(born Go Il-myeong (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 고일명,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

promoter,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and mixed martial artist of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

descent. Maeda was also known by the ring name Kwik-kik-Lee during his time on the

British wrestling Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over one hundred years but became popular when the then new independent television network ITV began showing it in 1955, firstly on Saturday afternoons and then also in a late-night midweek slot. ...

show '' World of Sport'' (WoS). Maeda helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s. He founded Fighting Network RINGS in 1991 which would become one of the top MMA promotions before it folded in 2002.

Professional wrestling career

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1978–1984)

Maeda entered the

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, 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 ...

(NJPW) dojo in 1978, after being discovered at a karate tournament, and debuted the same year. Like many other New Japan stars before and after him, Maeda embarked on a foreign tour to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where he adopted the Kwik-kik-Lee moniker. In 1983, he participated in the first

International Wrestling Grand Prix (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 ...

tournament, won by Hulk Hogan. He was one of three Japanese entrants to the international tournament, alongside Antonio Inoki and

Rusher Kimura was a Japanese professional wrestler, best known by his ring name . He was a five-time IWA World Heavyweight Champion, making him a five-time world champion. Sumo wrestling career He was a sumo wrestler under the ''shikona'' Kinomura, a dir ...

World Wrestling Federation (1984)

Maeda would briefly join

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

's WWF for a few months in the Spring of 1984 working in the opening matches of shows and even appearing a few times in televised bouts.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1984–1985)

In 1984, Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and other New Japan defectors formed the Japanese UWF. It was during his time in the first incarnation of the UWF that his willingness to show his displeasure in the ring became known; he quarreled with Satoru Sayama (the original

Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...

) over the direction of the UWF, as Maeda and other wrestlers were reportedly resentful of Sayama's cramming too much creative power. This included booking himself to win all his matches, where others, Maeda included, " jobbed" in the worked matches. The promotion folded a year later, and Maeda returned to New Japan, where he became one of the promotion's biggest stars.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1985–1988)

Maeda became involved in a real-life feud with New Japan booker and top star, Antonio Inoki, refusing to work with him in what could have been a huge moneymaking program. In April 1986, he was involved in one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history during a match with

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...

; neither man could agree to losing the match. Andre appeared drunk and started no selling Maeda's moves. Then Maeda proceeded to shoot kick André's legs and repeatedly take him down. After 30 minutes of this, André voluntarily laid down to be pinned (in spite of being assured that Maeda would lose the match), but Akira refused to do so. Inoki eventually came to the ring and demanded the match to end, much to the bewilderment of the audience. On November 19, 1987, during a six-man tag team match, as

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

was putting

Osamu Kido (born February 2, 1950) is a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He participated in the foundation of New Japan of 1972 and the foundation of Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1984. In 2005, aft ...

in a '' Sasori-gatame'', Maeda delivered a stiff kick to Choshu's face, breaking his orbital bone. The flow of the match was disrupted, as Choshu then tried to attack Maeda, and a finish had to be improvised. The resulting injury would sideline Choshu for well over a month and Maeda was immediately suspended for his actions. The promotion's management offered Maeda to lift the suspension in exchange for going on a training excursion to Mexico to learn lucha libre, but Maeda refused and abandoned New Japan along with his partners in February 1988. Although the kick is popularly believed to have been a deliberate attack, Maeda has claimed it was actually an accident, with Choshu having supposedly failed at protecting his face at the cue (a tap on his back) before the kick was thrown. Referee Mr. Takahashi, despite disapproving Maeda's stiff style, has agreed it was an accident on a scripted

spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (prod ...

, declaring that such miscommunications were not uncommon at the time. Years later, Maeda and Choshu reconciled amicably, to the point where Maeda attended his retirement ceremony.

Newborn UWF (1988–1990)

In 1988, Maeda formed Newborn UWF with

Nobuhiko Takada Nobuhiko Takada ( ja, 高田伸彦, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UW ...

and others, this time as its number one star, using the notoriety he gained in New Japan to draw large crowds. Maeda's UWF became the first promotion to hold a show at 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 ...

, drawing 60,000 to watch Maeda defeat Willy Wilhelm in the main event. In December 1990, Newborn UWF dissolved due to disagreements over the direction of the company.

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting Network RINGS (1991–2002)

Maeda would go on to form Fighting Network RINGS in 1991, while

formed Union of Wrestling Force International with most of the Newborn UWF roster. Fighting Network RINGS would no longer bill itself as wrestling in 1997, after the collapse of

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 ...

, holding shoot style wrestling matches, legitimate mixed-style fights and later competitive

on the same cards since 1992. In 1999 he retired from active competition after being defeated in a match against three-time Olympic Gold medalist

Alexander Karelin Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Karelin ( rus, Александр Александрович Карелин, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ kəˈrʲelʲɪn; born 19 September 1967) is a Russian politician and retired athlete. Karelin comp ...

, drawing an incredible gate of $2.5 million. The match gained widespread media coverage, including mentions in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' and ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

''. Following Maeda's retirement, he switched his promotion's style from shoot style to fully competitive mixed martial arts fighting. The new Rings held two King of Kings tournaments, which introduced such mixed martial artists as

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko ( rus, Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, r=Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, p=ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə, IPA; born ...

Dan Henderson Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champi ...

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he becam ...

Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, inclu ...

and

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (, born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Inter ...

to the Japanese audience. RINGS folded in 2002, due to the growing popularity of

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

Revived Rings (2008–present)

When K-1 wanted to start a new MMA brand after their previous attempt with ''K-1 Romanex'',

Fighting and Entertainment Group Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) was the leading Japanese combat sport promoter founded on September 3, 2003. Its last president was Sadaharu Tanikawa and it was the parent company behind the now-defunct mixed martial arts series Dream and fo ...

hired Maeda as a consultant for

Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex' ...

. However, FEG retired Hero's in February 2008 to team up with former PRIDE staff to create

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

. Maeda's new project was called ''The Outsider'', an amateur MMA series that uses Hero's rules. RINGS brand was revived for ''The Outsider'' series and several events have been held since March 30, 2008. On January 22, 2012, Maeda decisively resurrected the Fighting Network RINGS brand with Battle Genesis: Vol. 9, the continuation of the ''Battle Genesis'' series the last event of which was held on September 20, 2001. The event was sanctioned by ZST.

Mixed martial arts record

Akira Maeda's Mixed Martial Arts record. The validity of matches is contested. , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rings: Final Capture , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 ,

Kiyoshi Tamura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be one of ...

, n/a , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 ,

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 ...

, n/a , Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 ,

Nikolai Zouev Nikolai Nikolayevich Zouev (russian: Николай Николаевич Зуев; 20 May 1958 – 21 May 2022) was a Russian mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division. Career He had a background in sambo and freestyle wre ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rings – Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:17 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 ,

Andrei Kopylov Andrei Kopylov is a retired Russian sambist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of Fighting Network RINGS. He lost his last fight at PRIDE 22 - Beasts From The East 2 against Mario Sperry o ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rings – Extension Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:32 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission (leg lock) , Rings – Extension Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:47 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Maurice Smith , n/a , Rings – Budokan Hall 1997 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Yoshihisa Yamamoto , Submission , Rings – Budokan Hall 1996 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 ,

Dick Vrij Dick Vrij is a retired Dutch professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2003, he competed in the Heavyweight division for RINGS and It's Showtime. Professional wrestling career A former bodybuilde ...

, n/a , Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 ,

Chris Dolman Christiaan "Chris" Dolman (born February 17, 1945) is a Dutch retired judoka, sambo player and wrestler. He won a silver medal at the European championship in judo and a gold at the world championship in sambo, counting as the first non-Russian ...

, Submission (armbar) , Rings Holland – Free Fight , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:07 ,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, Holland , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission , Rings – Budokan Hall 1995 , , align=center, n/a , align=center, n/a ,

, Japan ,

Personal life

Maeda's interest in martial arts developed as a schoolboy while watching the ''

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'' television series. By the time he was in high school, his only interests were motorcycles and karate. He is friends with

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

series creator

Shigesato Itoi is a Japanese copywriter, essayist, lyricist, game designer, and actor. Itoi is the editor-in-chief of his website and company '' Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun'' ("Almost Daily Itoi Newspaper"). He is best known outside Japan for his work on Nintendo ...

. Maeda was a third-generation

Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

prior to naturalization. He is an 8th degree black belt in

Kyokushin Budokai Johannes Cornelius Bluming (6 February 1933 – 17 December 2018) was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was a ...

Works

* (1988) * (1988) * (1992) * (1994) * (1994) * (1998) by Toru Sasaki (Shueisha) ISBN 408780285X * (1999) - With Kazuya Fukuda * (2009) - With Kotetsu Yamamoto * (2011) * (2017) * (2017) * (2021)

Championships and accomplishments

Joint Promotions Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over one hundred years but became popular when the then new independent television network ITV began showing it in 1955, firstly on Saturday afternoons and then also in a late-night midweek slot. ...

** European Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * Fighting Network RINGS **RINGS Battle Dimensions Tournament (1993–1996) *

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

( 2 times) – with

(1) and

(1) ** Greatest Wrestlers (Class of 2009) *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

**PWI ranked him #40 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI ranked him #13 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Nobuhiko Takada in 2003 *

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' ma ...

** Effort Award (1981) ** Match of the Year Award (1986) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami on June 12Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
purolove.com ** MVP Award (1989) ** Special Grand Prize (1988) ** Technique Award (1983) * Universal Wrestling Federation **UWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)Akira Maeda｜Greatest Wrestlers｜DataBase｜New Japan Pro-Wrestling
. Njpw.co.jp. Retrieved on April 17, 2015. *

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

WWF International Heavyweight Championship The WWF International Heavyweight Championship is a former championship recognized by Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the World Wrestling Federation, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation. History The title existed from ...

( 1 time) *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between ...

** Promoter of the Year (1989) ** Wrestler of the Year (1988) **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...

( Class of 1996)

Filmography

Notes

:1.Per Fighting Network Rings practice of having both worked

professional wrestling 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 ...

matches and legitimate

Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

bouts, it is not certain which matches are real or fixed. Matches between 1991-1994 can be verified of being worked, but there is also no certain indication that the matches from 1995 onwards are fully legitimate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Akira 1959 births Living people Japanese male professional wrestlers Japanese catch wrestlers Japanese male mixed martial artists Japanese male karateka Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan Mixed martial artists utilizing Shorinji Kempo Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Japanese people of Korean descent Japanese writers People from Osaka Professional wrestling trainers Professional wrestling executives Naturalized citizens of Japan Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial arts executives IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions