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Giant Baba Memorial Six Man Tag Team Tournament
The Giant Baba (Hai Sodatsu) Memorial Six Man Tag Team Tournament, or simply the Giant Baba Six Man Cup, was a professional wrestling memorial event produced by the All-Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) promotion, which took place from April 13 to May 12, 2002 at the Nippon Budokan, Iwate Prefectural Gym, Niigata City Gym and Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It was the third and final event honoring AJPW founder Shohei "Giant" Baba, the previous shows being the Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular and Giant Baba Memorial Cup in January 2001 and 2002 respectively. Seven professional wrestling matches were held over a three-week period, with both the tournament semi-finals and final match held at Korakuen Hall. Keiji Mutoh, Kaz Hayashi and George Hines won the tournament by winning three matches all aired on pay-per-view. Over the course of the tournament, they defeated Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma and Jimmy Yang in the quarter-finals, Taiyō Kea, Mitsuya Nagai and Shigeo Okumura in the semi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, with many more joining the following year when JWA folded. From the mid-1970s, All Japan was firmly established as the largest promotion in Japan. As the 1990s began, aging stars gave way to a younger generation including Mitsuharu Misawa, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Kenta Kobashi, Gary Albright, Toshiaki Kawada, Mike Barton (Bart Gunn), Akira Taue and Jun Akiyama, leading to perhaps AJPW's most profitable period in the 1990s. In 1999, Giant Baba died and the promotion was run by Motoko Baba. Misawa was named President but left in 2000 after disagreements with Motoko. Misawa created Pro Wrestling NOAH and every single native wrestler besides Masanobu Fuchi and Toshiaki Kawada left All Japan. This led to a loss of All Japan's TV deal and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomoaki Honma
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time World Tag League winner with Togi Makabe. Professional wrestling career Big Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling (1997–2007) During his second year of high school, Honma initially had aspirations of joining the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) dojo and took part in a tryout, but was unsuccessful and sought training elsewhere.『ゴング』新装刊2号 pp86 -91掲載のインタビュー He eventually trained with Michinoku Pro Wrestling for 1 year, but did not debut in Michinoku Pro and instead spent his early career in Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), debuting for the promotion in May 1997. After spending time wrestling in opening matches for the promotion, Honma began to compete in BJW's deathmatch division. While a part of BJW, he became the first wrestler to use a lightube in a match, an item that has si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masa Fuchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign at 1309 days. Fuchi became a freelancer in 2009, but officially re-signed with AJPW in 2013 as both a director and wrestler, making him the longest tenured member of the All Japan roster. Professional wrestling career All Japan Pro Wrestling (1974–present) With a background in amateur wrestling, Fuchi debuted as a professional wrestler on August 22, 1974 for AJPW, facing future Death Match innovator Atsushi Onita. For the next couple of years, Fuchi and Onita alternated between teaming and feuding on the opening bouts. In 1979, the two went on an excursion to Memphis, Tennessee to season their careers. Fuchi briefly worked for the NWA's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling as a jobber who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdullah The Butcher
Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling matches of all time. Over his time in wrestling he was given the moniker of "Madman from Sudan". One of Shreve's trademarks is a series of divot-like scars on his head that he has due to excessive use of blading during his career. The scars are so deep that, according to Mick Foley, Shreve is able to put gambling chips into them. An amateur martial artist, Shreve also has knowledge of judo and karate, often including this knowledge in his wrestling matches through throws and chops. Early life Shreve was born on January 11, 1941 and raised in Windsor, Ontario, as part of a family of ten people in a deeply impoverished household. He learned karate and judo as a youth and, teaching fellow children in the backyard, claims to have eventua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hindley
John Robert Hindley (born 7 August 1965) is an English retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Johnny Smith. He is best known for his appearances with All Japan Pro Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Joint Promotions (1982–1986) Hindley was trained by his uncle Ted Betley, initially in Winwick, Warrington, and then Port Erin, Isle of Man. He made his debut in January 1982 at the age of 16 at Gloucester Leisure Centre, under the name Junior Royal. A year later, he changed his ring name to John Savage, while wrestling in Germany. In July 1985, he would wrestle under the name The Manxman. His last match for Joint Promotions was held on 31 March 1986, losing to veteran Barry Douglas. Soon after, he moved across the Atlantic to Canada with his wife Jane. Stampede Wrestling (1986–1989) Joining Stampede Wrestling in June 1986, Hindley was billed as Davey Boy Smith's brother, Johnny Smith. Two months later, he defeated Gama Singh to win his first c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kendo Kashin
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (''Ishizawa Tokimitsu'', born August 5, 1968), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin (ケンドー・カシン, ''Kendō Kashin''), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a two time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 1999 Best of the Super Juniors. He is also known for his forays into mixed martial arts, most notably for Pride Fighting Championship (Pride), where he defeated Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter Ryan Gracie at PRIDE 15. He currently wrestles for Pro Wrestling Noah. Career Ishizawa was an outstanding Amateur wrestler from Waseda University before being scouted and initiated into the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion on September 21, 1992, wrestling against Tiger Mask. During the NJPW vs. UWFi feud, he was taught the shoot style by Kazuo Yamazaki. After defeating Yuji Nagata to win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Polchlopek
Michael Polchlopek (born December 27, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Bart Gunn and Bodacious Bart, as well as his appearances with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) from 1998 to 2002 and with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) from 2002 to 2004 as Mike Barton. Early life Michael Polchlopek was born on December 27, 1965 in Titusville, Florida. He was a big fan of wrestling, often watching Florida Championship Wrestling and enjoyed seeing Eddie & Mike Graham and Jack & Gerald Brisco. Professional wrestling career Early career (1991–1993) Polchlopek was trained to wrestle by Caesar Barraza, Blackjack Mulligan, Tim Parker and Boris Malenko. He made his debut in 1991. In 1992, Polchlopek (wrestling as "Brett Colt") formed a tag team with Kip Winchester in the Tampa, Florida-based International Championship Wrestli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoji Anjo
(born March 28, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Professional wrestling career Universal Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1985–1988) A former practitioner of judo, sumo and muay thai, Anjo tried professional wrestling after meeting Nobuhiko Takada. He passed the original Universal Wrestling Federation's entrance tests and had his debut on July 6, 1985, against Osamu Hoshina. He only wrestled a handful of matches for the company, as it collapsed later in the year and its roster moved back to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where Anjo debuted as a low-ranking member of the UWF "invading" army. Often teaming with fellow shooter Tatsuo Nakano, he feuded with names like Akira Nogami, Osamu Matsuda and Masakatsu Funaki as part of the NJPW junior heavyweight division. He eventually left the company in 1988 following Takada, Akira Maeda and the rest of his crew to form the second incarnation of UWF. UWF Newborn (1988–1990) In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mike Rotunda, Mike Rotundo, Michael Wallstreet, Irwin R. Schyster, and V.K. Wallstreet. Over the course of his career, Rotunda held several singles and tag team championships including the NWA World Tag Team Championship, NWA World Television Championship and WWF World Tag Team Championship. On July 23, 2022 Rotunda was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Early life Rotunda was born on March 30, 1958, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He attended Newark Valley High School in Newark Valley, New York. He transferred to Owego Free Academy where he lettered in football and wrestling. He graduated from OFA in 1976. He participated in amateur wrestling, becoming a sectional champion in the 215 lb class i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isao Takagi
is a masculine Japanese given name which was popular during the Shōwa period. Possible writings Isao can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *功, "achievement" *勲, "meritorious" *績, "exploits" *公, "public" *勇男, "brave, man" *勇夫, "brave, man" *勇雄, "brave, masculine" *伊佐夫 *伊佐雄 *伊三男 The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana. People with the name *, Japanese hammer thrower *Isao Aoki (功, born 1942), Japanese professional golfer *, Japanese ice hockey player * Isao Harimoto (勲, born 1940), Zainichi Korean professional baseball player *Isao Hashizume (功, born 1941), Japanese actor *, Japanese singer and composer *Isao Homma (born 1981), Japanese footballer who plays for Albirex Niigata * Isao Inokuma (功, 1938–2001), Japanese judoka *Isao Iwabuchi (born 1933), Japanese Olympic football player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese ice hockey player *Isao Kikuchi (born 1921), American graphic designer, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his '' shikona''. He had two stints with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he spent the majority of his career while also promoting Super World of Sports (SWS), Wrestle Association R (WAR) and Tenryu Project. At the time of his retirement, professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer wrote that "one could make a strong case hat Tenryu wasbetween the fourth and sixth biggest native star" in the history of Japanese professional wrestling. Sumo wrestling career As a sumo wrestler, Tenryu was ranked as a '' sekitori'' for 27 tournaments, 16 of them in the top '' makuuchi'' division. His highest rank was '' maegashira'' 1. Upon the death of his stablemaster at Nishonoseki stable he wanted to join former stablemate D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shigeo Okumura
is a Japanese professional wrestler who works for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and is billed as Okumura. Okumura originally worked for Tokyo Pro Wrestling (TPW) and later on All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in Japan but moved to Mexico in 2005 to work for CMLL full-time. Okumura usually teams up with wrestlers from Japan who visit CMLL, currently as a group known as ''La Ola Amarilla'' (Spanish for "The Yellow Wave"). Okumura and Yujiro won the 2009 version of the '' Gran Alternativa'' tournament. Professional wrestling career Early career Shigeo Okumura began his professional wrestling career in 1994, making his debut on December 31, 1995, working for the Japanese promotion Tokyo Pro Wrestling (TPW). Okumura worked under both his birth name and as "Okumura" during his time in TPW. In 1996 TPW Closed and Okumura became a freelance wrestler, working for a variety of companies on the Japanese independent circuit as well as a few o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
