Super Shisa
Encyclopedia
Yoshiyuki Saito is a Japan
ese professional wrestler best known by his ring name
Super Shisa, currently wrestling for Dragon Gate
. 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.
to take on Shima Nobunaga
, Sumo Fuji
and Judo Suwa
in an elimination match on the main event of the card. Saito would be eliminated second following a Nodowa Elbow from Fuji, but his team would go on to win the match.
He would continue to be a top line player in early Toryumon, and would rename to SAITO. In the spring of 2000, he and fellow Toryumon participant Chocoball KOBE would wrestle in Pro Wrestling Kageki. Saito would win the Hakata City Jr Heavyweight Title in a tournament, defeating Daiyu Kawuchi in the final round.
He abruptly announced his retirement in late 2001, and stated that his first student, Super Shisa, would take his place. SAITO would be given a "Sayonara SAITO" series of matches by Toryumon. His record in the series was 0-5-1, the draw being a double countout against Yasushi Kanda. His final match as SAITO would be a loss to Shuji Kondo on 10/28/2001.
.
Shisa has spent most of his career in both Toryumon and Dragon Gate near the bottom of the card, rarely joining units. He was a member of a short lived unit called Waku Waku Fuji Land, led by Don Fujii
. Waku Waku Fuji Land was designed to bridge the gap between Crazy Max and the soon-to-form Blood Generation. As Blood Generation was based on a clean face (no masks or face paint) concept, Fuji gave Shisa an ultimatum: Unmask or you may not join Blood Gen. The ultimatum prompted the fans to begin chanting SAITO's name, but Shisa quickly opted to leave rather than unmask.
Shisa then aligned with Magnum Tokyo's PosHEARTS unit. PosHEARTS would go on hiatus due to an injury to Tokyo, and Shisa spent the latter part of 2005 and much of 2006 teaming with King Shisa, and occasionally with Dragon Gate dojo student Shisa Boy. The team broke up when King Shisa was outed as being Mexican heel Pentagon Black, and reverted to that gimmick.
Towards the end of 2006, PosHEARTS would reunite, and Shisa would win his first title in Toryumon / Dragon Gate, winning the Open the Triangle Gate
titles with stablemates BxB Hulk
and Anthony W. Mori. The success was short lived, as PosHEARTS lost the titles to the Muscle Outlaw'z, and then lost a follow up match forcing them to disband as a stable. It was during this match that Shisa was outed as being SAITO; damage to the mask and blood loss forced him to voluntarily demask.
Since the dissolution of PosHEARTS, Shisa has remained unaligned and wrestling low on the card. He is a trainer in the Dragon Gate dojo, and focuses primarily on those duties. While wrestling on the main roster, Shisa aligns with the "Mushozoku" Unit, a group of older wrestlers including Masaaki Mochizuki
, K-ness
and Magnitude Kishiwada
. Aside from Dragon Gate, Shisa spends time in various smaller Japanese independent promotions.
On February 27, 2010, his ranking in the promotion improved significantly when he defeated K-ness to become the Open the Brave Gate
Champion. He held the title for just under two months before losing it to Tigers Mask of Osaka Pro Wrestling
.
title shot. He was eventually outed as being Pentagon Black by the Muscle Outlaw'z, and joined them.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese professional wrestler best known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Super Shisa, currently wrestling for Dragon Gate
Dragon Gate
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...
. His gimmick is inspired by the Ryukyuan
Ryukyuans
The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...
Shisa
Shisa
Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils...
. He claimed to be a student of Toryumon alumni SAITO, but was outed as being SAITO himself in 2007.
As SAITO
Saito got his start in wrestling with Último Dragón's upstart promotion Toryumon. He trained in Mexico with the rest of the Último Dragón students, and briefly used the Super Shisa gimmick while there. He wrestled January 31, 1999, on Toryumon's debut show. Wrestling under his real name, he teamed with Magnum Tokyo and Dragon KidDragon Kid
Dragon Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestles for Dragon Gate.-Professional wrestling career:...
to take on Shima Nobunaga
Nobuhiko Oshima
, better known by his ring name Cima , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for Dragon Gate and its international expansion Dragon Gate USA...
, Sumo Fuji
Don Fujii
, is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate, best known by his ring name Don Fujii. He was one-half of the inaugural Open the Owarai Twin Gate Champions and a former Open the Twin Gate Champion with Masaaki Mochizuki. He was previously in the Crazy MAX and Blood Generation stables.-Biography:He was...
and Judo Suwa
Takahiro Suwa
, better known by his ring name Suwa , is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, formerly of Pro Wrestling Noah.-Toryumon and Dragon Gate:...
in an elimination match on the main event of the card. Saito would be eliminated second following a Nodowa Elbow from Fuji, but his team would go on to win the match.
He would continue to be a top line player in early Toryumon, and would rename to SAITO. In the spring of 2000, he and fellow Toryumon participant Chocoball KOBE would wrestle in Pro Wrestling Kageki. Saito would win the Hakata City Jr Heavyweight Title in a tournament, defeating Daiyu Kawuchi in the final round.
He abruptly announced his retirement in late 2001, and stated that his first student, Super Shisa, would take his place. SAITO would be given a "Sayonara SAITO" series of matches by Toryumon. His record in the series was 0-5-1, the draw being a double countout against Yasushi Kanda. His final match as SAITO would be a loss to Shuji Kondo on 10/28/2001.
As Super Shisa
Super Shisa would debut on 11/8/2001, wrestling a 10 minute draw with Keni'chiro AraiKeni'chiro Arai
Keni'chiro "AraKen" Arai is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate.-Biography:Keni'chiro Arai, also known as AraKen, is a second term graduate of Ultimo Dragon's Toryumon Japan group, and has been a mainstay on the roster ever since. He participated in FMW before joining Toryumon...
.
Shisa has spent most of his career in both Toryumon and Dragon Gate near the bottom of the card, rarely joining units. He was a member of a short lived unit called Waku Waku Fuji Land, led by Don Fujii
Don Fujii
, is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate, best known by his ring name Don Fujii. He was one-half of the inaugural Open the Owarai Twin Gate Champions and a former Open the Twin Gate Champion with Masaaki Mochizuki. He was previously in the Crazy MAX and Blood Generation stables.-Biography:He was...
. Waku Waku Fuji Land was designed to bridge the gap between Crazy Max and the soon-to-form Blood Generation. As Blood Generation was based on a clean face (no masks or face paint) concept, Fuji gave Shisa an ultimatum: Unmask or you may not join Blood Gen. The ultimatum prompted the fans to begin chanting SAITO's name, but Shisa quickly opted to leave rather than unmask.
Shisa then aligned with Magnum Tokyo's PosHEARTS unit. PosHEARTS would go on hiatus due to an injury to Tokyo, and Shisa spent the latter part of 2005 and much of 2006 teaming with King Shisa, and occasionally with Dragon Gate dojo student Shisa Boy. The team broke up when King Shisa was outed as being Mexican heel Pentagon Black, and reverted to that gimmick.
Towards the end of 2006, PosHEARTS would reunite, and Shisa would win his first title in Toryumon / Dragon Gate, winning the Open the Triangle Gate
Dragon Gate Open the Triangle Gate Championship
The Open the Triangle Gate Championship is a professional wrestling trios title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. It was created on November 7, 2004 when The Italian Connection faction of Milano Collection AT, Anthony W. Mori & YOSSINO defeated Aagan Iisou's Shuji Kondo, Takuya Sugawara &...
titles with stablemates BxB Hulk
BxB Hulk
, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions, and Dragon Gate USA.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Anthony W. Mori. The success was short lived, as PosHEARTS lost the titles to the Muscle Outlaw'z, and then lost a follow up match forcing them to disband as a stable. It was during this match that Shisa was outed as being SAITO; damage to the mask and blood loss forced him to voluntarily demask.
Since the dissolution of PosHEARTS, Shisa has remained unaligned and wrestling low on the card. He is a trainer in the Dragon Gate dojo, and focuses primarily on those duties. While wrestling on the main roster, Shisa aligns with the "Mushozoku" Unit, a group of older wrestlers including Masaaki Mochizuki
Masaaki Mochizuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently performing for Dragon Gate, where he is the current Open the Dream Gate Champion in his second reign and the leader of the Junction Three stable...
, K-ness
Makoto Saito (wrestler)
Makoto Saito, better known by his stage name K-ness is a Japanese professional wrestler for Dragon Gate.-Early years:...
and Magnitude Kishiwada
Magnitude Kishiwada
, better known under his current stage name Magnitude Kishiwada is a Japanese wrestler.-Career:...
. Aside from Dragon Gate, Shisa spends time in various smaller Japanese independent promotions.
On February 27, 2010, his ranking in the promotion improved significantly when he defeated K-ness to become the Open the Brave Gate
Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate Championship
The Open the Brave Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate; it has a weight limit of , though it has been defended against heavier wrestlers in the past. It can be considered the secondary singles title in Dragon Gate and is more of a light heavyweight...
Champion. He held the title for just under two months before losing it to Tigers Mask of Osaka Pro Wrestling
Osaka Pro Wrestling
Osaka Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1998 by Super Delfin.-Current champions:-External links:**...
.
The Shisa Lineage
Other wrestlers with a Shisa gimmick have appeared in Dragon Gate, aligned with Super Shisa. One of the current dojo students is Shisa BOY. Mexican wrestler Pentagon Black spent several months in Dragon Gate as King Shisa. Introduced as the leader of the Shisa clan, King Shisa was pushed further than Super Shisa ever was, even going so far as to get a Dream GateDragon Gate Open the Dream Gate Championship
The Open the Dream Gate Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The wrestler who holds it is considered the top singles wrestler in Dragon Gate. It was created on July 4, 2004 when CIMA was awarded the title as a result of being the last Último Dragón...
title shot. He was eventually outed as being Pentagon Black by the Muscle Outlaw'z, and joined them.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Shisa Clutch (HandstandHandstandA handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder-width apart...
taunt transitioned into a modified arm trap somersault cradle) - Yoshi Tonic (Leg trap sunset flip powerbomb) – innovated
- Signature moves
- Alejandro Lock (Cross–legged STF)
- Doshanko Tiara (Baseball slide transitioned into a headscissors takedown to an opponent outside the ring)
Championships and accomplishments
- Dragon GateDragon Gateis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...
- Dragon Gate Open the Triangle Gate ChampionshipDragon Gate Open the Triangle Gate ChampionshipThe Open the Triangle Gate Championship is a professional wrestling trios title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. It was created on November 7, 2004 when The Italian Connection faction of Milano Collection AT, Anthony W. Mori & YOSSINO defeated Aagan Iisou's Shuji Kondo, Takuya Sugawara &...
(1 time) – with BxB HulkBxB Hulk, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions, and Dragon Gate USA.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Anthony W. Mori - Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate ChampionshipDragon Gate Open the Brave Gate ChampionshipThe Open the Brave Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate; it has a weight limit of , though it has been defended against heavier wrestlers in the past. It can be considered the secondary singles title in Dragon Gate and is more of a light heavyweight...
– (1 time) - Other titlesIndependent circuitIn professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
- Hakata City Jr. Championship (1 time)