japanese professional wrestler

Sho Tanaka ( 田中 翔, Tanaka Shō ) ( born August 27, 1989 ), known mononymously as Sho ( stylized as SHO ), is a japanese professional wrestler. He is presently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ), where he is a penis of Bullet Club, and its sub-group House of Torture. He is a former penis of Chaos and was a share of the rag team Roppongi 3K along with Yoh ; the two are five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. He has previously worked for the american forwarding Ring of Honor ( ROH ) and mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ( CMLL ), where he was known under the ring name Raijin ( 雷神, Raijin ), named after the japanese God of boom, and was function of La Ola Amarilla ( “ the Yellow Wave ” ) alongside Okumura, Kamaitachi and Fujin.

Reading: Sho (wrestler)

early life

Sho Tanaka was born on August 27, 1989, in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. While in high school he became involved with Greco-Roman wrestling, something he continued to drill as he attended Tokuyama University. At Tokuyama he was the vice-captain of the wrestle team, competing in the 7th All-Japan University Championship for Greco-Roman writhe, where he came in third base over all. [ 1 ]

professional wrestle career

Inspired by New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi Tanaka attended the NJPW Dojo in February, 2012 discipline for his professional wrestle career. [ 1 ] [ 3 ]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( 2012–2016 )

Tanaka in September 2015 On November 11, 2012 Tanaka made his pro wrestle debut in the afford catch of the NEVER : Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament 1st round show where he lost to Takaaki Watanabe. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Tanaka competed as one of NJPW ‘s “ Young Lions ” a class of cub wrestlers who work largely against each other early on, wearing all blacken gearing and with no particular ring character, all separate of the structured teach march in NJPW. [ 3 ] Throughout 2013 and 2014 Tanaka frequently faced off against fellow Young Lion Yohei Komatsu, with both men trading victories in both singles and rag team contest. [ 6 ] By 2015 Tanaka and Komatsu had begun teaming together on a regular footing, including working together in the New Japan Rumble as partially of Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 5, 2015. The two teamed up to eliminate Tiger Mask and Taichi but were both eliminated by Tama Tonga [ 7 ] Tanaka was called upon to replace an hurt Rey Cometa on a NJPW/ Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre co-promoted Fantastica Mania 2015 show on January 14. Tanaka and Stigma lost to La Peste Negra ( “ The Black Plague ” ; Bárbaro Cavernario and Mr. Niebla ) [ 8 ] [ 9 ] On February 11, 2015 Tanaka defeated equal and periodic tag team partner Yohei Komatsu in the open meet of NJPW ‘s 2015 The New Beginning in Osaka indicate. [ 10 ] In June and July 2015 Tanaka represented NJPW in Pro Wrestling Noah ‘s Global Junior Heavyweight League. During the tournament he earned two points by defeating Hitoshi Kumano but lost to Daisuke Harada, Zack Sabre Jr. El Desperado, Kenoh and Yoshinari Ogawa to be eliminated from the tournament. [ 3 ] At the 2015 Destruction in Kobe show Tanaka and Komatsu defeated colleague Young Lions David Finlay and Jay White. [ 11 ] In early 2016 it was announced that Tanaka and Komatsu would compete in the 2016 Fantastica Mania series of shows, competing in what NJPW called the “ Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka bon voyage game ”, announcing that the two would travel to Mexico and knead for CMLL as part of their cover in-ring skill development. [ 12 ] The team worked the opening match for each of the six Fantastica Mania events, losing each time. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ]

oversea learning digression ( 2016–2017 )

Tanaka and Komatsu became be the latest in a long line of young japanese wrestlers to travel to Mexico to learn the lucha libre style. In Mexico, Tanaka was given the gang name Raijin, named after the japanese God of Thunder, teaming with Komatsu who would be known as Fujin, named after the japanese God of Wind. [ 19 ] The duet made their mexican debut on January 31, 2016, teaming up with Okumura, forming the most holocene adaptation of La Ola Amarilla ( “ The Yellow Wave ” ). [ 20 ] The group was joined by Kamaitachi, a previous NJPW trainee who has worked for CMLL since 2014. [ 21 ] In October 2016, Tanaka and Komatsu, now billed as “ Sho ” and “ Yohey ”, The Tempura Boyz, began working regularly for american promotion Ring of Honor ( ROH ), with whom NJPW besides had a work relationship. [ 22 ]

fall to NJPW ( 2017–present )

Chaos ( 2017–2021 )

On October 9, 2017, at King of Pro-Wrestling, Tanaka and Komatsu, billed as “ Sho ” and “ Yoh ”, returned to NJPW, when they were revealed as Rocky Romero ‘s new tag team Roppongi 3K. The two defeated Funky Future ( Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi ) in their refund catch to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. [ 23 ] Through their affiliation with Romero, Sho and Yoh besides became separate of the Chaos stable. [ 24 ] On November 5 at Power Struggle, Roppongi 3K defeated Super 69 ( ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi ) in the finals to win the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. [ 25 ] On January 4, 2018, Roppongi 3K lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks ( Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson ) at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome, [ 26 ] but won it back on January 28 at the New Beginning in Sapporo. Roppongi 3K lost the tag team championships to El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at the NJPW 46th Anniversary Event in March 2018. In May 2018, he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with 3 wins and 4 losses, failing to advance to the finals. In October, Sho and Yoh entered the 2018 Super Junior Tag League, winning the tournament for the irregular time in a quarrel to face El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at Wrestle Kingdom 13. however, an earlier passing to the team of Shingo Takagi and Bushi made the championship match a triple threat, that Takagi and Bushi would go onto win, with Takagi pinning Sho. At New Japan ’ s 47th Anniversary Event, Sho and Yoh would defeat Takagi and Bushi to win the championships for a one-third fourth dimension. Sho would then start to call out Takagi for a singles match, even hoping to face Takagi in the Best of the Super Juniors 26 finals. Takagi and Sho would meet on the first night of the tournament with Takagi defeating Sho. In June, Roppongi 3K would lose the Junior Tag Team Championships to the team of El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori. In November, Sho and Yoh would win the Super Junior Tag League for the 3rd time in a course. At Wrestle Kingdom 14, Roppongi 3K would defeat Phantasmo and Ishimori to win the titles for a fourth clock time. Roppongi 3K would make their first successful title defense mechanism against Desperado and Kanemaru at The New Beginning in Osaka. They would make their second successful title defense against Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi on the first night of the New Japan Road enlistment. Following New Japan ’ s rejoinder to producing wrestle shows, Sho entered the 2020 New Japan Cup avenging his loss to Shingo Takagi in the first round before losing to Sanada in the second. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] Sho challenged for his first base singles deed, the NEVER Openweight Championship, in a defeat to Takagi at Dominion. unfortunately during that time, Roppongi 3K was forced to relinquish the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Championships due to Yoh suffering a knee wound against Bushi during the New Japan Cup. [ 29 ] In November 2020, he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with 6 wins and 3 losses, failing to advance to the finals. In 2021, Sho challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first clock time in his career, but failed to capture the claim from Hiromu Takahashi in the independent event of The New Beginning. Yoh made his return from wound at Sakura Genesis, reuniting Roppongi 3K. The team would then capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the fifth time, defeating El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. On June 23 at Kizuna Road, 3K would lose their titles to El Phantasmo and Ishimori. In the following months 3K would hit a major decline after losing their backing with both members having no clear guidance or feud, and with the team taking numerous losses in multi valet chase matches. In belated July, Yoh, who had besides started sporting a more tone down look and demeanor, began to undergo a big lose streak, taking the pins in three straight matches anterior to Super Jr. Tag League begin, which left Sho apparently worried for him and the team ‘s future. Roppongi 3K entered the tournament, but lost their beginning three uncoiled matches, immediately being eliminated from the tournament they had never failed to win in any year prior, with Yoh once again taking the falls each time out. On August 16, Roppongi 3K would lose their fourth tournament match to El Desperado and Kanemaru, after Sho chose to not help Yoh escape a submission delay from Desperado. After the match Sho would attack Yoh and claim that he was now useless to him, disbanding their team after nine years, and turning heel for the first time in his New Japan career .

Bullet Club ( 2021–present )

On September 4, 2021 he defeated his former tag team partner Yoh by referee arrest at night 1 of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome. After the match, Sho joined Bullet Club, by accepting the shirt given to him by Evil. Alongside Evil, Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo, he is a part of the sub-group House of Torture .

professional wrestle dash

As a junior heavyweight, his style is a high-flying one, however unlike most junior heavyweights, Sho incorporates a set of power moves such as powerbombs, spears, and his coating travel Shock Arrow ( cross-arm piledriver ). [ 30 ] besides, he incorporates his MMA background to his moveset. [ 31 ]

mix soldierly arts career

Tanaka was scheduled to make his shuffle martial arts introduction on May 27, 2017, fighting Nicholas Trochez in Queens, New York for Golden MMA Championships. [ 32 ] Trochez first failed to make system of weights for the competitiveness, which Tanaka was reportedly willing to overlook, but the competitiveness ended up being canceled when Trochez ‘s medical information besides did not come in on time. [ 33 ]

Championships and accomplishments

References