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Kensuke Sasaki
Sasaki as GHC Heavyweight Champion in 2008
Born	(1966-08-04) August 4, 1966 (age 58) Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Spouse(s)	Akira Hokuto ​(m. 1995)​
Children	2
Relatives	Rin Kadokura (daughter-in-law)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Benkei Sasaki Kendo Sasaki Kensuke Sasaki Kensuki Sasaki Masked Volcano Power Warrior
Billed height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Billed weight	115 kg (254 lb)
Trained by	Tokyo Joe
Debut	February 16, 1986
Retired	February 13, 2014

Kensuke Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木 健介, Sasaki Kensuke, born August 4, 1966) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.

Sasaki is the first of five men ever to hold all three of puroresu's major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and the GHC Heavyweight Championship), the others being Yoshihiro Takayama, Keiji Muto, Satoshi Kojima, and Yuji Nagata - totalling seven world championship reigns. Sasaki also competed in MMA and won both fights by submission, remaining undefeated in mixed martial arts competition.

Professional wrestling career

Early years (1986–1989)

Sasaki debuted in Riki Choshu's Japan Pro-Wrestling, a satellite of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), in February 1986. On February 16, 1986, he made his debut against Shinji Sasazaki in a losing effort. Shortly afterwards, Sasaki became a regular in AJPW for over a year.

He defected to rival promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), following Choshu, who returned to NJPW in 1987. During his time with NJPW, Sasaki teamed up with the likes of Osamu Matsuda and Kenichi Oya.

International excursion (1989–1990)

In January 1989, Sasaki embarked on an excursion to North America. He first started wrestling there in Puerto Rico in World Wrestling Council (WWC), where he held his very first championship, the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship, with Mr. Pogo twice between January 14, 1989, and April 1, 1989.

He also wrestled for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Canada, where he wrestled under the name Benkei Sasaki and was trained by Hart in the Hart Dungeon. During his time in Canada, he won the Stampede International Tag Team Championship in August 1989, with All Japan loyalist Sumo Hara.

He also wrestled for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) in tours of Austria and Germany under the name Kendo Sasaki.

In December 1989, Stampede Wrestling closed its doors, and Sasaki wrestled for the Canadian National Wrestling Alliance (CNWA), until March 1990 when he was fired by Ed Whalen for kicking Mike Lozanski too stiff.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling

Teaming with Hiroshi Hase (1990–1992)

Sasaki returned to NJPW in March 1990, and formed a popular tag team with Hiroshi Hase, with whom he would have a long on-off tag team partnership. They quickly won the IWGP Tag Team Championships on November 11, 1990, defeating the team of Keiji Muto and Masahiro Chono. Holding the titles for only a month facing teams like Super Strong Machine and Tatsutoshi Goto, The Dragon Bombers (Shiro Koshinaka and Takayuki Iizuka) before eventually falling to Hiro Saito and Super Strong Machine on December 26 that same year. He would only win one more title with Hiroshi Hase a few months later; however, that was very brief, lasting only 15 days. The pair would have two reigns as IWGP Tag Team Champions, and had memorable matches with The Steiner Brothers.

Hell Raisers (1992–1996)

Two more tag title reigns followed when in late 1992, Sasaki assumed the name "Power Warrior" and teamed with Road Warrior Hawk. As The Hell Raisers, they dominated the tag team scene in New Japan. In October 1992, he also started wrestling periodically for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and would wrestle there on and off until December 1996.

Sasaki dropped the Power Warrior persona in 1995 (as he only revived the persona on special occasions, such as teaming with Hawk and Animal in six-man tag team matches) and began climbing the ranks in singles competition. He won his first major title, the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on November 13, 1995, defeating Sting at a NJPW Event. This was the title's first title change outside of the United States. He soon lost the title to dubious circumstances however, losing to One Man Gang which was later claimed to be an official title match.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion (1997–2002)

August 1997 skyrocketed Sasaki's rise to superstardom. On August 3, he won the G1 Climax tournament by defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the final. A week later, he captured the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Kazuo Yamazaki. Finally at the end of the month, he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship by defeating long reigning champion Shinya Hashimoto, winning three major honors in a one-month span. Sasaki solidified his dominance in the heavyweight division by defeating both Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh in his first two title defenses, thus defeating The Three Musketeers in three straight title matches. In April 1998, he lost the title to Tatsumi Fujinami. In March 1999, he won another IWGP Tag Team Championship with Shiro Koshinaka.

Sasaki won his second IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Genichiro Tenryu while wrestling with a 39 °C (102.2 °F) fever. He won the G1 Climax for the second time in August 2000 with a victory over last year's winner Manabu Nakanishi in the final, now holding both of New Japan's two heavyweight singles crowns. On October 9, 2000, Sasaki surrendered the IWGP title after he lost to Toshiaki Kawada in a non-title match at an All Japan vs. New Japan event called Do Judge. In a tournament final, Sasaki regained the title, defeating Kawada, at the January 4, 2001, Tokyo Dome show. In March 2001, Sasaki lost the IWGP Heavyweight Title to Scott Norton and in late 2002 he resigned from the promotion after a falling out with company management.

Fighting of World Japan Pro Wrestling (2003–2004)

In the beginning of 2003, Sasaki joined his mentor, Riki Choshu, in his new Fighting of World Japan Pro Wrestling (World Japan) promotion. He became the only WMG Heavyweight Champion; however, tensions between him and Choshu over financial issues caused Sasaki to withdraw and the company to die a slow death.

Freelancing (2004–2014)

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2004–2005)

After leaving World Japan, Sasaki initially returned to NJPW in 2004 as a heel freelancer, with the New Japan roster, specifically Yuji Nagata unwelcoming of his return in kayfabe. In his return match, Sasaki lost to Nagata at Wrestling World 2004 by referee's decision in an extremely bloody contest. He later aligned himself with Manabu Nakanishi, who had recently begun his "lone wolf" character. The two formed a tag team known as Pirates Gundan (Pirates Army), and regularly teamed with the likes of Scott Norton and Genichiro Tenryu. On March 12, he won back the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan in Tokyo. Sasaki dropped the title to Bob Sapp a little over two weeks later. After introducing his student Katsuhiko Nakajima and forming the Kensuke Family group, Sasaki began a redemption storyline where he attempted to win back the support of both the wrestlers and fans in NJPW. In August, he entered his first G1 Climax since 2002, but was prevented from reaching the finals by losing to Tenryu on the final day. By October, Sasaki was once again a firm fan favourite, and regained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in controversial fashion, beating Kazuyuki Fujita in just 2:29 after reversing a sleeper into a pinfall. This win was legitimately protested by Sasaki and his wife Akira Hokuto, who destroyed the trophy given to Sasaki backstage and criticised Fujita for purposely dropping the championship so he could focus on MMA. Nevertheless, Kensuke successfully defended the belt twice against Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki, before dropping it to Tenzan in December. After dropping the IWGP Title again, ally turned enemy Riki Choshu returned to NJPW in a backstage role which led to Sasaki's appearances became more sporadic, and he stopped wrestling for NJPW once again in early 2005.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2005–2008)

After returning to NJPW, Sasaki once again started wrestling for AJPW too as a freelancer, entering the 2004 Champion Carnival and making it to the final where he lost to Keiji Mutoh. After making occasional appearances throughout 2004, Sasaki went over to AJPW full-time in early 2005. On January 16, he unsuccessfully challenged Toshiaki Kawada for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, but saw success throughout the year, first winning the Champion Carnival by beating Jamal in the final. On July 26, Sasaki and his student Katsuhiko Nakajima then beat the Voodoo Murders ("brother" Yasshi and Shuji Kondo) to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship. Kensuke (as his old "Power Warrior" character) and Road Warrior Animal teamed up on September 1 at the Differ Ariake to defeat Yasshi and Kondo. On November 19, Sasaki got another shot at the Triple Crown, this time losing to Satoshi Kojima. In July 2006, Sasaki suffered an injury and required time off, meaning he and Nakajima had to vacate the All Asia Tag Titles.

After five months away from the ring, Sasaki returned to All Japan in January 2007. In May, Sasaki and Nakajima teamed up with rookie Seiya Sanada to win the Samurai! TV Triple Arrow Six Man Tag Team Cup, beating the Voodoo Murders (Kondo, Yasshi and Taru) in the final. On August 26, 2007, Sasaki defeated Minoru Suzuki to become the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. Sasaki made his first defense against Toshiaki Kawada on October 18, 2007, and would go on to team with Kawada after Katsuhiko Nakajima suffered an injury on October 18 in the 2007 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. Sasaki and Kawada would lose a Finals Decision match against Satoshi Kojima and Suwama on December 9; both teams were tied, and opponents were needed for Keiji Muto and Joe Doering in the final of the League.

Sasaki successfully defended the Triple Crown Championship against Satoshi Kojima (on March 1, 2008). Sasaki participated in the 2008 Champion Carnival over five straight shows in the Korakuen Hall from April 5 to April 9, scoring 4 points after 1 win (over Joe Doering), 1 loss (to Minoru Suzuki) and 2 draws (with Suwama and Osamu Nishimura). Sasaki lost the Triple Crown Championship to Carnival Winner Suwama on April 29, 2008, and left the promotion in June.

Pro Wrestling Noah (2008–2013)

Sasaki debuted for Pro Wrestling Noah in 2005, losing to Kenta Kobashi at Destiny 2005. After losing the Triple Crown titles in 2008, he jumped to Pro Wrestling Noah and announced he would make it his full-time home promotion, while still operating the Kensuke Office. On September 6, 2008, he defeated Takeshi Morishima for the GHC Heavyweight Title, becoming the first person to hold the Heavyweight title in all three major Japanese promotions. On March 1, 2009, he lost the GHC Heavyweight title to Jun Akiyama. On September 21, 2009, he teamed with Morishima to win the GHC Tag Team titles from Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith. They lost the titles on December 6, 2009, to Takeshi Rikio and Muhammad Yone.

Sasaki teamed up with regular tag partner Takeshi Morishima to participate in the Global Tag League of 2010, which ran from January 9 to January 24. Sasaki and Morishima finished the league with a total of four points, losing out to A-Block winners Yoshihiro Takayama and Takuma Sano. Sasaki also participated in Pro-Wrestling NOAH's Global League of 2010 from March 28 to May 2. During the league, he defeated Jun Akiyama in a highly acclaimed contest. Sasaki finished with a total of seven points, losing out to eventual winner Yoshihiro Takayama.

Diamond Ring (2005–2014)

In 2005, Sasaki established his own agency, Kensuke Office. The agency is run by Sasaki's wife (former joshi wrestler), Akira Hokuto. Under the Kensuke Office agency, Sasaki and pupil Katsuhiko Nakajima toured other promotions, particularly All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah (PWN).

In September 2006, Kensuke Office was announced as a member of the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA). Beginning in 2007, Kensuke Office has organised its own shows, and some of the talent featured on the shows include Minoru Suzuki, Jun Akiyama, Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takayama, Kikutaro, Takeshi Morishima, KENTA and Catfish Man. In January 2012, Kensuke Office was renamed Diamond Ring. Currently, Diamond Ring serves as developmental territory of Pro Wrestling NOAH, featuring several of its superstars.

On February 11, 2014, Sasaki suffered his first loss to Katsuhiko Nakajima in the main event of a Diamond Ring event. Two days later, Sasaki held a press conference to announce his retirement from professional wrestling. Following Sasaki's retirement, Diamond Ring was left with only one remaining wrestler, Katsuhiko Nakajima, with Satoshi Kajiwara resigning and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya joining Pro Wrestling Noah.

Mixed martial arts career

Between 2001 and 2003, Sasaki took a couple hiatuses from pro-wrestling and focused on mixed martial arts. He has two fights under his belt, winning both by submission in the first round beating Dan Chase in 2001 and future UFC fighter Christian Wellisch in 2003. In November 2002, he was originally scheduled to fight Minoru Suzuki, but due to injury, he pulled out and was replaced by Jushin Thunder Liger.

During this period, he would alter his look, cutting his signature mullet (he would occasionally dye his hair different colors), wearing ring gear bearing the word, "Volcano", and adapting moves he learned in MMA training to expand his pro wrestling moveset.

In March 2004, Sasaki defeated Francisco Filho in a sumo-style match for K-1.

Mixed martial arts record

Personal life

Kensuke Sasaki married Akira Hokuto on October 1, 1995, after proposing to her on their first date. Together, they have two sons: Kennosuke (born November 1998) and Seinnosuke (born March 2003). Kennosuke married professional wrestler Rin Kadokura in 2022.

Also, Kensuke has a strong bond with his protégé Katsuhiko Nakajima, whom he considers to be a member of the family.

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Katsuhiko Nakajima
  • Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Champion Carnival (2005)
  • January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2007)
  • SAMURAI! TV Cup Triple Arrow Tournament (2007) – with Katsuhiko Nakajima and Seiya Sanada
  • BAPE STA!! PRO-WRESTLING a-k-a Tournament (2004)
• Dramatic Dream Team
  • KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi
• Fighting of World Japan Pro Wrestling
  • World Magma the Greatest Championship (1 time)
  • WJ Strongest Tournament (2003)
• Hawai'i Championship Wrestling
  • HCW Kamehameha Heritage World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • HCW Kekaulike Heritage Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kenjiro Katahira
• Michinoku Pro Wrestling
  • Tohoku Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Katsuhiko Nakajima
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship (7 times) – with Hiroshi Hase (2), Hawk Warrior (2), Riki Choshu (1), Kazuo Yamazaki (1) and Shiro Koshinaka (1)
  • G1 Climax (1997, 2000)
  • G1 Climax Special Tag Team Tournament (1997) – with Kazuo Yamazaki
  • Japan/United States All Star Tournament (1996)
  • WCW World Tag Team Title Contenders League (1998) – with Yuji Nagata
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship #1 Contenders Tournament (1999)
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2001)
  • MVP Award (2000)
  • Singles Best Bout (2000) vs. Toshiaki Kawada on October 9
  • SKY PerfecTV! Cup (2001)
• Nikkan Sports
  • Match of the Year (2000) vs. Toshiaki Kawada on October 9
  • Match of the Year (2005) vs. Kenta Kobashi on July 18
  • Outstanding Performance Award (1997, 2004, 2008)
  • Fighting Spirit Award (2004)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 10 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000
  • Ranked No. 103 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
  • Ranked No. 27 of the top 100 tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Hiroshi Hase in 2003
• Pro Wrestling Noah
  • GHC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Takeshi Morishima
  • One Night Six Man Tag Tournament (2012) – with Kento Miyahara and Takeshi Morishima
  • Global Tag League Outstanding Performance Award (2013) – with Katsuhiko Nakajima
• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sumo Hara
• Tokyo Sports
  • Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
  • Match of the Year (2000) vs. Toshiaki Kawada on October 9
  • Match of the Year (2005) vs. Kenta Kobashi on July 18
  • Outstanding Performance Award (2008)
  • Wrestler of the Year (2004)
• Toryumon Mexico
  • UWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Animal Warrior
  • Suzuki Cup (2007) – with Marco Corleone and Ultimo Dragon
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Mr. Pogo
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Match of the Year (1991) with Hiroshi Hase vs. Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner at the WCW/New Japan Supershow
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)

Notes

1. Sasaki won the championship in Tokyo, Japan as part of an interpromotional card between New Japan Pro-Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling.

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External links

• Kensuke Sasaki's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
• Professional MMA record for Kensuke Sasaki from Sherdog

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v t e All Asia Tag Team Champions 1950s–1960s King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh Dan Miller and Frank Valois Rikidōzan and Toyonobori Luther Lindsay and Ricky Waldo Buddy Austin and Mike Sharpe Toyonobori and Michiaki Yoshimura Caripus Hurricane and Gene Kiniski Giant Baba and Toyonobori The Destroyer and Billy Red Lyons Joe Carrolo and Killer Karl Kox Hiro Matsuda and Michiaki Yoshimura Eddie Graham and Killer Karl Kox Giant Baba and Michiaki Yoshimura Kintarō Ōki and Michiaki Yoshimura Antonio Inoki and Michiaki Yoshimura Klondike Bill and Skull Murphy Antonio Inoki and Kintarō Ōki 1970s Seiji Sakaguchi and Michiaki Yoshimura Great Kojika and Gentetsu Matsuoka Great Kojika and Motoshi Okuma Jerry and Ted Oates Samson Kutsuwada and Akihisa Takachiho Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue 1980s David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich Takashi Ishikawa and Akio Sato Ashura Hara and Mighty Inoue Ashura Hara and Takashi Ishikawa Animal Hamaguchi and Isamu Teranishi Norio Honaga and Isamu Teranishi Mighty Inoue and Takashi Ishikawa Ashura Hara and Super Strong Machine Footloose (Samson Fuyuki and Toshiaki Kawada) Shinichi Nakano and Shunji Takano Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat 1990s Kenta Kobashi and Tiger Mask II Shinichi Nagano and Akira Taue Johnny Ace and Kenta Kobashi British Bruisers (Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith) Billy Black and Joel Deaton Tsuyoshi Kikuchi and Kenta Kobashi The Eagle and The Patriot Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori Wolf Hawkfield and Johnny Smith Tamon Honda and Jun Izumida Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki No Fear (Takao Omori and Yoshihiro Takayama) Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa Tamon Honda and Masao Inoue 2000s Masahito Kakihara and Mitsuya Nagai Arashi and Koki Kitahara Arashi and Nobutaka Araya Kohei Sato and Hirotaka Yokoi Kintaro Kanemura and Tetsuhiro Kuroda Mr. Gannosuke and Tetsuhiro Kuroda The Great Kosuke and Shiryu Masanobu Fuchi and Genichiro Tenryu Mitsuya Nagai and Masayuki Naruse RO&D (Buchanan and Rico Constantino) Shuji Kondo and "brother" Yasshi Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki Minoru Suzuki and Nosawa Rongai S.M.O.P. (Akebono and Ryota Hama) 2010s Voodoo Murders (TARU and Big Daddy Voodoo) Manabu Soya and Seiya Sanada Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka Hikaru Sato and Hiroshi Yamato Atsushi Aoki and Kotaro Suzuki Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru Team Dream Futures (Keisuke Ishii and Shigehiro Irie) Xceed (Kotaro Suzuki and Kento Miyahara) Mitsuya Nagai and Takeshi Minamino Último Dragón and Yoshinobu Kanemaru Yankii Nichokenju (Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto) Evolution (Atsushi Aoki and Hikaru Sato) Atsushi Onita and Masanobu Fuchi Black Tiger VII and Taka Michinoku Nextream (Naoya Nomura and Yuma Aoyagi) Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata Sweeper (Jake Lee and Koji Iwamoto) Ryuichi Kawakami and Kazumi Kikuta 2020s Purple Haze (Zeus and Izanagi) StrongHearts (El Lindaman and T-Hawk) Total Eclipse (Yusuke Kodama and Hokuto Omori) Voodoo Murders (Minoru and Toshizo) Evolution (Dan Tamura and Hikaru Sato) Tajiri and Yoshitatsu Gungnir of Anarchy (Masao Hanahata and Yusuke Kodama) Masao Inoue and Takao Omori Kendo Kashin and Nosawa Rongai Atsushi Onita and Yoshitatsu Burning (Jun Akiyama and Kotaro Suzuki) Eruption (Hideki Okatani and Yukio Sakaguchi) Atsushi Onita and Toy Kojima Musashi and Seiki Yoshioka ELPIDA (Yuma Anzai and Rising Hayato) (current) Other recognized champions Champions recognized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling Seiji Sakaguchi and Strong Kobayashi Tiger Jeet Singh and Umanosuke Ueda v t e Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions 1980s Jumbo Tsuruta Genichiro Tenryu 1990s Terry Gordy Stan Hansen Mitsuharu Misawa Steve Williams Toshiaki Kawada Akira Taue Kenta Kobashi Vader 2000s Keiji Muto/The Great Muta Shinya Hashimoto Satoshi Kojima Taiyō Kea Minoru Suzuki Kensuke Sasaki Suwama Yoshihiro Takayama 2010s Ryota Hama Jun Akiyama Masakatsu Funaki Akebono Takao Omori Joe Doering Go Shiozaki Kento Miyahara Shuji Ishikawa Zeus 2020s Jake Lee Yuji Nagata Yuma Aoyagi Katsuhiko Nakajima Yuma Anzai Davey Boy Smith Jr. (current) v t e Champion Carnival winners 1973: Giant Baba 1974: Giant Baba 1975: Giant Baba 1976: Abdullah the Butcher 1977: Giant Baba 1978: Giant Baba 1979: Abdullah the Butcher 1980: Jumbo Tsuruta 1981: Giant Baba 1982: Giant Baba 1991: Jumbo Tsuruta 1992: Stan Hansen 1993: Stan Hansen 1994: Toshiaki Kawada 1995: Mitsuharu Misawa 1996: Akira Taue 1997: Toshiaki Kawada 1998: Mitsuharu Misawa 1999: Vader 2000: Kenta Kobashi 2001: Genichiro Tenryu 2002: Keiji Muto 2003: Satoshi Kojima 2004: Keiji Muto 2005: Kensuke Sasaki 2006: Taiyō Kea 2007: Keiji Muto 2008: Suwama 2009: Minoru Suzuki 2010: Minoru Suzuki 2011: Yuji Nagata 2012: Taiyō Kea 2013: Jun Akiyama 2014: Takao Omori 2015: Akebono 2016: Daisuke Sekimoto 2017: Shuji Ishikawa 2018: Naomichi Marufuji 2019: Kento Miyahara 2020: Zeus 2021: Jake Lee 2022: Yuma Aoyagi 2023: Shotaro Ashino 2024: Kento Miyahara v t e GHC Heavyweight Champions 2000s Mitsuharu Misawa Jun Akiyama Yoshinari Ogawa Yoshihiro Takayama Kenta Kobashi Takeshi Rikio Akira Taue Naomichi Marufuji Takeshi Morishima Kensuke Sasaki Go Shiozaki Takashi Sugiura 2010s Kenta Yuji Nagata Minoru Suzuki Katsuhiko Nakajima Eddie Edwards Kenoh Kaito Kiyomiya 2020s Keiji Muto Kazuyuki Fujita Satoshi Kojima Jake Lee El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (current) v t e GHC Tag Team Champions 2000s Scorpio and Vader Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa No Fear (Takao Omori and Yoshihiro Takayama) Wild II (Takeshi Morishima and Takeshi Rikio) Jun Akiyama and Akitoshi Saito Burning (Tamon Honda and Kenta Kobashi) Yuji Nagata and Hiroshi Tanahashi Scorpio and Doug Williams Naomichi Marufuji and Minoru Suzuki Takeshi Morishima and Muhammad Yone Jun Akiyama and Takeshi Rikio RO&D (D'Lo Brown and Buchanan) Team Ikko/Brave (Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura) (current) Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith Kensuke Sasaki and Takeshi Morishima Disobey (Takeshi Rikio and Muhammad Yone) 2010s Bison Smith and Keith Walker Takuma Sano and Yoshihiro Takayama Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) Magnus and Samoa Joe No Mercy (Kenta and Maybach Taniguchi) Chaos (Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano) Special Assault Team (Akitoshi Saito and Go Shiozaki) The Mighty Don't Kneel (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) Choukibou-gun (Maybach Taniguchi and Takeshi Morishima) Dangan Yankies (Masato Tanaka and Takashi Sugiura) Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) Naomichi Marufuji and Toru Yano Go Shiozaki and Maybach Taniguchi Kenoh and Masa Kitamiya Maybach Taniguchi and Naomichi Marufuji Atsushi Kotoge and Go Shiozaki 50 Funky Powers (Muhammad Yone and Quiet Storm) The Aggression (Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya) Go-Kai (Go Shiozaki and Kaito Kiyomiya) Naomichi Marufuji and Akitoshi Saito Axiz (Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima) Hooligans (Maybach Taniguchi and Yuji Hino) Sugiura-gun (Kazma Sakamoto and Takashi Sugiura) 2020s Naomichi Marufuji and Masaaki Mochizuki Sugiura-gun International (El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and René Duprée) Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba) Kaito Kiyomiya and Masa Kitamiya M's Alliance (Keiji Muto and Naomichi Marufuji) Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura and Hideki Suzuki) Michael Elgin and Masa Kitamiya Sugiura-gun (Timothy Thatcher and Hideki Suzuki) TakaKoji (Takashi Sugiura and Satoshi Kojima) Daiki Inaba and Masa Kitamiya Takashi Sugiura and Shuhei Taniguchi Real (Timothy Thatcher and Saxon Huxley) Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris and Anthony Greene) v t e KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions 2010s Team Drift (Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie and Soma Takao) Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki and Yuji Hino) Golden☆Rendezvous～ (Gota Ihashi, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Hoshitango and Yuji Hino) Ten Million Gay Powers (Danshoku Dino, Kensuke Sasaki and Makoto Oishi) Akebono, Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi Team Homo Sapiens (Aja Kong, Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi) Golden☆Storm Riders (Daisuke Sasaki, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) Shuten-dōji (Kudo, Masa Takanashi/Masahiro Takanashi and Yukio Sakaguchi) Happy Motel (Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo) T2Hii (Kazuki Hirata, Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi) Genpatsu Daio (Brahman Kei, Brahman Shu and Gorgeous Matsuno) #OhkaTeikoku (Danshoku Dino, Ken Ohka and Super Sasadango Machine) #OhkaTeikoku (Danshoku Dino, Kenso and Super Sasadango Machine) Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki and Shunma Katsumata Damnation (Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie and Tetsuya Endo) Team DNA (Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki and Mizuki Watase) NωA (Makoto Oishi, Mao and Shunma Katsumata) All Out (Akito, Diego and Konosuke Takeshita) Koju Takeda, Kota Umeda and Yuki Ueno All Out (Akito, Shunma Katsumata and Konosuke Takeshita) Damnation (Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie and Soma Takao) #StrongHearts (Cima, T-Hawk and Duan Yingnan) All Out (Akito, Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Iino) Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling (Chihiro Hashimoto, Dash Chisako and Meiko Satomura) All Out (Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Iino) 2020s #DamnHearts (Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk and El Lindaman) Eruption (Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai) Young Communication Generation (Akito, Kazuki Hirata and Shota) Damnation (Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao and Yuji Hino) Pheromones (Danshoku Dino, Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari) Damnation T.A. (Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita and MJ Paul) Damnation T.A. (Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul and Kanon) (current) Omega (Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi and Shiori Asahi) Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata Burning (Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki and Yusuke Okada) Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine and Yuki Ueno Harimau (Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu and Yuki Ishida) Eruption (Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai and Hideki Okatani) D・O・A (Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi) Smile Squash (Akito, Harashima and Yasu Urano) v t e World League/MSG League/International Wrestling Grand Prix/World Cup Tournament/G1 Climax winners 1974: Antonio Inoki 1975: Antonio Inoki 1976: Seiji Sakaguchi 1977: Seiji Sakaguchi 1978: Antonio Inoki 1979: Antonio Inoki 1980: Antonio Inoki 1981: Antonio Inoki 1982: André the Giant 1983: Hulk Hogan 1984: Antonio Inoki 1985: André the Giant 1986: Antonio Inoki 1987: Antonio Inoki 1988: Antonio Inoki 1989: Riki Choshu 1991: Masahiro Chono 1992: Masahiro Chono 1993: Tatsumi Fujinami 1994: Masahiro Chono 1995: Keiji Muto 1996: Riki Choshu 1997: Kensuke Sasaki 1998: Shinya Hashimoto 1999: Manabu Nakanishi 2000: Kensuke Sasaki 2001: Yuji Nagata 2002: Masahiro Chono 2003: Hiroyoshi Tenzan 2004: Hiroyoshi Tenzan 2005: Masahiro Chono 2006: Hiroyoshi Tenzan 2007: Hiroshi Tanahashi 2008: Hirooki Goto 2009: Togi Makabe 2010: Satoshi Kojima 2011: Shinsuke Nakamura 2012: Kazuchika Okada 2013: Tetsuya Naito 2014: Kazuchika Okada 2015: Hiroshi Tanahashi 2016: Kenny Omega 2017: Tetsuya Naito 2018: Hiroshi Tanahashi 2019: Kota Ibushi 2020: Kota Ibushi 2021: Kazuchika Okada 2022: Kazuchika Okada 2023: Tetsuya Naito 2024: Zack Sabre Jr. Category v t e IWGP Heavyweight Champions 1980s Antonio Inoki Tatsumi Fujinami Big Van Vader Salman Hashimikov 1990s Riki Choshu The Great Muta/Keiji Muto Shinya Hashimoto Nobuhiko Takada Kensuke Sasaki/Power Warrior Masahiro Chono Scott Norton Genichiro Tenryu 2000s Kazuyuki Fujita Tadao Yasuda Yuji Nagata Yoshihiro Takayama Hiroyoshi Tenzan Shinsuke Nakamura Bob Sapp Satoshi Kojima Brock Lesnar Hiroshi Tanahashi Manabu Nakanishi 2010s Togi Makabe Kazuchika Okada A.J. Styles Tetsuya Naito Kenny Omega Jay White 2020s Evil Kota Ibushi Other recognized champions Original champions recognized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling Hulk Hogan Antonio Inoki Champions recognized by Inoki Genome Federation Brock Lesnar Kurt Angle Shinsuke Nakamura v t e IWGP Tag Team Champions 1980s Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami Akira Maeda and Osamu Kido Keiji Muto and Shiro Koshinaka Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada Kazuo Yamazaki and Yoshiaki Fujiwara Masa Saito and Riki Choshu George Takano and Super Strong Machine Riki Choshu and Takayuki Iizuka Masa Saito and Shinya Hashimoto 1990s Keiji Muto and Masahiro Chono Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki Hiro Saito and Super Strong Machine Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) Hiroshi Hase and Keiji Muto Big, Bad, and Dangerous (Big Van Vader and Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow) Scott Norton and Tony Halme Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior) Jurassic Powers (Hercules Hernandez and Scott Norton) Cho-Ten (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono) Junji Hirata and Shinya Hashimoto Kazuo Yamazaki and Takashi Iizuka Kensuke Sasaki and Riki Choshu Bull Powers (Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima) Kazuo Yamazaki and Kensuke Sasaki Genichiro Tenryu and Shiro Koshinaka Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) Kensuke Sasaki and Shiro Koshinaka The Mad Dogs (Michiyoshi Ohara and Tatsutoshi Goto) Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata 2000s Osamu Nishimura and Tatsumi Fujinami BATT (Keiji Muto and Taiyō Kea) Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yutaka Yoshie Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Osamu Nishimura Minoru Suzuki and Yoshihiro Takayama Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura Wild Child (Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori) RISE (Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko) The Most Violent Players/Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano) Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams) 2010s No Limit/Chaos (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) Seigigun (Wataru Inoue and Yuji Nagata) Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) Chaos (Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano) Killer Elite Squad/Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) Bullet Club (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma) Guerrillas of Destiny/Bullet Club (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) Los Ingobernables de Japón (Evil and Sanada) The Young Bucks/Bullet Club (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) 2020s FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) Golden☆Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi) Dangerous Tekkers/Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.) Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito and Sanada) Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb) General's Jewel/Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens) FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo and Hikuleo) Bullet Club (Kenta and Chase Owens) TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Henare) (current) v t e Tohoku Tag Team Champions 2000s Jinsei Shinzaki and Último Dragón Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki Gaina and Jinsei Shinzaki The Great Sasuke and Dick Togo Shiori Asahi and Makoto Oishi Shu and Kei Sato Flash Moon and Tigers Mask Kagetora and Rasse The Great Sasuke and Yoshitsune Kesen Numajiro and Kinya Oyanagi Takeshi Minamino and Maguro Ooma 2010s Yapper Man #1 and Yapper Man #2 Kenbai and Rasse Kesen Numajiro and Último Dragón Behnam Ali/Tiger Ali and Taro Nohashi Jinsei Shinzaki and Kesen Numajiro Brahman Kei and The Great Sasuke New Phase (Daichi Sasaki and Ayumu Gunji) Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita Super Stars (Ayumu Gunji and Rui Hyugaji) Gaina and Taro Nohashi Bad Boy (Ken45° and Kengo) 2020s The Great Sasuke and Jinsei Shinzaki Bad Boy (Ken45° and Manjimaru) Musashi and Kazuki Hashimoto Kagetora and Yoshitsune Rasse and Ringo Yamaya (current) v t e UWA World Tag Team Champions Universal Wrestling Association (1982–2008) Riki Choshu and Gran Hamada Los Brazos (Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata) Gran Hamada and Perro Aguayo Gran Hamada and Kendo Los Cowboys (Silver King and El Texano) Can-Am Express (Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas) Los Villanos (Villano IV and Villano V) Emilio Charles Jr. and Scorpio Jr. Tokyo Gurentai (Nosawa Rongai and Mazada) Pro-Wrestling El Dorado (2008–2010) Kagetora and Kota Ibushi Speed of Sounds (Tsutomu Oosugi and Hercules Senga) Brahman Brothers (Brahman Kei and Brahman Shu) Kohaku Pro-Wrestling Wars (2010–2014) Masamune and Minoru Fujita Hiroki and Yasu Urano Union Pro-Wrestling (2014–2015) Hiroshi Fukuda and Men's Teioh Fuma and Isami Kodaka Masato Shibata and Shuji Ishikawa Michinoku Pro Wrestling (2015–2022) Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita Super Stars (Ayumu Gunji and Rui Hyugaji) Gaina and Taro Nohashi Bad Boy (Ken45° and Kengo) Yapper Man #1 and Yapper Man #2 Skull & Nones (Jinsei Shinzaki and The Great Sasuke) Big Japan Pro Wrestling (2022–present) Hub and Eisa8 Kohei Kinoshita and Yasshi Tomato Kaji and Kota Sekifuda Aijin Tag (Masato Kamino and Takato Nakano) (current) v t e Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions 1950s The Kalmikoffs (Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Kalmikoff) The Tolos Brothers (Chris Tolos and John Tolos) The Flying Scotts (George Scott and Sandy Scott) The Vachons (Maurice Vachon and Paul Vachon) Chico Garcia and Chet Wallick Shag Thomas and Mighty Ursus Al Mills and Don Kindred 1960s Don Kindred and John Foti Oattem Fisher and Luther Lindsay Tarzan Tourville and Mighty Ursus Jim Wright and Gypsy Joe Jim Wright and Chico Garcia Tiny Mills and Jack Daniels The Torres Brothers (Alberto Torres and Ramón Torres) Alexis Bruga and Aldo Bogni Sandor Kovacs and Czaya Nando Jim Wright and Mike Sharpe Sr. Dominic Bravo and Ron Etchison Jim Wright and Luke Graham Jerry Graham and Jim Wright Jim Wright and Masked Destroyer Ricky Waldo and Karl von Schober Kenji Shibuya and Mitsu Arakawa Ron Etchison and Dan Miller Art Neilson and Stan Neilson The Von Steigers (Kurt Von Steiger and Karl Von Steiger) The Christys (Bobby Christy and Jerry Christ) The Beast and Bob Sweetan Jos LeDuc and Paul LeDuc Bud Osborne and Ray Osborne Bob Sweetan and Fred Sweetan Clem St. Louis and Jack Pesek Gil Hayes and Bill Dromo 1970s Gil Hayes and Bob Sweetan Bob Sweetan and Paul Peller Earl Black and Tiger Joe Tomasso Dan Kroffat and Bill Cody Michel Martel and Danny Babich Chin Lee and Sugi Sito Tiger Joe Tomasso and Dave Ruhl Chin Lee and Sugi Sito Geoff Portz and Jeff Atcheson Tor Kamata and Sugi Sito Dan Kroffat and Lenny Hurst Tiger Joe Tomasso and Gil Hayes George Gordienko and Super Hawk Carlos Belafonte and Gino Caruso Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) Chatti Yokouchi and Yasu Fuji Bob Pringle and Bill Cody The Kiwis (Sweet William and Nick Carter) Tokyo Joe and Great Saki Stan Kowalski and Duke Savage Rick Martel and Lenny Hurst Pat Kelly and Mike Kelly Frankie Laine and Len Thornton Mr. Hito and John Quinn Mr. Hito and Gil Hayes Ed Morrow and Jerry Morrow Ripper Collins and Don Gagne Lumberjack Luke and Prince Tapu Ripper Collins and Bobby Bass Gama Singh and Crary Stevenson Ed Morrow and Gama Singh Mr. Hito and Higo Hamaguchi Ripper Collins and Larry Sharpe The Cuban Assassins (Cuban Assassin #1 and Cuban Assassin #2) Leo Burke and Keith Hart The Royal Kangaroos (Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles III) Leo Burke and Bobby Burke Mr. Hito and Michel Martel Jerry Morrow and George Wells Norman Frederick Charles III and Cuban Assassin Keith Hart and Hubert Gallant The Castillo Brothers (Raul Castillo and Fidel Castillo) The Hart Family (Keith Hart and Bret Hart) Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada Leo Burke and Keith Hart Dory Funk Jr. and Larry Lane Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada Dynamite Kid and Sekigawa 1980s Dynamite Kid and Loch Ness Monster Dynamite Kid and Kasavubu Kasavubu and Mr. Sakurada Jim Neidhart and Hercules Ayala Duke Myers and Bobby Bass Leo Burke and Bobby Burke Duke Myers and Mike Sharpe Jr. Duke Myers and Kerry Brown Bruce Hart and Davey Boy Smith Nightmare Danny Davis and Hubert Gallant The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) Honky Tonk Wayne and Ron Starr Leo Burke and Ron Ritchie Chris Benoit and Ben Bassarab Wayne Ferris and Cuban Assassin Chris Benoit and Keith Hart Ben Bassarab and Owen Hart The Viet Cong Express (Hiroshi Hase and Fumihiro Niikura) Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) Karachi Vice (Makhan Singh and Jerry Morrow) The Cuban Commandos (Jerry Morrow and Cuban Assassin) Chris Benoit and Lance Idol Karachi Vice (Makhan Singh and Vokkan Singh) Chris Benoit and Biff Wellington Bob Brown and Kerry Brown Benkei Sasaki and Sumo Hara The Blackhearts (Apocalypse and Destruction) 2000s Greg Pawluk and Johnny Devine Dick Raines and Frank Einstein Bruce Hart and Teddy Hart Bruce Hart and TJ Wilson Harry Smith and Apocalypse (II) Apocalypse (II) and Dave Swift Harry Smith and Kirk Melnick Duke Durango and Karnage New Karachi Vice (Gama Singh Jr. and Tiger Raj Singh) Duke Durango and Chris Steele Randy Myers and Pete Wilson Juggernaut and Pete Wilson Juggernaut and TJ Wilson The A-Team (Dusty Adonis and Michael Avery) Funky Bunch (Marky Mark and Phoenix Taylor) The Elite (Chris Steele and Pete Wilson) v t e WWE United States Champions MACW/JCP (1975–1988) 1970s Harley Race Johnny Valentine Terry Funk Paul Jones Blackjack Mulligan Bobo Brazil Ric Flair Ricky Steamboat Mr. Wrestling Jimmy Snuka 1980s Roddy Piper Wahoo McDaniel Sgt. Slaughter Greg Valentine Dick Slater Magnum T. A. Tully Blanchard Nikita Koloff Lex Luger Dusty Rhodes Barry Windham WCW (1988–2001) 1980s Michael Hayes 1990s Stan Hansen Sting Rick Rude Dustin Rhodes Steve Austin Jim Duggan Big Van Vader Kensuke Sasaki One Man Gang Konnan Eddie Guerrero Dean Malenko Jeff Jarrett Steve McMichael Curt Hennig Diamond Dallas Page Raven Goldberg Bret Hart Scott Hall Scott Steiner David Flair Chris Benoit Sid Vicious 2000s Lance Storm Gen. Hugh G. Rection Shane Douglas Rick Steiner Booker T WWF/E (2001, 2003–present) 2000s Chris Kanyon Tajiri Rhyno Kurt Angle Edge Big Show John Cena Carlito Caribbean Cool Orlando Jordan John "Bradshaw" Layfield Bobby Lashley Finlay Mr. Kennedy Montel Vontavious Porter Matt Hardy Shelton Benjamin Kofi Kingston The Miz 2010s R-Truth Daniel Bryan Sheamus Dolph Ziggler Zack Ryder Jack Swagger Santino Marella Antonio Cesaro Dean Ambrose Rusev Seth Rollins Alberto Del Rio Kalisto Roman Reigns Chris Jericho Kevin Owens AJ Styles Baron Corbin Bobby Roode Randy Orton Jinder Mahal Jeff Hardy Shinsuke Nakamura (current) Samoa Joe Rey Mysterio Ricochet Andrade 2020s Apollo Crews Riddle Damian Priest Finn Bálor Theory/Austin Theory Logan Paul LA Knight

• 1966 births
• IWGP Heavyweight champions
• Japanese male mixed martial artists
• Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling
• Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
• Japanese male professional wrestlers
• Living people
• NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions
• Sportspeople from Fukuoka (city)
• Road Warriors members
• Stampede Wrestling alumni
• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
• GHC Heavyweight Champions
• GHC Tag Team Champions
• 20th-century male professional wrestlers
• 20th-century Japanese professional wrestlers
• 21st-century male professional wrestlers
• 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers
• All Asia Tag Team Champions
• Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions
• Tohoku Tag Team Champions
• KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions
• Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions
• G1 Climax winners
• Champion Carnival winners
• 20th-century Japanese sportsmen