, Yutaka Yoshie
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer in Japan, performing most notably for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former World Tag Team Champion. He has previously worked for promotions such as New Japa ...
and Brian Johnston
Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until h ...
. Fukuda died in April 2000 from a brain hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
suffered during a match with rookie Katsuyori Shibata
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional wrestling trainer. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a f ...
, and was honored with a ten-bell salute In professional wrestling, a ten-bell salute is given to honor a wrestler who has died, especially when the wrestler is a current member of the promotion or a distinguished former member of the promotion. It is the professional wrestling equivalent ...
and a tribute show in September of that year. Johnston's participation in the group was largely limited after he suffered a stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
, and Nagata eventually disbanded G-EGGS on June 16, 2001.
In August 2001, Nagata won the eleventh annual G1 Climax tournament, defeating 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 Ne ...
in the finals by submission. Nagata had entered the tournament twice before, but was eliminated in semi-final matches on both instances. Nagata challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once again after it was vacated by the injured Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for his ...
on January 4, 2002, but lost to Tadao Yasuda
is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler (''rikishi''), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992 under the ''shikona'' of Takanofuji Tadao, achieving the rank of ''komusubi'', and afterwards turned to prof ...
on February 16, 2002, in a tournament final. Nagata defeated Yasuda for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on April 5, 2002 in the Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...
. Immediately following his victory, Nagata was attacked by 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 ...
mainstay Yoshihiro Takayama
is a former Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Debuting for UWF International (UWFI) in the 1990s, Takayama joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1997 after UWF-i folded. In 2000, he joined Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), and ...
. He held the title for thirteen months (setting a record for most successful title defenses in the process) before losing to Takayama on May 2, 2003 in the Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
.
On January 4, 2004, he defeated Kensuke Sasaki after 12 minutes of intense action at the Tokyo Dome. In April 2005, Nagata formed "Team JAPAN", a group of former amateur wrestlers with a grudge against the younger generation of wrestlers in NJPW. On December 11, 2005, Nagata challenged Brock Lesnar for his IWGP 3rd Belt Championship but was defeated.
On June 28, 2006, Nagata was announced as a participant in the 2006 G1 Climax, his eighth appearance in the tournament. Nagata challenged for the 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 Championsh ...
at the January 4 Dome Show
The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every Janu ...
entitled Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome against the current Triple Crown champion, Minoru Suzuki. Nagata lost after Suzuki applied the Saka-otoshi. He did not submit, but was knocked-out by the hold.
On March 21, 2007, he won the third annual New Japan Cup __NOTOC__
The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax w ...
, becoming the first man to win both the New Japan Cup and the G1 Climax Tournaments. On April 13, 2007, Nagata defeated 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 Heavywei ...
to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title, marking his second reign, and the first time he has held the belt since April 2002. On October 8, 2007, Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Yuji Nagata at Tokyo Sumo Hall to win the IWGP title. In January 2008 Yuji faced Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
for the IGF version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and lost by submission.
Nagata returned from an undisclosed injury in the Summer of 2008 to lead New Japan against Zero1 as New Japan's ace. Yuji feuded particularly with World Heavyweight Champion
At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...
Masato Tanaka and on October 13, on a New Japan event, Nagata defeated Tanaka to win the World Heavyweight Title following two Backdrop Drivers. He recently defended the belt successfully against Kohei Sato. Nagata made his V2 title defense on December 16 against Tatsuhito Takaiwa
(born Go Yong-Il (Hangul: 고 용일), July 5, 1972) is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Pro Wrestling Zero1, ...
.
Following this victory, it was announced Nagata would defend the belt at the January 4 Dome Show entitled Wrestle Kingdom III
was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2009. It was the 18th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the third held ...
. At the event, Nagata again overcame Tanaka to make his third defense of the title in 11:41 after a Backdrop Suplex Hold.
On February 15, Nagata defeated Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...
at New Japan's ISM tour in a match that was supposed to happen at last year's ISM tour show. Nagata lost the World Heavyweight Title on February 27 to Shinjiro Otani
is a semi-retired Japanese professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury substained in April 2022. A product of the ...
after a Dragon Suplex Hold. The following day, Nagata and Hiroshi Tanahashi would defeat Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
and Goto. After the match, Nagata announced his participation in the New Japan Cup __NOTOC__
The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax w ...
and intended on winning so he could challenge the winner of the Tanahashi-Angle IWGP Title match. Nagata would make his way to the semifinals of the tournament, before losing to Hirooki Goto. In the fall of 2009 Nagata formed the stable Seigigun
was a professional wrestling stable in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, led by Yuji Nagata.
History
2009
Seigigun was first formed in September 2009 as a branch of New Japan Seikigun ("regular army") that seeks justice. Upon the formation of the gr ...
("Blue Justice Army") with Wataru Inoue
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Professional wrestling career
Inoue made his debut on New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1999. He aligned himself with New Japan Junior Seikigun, a face ...
, Mitsuhide Hirasawa
is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He is best known for his two stints with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and a brief stint with World Wrestling Council (WWC).
Hirasawa wrestled as a fall guy, under the mask superhero, .[Super Strong Machine
(born December 20, 1956) is a retired Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a trainer for the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, known primarily by his ring name .
Career
Hirata applied and was approved to ...]
. Yuji had started mentoring both Inoue & Hirasawa, and Strong Machine was entering the role of head trainer at New Japan's dojo.
Later years and role as trainer (2010–present)
On May 3, 2010, at Wrestling Dontaku 2010
Wrestling Dontaku 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2010, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The event featured nine matches (inclu ...
Nagata and Wataru Inoue defeated No Limit
No Limit may refer to:
Music Record labels
*No Limit Records, a record label founded by Master P
* No Limit Forever Records, a record label founded by Romeo Miller, son of Master P
Albums
* ''No Limit'' (Art Pepper album), 1977
* ''No Limit'' ...
(Tetsuya Naito
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction.
Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Anima ...
and Yujiro Takahashi
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its sub-group House of Torture.
Takahashi entered New Japan in November 2003 with an extensive amateur backgr ...
) and Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard
Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Bloom ...
and Karl Anderson) in a three-way match to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. On June 19 at Dominion 6.19
Dominion 6.19 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 19, 2010, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. The event featured nine matches, three of w ...
, Nagata and Inoue lost the Tag Team Championship to Bernard and Anderson in a three-way elimination match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, which also included No Limit. In September Mitsushide Hirasawa left for a learning excursion to Puerto Rico and his spot in Seigigun was given to newcomer King Fale
Simi Taitoko Fale (born 8 January 1982) is a Tongan-New Zealand Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former rugby union player. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as . In NJPW, he is a List of NEVER Openweight 6-M ...
, who was also trained by Nagata & Strong Machine. On October 22, 2010, Nagata and Inoue entered the 2010 G1 Tag League. After four wins and a loss, Nagata and Inoue won their block and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament, where, on November 7, they defeated the IWGP Tag Team Champions, Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson. In the finals of the tournament Nagata and Inoue defeated Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi to win the 2010 G1 Tag League, ten years after the first time Nagata had won the tournament. As a result of their victory, Nagata and Inoue received a shot at the IWGP Tag Team Championship on December 11, 2010, but were defeated by the defending champions, Bad Intentions. The following day Minoru Suzuki returned to New Japan and re–ignited his old feud with Nagata by attacking him after a match. On January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Nagata defeated Suzuki in a grudge match. On March 13, Nagata entered the 2011 New Japan Cup, defeating Giant Bernard in his first round match. On March 19 Nagata defeated Masato Tanaka in the semifinals of the tournament and finally, on March 20, Shinsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand.
Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where ...
in the finals to win the 2011 New Japan Cup and become the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Nagata received his shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on April 3, but was defeated by the defending champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The following week Nagata entered 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, ...
's 2011 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 ...
and on April 13, defeated Seiya Sanada
, better known by his ring name Sanada (stylized as SANADA), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a member of the stable ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''.
As part of NJPW, Sanada is mostly ...
in the finals to win the tournament, becoming only the fourth man to have won both the Champion Carnival and G1 Climax tournaments. On June 18, Seigigun member Mitsuhide Hirasawa, now working under the ring name Hideo Saito, returned from his Puerto Rican excursion, turning on Nagata and joining Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements
* Chaos (''Kinnikuman'')
* Chaos (''Sailor Moon'')
* Chaos (''Sesame Park'')
* Chaos (''Warhammer'')
* Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy''
* Cha ...
. The following day Nagata received the shot at Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship he had earned by winning the Champion Carnival, but was defeated by the defending champion, Suwama. In August, Nagata took part in the 2011 G1 Climax and after picking up five victories, he went to the final day of the tournament with a chance of reaching the finals. However, a loss to former protégé, Hideo Saito, who had lost all eight of his previous matches in the G1 Climax, eliminated him from the running for a spot in the finals. On September 19, Nagata seemingly wrapped up his rivalry with Saito by defeating him in a singles match, but was then attacked by his CHAOS stablemate, 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 ...
. On October 10 at Destruction '11
Destruction '11 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on October 10, 2011, in Tokyo, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured eleven matches (including one dark mat ...
, Nagata defeated Yano by rolling him up for the three count. Following the main event, Nagata came out to challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. However, after Tanahashi had accepted the challenge, he was attacked by Yano, who proceeded to steal the championship belt. After Tanahashi had defeated Yano for the title, he successfully defended it against Nagata on December 4, tying his record of ten successful defenses in the process.
On January 4, 2012, at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome
was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2012. It was the 21st January 4 Toky ...
, Nagata teamed with Wataru Inoue in a tag team match, where they were defeated by the All Japan Pro Wrestling team of Masakatsu Funaki
is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), ...
and Masayuki Kono
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently working as a freelancer. He is best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he is a former two-time Wrestle-1 Champion.
Career
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2003 ...
. During the match, Nagata broke Funaki's orbital bone
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents. In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is , of ...
, sidelining him from in-ring action for an estimated six months. Afterwards, Nagata began making more regular appearances for All Japan, feuding with Funaki's protégé, Kono, in anticipation of Funaki's return in the summer. In April and May, Nagata took part in All Japan's 2012 Champion Carnival, suffering his only round-robin loss against Kono. On May 7, Nagata was defeated in the semifinals of the tournament by 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 ...
, who went on to win the entire tournament. On July 29, Nagata was defeated by Masakatsu Funaki in a grudge match. On September 9, Nagata celebrated his 20th anniversary in professional wrestling with an event, which saw him, 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, c ...
and Masaaki Mochizuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah. Mochizuki is a former FIP World Champion and three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion.
Professional wrestling career
Early years
A former karateka ...
defeat Kazuchika Okada
(born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also h ...
, Shinsuke Nakamura and Yujiro Takahashi in the main event, with Nagata pinning Takahashi for the win. From November 20 to December 1, Nagata and Mochizuki took part in the round-robin portion of the 2012 World Tag League, finishing with a record of four wins and two losses, narrowly missing advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.
On January 4, 2013, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome
Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2013. It was the 22nd January 4 Tokyo ...
, Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki in another chapter of their long rivalry. Afterwards, Nagata started a new rivalry with Kazushi Sakuraba
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler, currently signed to Rizin Fighting Federation and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugiura. ...
, which led to them forming a brief tag team together in October to feud with Chaos. Nagata defeated Chaos' Takashi Iizuka
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his 33-year career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has also worked for Pro Wrestling Noa ...
(Nagata's former tag partner) via disqualification when Toru Yano interfered on November 6, 3 days before Nagata & Sakuraba would take on Iizuka & Yano. At Power Struggle (2013), Power Struggle, they defeated Iizuka & Yano when Sakuraba submitted Iizuka. After winning Noah's Global League, Nagata worked most dates on NJPW's World Tag League (NJPW)#2013, World Tag League tour, although due to Noah commitments, he took a break from the tournament itself. On the first day of the tour, he again faced Iizuka one on one, and again won via disqualification, this time after Iizuka used a microphone cord to choke Nagata. Nagata & Sakuraba would team up once again on the final day of the tour to take on Iizuka & his Chaos stablemate, Yoshi-Hashi. Sakuraba submitted Yoshi-Hashi in just under 9 minutes to get him and Nagata the win.
On January 4, 2014, at Wrestle Kingdom 8, Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, Nagata and Sakuraba teamed up to take on Daniel Gracie & Rolles Gracie Jr., Rolles Gracie, with Nagata getting the win after Daniel illegally used his sleeve to choke Nagata. At The New Beginning in Hiroshima, Nagata and Sakuraba once again took on Chaos' Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka, this time with Chaos getting the win after Sakuraba used Iizuka's iron glove on him. At The New Beginning in Osaka (2014), The New Beginning in Osaka, they took on the Gracies again, this time under Brazilian jiu-jitsu exhibition rules. Rolles defeated Sakuraba to get the Gracies the win. Nagata took part in the G1 Climax#2014, 2014 G1 Climax, where he scored four wins and six losses in what is the largest field in the history of the G1 with 22 participants. Nagata's wins came over Tomoaki Honma, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Katsuyori Shibata & Shelton Benjamin, Shelton 'X' Benjamin. Kazushi Sakuraba had joined Chaos at point, so at Destruction in Okayama (2014), Destruction in Okayama in September, Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi reformed their tag team to challenge Tencozy for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Tencozy retained when Kojima pinned Nagata after a Professional wrestling strikes#Lariat, Lariat. After again competing in Noah's Global League, Nagata returned to New Japan for the World Tag League (NJPW)#2014, World Tag League 2014 tour, this time participating. Nagata teamed with Nakanishi in the league for the first time since 2007, and the duo scored three wins and four losses, with their biggest win being over tournament winners 'Meiyu Tag' (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata), when Nagata performed a 'Suplex#High-angle belly-to-back suplex, Backdrop Hold' (Bridging High Angle Belly-to-Back Suplex) on Shibata.
Nagata started his 2015 without a match on the Wrestle Kingdom 9, January 4 Tokyo Dome show, but he won the pre-show's Wrestle Kingdom 9#Pre-show, New Japan Rumble, pinning Yoshi-Hashi with a Backdrop Driver to win. The next night, Nagata again pinned Yoshi-Hashi in a six-man tag team match featuring IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura. Nagata challenged Nakamura after the match. On February 14, 2015, Nagata returned to the singles title picture in his home promotion, when he unsuccessfully challenged Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at The New Beginning in Sendai. Nagata took part in the New Japan Cup#2014, 2014 New Japan Cup, losing in the first round to Hirooki Goto after a 'Shouten-Kai' (Powerslam#Vertical suplex side slam, Vertical Suplex Side Slam). From July 23 to August 15, Nagata took part in the 2015 G1 Climax. Though finishing with a record of only three wins and six losses, Nagata closed his tournament with a big win over now-reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Hirooki Goto. Nagata would again team with Nakanishi in the World Tag League. In the World Tag League (NJPW)#2015, 2015 tournament, the duo scored two wins and four losses, failing to advance to the finals, but Nagata scored a win over former tag team partner Kazushi Sakuraba with the Backdrop Driver.
Nagata was again in the New Japan Rumble on Wrestle Kingdom 10, Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome's pre-show, but he was unsuccessful this time, being eliminated by Haku (wrestler), King Haku. Nagata participated in the New Japan Cup#2016, 2016 New Japan Cup, once again being eliminated in the first round by Hirooki Goto, this time with the 'Goto Shiki' pin. After the tour, Nagata started feuding with former tag partner Sakuraba. The feud culminated at Invasion Attack 2016 when Nagata, Kojima & Jushin Liger, Jyushin Thunder Liger defeated Sakuraba, Yano & Yoshi-Hashi when Nagata pinned Yoshi-Hashi with the Backdrop Hold. Later that show, Nagata, Kojima & Nakanishi cornered Tenzan for his NEVER Openweight Championship challenge against Shibata. After Tenzan's loss, Nagata challenged Shibata for the belt. On May 3, 2016, at Wrestling Dontaku 2016, Nagata won his first NJPW singles title in nine years, when he defeated Katsuyori Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Championship. He lost the title back to Shibata on June 19 at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall. From July 22 to August 13, Nagata took part in the G1 Climax#2016, 2016 G1 Climax, where he finished with a record of three wins and six losses. He won his first three matches, the most notable, his first one against recent IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. At Destruction in Tokyo in September, Nagata & Nakanishi teamed up to defeat Hunter Club (Yoshi Tatsu, Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan) when Nagata pinned Captain after an 'Exploder of Justice' (Suplex#Exploder suplex, Exploder Suplex). The duo would come up short when taking on reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) at Destruction in Kobe (2016), Destruction in Kobe as O'Reilly would submit Nakanishi with an armbar. Also at this show, Captain New Japan would betray Yoshitatsu for Bullet Club. For the World Tag League (NJPW)#2016, 2016 World Tag League, Nagata teamed with Shibata. This pairing would prove more successful for Nagata as the duo scored four wins and three losses, including a win over tournament winners Great Bash Heel, G・B・H (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma).
In 2017, Nagata again wrestled on the Wrestle Kingdom 11, Wrestle Kingdom pre-show. He was again unsuccessful in the New Japan Rumble as he was eliminated by NJPW legend Hiro Saito. Nagata participated in the New Japan Cup#2017, 2017 New Japan Cup replacing a severely injured Tomoaki Honma. He defeated Tanga Loa with a Backdrop Driver in the first round before losing to Evil (wrestler), Evil. Around this time, Nagata transitioned into a much smaller role, focusing on his mentoring and training of New Japan's young prospects. He took part in his final G1 Climax#2017, G1 Climax, where he finished with a record of one win and eight losses. Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' wrote that Nagata had "probably his best in-ring tournament even though he was booked to lose eight of his nine matches", adding that many had him as the tournament MVP. After losing his final G1 match to Bad Luck Fale, Fale showed him respect by bowing down to him and leaving the ring immediately after. Nagata reformed his team with Nakanishi to participate in the World Tag League (NJPW)#2017, 2017 World Tag League, scoring two wins and five losses. Nagata scored a win over former tag team partner Takashi Iizuka with a Backdrop Driver, while Nakanishi scored a submission victory over Nagata's trainee Fale's team when he submitted Chase Owens with an Argentine backbreaker rack, Argentine Backbreaker.
Nagata would spend 2018 working mostly with Young Lions. He again competed in the New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 12, this time eliminated by Nakanishi, Chase Owens & Katsuya Kitamura all at once. The following night, at New Year Dash!!#2018, New Year Dash!!, he teamed up with fellow 'third generation' wrestlers Tenzan, Kojima & Nakanishi to defeat the 4 Young lions in training at the time, Tomoyuki Oka, Shota Umino, Tetsuhiro Yagi & Ren Narita, all of whom Nagata had a hand in training. On February 3, Nagata and Jun Akiyama defeated Naoya Nomura & Ryoji Sai to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship at All Japan Pro-Wrestling's Yokohama Twilight Blues Special. The duo first defended against a reunited 'Wild Child' (Nakanishi & Takao Omori) on March 25, and then against 'Nextream' (Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi) on June 12. Nagata took part in Super Strong Machine's Retirement Event, performing as 'Strong Machine Justice' alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi (Strong Machine Ace), Strong Machine Buffalo (Hiroyoshi Tenzan), Strong Machine Don (Manabu Nakanishi) & Strong Machine 69 (Ryusuke Taguchi) to defeat ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' (Tetsuya Naito, Evil (wrestler), Eviil, Sanada (wrestler), Sanada, Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi (professional wrestler), Bushi). Nagata & Akiyama would lose their tag belts a month later to Nextream at AJPW's 'Summer Action Series' on July 29. Nagata & Nakanishi once again teamed for the World Tag League, scoring three wins and ten losses in the World Tag League (NJPW)#2018, 2018 tournament.
At Wrestle Kingdom 13's pre-show, Nagata replaced Michael Elgin in a gauntlet match to determine number one contenders to the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships teaming with Jeff Cobb and David Finlay (wrestler), David Finlay, but were unsuccessful. The next day at New Years Dash!!!, Nagata began a feud with Tomohiro Ishii. The feud would end in the first round of the New Japan Cup __NOTOC__
The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax w ...
, with Ishii defeating Nagata after a Brainbuster, Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Nagata & Nakanishi, in the World Tag League (NJPW)#2019, 2019 World Tag League, teamed up in what would be Nakanishi's last Tag League. The duo finished their final tournament together with two wins and thirteen losses, coming last. In December 2019, Nagata announced his contract renewal with NJPW to confirm he would continue wrestling in 2020.
At Wrestle Kingdom 14, Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome, Nagata was again on the pre-show, this time in a tag team match alongside Nakanishi to take on Tencozy, which they lost. This would be Nakanishi's final match in the Dome. On February 22, Nagata teamed up with Nakanishi & Tencozy in Nakanishi's retirement match. They faced Chaos' Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto, and NJPW's Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi in a losing effort when Nakanishi was pinned by Tanahashi following a 'High Fly Flow' (Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Frog splash, Frog splash). In June 2020, Nagata entered the New Japan Cup#2020, 2020 New Japan Cup, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, defeating long time rival Minoru Suzuki in round one, before losing to Kazuchika Okada in the second round. Suzuki angered by the loss, declared war on Nagata, with Suzuki eventually beating him in a singles match on Day 4 of New Japan’s Summer Struggle series, ending their feud. With Nakanishi retired and a smaller field in the World Tag League (NJPW)#2020, 2020 World Tag League, Nagata didn't make it into the tournament.
At Wrestle Kingdom 15, Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome in January 2021, Nagata wrestled on the pre-show. He entered the New Japan Rambo, where he and Suzuki, who were brawling, were eliminated over the top rope simultaneously by Toa Henare. 2 nights later, at New Year Dash!!#2021, New Year Dash!!, Nagata defeated Young Lion, Gabriel Kidd via submission in 7 minutes and 59 seconds with the 'Nagata Lock II' (Professional wrestling holds#Crossface, Arm-Trap Crossface).
On April 5, Jon Moxley–who wrestles for both NJPW and American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), a company which NJPW shares a partnership with–challenged Nagata to a match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. On April 29, the match was set between the two for the May 12 episode of AEW's television show ''AEW Dynamite, Dynamite''. Moxley won the match and they bowed to each other in respect afterwards.
In the leadup to NJPW Resurgence, Resurgence, Jon Moxley teased that he would be joined by a mystery tag team partner in his match against The Good Brothers (professional wrestling), The Good Brothers. On August 14, at the event, Nagata was revealed to be the mystery partner. The Good Brothers defeated Moxley and Nagata in 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
On September 21st, Tetsuya Naito was forced to withdraw from the G1 Climax 31 due to a knee injury suffered during his match with Zack Sabre Jr., Zack Saber Junior. As a result, the remainder of Naito's matches were forfeited and replaced with Special Singles Matches. Nagata will be wrestling two of these, taking on Tanga Loa on September 23rd and Shingo Takagi on September 26.
Pro Wrestling Noah (2012–2015)
In November 2012, Nagata took part in Pro Wrestling Noah's Global League#2012, 2012 Global League, where he won four out of his six matches, with a loss to GHC Heavyweight Championship, GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Morishima on the final day, costing him a spot in the finals. From late October 2013 to early November, Nagata took part in Pro Wrestling Noah's Global League#2013, 2013 Global League, defeating Takeshi Morishima in the finals on November 10 to win the tournament and become the first wrestler to have won the G1 Climax, the Champion Carnival and the Global League. As a result of his Global League win, Nagata received a shot at the GHC Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion, Kenta Kobayashi, Kenta, on December 7. Nagata received another shot at the title on February 8, 2014, and defeated Takeshi Morishima to become the new champion. He lost the title to Naomichi Marufuji in his fifth defense on July 5.
In August 2015, Nagata, performing as 'Maybach Blue Justice', teamed with Maybach Taniguchi and Manabu Nakanishi (performing as 'Maybach Don') in the Arukas Cup Six-Man Tag Team Tournament. They won the tournament, defeating Suzuki-gun's Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & El Desperado (wrestler), El Desperado in the final.
Mixed martial arts career
Nagata has also participated in two mixed martial arts bouts, losing in 21 seconds to Mirko Cro Cop at ''Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001'' (which was Cro Cop's third mixed martial arts fight), and in 1 minute, 2 seconds to Fedor Emelianenko at 'Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003''.
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 0-2
, Fedor Emelianenko
, TKO (punches)
, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:02
, Kobe, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 0-1
, Mirko Cro Cop
, TKO (head kick and punches)
, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:21
, Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
,
Personal life
Nagata is married to a woman named Chieko. Together, they have a son named Yusei.
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, ...
**All Asia Tag Team Championship (All Asia Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with 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, c ...
**World Tag Team Championship (AJPW), World Tag Team Championship (World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)#Title history, 1 time) – with Kendo Kashin
**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 ...
(2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
)
*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 ...
**IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
(List of IWGP Heavyweight Champions, 2 times)
**IWGP Tag Team Championship (List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champi ...
(1) and Wataru Inoue
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Professional wrestling career
Inoue made his debut on New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1999. He aligned himself with New Japan Junior Seikigun, a face ...
(1)
**NEVER Openweight Championship (List of NEVER Openweight Champions, 1 time)
**G1 Climax
The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
(2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
)
**G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#2000, 2000) – with Takayuki Iizuka, Takashi Iizuka
**G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#2010, 2010) – Wataru Inoue
**New Japan Cup __NOTOC__
The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax w ...
(New Japan Cup#2007, 2007, New Japan Cup#2011, 2011)
**New Japan Rumble (Wrestle Kingdom 9, 2015)
** WCW World Tag Team Title Contenders League (1998) – with 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 Heav ...
**Naeba Prince Hotel Cup Tag Tournament (2001) – with Jushin Thunder Liger
**Samurai! TV Openweight Tag Team Tournament (2005) – with Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...
**MVP Award (2002)
**Outstanding Performance Award (2001)[
**Singles Best Bout (2001) – ]
**Singles Best Bout (2002) –
**Tag Team Best Bout (2000) –
**Tag Team Best Bout (2001) – [
*''Nikkan Sports''
**Match of the Year (2001) –
**Fighting Spirit Award (2012)
*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
**Ranked No. 8 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the "Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500" in 2002
**Ranked No. 218 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
*]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 ...
**GHC Heavyweight Championship (GHC Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)
**GHC Tag Team Championship (GHC Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with 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 Heavywei ...
**Arukas Cup 6-Man Tag Tournament (2015) – with Manabu Nakanishi, Maybach Don and Shuhei Taniguchi, Maybach Taniguchi
**Global League
The Global League is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling Noah, established in 2010. In 2019, the Global League was rebranded as the N-1 Victory.
The Global League adopts a points system, with two points f ...
(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 fact ...
)
**Global League Fighting Spirit Award (2014)
*Pro Wrestling Zero1, Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max
**World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1), World Heavyweight Championship (World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)#Title history, 1 time)
*''Tokyo Sports''
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Fighting Spirit Award, Fighting Spirit Award (2001, 2011)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award, Match of the Year Award (2001)
**Match of the Year Award (2002)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Technique Award, Technique Award (1998, 1999)
*''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
''Nagata wins G1 Climax''
Yuji Nagata at Puroresufan.com
Yuji Nagata at Wrestling101.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagata, Yuji
1968 births
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
Heavyweight mixed martial artists
IWGP Heavyweight champions
Japanese male mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Japanese male sport wrestlers
Living people
Masked wrestlers
Nippon Sport Science University alumni
Sportspeople from Chiba Prefecture
NEVER Openweight champions
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
GHC Heavyweight Champions
GHC Tag Team Champions
All Asia Tag Team Champions
World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)