Tatsuhito Takaiwa
Encyclopedia
Tatsuhito Takaiwa is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler
. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan, and Zero-One, as well as making special appearances in All Japan and NOAH.
He formed a successful tag team
with Shinjiro Otani during the 1990s and won the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Titles in 1998 and 1999. He's a former holder of the Zero-One International Jr. Heavyweight Title, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title and a former holder of the Pro Wrestling Noah GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, and the AWA World Jr. Heavyweight Title.
On February 15, 2009, Takaiwa debuted as the fifth Black Tiger
, breaking the Black Tiger tradition of foreigners under the mask, by attacking Tiger Mask IV
. On June 20, 2009, at Dominion Tiger Mask defeated him in a mask vs. mask match and afterwards Takaiwa revealed his identity by removing his mask. Takaiwa lost his mask as Black Tiger V for the second time on May 14, 2011, when he was defeated at a Toryumon Mexico event by Último Dragón.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan, and Zero-One, as well as making special appearances in All Japan and NOAH.
He formed a successful tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Shinjiro Otani during the 1990s and won the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Titles in 1998 and 1999. He's a former holder of the Zero-One International Jr. Heavyweight Title, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title and a former holder of the Pro Wrestling Noah GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, and the AWA World Jr. Heavyweight Title.
On February 15, 2009, Takaiwa debuted as the fifth Black Tiger
Black Tiger (professional wrestling)
Black Tiger has been the persona used by five different professional wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling as opponents of the four incarnations of Tiger Mask. The character is drawn from the original Japanese Tiger Mask anime...
, breaking the Black Tiger tradition of foreigners under the mask, by attacking Tiger Mask IV
Tiger Mask IV
Yoshihiro Yamazaki , best known by his ring name Tiger Mask , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995...
. On June 20, 2009, at Dominion Tiger Mask defeated him in a mask vs. mask match and afterwards Takaiwa revealed his identity by removing his mask. Takaiwa lost his mask as Black Tiger V for the second time on May 14, 2011, when he was defeated at a Toryumon Mexico event by Último Dragón.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Death Valley driver, sometimes from the top rope
- Takaiwa Driller (Over the shoulder reverse piledriver)
- Lariat
- Signature moves
- Mochizuki Bomb (Multiple powerbombs)
Championships and accomplishments
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipIWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling junior heavweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on February 6, 1986 at a NJPW show....
(1 time) - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ChampionshipIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ChampionshipThe IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on August 8, 1998 at a NJPW live event...
(2 times) – with Shinjiro Otani - Best of the Super JuniorsBest of the Super JuniorsThis article is about the professional wrestling tournament. For the South Korean boy band, see Super Junior.The Best of the Super Juniors is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling , typically in May or June...
(2000)
- Pro Wrestling NoahPro Wrestling Noahis a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
- GHC Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipGHC Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Global Honored Crown Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, specifically for junior heavyweight The Global Honored Crown (GHC) Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro...
(2 times)
- Pro Wrestling Zero1
- AWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipAWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Zero1 and sanctioned by the Wrestling Superstars Live promotion, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a...
(1 time) - AWA/Zero1-Max/UPW/WORLD-1 International Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipAWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Zero1 and sanctioned by the Wrestling Superstars Live promotion, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a...
(1 time) - NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tomohiro Ishii
- NWA/UPW/Zero-One International Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipAWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Zero1 and sanctioned by the Wrestling Superstars Live promotion, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship is a...
(1 time) - WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship (Disputed Branch)WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a singles professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion World Wrestling Association since 1989. In the 1990s the title was taken to Japan when reigning champion Gran Hamada returned to his home...
(1 time)
- Wrestle Association "R"WAR (wrestling promotion)Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were...
- WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shinjiro Otani
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Most Improved (1997)
- Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Shinjiro Otani
Luchas de Apuestas record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mask | Tiger Mask IV Tiger Mask IV Yoshihiro Yamazaki , best known by his ring name Tiger Mask , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995... |
Black Tiger V | Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... , Japan 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... |
||
| Mask | Último Dragón | Black Tiger V | Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |