Kamaitachi (wrestler)

Kamaitachi

Takahashi in November 2016
Birth name Hiromu Takahashi
Born (1989-12-04) December 4, 1989[1]
Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Hiromu Takahashi
Kamaitachi
Billed height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[1]
Billed weight 82 kg (181 lb)[1]
Trained by NJPW Dojo
Debut August 24, 2010[1]

Hiromu Takahashi (高橋 広夢 Takahashi Hiromu, born December 4, 1989 in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kamaitachi (カマイタチ Kamaitachi). Takahashi made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on August 28, 2010, and worked as a "Young Lion" over the following three years.

In January 2016 Takahashi was sent to the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion to further his wresting training and gain international experience, a traiditon with NJPW "Young Lions". In January 2016, he won his first professional wrestling championship, the CMLL World Lightweight Championship. After leaving CMLL he worked for the US based Ring of Honor (ROH) until the fall/winter of 2016, with Takahashi returning to NJPW in November 2016.

Early life

Takahashi was born on December 9, 1989, in Hachiōji, a city in Tokyo. At the age of 12 he became a fan of professional wrestling, especially Masahiro Chono, who inspired Takahashi to work hard in school to become a member of the track and field team.[2]

Professional wrestling career

Takahashi attended New Japan Pro Wrestling's (NJPW) annual open tryout test in May 2009.[2] He passed the test and was accepted into the NJPW dojo[2] where he trained in the same class as King Fale and Kyosuke Mikami, who all made their in ring debut around the same time.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2010–2013)

Takahashi was the last of the three NJPW Dojo class of 2010 to debut for NJPW on August 24, 2010, at the NEVER.1 show. He was defeated by Mikami in a short opening match.[3] Takahashi followed the traditions of NJPW's "Young Lions" (their term for rookies), wrestling in all black trunks and boots, usually losing the majority of their matches as part of their ongoing training regiment. Takahashi would lose every match he competed in until February 6, 2011, when he teamed up with Tomoaki Honma to finally win a match, defeating Fale and Mikami.[4] Three weeks later, exactly six months after his debut, Takahashi finally won his first ever singles match as he defeated Kazuki Hirata of the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion at NEVER.5.[5] A few months later Takahashi was given an opportunity to compete for a spot in NJPW's annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament as he participated in the 2011 "Road to the Super Juniors" tournament, but was defeated in the first round by another DDT representative, Keisuke Ishii.[6] On October 10, 2011, Takahashi and Mikami teamed up to defeat King Fale and Takaaki Watanabe in the dark match of the Destruction '11 pay-per-view event.[7] In 2012 Black Tiger had originally qualified for the 2012 Best of Super Juniors, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament with Takahashi being named as his replacement.[8] During the tournament Takahashi lost to Alex Koslov, Daisuke Sasaki, Brian Kendrick, Jado, Low Ki, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask and only defeated Taka Michinoku.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] He would later team up with fellow "Young Lions" Mikami and Takaaki Watanabe to compete in the "J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament". The team lost to Madoka, Shinobu and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in their first round match.[17] On January 4, 2013, Takahashi competed in his first ever January 4 Dome Show, when he wrestled in a dark match of Wrestle Kingdom 7, teaming up with Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask, losing to the team of Bushi, Kushida and Ryusuke Taguchi.[18] During the summer of 2013 he was once again allowed to compete in the annual Best of Super Juniors, but lost all matches, taking pinfalls against Jushin Thunder Liger, Prince Devitt, Titán, Taichi, Ricochet, Beretta, Rocky Romero and Alex Shelley.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] NJPW often sends their "Young Lions" on a learning excursion outside Japan, be it the United States of America, Europe or Mexico, and in the summer of 2013 it was Takahashi's turn. Initially he traveled to the United Kingdom where he worked regularly for a number of local British independent wrestling promotions.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2014–2016)

Like his former wrestling school partner Mikami before him, Takahashi then travelled to Mexico to work with NJPW's partner promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) for an extended stay. During his stay in Mexico he was given a new wrestling persona, a masked "heel" or rudo character called Kamaitachi, named after a Japanese supernatural monster, which his mask resembled. Much like Mikami before him, Takahashi was teamed up with CMLL's resident Japanese worker Okumura as part of La Fiebre Amarilla ("The Yellow Fever"). La Fiebre Amarilla primarily worked on the lower half of the show and often in six-man tag team matches. On July 13, 2014, Kamaitachi and Okumura challenged for the CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by champions Delta and Guerrero Maya Jr.[27] In early 2015, Kamaitachi started a storyline rivalry with Dragon Lee.[28] The rivalry culminated on March 20 at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, where Kamaitachi was defeated by Lee in a Mask vs. Mask Lucha de Apuestas. As per stipulation, Kamaitachi unmasked following the loss, revealing himself as Hiromu Takahashi.[29] On May 1, Kamaitachi participated in the 2015 Reyes del Aire, where he and Dragon Lee eliminated each other via a double pin.[30] On May 15, Kamaitachi was eliminated by Místico in the first round torneo cibernetico of the 2015 Leyenda de Plata ("Silver Legend") tournament.[31] On July 13, Kamaitachi unsuccessfully challenged Dragon Lee for the CMLL World Lightweight Championship.[32]

On January 23, 2016, Takahashi, billed as Kamaitachi, made a surprise return to NJPW during a CMLL and NJPW co-produced Fantastica Mania 2016 event, attacking Dragon Lee and challenging him to a title match.[33] This marked his first NJPW appearance since May 2013.[34] At the following day's Fantastica Mania 2016 event, Kamaitachi defeated Dragon Lee to win his first professional wrestling title, the CMLL World Lightweight Championship. Following the match, Kamaitachi stated that he was not yet returning to NJPW, but would travel back to CMLL.[35] On March 4, back in Mexico City, Kamaitachi lost the title back to Dragon Lee.[36] The following month, it was reported that Takahashi was done with CMLL and had moved to the United States.[37]

United States (2016)

On April 30, 2016, Kamaitachi made his debut for Ring of Honor (ROH), losing to ACH.[38] On May 20, Kamaitachi made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), losing to Michael Elgin.[39] On September 3, Kamaitachi entered PWG's 2016 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, but was eliminated in his first round match by Trevor Lee.[40] On June 24, 2016, Kamaitachi made his pay-per-view debut with Ring of Honor at Best In The World, losing to Kyle O'Reilly by submission. On September 30, 2016 at ROH's All Star Extravaganza VIII, Kamaitachi lost to his old rival in CMLL, the debuting Dragon Lee.[41]

Return to NJPW (2016–present)

On November 5, 2016, at Power Struggle, Takahashi, once again working under his real name, made a surprise appearance after Kushida had defeated Bushi to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, challenging the new champion to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome.[42]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Dragon Lee (mask) Kamaitachi (mask) Mexico City, Mexico 2015 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas March 20, 2015 [45]
Máximo Sexy (hair) Kamaitachi (hair) Mexico City, Mexico 2016 Sin Piedad January 1, 2016 [46][47]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 高橋 広夢. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Introducing: Hiromu Takahashi". Strong Style Spirit. August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  3. ↑ "[Results] NEVER.1, 8/24". Strong Style Spirit. August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  4. ↑ "[Results] New Japan, 2/6/11". Strong Style Spirit. February 6, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  5. ↑ "[Results] NEVER.5, 2/24/11 & updated NJC cards". Strong Style Spirit. February 24, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  6. ↑ "[Results] NEVER.6 Part I, 4/8/11". Strong Style Spirit. April 7, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Destruction'11". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Hiromu Takahashi replaces Black Tiger in BOSJ". Strong Style Spirit. May 26, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  9. ↑ 2012/05/28(月)18：30 千葉・千葉ポートアリーナ・サブアリーナ. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). May 28, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ 2012/05/31(木)18：30 福井・ニューサンピア敦賀. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  11. ↑ 2012/05/30(水)18：30 長野・信州スカイパーク体育館. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ 2012/06/01(金)18：30 和歌山・岩出市立市民総合体育館. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  13. ↑ 2012/06/02(土)18：00 京都・ＫＢＳホール. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). June 2, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ 2012/06/05(火)18：30 埼玉・春日部コンベンションホール. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). June 5, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  15. ↑ 2012/06/09(土)17：00 愛知・名古屋国際会議場・イベントホール. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  16. ↑ 2012/06/06(水)18：30 東京・後楽園ホール. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  17. ↑ "[Results] New Japan, 6/21/11". Strong Style Spirit. June 21, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Wrestle Kingdom 7 ～Evolution～ in 東京ドーム". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Primera victoria como técnico de Dragón Rojo Jr.". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  28. ↑ Valdés, Apolo (February 11, 2015). "Dragon Lee y Kamaitachi, por las máscaras en H2L". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  29. ↑ "あの高橋広夢はメキシコにいた!! マスカラ戦に敗れて、カマイタチの正体が発覚!!【3.20CMLL結果】". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). March 23, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  30. ↑ Barradas, Bibiana (May 2, 2015). "Resultados Arena México® Viernes 1º de Mayo '15". Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ Peralta, Gonzalo López (May 16, 2015). "Lucha Libre función viernes 15 de mayo". Yahoo! Deportes (in Spanish). Yahoo!. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  32. ↑ Zellner, Kris (July 15, 2015). "The Lucha Report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  33. ↑ "NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  34. ↑ 1月24日（日）後楽園ホール大会にて、ドラゴン・リーvsカマイタチのCMLL世界ライト級王座戦が電撃決定！ 【カード追加＆一部変更】. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  35. 1 2 "NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  36. ↑ Salazar, Alexis (March 4, 2016). "Resultados Arena México® – Viernes Espectaculares". Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  37. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (May 2, 2016). "May 2, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Death of Chyna, new UFC 200 main event, plus tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 42. ISSN 1083-9593.
  38. ↑ Radican, Sean (April 30, 2016). "4/30 ROH Results – Radican's in-person report on ROH champ Jay Lethal, Briscoes vs. MCGM vs. ReDragon main event, Moose & Lio Rush (w/Photos)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  39. ↑ "5/20 PWG "Prince" Results – TNA Hvt. & X Division champions in action, Elgin wrestles twice, Strong vs. Callihan main event, Hero, Scurll, Cole". Pro Wrestling Torch. May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  40. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (September 4, 2016). "PWG Battle of Los Angeles night two results: A phenomenal night of action". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  41. ↑ "CMLL's Dragon Lee makes his ROH debut in Lowell September 30". Ring of Honor. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  42. ↑ Rose, Bryan (November 4, 2016). "NJPW Power Struggle live results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay Lethal". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 カマイタチ. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  45. ↑ Valdés, Apolo (March 21, 2015). "Dragon Lee desenmascaró a Kamaitachi". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Negro Casas no tuvo 'piedad' y rapó a Súper Parka". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. January 1, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  47. ↑ Dark Angelita (January 2, 2016). "CMLL: Resultados "Sin Piedad" – 01/01/2016 – Sin sorpresas, Kamaitachi y Súper Parka pierden sus cabelleras". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved January 2, 2016.

External links

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