Manami Toyota (豊田 真奈美, Toyota Manami; born March 2, 1971) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known for…
Manami Toyota (豊田 真奈美, Toyota Manami; born March 2, 1971) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known for her work with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW). She is widely considered to be one of the greatest female professional wrestlers of all time. Following AJW's closure, Toyota continued to work in other joshi promotions such as GAEA Japan and NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling.
Japanese people database × places of origin
Famous Japanese People: Wrestler
Wrestler: 563 people
Yuji Yasuraoka (安良岡裕二 Yasuraoka Yuji) (born January 28, 1971) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. He is best…
Yuji Yasuraoka (安良岡裕二 Yasuraoka Yuji) (born January 28, 1971) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Wrestle Association R, where he became a one-time Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Champion and a four-time Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.
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Mima Shimoda (下田 美馬, Shimoda Mima; born on December 23, 1970, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese professional wrestler, who…
Mima Shimoda (下田 美馬, Shimoda Mima; born on December 23, 1970, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese professional wrestler, who is working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japanese promotion World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana. She is most well known for being half of Las Cachorras Orientales with Etsuko Mita.
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Kazuyuki Fujita (藤田 和之, Fujita Kazuyuki; born October 16, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, former mixed…
Kazuyuki Fujita (藤田 和之, Fujita Kazuyuki; born October 16, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist and freestyle 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 work in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1, Rizin Fighting Federation, and World Victory Road. Fujita began his career as a professional wrestler in 1993, joining the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) dojo, while still competing as an amateur wrestler. Debuting in 1996, Fujita would put his wrestling career on hiatus in early 2000 to train in MMA. Returning the following year with a new shoot based offence, Fujita won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship immediately and went on to hold it two more times before leaving the company in 2005. After a six-year hiatus, Fujita returned to pro wrestling in 2011 for Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), and continues to make occasional appearances as a freelancer, most recently for Pro Wrestling Noah and Real Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW).
🎓 Nihon University🏫 Yachiyo Shoin Junior and Senior High School📅 Born October 16🎂 Born 1970📍 From Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture💼 Wrestler💼 Mixed Martial Artist💼 Wrestling
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Hiromitsu Kanehara (Japanese: 金原弘光, Kanehara Hiromitsu; born Kim Wang-hong on October 5, 1970 in Owariasahi, Aichi) is…
Hiromitsu Kanehara (Japanese: 金原弘光, Kanehara Hiromitsu; born Kim Wang-hong on October 5, 1970 in Owariasahi, Aichi) is a former Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler of Korean descent. A professional MMA competitor from 1998 until 2012, he found success in Fighting Network RINGS, gaining notable victories over Valentijn Overeem, Alexandre Ferreira, former King of the Cage Light Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Horn, former RINGS Light-Heavyweight Champion Masayuki Naruse and former UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne. He later competed for PRIDE Fighting Championships, DEEP, Pancrase and K-1 HERO'S to mixed success. Kanehara also once competed in professional kickboxing. Kanehara initially started his career as a professional wrestler and competed mostly in shoot style wrestling with UWF International and its successor Kingdom. He later made appearances for Pro Wrestling Zero1 and Real Japan Pro Wrestling before retiring in 2020.
🏫 Seto High School📅 Born October 5🎂 Born 1970📍 From Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture💼 Wrestler💼 Mixed Martial Artist
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Yoshihiro Tajiri (田尻 義博, Tajiri Yoshihiro; born September 29, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter…
Yoshihiro Tajiri (田尻 義博, Tajiri Yoshihiro; born September 29, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the masked character Tigre Blanco. He rose to international attention through his work for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1998 to 2001 and World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2008 and a return in 2016–2017. Early in his career, he worked for several Mexican promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). After leaving WWE in 2005 he has worked for a number of Japanese promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Hustle, Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) and Wrestle-1 (W-1). He was also the promoter and featured wrestler for the Smash promotion as well as its successor Wrestling New Classic (WNC). He is currently under a full-time contract with Kyushu Pro-Wrestling. Over the years Tajiri has trained various wrestlers including Kushida, Minoru Fujita, Ray and Syuri. In ECW he won the ECW World Television Championship and formed a regular tag team with Mikey Whipwreck that won the ECW World Tag Team Championship on one occasion. In CZW, he was a one time CZW World Heavyweight Champion. During his years with WWE, he won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship once, WCW United States Championship once, their Cruiserweight Championship on multiple occasions, the WWE Tag Team Championship with Eddie Guerrero and the World Tag Team Championship with William Regal. In AJPW, he has won their Gaora TV Championship, World Junior Heavyweight Championship two times and the 2018 Jr. Tag Battle of Glory tournament with Koji Iwamoto. In MLW, he was MLW Middleweight Champion.
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Yukio Iketani (池谷 幸雄, Iketani Yukio; born September 26, 1970) is a Japanese gymnast and Olympic medalist.
🎓 Nippon Sport Science University🏫 Seifu High School📅 Born September 26🎂 Born 1970💼 Gymnastics💼 TV Personality💼 Wrestler
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Erika Shishido (宍戸 江利花, Shishido Erika; born September 25, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by…
Erika Shishido (宍戸 江利花, Shishido Erika; born September 25, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by her ring name Aja Kong (アジャ・コング, Aja Kongu). She currently makes appearances on the Japanese independent circuit and for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW). She is the founder of the Arsion all-women professional wrestling promotion and has won several championships in both singles and tag-team divisions throughout her career, primarily while with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.
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Satoshi Kojima (小島 聡, Kojima Satoshi; born September 14, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New…
Satoshi Kojima (小島 聡, Kojima Satoshi; born September 14, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)'s Triple Crown Championship simultaneously, the fourth to win the three major heavyweight championships in Japan with the Triple Crown Heavyweight, IWGP Heavyweight, and Noah's GHC Heavyweight Championship, and one of three wrestlers to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Triple Crown Championship, and NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (the other two being Keiji Mutoh and Shinya Hashimoto), and is an overall eight-time world champion in major professional wrestling promotions. As a team, he and Hiroyoshi Tenzan are six-time IWGP Tag Team Champions and became the first team to win G1 Tag League and World's Strongest Tag Determination League in the same year. He and Tenzan are also former NWA World Tag Team Champions. Between the NWA, AJPW, NJPW, and Noah, Kojima has held 20 total championships.
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Tatsuki Fuji (藤井 達樹, Fujii Tatsuki; born July 6, 1970), better known by his ring name Don Fujii (ドン・フジイ), is a Japanese…
Tatsuki Fuji (藤井 達樹, Fujii Tatsuki; born July 6, 1970), better known by his ring name Don Fujii (ドン・フジイ), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler. He is signed to Dragongate, where he has wrestled for the majority of his 29-year career. As a sumo wrestler, he competed under the name Rikinoumi Tatsuki (stylized 力の湖 達樹 and 力の海 達樹); his highest rank was sandanme 51. He is a former Open the Dream Gate Champion, as well as of the former one-time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champions with long-time partner Masaaki Mochizuki (as Mocchy-Fujii).
Takashi Sugiura (杉浦 貴, Sugiura Takashi; born May 31, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former freestyle…
Takashi Sugiura (杉浦 貴, Sugiura Takashi; born May 31, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former freestyle wrestler. As of 2000, he is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Known mostly as the "Killing Machine", he is a four-time, longest reigning and most successfully-defensive GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is currently a member of Team 2000X. Sugiura, an accomplished amateur wrestler, joined the AJPW dojo in 1999, and later the Noah dojo after the exodus, making his professional debut on December 23, 2000, and thus becoming the first wrestler to make their debut in Noah. He has also competed in mixed martial arts with a notable victory over Giant Silva. Sugiura wrestled as a junior heavyweight in his earlier pro career and is a former GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. Sugiura moved up to heavyweight and became the second longest reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion in his first reign, having held the title for 581 days between December 2009 and July 2011.
Yoshiyuki Saito (斉藤 義之, Saitō Yoshiyuki; born April 9, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and restaurant owner…
Yoshiyuki Saito (斉藤 義之, Saitō Yoshiyuki; born April 9, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler and restaurant owner best known by his ring name Super Shisa (スペル・シーサー, Superu Shīsā; alternatively spelled Super Ciesar). He is best known for wrestling in Dragon Gate, where he was employed from its inception until April 2022. His gimmick is inspired by the Ryukyuan Shisa. He claimed to be a student of Toryumon alumni Saito, but was outed as being Saito himself in 2007.
Seiji Yamakawa (山川 征二, Yamakawa Seiji; born 2 April 1970) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, better known by…
Seiji Yamakawa (山川 征二, Yamakawa Seiji; born 2 April 1970) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ryuji Yamakawa (山川 竜司, Yamakawa Ryūji). He is best known for his time with Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), where he spent the majority of his career between 1995 and 2012 as a deathmatch wrestler. He was one of the top wrestlers and an over main eventer of the company, winning the Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship two times and the Tag Team Championship seven times.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Katsumi Usuda (臼田勝美, Usuda Katsumi; born March 17, 1970) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Debuting for Pro…
Katsumi Usuda (臼田勝美, Usuda Katsumi; born March 17, 1970) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Debuting for Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG) in 1993, he is best known for his work in Battlarts, where he was a 2 time Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Usuda is also known for his appearances in Pro Wrestling Zero-One, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling, Big Mouth Loud, and Fu-Ten.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Tsuyoshi Kosaka (Japanese: 高阪 剛, Kōsaka Tsuyoshi; born March 6, 1970) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist…
Tsuyoshi Kosaka (Japanese: 高阪 剛, Kōsaka Tsuyoshi; born March 6, 1970) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist, submission grappler and professional wrestler who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor from 1994 till 2022, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, RIZIN, RINGS, Pancrase, and DEEP. Kosaka is the former King of Pancrase Super Heavyweight Champion. Kosaka is considered to be one of the early pioneers of mixed martial arts and was one of the top ranked Japanese fighters for several years. Known for his grappling skills, Kosaka is trained in Judo and Shoot Wrestling, His "TK guard" position, a precursor to modern butterfly guard, is famous for its efficiency; former UFC champions Frank Shamrock and Maurice Smith have both credited him with having vastly improved their grappling from that particular position.
Masao Inoue (井上雅央, Inoue Masao; born March 6, 1970 in Chūō, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese professional…
Masao Inoue (井上雅央, Inoue Masao; born March 6, 1970 in Chūō, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah as a freelancer. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1991, before jumping to Pro Wrestling Noah during a mass exodus in 2000. Inoue spent the next 12 years with Noah before returning to AJPW in 2012. Since then, he has competed regularly for both promotions as a freelancer.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Masaaki Mochizuki (望月 成晃, Mochizuki Masaaki; born January 17, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is…
Masaaki Mochizuki (望月 成晃, Mochizuki Masaaki; born January 17, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is currently working on the Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah. Mochizuki is a former three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion and In NOAH former GHC National Champion and GHC Tag Team Champion. He is also known for his time in Full Impact Pro (FIP), where former one-time FIP World Heavyweight Champion.
Tadashi Takagi (髙木 規, Takagi Tadashi; born January 13, 1970 in Toyonaka, Japan), better known by his ring name Sanshiro…
Tadashi Takagi (髙木 規, Takagi Tadashi; born January 13, 1970 in Toyonaka, Japan), better known by his ring name Sanshiro Takagi (髙木 三四郎, Takagi Sanshirō), is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who works for the Japanese wrestling promotion CyberFight, where he serves as executive vice president. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of United Japan Pro Wrestling. Takagi is the founder of DDT Pro-Wrestling, which is now part of the CyberFight umbrella. As a wrestler, Takagi's gimmick is that he is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Kiyoshi Tamura (田村潔司, Tamura Kiyoshi; born December 17, 1969 in Okayama, Okayama) is a Japanese retired professional…
Kiyoshi Tamura (田村潔司, Tamura Kiyoshi; born December 17, 1969 in Okayama, Okayama) 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 the greatest shoot wrestlers of all time. Competing exclusively in shoot style wrestling, Tamura began his career with UWF Newborn and later joined its successor group UWF International before transitioning to mixed martial arts. A professional MMA fighter from 1995 until 2008, he competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS, DEEP, DREAM, and fought at K-1's 2007 and 2008 Dynamite!! events. He is a two-time RINGS Openweight Champion and holds notable wins over Renzo Gracie, former UFC Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich, former UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, former Pancrase Super Heavyweight Champion Tsuyoshi Kosaka, former Pancrase Openweight Champion Masakatsu Funaki, Olympic judo gold medallist Makoto Takimoto, three-time sambo champion Volk Han, and Kazushi Sakuraba. Tamura currently serves as an executive director for LIDET Entertainment's professional wrestling promotion GLEAT.
Koichiro Kimura (木村浩一郎, Kimura Kōichirō; November 18, 1969 – October 28, 2014) was a Japanese mixed martial artist and…
Koichiro Kimura (木村浩一郎, Kimura Kōichirō; November 18, 1969 – October 28, 2014) was a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, also known under the ring name Super Uchuu Power (スーパー宇宙パワー, Sūpā Uchū Pawā). Kimura was known for his work in promotions like Dramatic Dream Team, W*ING, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, among others. He was also involved in MMA, facing Rickson Gracie at the second event of Vale Tudo Japan and being the founder of the female MMA brands AX and G-Shooto. He also competed in Fighting Network RINGS during its early years and participated in both mixed-style shoot contests and shoot style matches for the company. Kimura died of pneumonia on October 28, 2014.
Yumi Harashima (原嶋 由美, Harashima Yumi) (born October 22, 1969, as Yumi Suzuki (鈴木 由美, Suzuki Yumi)), better known by…
Yumi Harashima (原嶋 由美, Harashima Yumi) (born October 22, 1969, as Yumi Suzuki (鈴木 由美, Suzuki Yumi)), better known by her ring name Cutie Suzuki (キューティー鈴木, Kyūtī Suzuki), is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, actress, and model who is best known for her time in JWP Joshi Puroresu, where she is a 5-time JWP Tag Team Champion. In 1990, she was featured in an all female wrestling game based on her titled Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel, which was never released outside of Japan but played an important part of establishing women as protagonists in 16-bit video games at the time.
Takao Omori (大森隆男, Ōmori Takao; born October 16, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working for All Japan Pro…
Takao Omori (大森隆男, Ōmori Takao; born October 16, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the All Japan Board of Directors. He has worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) and Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1).
Jun Akiyama (秋山 潤, Akiyama Jun; ring name: 秋山 準) (born October 9, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is…
Jun Akiyama (秋山 潤, Akiyama Jun; ring name: 秋山 準) (born October 9, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion, former one-time DDT Extreme Champion, former four-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion and former KO-D Six Man Tag Team Champion. He is best known for his time with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-head booker, and an in-ring performer. In AJPW, he is a former two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and former longest reign one-time Gaora TV Champion, while also being a six-time overall professional wrestling world champion. Akiyama is noted for his serious in-ring style and demeanor, innovating the Blue Thunder Driver and the wrist–clutch exploder suplex maneuvers. Considered an outstanding tag team wrestler, Akiyama is a three-time winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Tag Team of the Year award.
🎓 Senshu University🏫 Takaishi High School📅 Born October 9🎂 Born 1969📍 From Izumi, Osaka💼 Wrestler💼 Company President・Entrepreneur
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Shigeki Sato (佐藤 茂樹, Satō Shigeki; born August 17, 1969), better known by his ring name Dick Togo (ディック東郷, Dikku Tōgō)…
Shigeki Sato (佐藤 茂樹, Satō Shigeki; born August 17, 1969), better known by his ring name Dick Togo (ディック東郷, Dikku Tōgō), is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture. Togo has spent the majority of his career as a freelancer, wrestling most notably for Michinoku Pro Wrestling and DDT Pro-Wrestling. Sato has wrestled under various ring names such as Francesco Togo, Rey Cubano and Prince Togo. Togo retired in September 2012, but returned to the ring in July 2016. In 2020, he began working for NJPW, acting as the manager for Evil, and in doing so, joining Bullet Club. A year later, Togo and Evil formed House of Torture, which was initially a sub-group, and became a stable in its own right, following a civil war storyline in 2025. Togo has held the KO-D Openweight Championship four times, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship once with Taka Michinoku and the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship once.
Masanori Murakawa (村川 政徳, Murakawa Masanori; born July 18, 1969), best known under his ring name The Great Sasuke…
Masanori Murakawa (村川 政徳, Murakawa Masanori; born July 18, 1969), best known under his ring name The Great Sasuke (ザ・グレート・サスケ, Za Gurēto Sasuke), is a Japanese professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter and politician. He is the founder of Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW). He currently wrestles in Japan and in the United States in various independent circuits. Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly legislator. He is said to have an incredible tolerance for pain, mainly in reference to the injuries he has had including a cracked skull on two occasions.
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japanese: 桜庭 和志, Sakuraba Kazushi; born July 14, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler…
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japanese: 桜庭 和志, Sakuraba Kazushi; born July 14, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is performing as a freelancer, primarily appearing for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugiura. He has also competed in traditional puroresu for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and shoot-style competition for UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling (KPW). He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, Hero's, Dream and most recently Rizin Fighting Federation. He is known as the Gracie Hunter or the Gracie Killer due to his wins over four members of the famed Gracie family: Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ryan Gracie, and Royce Gracie. Sakuraba is famous for beating 15 champions of different top MMA organizations; opponents who were often many weight-classes above him. Known for his excellent skills in catch wrestling and unorthodox fighting style, he is considered one of the greatest mixed martial art fighters of all time, and holds notable victories over seven UFC champions, three Pancrase Champions, a DREAM champion, a King of the Cage champion and Battlecade Extreme Fighting champion; former Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton, two former Light heavyweight champions Vitor Belfort and Quinton Jackson, former Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman, three-time UFC Tournament champion Royce Gracie, former Superfight champion and King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock, former UFC Tournament champion and King of Pancrase Guy Mezger, former King of Pancrase Masakatsu Funaki, DREAM Super Hulk Tournament Champion Ikuhisa Minowa, former King of the Cage Light Heavyweight champion Vernon White, and former Battlecade Extreme Fighting champion Marcus Silveira. He is also the first of only two Japanese UFC champions. Sakuraba's Pride fights routinely drew over 20 million viewers in Japan. Sakuraba is the founder of the submission wrestling promotion Quintet, where he has competed since 2018.
🎓 Chuo University🏫 Akita Commercial High School📅 Born July 14🎂 Born 1969📍 From Katagami, Akita💼 Wrestler💼 Mixed Martial Artist
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Masao Orihara (折原昌夫, Orihara Masao) (born June 16, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is known for his…
Masao Orihara (折原昌夫, Orihara Masao) (born June 16, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is known for his tenure with various Japanese promotions such as Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Wrestle Association R, Battlarts and Dramatic Dream Team.
Satoru Shiga (志賀 悟, Shiga Satoru) is a professional wrestler best known for his time in Big Japan Pro Wrestling under…
Satoru Shiga (志賀 悟, Shiga Satoru) is a professional wrestler best known for his time in Big Japan Pro Wrestling under the ring name Shadow WX. He debuted in 1995 in IWA Japan and moved to Big Japan in 1996, where he became a protege of Mr. Pogo and won the BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship four times. His last match for BJW came on October 3, 2013, losing a Fluorescent Boards, Lemon and Salt Death Match to his longtime rival, The W*inger (formerly Shadow Winger). On November 9, 2019, Shiga announced he was coming out of retirement and forming a new promotion operating out of Tokyo, Japan. Major Leaguers Wrestling (MLW) held their first events on December 13 & 15. In his return match, he defeated Necro Butcher. In August 2021, following the pandemic, he adopted the name Mr. Pogo III, after the late original, Tetsuo Sekigawa.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Masaru Tobita (飛田 将, Tobita Masaru; born June 1, 1969), better known as Survival Tobita (サバイバル飛田, Sabaibaru Tobita), is…
Masaru Tobita (飛田 将, Tobita Masaru; born June 1, 1969), better known as Survival Tobita (サバイバル飛田, Sabaibaru Tobita), is a Japanese professional wrestler who owns and wrestles for the Saitama Pro Wrestling Company (SPWC).
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Kazuo Takahashi (高橋 和生, Takahashi Kazuo), ring name Yoshiki Takahashi (高橋 義生, Takahashi Yoshiki; born March 13, 1969)…
Kazuo Takahashi (高橋 和生, Takahashi Kazuo), ring name Yoshiki Takahashi (高橋 義生, Takahashi Yoshiki; born March 13, 1969), is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1993 until 2013 (and then once again in 2018), he competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, RINGS, K-1 HERO'S, and World Victory Road. He is the former King of Pancrase Heavyweight Champion.
Masaharu Funaki (Japanese: 船木 優治, Funaki Masaharu; born March 13, 1969) is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and…
Masaharu Funaki (Japanese: 船木 優治, Funaki Masaharu; born March 13, 1969) is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as Masakatsu Funaki (船木 誠勝, Funaki Masakatsu), who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), and Wrestle-1 (W-1). He is also the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations and non-rehearsed shoot wrestling promotions (following five years after the inception of Shooto but predating America's Ultimate Fighting Championship). Funaki was also Pancrase's biggest star; Josh Barnett described him as the "symbol of Japan", Frank Shamrock labeled Funaki "the golden boy" of Pancrase, and Guy Mezger called Funaki "hands down the smartest and most skilled fighter in Pancrase next to Ken Shamrock". Not only the organization's co-founder and most popular fighter, Funaki was also one of Pancrase's most successful fighters to date, scoring submission victories over numerous MMA champions such as Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Semmy Schilt, Guy Mezger, Yuki Kondo, Minoru Suzuki, and Bas Rutten through the course of his Pancrase career. He is the only fighter in mixed martial arts to hold wins over both Shamrock brothers and Bas Rutten, and was the first man to win the King of Pancrase title twice. Funaki is widely considered to be one of the greatest Japanese fighters in mixed martial arts history. Sherdog.com ranked him as the #1 mixed martial artist in the world for the years 1996 and 1997, and also had him ranked as a top 4 pound for pound fighter from 1993 to 1998.
Keiji Takayama (高山 圭司, Takayama Keiji; born February 20, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, manager and booker.…
Keiji Takayama (高山 圭司, Takayama Keiji; born February 20, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, manager and booker. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Gedo (外道, Gedō). Gedo has been the main booker of NJPW since the early 2010s. As a wrestler, Gedo is best known for his tag team work with partner Jado, forming a very successful tag team from 1990 through the mid-2010s. Alongside his backstage work, Gedo is also an on-screen character in NJPW, working as a manager for the Unbound Co. faction. Prior to this, he was the manager of Chaos, Bullet Club, Kazuchika Okada (Chaos's former second leader), Jay White (Bullet Club's former fourth leader) and David Finlay (Bullet Club's former fifth and final leader). Jado and Gedo have won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship four times, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship one-time, BJW Tag Team Championship and several other tag team championships. Gedo is an eight-time recipient of the Best Booker award from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Shoichi Ichimiya (一宮章一, Ichimiya Shōichi) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist working…
Shoichi Ichimiya (一宮章一, Ichimiya Shōichi) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist working for various Japanese professional wrestling promotions such as DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) and Apache Pro-Wrestling Army.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Takaku Fuke (冨宅飛駈; January 30, 1969), born Yusuke Fuke (冨宅裕介) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed…
Takaku Fuke (冨宅飛駈; January 30, 1969), born Yusuke Fuke (冨宅裕介) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial arts fighter. He was most notably involved in the early days of Pancrase, at infancy of Mixed Martial Arts in Japan. Fight Matrix ranked Takaku Fuke was #2 Heavyweight and #4 Pound-for-Pound best MMA fighter in the world in 1994.
🏫 Rissho Gakuen Osaka Ritsumeikan High School📅 Born January 30🎂 Born 1969💼 Wrestler💼 Mixed Martial Artist
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Mikiko Futagami (二上美紀子, Futagami Mikiko), better known by her ring name Gami (stylized in capital letters as GAMI), is…
Mikiko Futagami (二上美紀子, Futagami Mikiko), better known by her ring name Gami (stylized in capital letters as GAMI), is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions Pro Wrestling Wave, Arsion and JWP Joshi Puroresu.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Skull Reaper A-ji (スカルリーパーA-ji, Sukaru Rīpā Eiji; born November 13, 1968) is a Japanese masked wrestler, politician and…
Skull Reaper A-ji (スカルリーパーA-ji, Sukaru Rīpā Eiji; born November 13, 1968) is a Japanese masked wrestler, politician and professional mahjong player. He is a member of the Ōita City Council, representing the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Skull Reaper A-ji's real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in lucha libre (the style of pro-wrestling that influenced him) where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans.
🏫 Toshima High School📅 Born November 13🎂 Born 1968📍 From Ōita(city), Oita Prefecture💼 Wrestler💼 Politician・Legislator💼 Mahjong
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Hirokazu Nagai (長井 弘和, Nagai Hirokazu; born 10 November 1968), better known as Mitsuya Nagai (長井満也, Nagai Mitsuya), is…
Hirokazu Nagai (長井 弘和, Nagai Hirokazu; born 10 November 1968), better known as Mitsuya Nagai (長井満也, Nagai Mitsuya), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor from 1991 until 2013, he fought the majority of his career in Fighting Network RINGS. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Satoru Sayama and Akira Maeda, Nagai holds notable victories over former King of Pancrase Super Heavyweight Champion Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Nobuaki Kakuda, four-time world kickboxing champion Andre Mannaart, Russian sambo champion Mikhail Ilyukhin, RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament runner up Valentijn Overeem, ADCC bronze medallist and RINGS Light Heavyweight title contender Chris Haseman, and Pancrase veteran Takaku Fuke. He also fought for K-1 in kickboxing. He later transitioned to traditional puroresu and notably wrestled for Battlarts, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former three time All Asia Tag Team Champion. He currently performs on a part-time basis and has competed for shoot style and MMA promotion GLEAT and Pro Wrestling Noah.
Mayumi Ozaki (尾崎 魔弓, Ozaki Mayumi) (born October 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently…
Mayumi Ozaki (尾崎 魔弓, Ozaki Mayumi) (born October 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently working for Oz Academy.
Shoichi "Sho" Funaki (船木 勝一, Funaki Shōichi) (born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestling manager, color…
Shoichi "Sho" Funaki (船木 勝一, Funaki Shōichi) (born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestling manager, color commentator and retired professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he works as a Japanese-language play-by-play commentator and an occasional interpreter for Japanese talents in the company. During his time as an in-ring performer, he became a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.
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Tokimitsu Ishizawa (Japanese: 石澤 常光Ishizawa Tokimitsu, born August 5, 1968), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin…
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (Japanese: 石澤 常光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.
Masashi Honda (本田雅史, Honda Masashi; born June 20, 1968) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known…
Masashi Honda (本田雅史, Honda Masashi; born June 20, 1968) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) under the ring name Mr. Gannosuke (ミスター雁之助, Misutā Gannosuke). Honda was quickly pushed as "Mr. Gannosuke" due to his resemblance to the actor Ashiya Gannosuke and he began competing as Atsushi Onita's tag team partner in main event matches during his rookie year. He left the company in 1995 with his trainer Tarzan Goto due to differences with Onita and worked in International Wrestling Association (IWA) for nearly two years. He returned to FMW in 1997 and became the main rival of Hayabusa for the next four years. He was the company's most popular villain from 1997 to 1998 and the second top villain from then onwards. He would be a member of villainous groups Funk Masters of Wrestling, ZEN, Team No Respect and Shin Fuyuki-gun. He held many titles in his FMW career including being a one-time Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and a two-time Independent Heavyweight Champion. He was also the winner of Over the Top tournament in 1999. He headlined many pay-per-view events for FMW including the company's flagship event Anniversary Show in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
🎓 Kumamoto Gakuen University🏫 Nagasaki Nanzan High School📅 Born June 20🎂 Born 1968📍 From Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture💼 Wrestler💼 Youtuber
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Minoru Suzuki (鈴木 実, Suzuki Minoru; ring name: 鈴木 みのる) (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and…
Minoru Suzuki (鈴木 実, Suzuki Minoru; ring name: 鈴木 みのる) (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Despite being a freelancer for most of his career, he has worked for the largest promotions in Japan: New Japan Pro-Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and DDT Pro-Wrestling. He also made appearances for promotions outside Japan, like Major League Wrestling (MLW), Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), TNA Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s, he was widely considered one of the best fighters in the world and was the second King of Pancrase world champion. Suzuki returned to puroresu in 2003, when he has become a perennial top contender for all major Japanese heavyweight championships. He is also known for his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and a former GHC Tag Team Champion along with Naomichi Marufuji. A mixed martial arts pioneer, Suzuki is well noted for his catch wrestling, and has been praised many times by elite fighters such as Josh Barnett, Bas Rutten, and Ken Shamrock for his grappling and submission skills.
🏫 Yokohama High School📅 Born June 17🎂 Born 1968📍 From Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture💼 Wrestler💼 Company President・Entrepreneur💼 Mixed Martial Artist
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗Korean (ko) ↗Spanish (es) ↗Portuguese (pt) ↗Italian (it) ↗French (fr) ↗Russian (ru) ↗
Yuji Nagata (永田 裕志, Nagata Yūji; born April 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, and former mixed martial…
Yuji Nagata (永田 裕志, Nagata Yūji; born April 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, and former mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the fifth longest-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion with a reign of 392 days, and formerly held the record for most successful title defenses with 10, until Hiroshi Tanahashi 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 (in 2001), All Japan Pro Wrestling's Champion Carnival (in 2011) and Pro Wrestling Noah's Global League (in 2013). Nagata debuted and has worked for NJPW since 1992, where he was recognised as company ace in the early 2000s and is a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion in addition to having won the New Japan Cup in 2007 and 2011, the G1 Tag League in 2000 and 2010, and the G1 Climax in 2001. Outside of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he has held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the GHC Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling Noah, making him a four-time world champion in major professional wrestling promotions and one of five men to have held all three major heavyweight championships in Japanese professional wrestling. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2018.
Naoya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 直也, Ogawa Naoya) (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired…
Naoya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 直也, Ogawa Naoya) (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist. He won a total of seven medals at the All-Japan Judo Championships (second only behind Yasuhiro Yamashita), and set a record of seven medals at the World Judo Championships. Ogawa won the silver medal in the +95 kg judo weight class at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Ogawa is also known for his career in professional wrestling, where he primarily worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and took part in one of the promotion's most high-profile feuds of the 1990s with Shinya Hashimoto. Ogawa was also professional wrestling's two-time National Wrestling Alliance World's Heavyweight Champion.
🎓 Meiji University🏫 Hachioji Academy📅 Born March 31🎂 Born 1968📍 From Suginami, Tokyo💼 Judo💼 Mixed Martial Artist💼 Wrestler💼 Scholar・Professor・Associate Professor💼 Youtuber
Daisuke Ikeda (池田 大輔, Ikeda Daisuke; born February 13, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently…
Daisuke Ikeda (池田 大輔, Ikeda Daisuke; born February 13, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently wrestling in the Independent circuit in Japan. Since debuting in 1993, Ikeda has worked for a number of promotions in Japan, including Battlarts, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW).
Keiko Aoki (青木 恵子, Aoki Keiko; née Nakano (中野), born 8 January 1968) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and…
Keiko Aoki (青木 恵子, Aoki Keiko; née Nakano (中野), born 8 January 1968) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional golfer better known as Bull Nakano (ブル中野, Burunakano). She began competing in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) as a teenager under the ring name Bull Nakano. As a wrestler she was a villain, who often teamed with her mentor Dump Matsumoto. In Japan, she held several of AJW's singles and tag team championships. After being phased out by the company in the early 1990s, she traveled to North America, where she first competed in Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), becoming its first World Women's Champion. In 1994, she made her way to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where she had feuded with Alundra Blayze over the WWF Women's Championship. After holding the title once, she also competed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1998, Nakano began competing as a professional golfer, and in 2006, she joined a tour with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2001 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2024.
📅 Born January 8🎂 Born 1968📍 From Kawaguchi, Saitama💼 Wrestler💼 Analyst (Commentator)💼 TV Personality💼 Youtuber
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗Spanish (es) ↗Italian (it) ↗French (fr) ↗German (de) ↗
Sayori Saito (斉藤 さより, Saitō Sayori; December 21, 1967 – December 15, 2016) was a Japanese professional wrestler, who…
Sayori Saito (斉藤 さより, Saitō Sayori; December 21, 1967 – December 15, 2016) was a Japanese professional wrestler, who performed under the ring name Harley Saito (ハーレー斉藤, Hārē Saitō). She spent much of her career for Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling.
Michiyoshi Ohara (Japanese: 小原道由, Ohara Michiyoshi) (born November 15, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestler and…
Michiyoshi Ohara (Japanese: 小原道由, Ohara Michiyoshi) (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 Goto in 1999.
Mariko Umeda (梅田 麻里子, Umeda Mariko; November 1, 1967 – August 16, 1997), better known by her ring name Plum Mariko…
Mariko Umeda (梅田 麻里子, Umeda Mariko; November 1, 1967 – August 16, 1997), better known by her ring name Plum Mariko (プラム麻里子, Puramu Mariko), was a Japanese female professional wrestler who wrestled for Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling from 1986 to 1992 and then, JWP Joshi Puroresu from 1992 until her death in 1997. Mariko was the first professional wrestler in Japan to die as a result of injuries suffered in a wrestling match.
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗Korean (ko) ↗Spanish (es) ↗Portuguese (pt) ↗Italian (it) ↗French (fr) ↗
Hiroto Wakita (脇田 洋人, Wakita Hiroto; born September 22, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestler and politician who…
Hiroto Wakita (脇田 洋人, Wakita Hiroto; born September 22, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestler and politician who currently runs and wrestles for Kaisen Puroresu. He is better known by his stage name Super Delfin (スペル・デルフィン, Superu Derufin). He has been a member of the Izumi City Council since 2012.