Toru Yano
Encyclopedia
, is a Japanese
professional wrestler
, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling
(NJPW), where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion.
, while studying in Nihon University
, winning several amateur titles. In April 2001 Yano entered New Japan Pro Wrestling
's amateur wrestling section, the Toukon Club, in order to become a professional wrestler
. He formally joined New Japan in January 2002 and began training full time for his debut. He would make his debut on May 18, 2002, coincidentally on his 24th birthday, in a match, where he was defeated by his classmate Blue Wolf
. On August 31, 2003, Yano ventured into the world of mixed martial arts
, when he competed in a match for Pancrase
. Yano lost his to date only MMA fight to Osami Shibuya via submission to an armbar
in the second round.
After steadily climbing the ranks in New Japan for nearly two years, Yano turned heel
in early 2004 and changed his look by dying his hair blonde. From April to July 2004, Yano went on a long streak of losing matches via disqualification. After a learning excursion to the United States in early 2005, Yano joined Masahiro Chono
's Black New Japan
stable and formed a tag team with Tomohiro Ishii. In June Yano made it to the finals of a tournament for the vacant IWGP U-30 Championship
, but was defeated by Hiroshi Tanahashi
. After a disappointing performance in the 2005 G1 Climax, Yano traveled to Germany
in October 2005 to compete for European Wrestling Promotion, where he would win his first professional wrestling championship, the EWP Tag Team Championship, teaming with Kendo Kashin
. When Yano returned to Japan the following month, he was a changed man, becoming a more serious competitor no longer seeking to break rules. However, when this change failed to bring him any success, Yano reverted back to his cheating ways in early 2005 and, together with Ishii, Togi Makabe
, Shiro Koshinaka
and Tomoaki Honma
joined Hiroyoshi Tenzan
to form the Great Bash Heel
(GBH) stable in December.
In the summer of 2006 Yano took part in New Japan's invasion of Apache Pro Wrestling
and on July 29, he defeated Kintaro Kanemura
to win the promotion's main title, the WEW Heavyweight Championship
, his first title in Japan. The following month Yano took part in the 2007 G1 Climax, this time picking up victories over Manabu Nakanishi
and Shiro Koshinaka, but missed the finals of the tournament by a single point after drawing with Hiroshi Tanahashi. After the tournament Yano lost the WEW Heavyweight Championship to Mammoth Sasaki on September 23, 2007. In October Yano entered the 2007 G1 Climax Tag League, teaming with Togi Makabe, who had overthrown Tenzan as the leader of GBH, instead of regular tag team partner Ishii. The two of them would go on to win four out of their seven matches in the round robin stage of the tournament and thus made it to the semifinals, where they would be defeated by the eventual winners of the entire tournament, Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko
. After the tournament Yano and Makabe remained together as a tag team, naming their team The Most Violent Players.
On January 4, 2008, at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, Yano and Makabe were defeated by Team 3D
(Brother Devon and Brother Ray), representing American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA). However, Yano and Makabe bounced back quickly and on February 17 they defeated Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the first time. They would successfully defend the titles against the teams of Giant Bernard and Shinsuke Nakamura
, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Takashi Iizuka
, Giant Bernard and Rick Fuller
, Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto
and Manabu Nakanishi
and Yutaka Yoshie
, before entering the 2008 G1 Climax Tag League in October. After four victories out of five in the round robin stage, Yano and Makabe advanced to the semifinals, where they defeated the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto. However, on November 5, Yano and Makabe were defeated in the final match by Satoshi Kojima
and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Yano and Makabe's IWGP title reign of 322 days came to an end on January 4, 2009, when they were defeated by Team 3D for the second year in a row at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome.
In April 2009 Yano turned on Makabe and together with the rest of GBH, excluding Tomoaki Honma, left the stable to join Shinsuke Nakamura and form the new heel stable CHAOS
, with Nakamura as the leader. When Makabe returned from his injury, suffered at the hands of Yano, he was looking for revenge on his former tag team partner. After several tag team matches, Yano and Makabe were finally booked in a singles match on June 20, where Yano would come out victorious. In the 2010 G1 Climax Tag League Yano teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura and together the two of them would make it to the semifinals before suffering an upset loss against the Junior Heavyweight tag team Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt
and Ryusuke Taguchi
). In early 2010 Yano began feud
ing with Hiroshi Tanahashi, starting on January 30, when he pinned Tanahashi in tag team match. Tanahashi would avenge his loss in a singles match on February 14, but was after the match jumped by Yano and Masato Tanaka
, who then proceeded to cut off some of his hair. On May 3 Yano took arguably the biggest victory of his career by defeating the former four–time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tanahashi in a singles match, after which the two of them were booked in a final Hair vs. Hair match for June 19. On June 19 Tanahashi defeated Yano, but despite his loss, Yano and his CHAOS ally Takashi Iizuka attacked Tanahashi after the match and went to cut his hair, before being stopped by TAJIRI
, who took care of Iizuka and helped Tanahashi shave Yano's hair to end their feud. Yano then moved on to feuding with TAJIRI. TAJIRI, KUSHIDA and Tanahashi eliminated Yano and his CHAOS partners Iizuka and Gedo from the J Sports Crown 6 Man Openweight Tag Team Tournament on June 28, 2010, but on July 19 Yano defeated TAJIRI via submission in a singles match in less than six minutes to seemingly end their feud. The following month Yano entered the 2010 G1 Climax and managed to win four out of his seven round robin stage matches, including a major victory over the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe, but finished fourth in his block, thus missing the finals of the tournament. On September 3 TAJIRI returned to New Japan and attacked Yano after his match, showing that they were not done with each other. On October 11 at Destruction '10 TAJIRI defeated Yano in a singles match. On January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Yano faced TNA performer Rob Van Dam
in a hardcore match in losing effort. Yano has since adopted Van Dam's signature finger point taunt as his own.
In May 2011 Yano took part in New Japan's first tour of the United States. On May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey
, he entered the tournament to determine the first ever IWGP Intercontinental Champion
, defeating Dan Maff
in his first round match. The following day in New York City
, Yano defeated his CHAOS stablemate Yujiro Takahashi
to advance to the finals of the tournament. On the third and final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Yano was defeated by MVP in the finals of the tournament. Yano would also fail to win the title in two rematches, first on June 18 in Osaka
and then on July 18 in Sapporo. In August, Yano took part in the 2011 G1 Climax, where he managed to win five out of his nine matches, which included a big win over IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Ultimately, a loss against Giant Bernard on the final day of the tournament eliminated from the running for a spot in the finals. On September 19, Yano started a new rivalry with Yuji Nagata
by attacking him after he had defeated his CHAOS stablemate Hideo Saito
in a grudge match. The two faced each other on October 10 at Destruction '11, where Nagata was able to pick up a pinfall win. Later that same event, Yano attacked Hiroshi Tanahashi, after he had successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naitō
and then accepted Nagata as his next challenger, and stole his championship belt, renaming it the "YWGP Heavyweight Championship". After Yano was named the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, he went to team with Shinsuke Nakamura as the "CHAOS Top Team" in the 2011 G1 Climax Tag League, scoring a pinfall victory over Tanahashi in the team's opening match against the team of Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto. The CHAOS Top Team ended up winning all five of their group stage matches, with Yano also picking up a pinfall victory over Togi Makabe in the process, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament with a clean sheet. On November 6, Yano and Nakamura were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by the team of Minoru Suzuki
and Lance Archer
. On November 12, Yano failed to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Tanahashi.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
professional wrestler
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...
, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is 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...
(NJPW), where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (2001–present)
Toru Yano was a decorated Grego-Roman wrestlerGreco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
, while studying in Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
, winning several amateur titles. In April 2001 Yano entered New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is 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...
's amateur wrestling section, the Toukon Club, in order to become a professional wrestler
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...
. He formally joined New Japan in January 2002 and began training full time for his debut. He would make his debut on May 18, 2002, coincidentally on his 24th birthday, in a match, where he was defeated by his classmate Blue Wolf
Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee
Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee is a Mongolian professional wrestler who wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He goes by the ring name Blue Wolf.-Career:Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee is the brother of Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyaabazar, a high ranking Mongolian...
. On August 31, 2003, Yano ventured into the world of mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
, when he competed in a match for Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
. Yano lost his to date only MMA fight to Osami Shibuya via submission to an armbar
Armlock
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...
in the second round.
After steadily climbing the ranks in New Japan for nearly two years, Yano turned heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
in early 2004 and changed his look by dying his hair blonde. From April to July 2004, Yano went on a long streak of losing matches via disqualification. After a learning excursion to the United States in early 2005, Yano joined Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
's Black New Japan
Black New Japan
Black New Japan was a professional wrestling stable that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Black New Japan was led by Masahiro Chono and was one of many of Chono's anti-New Japan stables.-History:...
stable and formed a tag team with Tomohiro Ishii. In June Yano made it to the finals of a tournament for the vacant IWGP U-30 Championship
IWGP U-30 Championship
The IWGP U-30 Championship was a professional wrestling championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers under the age of 30. It was proposed as part of a tournament called the G2 U-30 Climax by Hiroshi Tanahashi, who ended up winning the tournament in April 2003. The U-30 Championship became...
, but was defeated by Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign.-Early life:...
. After a disappointing performance in the 2005 G1 Climax, Yano traveled to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in October 2005 to compete for European Wrestling Promotion, where he would win his first professional wrestling championship, the EWP Tag Team Championship, teaming with Kendo Kashin
Kendo Kashin
Tokimitsu Ishizawa , better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin , is a Japanese professional wrestler...
. When Yano returned to Japan the following month, he was a changed man, becoming a more serious competitor no longer seeking to break rules. However, when this change failed to bring him any success, Yano reverted back to his cheating ways in early 2005 and, together with Ishii, Togi Makabe
Togi Makabe
, better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag Team Champion....
, Shiro Koshinaka
Shiro Koshinaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Wrestle Association "R" during the 1980s and 1990s...
and Tomoaki Honma
Tomoaki Honma
Tomoaki Honma is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler, currently touring with New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Career:Honma trained in the Big Japan dojo before debuting for the promotion in May, 1997...
joined Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
to form the Great Bash Heel
Great Bash Heel
Great Bash Heel, often abbreviated to G・B・H, was a professional wrestling stable, and is currently a tag team, in New Japan Pro Wrestling . It was the top heel group in New Japan Pro Wrestling, before April 2009, when the rest of the group turned on their leader, Togi Makabe, and formed a new...
(GBH) stable in December.
In the summer of 2006 Yano took part in New Japan's invasion of Apache Pro Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
and on July 29, he defeated Kintaro Kanemura
Kouhiro Kanemura
is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is also known as W*ING Kanemura.He is best known for his death matches in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. He has also wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling...
to win the promotion's main title, the WEW Heavyweight Championship
WEW Heavyweight Championship
The WEW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship currently contested in Apache Army. It was originally created for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling as the FMW World Heavyweight Championship.-Title history:...
, his first title in Japan. The following month Yano took part in the 2007 G1 Climax, this time picking up victories over Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
and Shiro Koshinaka, but missed the finals of the tournament by a single point after drawing with Hiroshi Tanahashi. After the tournament Yano lost the WEW Heavyweight Championship to Mammoth Sasaki on September 23, 2007. In October Yano entered the 2007 G1 Climax Tag League, teaming with Togi Makabe, who had overthrown Tenzan as the leader of GBH, instead of regular tag team partner Ishii. The two of them would go on to win four out of their seven matches in the round robin stage of the tournament and thus made it to the semifinals, where they would be defeated by the eventual winners of the entire tournament, Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko
Travis Tomko
Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
. After the tournament Yano and Makabe remained together as a tag team, naming their team The Most Violent Players.
On January 4, 2008, at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, Yano and Makabe were defeated by Team 3D
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Brother Devon and Brother Ray), representing American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA). However, Yano and Makabe bounced back quickly and on February 17 they defeated Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the first time. They would successfully defend the titles against the teams of Giant Bernard and Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Super Rookie :...
, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Takashi Iizuka
Takayuki Iizuka
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Early years :Takayuki Iizuka made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in November 1986, wrestling against Akira Nogami. In June 1989, Iizuka and Hiroshi Hase went to the Soviet...
, Giant Bernard and Rick Fuller
Rick Fuller
Richard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling. He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/NWO Thunder....
, Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto
Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling since his debut.-Career:Goto attended Kokushikan University, where he took part in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. Upon graduating, Goto qualified to join New Japan Pro Wrestling, but left the...
and Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
and Yutaka Yoshie
Yutaka Yoshie
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer in Japan, performing for promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1...
, before entering the 2008 G1 Climax Tag League in October. After four victories out of five in the round robin stage, Yano and Makabe advanced to the semifinals, where they defeated the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto. However, on November 5, Yano and Makabe were defeated in the final match by Satoshi Kojima
Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously...
and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Yano and Makabe's IWGP title reign of 322 days came to an end on January 4, 2009, when they were defeated by Team 3D for the second year in a row at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome.
In April 2009 Yano turned on Makabe and together with the rest of GBH, excluding Tomoaki Honma, left the stable to join Shinsuke Nakamura and form the new heel stable CHAOS
Chaos (professional wrestling)
CHAOS is a Japanese professional wrestling stable formed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano in New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Formation:In April 2009, Toru Yano turned on Togi Makabe, costing Makabe the match against Shinsuke Nakamura. As Nakamura continued the attack on Makabe, Tomoaki Honma tried to...
, with Nakamura as the leader. When Makabe returned from his injury, suffered at the hands of Yano, he was looking for revenge on his former tag team partner. After several tag team matches, Yano and Makabe were finally booked in a singles match on June 20, where Yano would come out victorious. In the 2010 G1 Climax Tag League Yano teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura and together the two of them would make it to the semifinals before suffering an upset loss against the Junior Heavyweight tag team Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt
Fergal Devitt
Fergal Devitt is an Irish professional wrestler currently contracted by New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is currently in his second reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion...
and Ryusuke Taguchi
Ryusuke Taguchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion....
). In early 2010 Yano began feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
ing with Hiroshi Tanahashi, starting on January 30, when he pinned Tanahashi in tag team match. Tanahashi would avenge his loss in a singles match on February 14, but was after the match jumped by Yano and Masato Tanaka
Masato Tanaka
Masato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in Japan and in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States where he was a one-time world champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once...
, who then proceeded to cut off some of his hair. On May 3 Yano took arguably the biggest victory of his career by defeating the former four–time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tanahashi in a singles match, after which the two of them were booked in a final Hair vs. Hair match for June 19. On June 19 Tanahashi defeated Yano, but despite his loss, Yano and his CHAOS ally Takashi Iizuka attacked Tanahashi after the match and went to cut his hair, before being stopped by TAJIRI
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
, who took care of Iizuka and helped Tanahashi shave Yano's hair to end their feud. Yano then moved on to feuding with TAJIRI. TAJIRI, KUSHIDA and Tanahashi eliminated Yano and his CHAOS partners Iizuka and Gedo from the J Sports Crown 6 Man Openweight Tag Team Tournament on June 28, 2010, but on July 19 Yano defeated TAJIRI via submission in a singles match in less than six minutes to seemingly end their feud. The following month Yano entered the 2010 G1 Climax and managed to win four out of his seven round robin stage matches, including a major victory over the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe, but finished fourth in his block, thus missing the finals of the tournament. On September 3 TAJIRI returned to New Japan and attacked Yano after his match, showing that they were not done with each other. On October 11 at Destruction '10 TAJIRI defeated Yano in a singles match. On January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Yano faced TNA performer Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
in a hardcore match in losing effort. Yano has since adopted Van Dam's signature finger point taunt as his own.
In May 2011 Yano took part in New Japan's first tour of the United States. On May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
, he entered the tournament to determine the first ever IWGP Intercontinental Champion
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
-Title history:-External links:*...
, defeating Dan Maff
Dan Lopez
Dan Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Dan "Danny" Maff. He retired in March 2005 following an as yet undisclosed incident involving his trainer, Homicide, and remained inactive until returning in June 2008....
in his first round match. The following day in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Yano defeated his CHAOS stablemate Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro Takahashi
, also known by his shortened ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Tetsuya Naitō, with whom he teamed as No...
to advance to the finals of the tournament. On the third and final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Yano was defeated by MVP in the finals of the tournament. Yano would also fail to win the title in two rematches, first on June 18 in 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...
and then on July 18 in Sapporo. In August, Yano took part in the 2011 G1 Climax, where he managed to win five out of his nine matches, which included a big win over IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Ultimately, a loss against Giant Bernard on the final day of the tournament eliminated from the running for a spot in the finals. On September 19, Yano started a new rivalry with Yuji Nagata
Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was known for his perennial tweener status, currently a solid fan favorite, and his stiff, shoot style wrestling technique....
by attacking him after he had defeated his CHAOS stablemate Hideo Saito
Mitsuhide Hirasawa
also known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
in a grudge match. The two faced each other on October 10 at Destruction '11, where Nagata was able to pick up a pinfall win. Later that same event, Yano attacked Hiroshi Tanahashi, after he had successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naitō
Tetsuya Naitō
is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Yujiro Takahashi, with whom he teamed as No Limit....
and then accepted Nagata as his next challenger, and stole his championship belt, renaming it the "YWGP Heavyweight Championship". After Yano was named the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, he went to team with Shinsuke Nakamura as the "CHAOS Top Team" in the 2011 G1 Climax Tag League, scoring a pinfall victory over Tanahashi in the team's opening match against the team of Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto. The CHAOS Top Team ended up winning all five of their group stage matches, with Yano also picking up a pinfall victory over Togi Makabe in the process, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament with a clean sheet. On November 6, Yano and Nakamura were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by the team of Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
and Lance Archer
Lance Hoyt
Lance Hoyt is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling as Lance Archer. He is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time NWA World Tag Team Champion with Kid Kash while the title was under the TNA banner...
. On November 12, Yano failed to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Tanahashi.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Kagamiwari (Scoop brainbuster)
- Oni Koroshi (Kneeling powerbomb)
- Uragasumi (Leg hook front facelock rolled into a cradle)
- Signature moves
- Canadian backbreaker rack
- German suplex
- Inverted suplex slam
- Spear
- Spinning side slam
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s - "Barber"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Original Kyoku"
Championships and accomplishments
- Apache Pro WrestlingFrontier Martial-Arts WrestlingFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
- WEW Heavyweight ChampionshipWEW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WEW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship currently contested in Apache Army. It was originally created for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling as the FMW World Heavyweight Championship.-Title history:...
(1 time)
- European Wrestling Promotion
- EWP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kendo KashinKendo KashinTokimitsu Ishizawa , better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin , is a Japanese professional wrestler...
- EWP Tag Team Title Tournament (2005) – with Kendo Kashin
- 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 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Togi MakabeTogi Makabe, better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag Team Champion....
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #139 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Tag Team of the Year (2007) with Togi Makabe
Lucha de Apuesta record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign.-Early life:... |
Toru Yano | 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... |
Mixed martial arts record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1–0 |  Osami Shibuya |
Submission (armbar Armlock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called... ) |
Pancrase – 10th Anniversary Show Pancrase Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the... |
August 31, 2003 | 2 | 2:35 | Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , 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... |