Koji Kanemoto

Kōji Kanemoto (金本 浩二, Kanemoto Kōji)[1] (born Kim Il-Sung (김일성); October 31, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer.

Koji Kanemoto
Kanemoto in September 2014
Born (1966-10-31) October 31, 1966[1][2]
Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Koji Kanemoto
Tiger Mask (III)[3][1]
Tiger Mask III
Tigre en Mascarado[4]
Billed height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Billed weight80 kg (176 lb)[1]
Trained byMasanobu Kurisu
Kensuke Sasaki
Hiroshi Hase
Kuniaki Kobayashi
NJPW Dojo
DebutNovember 7, 1990[1]

Professional wrestling career

Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he portrayed Tiger Mask in its third incarnation, succeeding Mitsuharu Misawa.[3] In January 1994, he famously lost a "mask vs. mask" match against popular cruiserweight Jushin Thunder Liger at Battlefield. Since 1994 he has wrestled under his own name for NJPW. His style used to be the classic junior heavyweight wrestling, but repeated high-flying moves, the fans' change in taste, and inherent damage on his body put an incentive on him to use shoot-style taught by Kazuo Yamazaki, largely as a modification of his wrestling persona. Hard shoot kicks combined with scientific wrestling are his current trademark along with the facewash, which always gets the crowd going in a football stadium-like chant.

Kanemoto was the first man to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in the United States, a match against Alex Wright at Starrcade '95: World Cup of Wrestling (although World Championship Wrestling did not announce it as such). He also holds a victory over revered MMA fighter Kazushi Sakuraba in shoot-style wrestling.

In the early 2000s Kanemoto formed a popular tag team with Minoru Tanaka called "Jr. Stars" the 2 enjoyed a lengthy reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, but before they could receive a rematch for their titles, Kanemoto was injured. Kanemoto made a very controversial return, turning on Tanaka and siding with Masahiro Chono's "Team 2000" Stable. As a reward for his defection Chono gave him his own sub-group to lead named "Team 2000 Jr."; among their ranks were Gedo, Jado, & Akira. During this time, Kanemoto wore entrance gear very similar to Chono, as a way to show "he was a boss". After Team 2000 dissolved he became a calmer, much more calculating individual and it was apparent that his days of a rude, arrogant punk were over. In 2003, in an attempt to regain the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles from rival promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, he formed a tag team with Jushin Thunder Liger known as "The Unbeatables"; the two held on to the titles until November, when Kanemoto fractured his left cheekbone, and were forced to vacate them.

On May 3, 2006, Kanemoto defeated Tiger Mask IV to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title for the fifth time.

In the 2006 G1 Climax, Kanemoto reached the semi final, the first junior heavyweight to achieve this feat. Along with Hiroshi Tanahashi, he made it to the finals of the G1 Tag League two years in a row – the 2006 and 2007 editions. Also in 2007 he became the first junior heavyweight since Bas Rutten to receive an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match. Although he lost this match against his tag team partner Hiroshi Tanahashi he was revered for his performance, especially after kicking out of Tanahashi's dragon suplex finish after only a 1 count. After this match it was regarded that Kanemoto was not only the top junior heavyweight but one of the top talents that New Japan has in its entirety.

On January 2, 2009 at a Zero-1 show Kanemoto announced his engagement to Zero-1 joshi wrestler Hikaru. The two have since divorced.

Kanemoto in 2019.

On June 14, 2009 Kanemoto forced Prince Devitt to submit to his trademark Ankle Lock, winning the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the third time, becoming only the second man to do so. On May 8, 2010, Kanemoto and El Samurai defeated Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the finals of an eight team tournament to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[5] Just over two months later, on July 19, Kanemoto and El Samurai lost the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Devitt and Taguchi.[6] On August 22 Kanemoto and Tiger Mask IV took part in a Pro Wrestling Noah event and defeated Ricky Marvin and Taiji Ishimori to win Noah's GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[7] They would lose the title to Atsushi Aoki and Naomichi Marufuji on December 24, 2010.[8]

In late 2011 he began to work more frequently in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and teaming with Minoru Tanaka and on January 31, 2013, Kanemoto officially quit New Japan Pro-Wrestling to join All Japan Pro Wrestling.[9] In June 2013, Kojimoto also announced his resignation from All Japan in the aftermath of Nobuo Shiraishi taking over as the promotion's new president.[10] Though Kanemoto did not officially join Keiji Mutoh's splinter promotion Wrestle-1, he did take part in the promotion's inaugural event on September 8, reuniting the Junior Stars with Minoru Tanaka in a tag team match, where they defeated Fujita Hayato and Masaaki Mochizuki.[11]

On May 24, 2015, Kanemoto returned to his Tiger Mask persona, when he took part in Lucha Libre AAA World Wide's Lucha Libre World Cup in Mexico City, alongside Kenzo Suzuki and Masamune as Team AJPW. They were defeated in the first round of the tournament by Team MexLeyendas (Blue Demon Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Solar).[12]

Championships and accomplishments

Luchas de Apuestas record
See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Jushin Thunder Liger (mask) Tiger Mask (mask) Tokyo, Japan Battlefield January 4, 1994

References
  1. 金本 浩二. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. "Wrestler Profiles: Koji Kanemoto". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  3. "The Tiger Mask Legend". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  4. "11月24日（木）東京・後楽園ホール". Chō Sentō Puroresu FMW (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  5. "43歳コンビの金本＆サムライが「SUPER J TAG」初代王者に輝く!!/無念！ タイガー玉砕でまたしてもIWGP Jr.奪還ならず!!" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling. 2010-05-08. Archived from the original on 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  6. "(Results) New Japan, 7/19/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  7. "NJ in NOAH results; Kanemoto & Tiger win belts, Nakamura loses". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  8. "Kanemoto & Tiger Mask lose GHC Jr. Tag Title". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  9. 金本が新日退団「全日本愛が芽生えてきた」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  10. Meltzer, Dave (July 1, 2013). "July 1 2013 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Life and times of Jackie Fargo, Ring of Honor and the Briscoes, New Japan iPPV review, Daniel Bryan and Orton, tons more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 34. ISSN 1083-9593.
  11. "武藤新団体「Wrestle-1」旗揚げ戦". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. 2013-09-08. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  12. Boutwell, Josh (2015-05-24). "AAA Lucha Libre World Cup Results - 5/24/15 (Live results)". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
  13. "Change To Championship Match Plus New Match Confirmed For 4 Front Wrestling 'New Years Wrestleution 2015′". Wrestle Ropes. WordPress. 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  14. "I.W.P.G Junior Heavyweight Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  15. "I.W.P.G Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  16. "World Junior Light Heavyweight Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  17. Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan; Top of the Super Junior Heavyweight Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 375. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  18. 11月17日(金)東京ドームシティ・ジオポリス. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  19. "2002 New Japan Awards". Strong Style Spirit. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
  20. "2003 New Japan Awards". Strong Style Spirit. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
  21. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 2003". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  22. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
  23. プロレスリングZero1後楽園大会『新生Zero１　ドリーム・シリーズ　～誕生の陣～』. Pro Wrestling Zero1 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  24. "World Welterweight Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  25. "【試合結果】8･3　VKFプロレス大阪大会　【VKF選手権】Toruvs金本浩二　SugivsVKFマシン2号　ディック東郷＆ゴア＆ツバサvs三原一晃＆兼平大介＆石田慎也　谷嵜なおき＆藤田峰雄＆勝村周一郎＆VKFマシン3号vs田中稔＆政宗＆冨宅飛駈＆佐野直". Battle News (in Japanese). 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
Preceded by
El Samurai
Jushin Thunder Liger
Wataru Inoue		 Best of the Super Juniors winner
1998
2002
2009		 Succeeded by
Kendo Kashin
Masahito Kakihara
Prince Devitt
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