Hirokazu Nagai(Trường giếng hoằng cùng,Nagai Hirokazu,born November 10, 1968),better known asMitsuya Nagai(Trường giếng mãn cũng,Nagai Mitsuya),is a Japaneseprofessional wrestlerand formermixed martial artistandkickboxer.A professional MMA competitor from 1991 until 2013, he fought the majority of his career inFighting Network RINGS.Once a student of legendary professional wrestlersSatoru SayamaandAkira Maeda,Nagai holds notable victories over formerKing of Pancrase Super Heavyweight ChampionTsuyoshi Kosaka,Nobuaki Kakuda,four-time worldkickbo xingchampionAndre Mannaart,RussiansambochampionMikhail Ilyukhin,RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament runner upValentijn Overeem,ADCCbronze medallist andRINGS Light Heavyweight titlecontenderChris Haseman,andPancraseveteranTakaku Fuke.He also fought forK-1in kickbo xing.

Mitsuya Nagai
Trường giếng mãn cũng
Nagai in November 2019
Born(1968-11-10)November 10, 1968(age 56)
Sunagawa, Hokkaido,Japan
Other namesMitsuyaman
Makai #5
Great Tiger
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight108 kg (238 lb; 17.0 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
StyleShootbo xing,shoot wrestling
TeamRINGS Japan
Teacher(s)Akira Maeda
Satoru Sayama
Naoyuki Taira
Years active1991–2013 (MMA)[1]

1997–1999 (kickbo xing )

1999–present (professional wrestling)
Kickbo xingrecord
Total7
Wins0
By knockout0
Losses6
By knockout4
No contests1
Mixed martial artsrecord
Total26
Wins18
By knockout4
By submission14
Losses8
By knockout3
By submission3
Unknown2
Other information
Mixed martial arts recordfromSherdog
Last updated on: January 8, 2014

He later transitioned to traditionalpuroresuand notably wrestled forBattlarts,New Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW) andAll Japan Pro Wrestling(AJPW), where he is a former three timeAll Asia Tag Team Champion.He currently performs on a part-time basis and has competed for shoot style and MMA promotionGLEATandPro Wrestling Noah.

Mixed martial arts career

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Hirokazu trained inSatoru Sayama's Super Tiger Gym during secondary school and tried to joinAll Japan Pro Wrestlingimmediately afterwards, but its chairmanGiant Babaasked him to finish high school first. While studying, Nagai started competing in amateurshootbo xingand amassed a 5–2 record, which made him change his ambition, so after graduating he went to joinUWF Newborninstead of AJPW. He became a trainee underAkira Maeda,training in theshoot wrestlingstyle, but he got injured and UWF closed his doors before he could debut. Nagai eventually followed Maeda to his new promotion,Fighting Network RINGS.

Fighting Network RINGS (1991–1997)

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Nagai debuted in RINGS on August 1, 1991, in a match againstHerman Renting.He revealed himself as a promising rookie, showing will and toughness, but aside of a high-profile shoot match againstGerard Gordeauon December 7, in which he was defeated in 0:34, Nagai was relegated to low profile matches. He qualified for theMega Battle Tournament 1991,but was eliminated on the first round byMasaaki Satake.During his time at RINGS, Nagai competed in shoot style wrestling matches,shoot fightsandmixed martial artsfights. He competed in a number of shoot contests during the early years of RINGS where he was defeated byDick Vrijon May 16, 1992, by TKO, and would also lose toWillie Peeterson July 16, 1992, however he got notable KO victories againstKoichiro KimuraandNobuhiro Tsurumaki,and a decision win againstNobuaki Kakuda.

In 1994, Nagai looked to ascend the scale by taking part on theMega Battle Tournament 1994,eliminatingAmeran Bitsadzeon the first round, but then losing toChris Dolmanin the second. By 1995, RINGS was transitioning into a mixed martial arts promotion, and he faced Dick Vrij in a shoot rematch held in RINGS Holland on February 19, 1995, but he fell knocked by a knee strike while Vrij was illegally holding the ropes in the corner, an action which went unnoticed or the referee, and the decision was not overturned. However, Mitsuya would get booked for a trend of victories back in Japan, beating the likes ofAndrei Kopylov,Yoshihisa YamamotoandCarl Greco.He finally would get his retribution over Vrij submitting him via heel hook in an MMA fight on August 24, 1996. Nagai then foughtTsuyoshi Kohsaka,overwhelming the judoka with kicks, palm strikes, body punches and knees while Kohsaka fended off the strikes with takedowns and submission attempts. However, when the fight was brought back to standing Nagai beat him with knees, earning a TKO victory and one of the biggest wins of his RINGS career. He then got another MMA victory against Willie Peeters, winning via heel hook, but his momentum got cut short by a submission loss toKiyoshi Tamuraat theMega Battle Tournament 1996.In 1997, Nagai competed in several MMA fights, losing his first three, with two of those losses coming via mismatched contests against heavyweight fighterJoop Kasteel.He then got notable wins againstValentijn Overeem,Andre MannaartandChris Haseman,all by heel hook.

In 1997, Nagai got a license by theAll Japan Kickbo xing Federationand competed at the Kick Over IX event as a RINGS representative. It would be his last year in the promotion, as he left RINGS after a match withAkira Maedain which Maedashoton him after the bell, although it is possible it could have been aworked shoot.

Kickbo xing and later MMA career (1997–2013)

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After leaving RINGS Nagai briefly pursued a career inkickbo xing,and fought inK-1between 1997 and 1999. His kickbo xing career was unsuccessful, and he retired with a record of 6 losses and 1 draw in August 1999. In March 2013, Nagai returned to MMA after 15 years away from the sport, beatingTakaku Fukeby ankle lock in the first round at a U-SPIRITS event.

Professional wrestling career

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Battlarts (1999–2000)

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Nagai turned his hand to professional wrestling and joinedYuki Ishikawa's shoot style promotionBattlarts.His run was somewhat successful, with Nagai earning victories over established wrestlers likeTakeshi Ono,Yuki IshikawaandKatsumi Usuda.In the 2000 Young Generation Battle, Nagai went undefeated for the entirety of the tournament, beating Usuda,Mohammed Yone,Mach Junji, Rastaman andMinoru Tanakato reach the final, where he lost toAlexander Otsuka.[2]After Battlarts went on hiatus beginning in November 2000, Nagai and the rest of the roster were forced to leave the promotion.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2001–2005)

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Almost immediately after Battlarts began its hiatus, Nagai was announced for the 2000Real World Tag LeagueinAll Japan Pro Wrestling(AJPW), the promotion he had originally hoped to join in high school. Nagai was paired up with fellow UWF alumnusMasahito Kakihara,calling themselves "Team Strongs". Despite the name, Team Strongs performed poorly in the tag league, earning just two points with a win overBarry WindhamandKendall Windham.[3]In only his second match, Nagai lost to AJPW's top starToshiaki Kawada,and, even though he lost, he earned Kawada's respect and was selected to be his new tag partner.[4]As a newcomer, Nagai was required to prove himself before he entered the 2001Champion Carnival,and thus was put into the Champion Carnival Qualifying League. Nagai excelled in the qualification league which granted him entry to the Champion Carnival where he struggled, again earning just one win and two points.[5]Despite mixed success and his newcomer status, Nagai was pushed as an All Japan loyalist and represented the company in interpromotional matches during AJPW's working relationship withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW).

On June 6, 2001, Nagai was involved in an incident during a match against NJPW wrestlerTakashi Iizukaat an NJPW show, where Nagai delivered a kick to Iizuka's face which resulted in Iizuka being severely concussed and needing over a year off to recover.[6][7]Two days later when the NJPW roster came to the AJPW show inNippon Budokan,Nagai and Kakihara beat NJPW'sYuji NagataandShinya Makabeto win the vacantAll Asia Tag Team Championship,however, their reign was cut short after Kakihara suffered a knee injury and eventually left All Japan for NJPW after he had recovered, effectively breaking up Team Strongs.[8]Nevertheless, Nagai's position as a loyalist in thepost-exodus era All Japancontinued to rise, and he teamed with Toshiaki Kawada in a loss toTenCozy(Hiroyoshi TenzanandSatoshi Kojima) on September 16 on an NJPW card.[9]Nagai teamed up with Kawada again for the 2001 Real World Tag League, seeing much greater success than the previous year, earning 10 points and making it to the final where they lost toKeiji MutohandTaiyo Kea.[10]In early 2002, he entered theGiant Baba Memorial Cup,a tournament focused on young wrestlers where he dominated, earning 24 points and beating Nobutaka Araya in the final to win the tournament.[11]Not long after winning, he entered the 2002 Champion Carnival and performed respectably, earning 6 points but failing to reach the final. In what would be his final tour with All Japan, Nagai partnered withYoji Anjofor the 2002 Real World Tag League, earning 4 points and failing to reach the final.[12]

After 2 years with the promotion, Nagai left All Japan in December 2002.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2003–2005)

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Makai Club (2003–2004)

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Immediately after leaving AJPW, Nagai was signed byNew Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW), whom he had previously worked for during the inter-promotional relationship between both promotions. Due to his background in kickbo xing and Rings, Nagai was placed into theMakai Club,a group of wrestlers with legitimate backgrounds in martial arts. Nagai debuted under a mask asMakai #5atWrestling World 2003,teaming with the returningKatsuyori Shibata,who was now masked and competing as Makai #4. In their debut as a team, the two defeated Nagai's former partnerMasahito KakiharaandTakashi Iizuka.[13]After defeating Kakihara in singles action atRyogoku Kokugikanin February, Makai #5 voluntarily unmasked himself as Nagai, though he continued to compete as both himself and Makai #5 after this.[14]In July, Makai #5 and #4, who had dubbed themselvesHalimao'z(Phá lợi Ma Vương 'Z,Harimaozu, "Devil Demon King'z"),challenged for theIWGP Tag Team Championship,losing to reigning championsHiroshi TanahashiandYutaka Yoshiein Osaka.[15]Nagai competed atWrestling World 2004,teaming withMakai #1,Ryushi Yanagisawaand Ryota Chikuzen to defeat the Crazy Dogs (Enson Inoue,Hiro Saito,Michiyoshi OharaandTatsutoshi Goto).[16]Nagai would compete twice at NJPW's King of Sports pay-per-view in March, first teaming with Shibata, #1 and Yanagisawa to defeatBlue Wolf,Shinya Makabe,Toru Yanoand Yutaka Yoshie, but later losing toJosh Barnettin a singles match.[17]

Face turn and team with Naruse (2004–2006)

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After the Makai Club broke up in the summer of 2004, Nagai began a face turn, returning to AJPW for one night only on July 22 where he lost to his mentorToshiaki Kawada.[18]It was also during this time that he aligned himself with fellow Rings alumniMasayuki Naruse,with the two unsuccessfully challengingGenichiro TenryuandMasanobu Fuchifor theAll Asia Tag Team Championshipon July 26.[19]Around this time, Nagai joinedBlack New Japanwhile keeping his team with Naruse, which caused friction between them. On November 3 atMasahiro Chono's 20th Anniversary Show, they challenged once again, this time beating Fuchi and Tenryu to win the titles.[20]He also returned to AJPW in December, teaming with Kawada for the Real World Tag League. They made it to the playoffs, where a loss to aRO&D(JamalandTaiyo Kea) stopped them from reaching the final.[21]After dropping the All Asia belts in February, Nagai suffered an injury competing against Naruse in March which would keep him out of action for the rest of 2005.[22]In January 2006, Nagai was one of a number of New Japan wrestlers who opted not to renew their contracts with the promotion and became a freelancer.

Freelancing (2006–present)

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After leaving New Japan, Nagai debuted forDramatic Dream Team(DDT), choosing a lighter schedule in a comedy promotion which would allow his injury to heal at a quicker rate. He aligned himself withPoison Sawada Julie's Serpent Council in late 2006, and also began competing forTatsumi Fujinami'sMuga World Pro Wrestlingaround this time. It was in MUGA Nagai would find his new home, competing regularly for the next few years while also making occasional appearances in DDT and various shoot style promotions such asBattlartsandDaisuke Ikeda's Fu-Ten. In February 2009, he wrestledCanadianwrestlerTestin what would be Test's last match before he died the following month.[23]

In September 2010, he beatAlexander Otsukato winReal Japan Pro Wrestling(RJPW)'s Legend Championship.[24]He held the title for nearly a year before dropping it toSuper Tigerin July 2011.[25]Nagai won it back from Tiger in March 2012, and again dropped it to Tiger in December.[26][27]In January 2014, Nagai's appearances in Dradition became more sporadic, and he instead became a regular inAll Japan Pro Wrestling(AJPW) once again, forming the Dark Kingdom stable withKenso,which would later addBlack Tiger VII,Black TigerandTakeshi Minaminoto its ranks. As Dark Kingdom, Nagai and Minamino won theAll Asia Tag Team Championshipin January 2015.[28]They dropped the titles toUltimo DragonandYoshinobu Kanemaruin March.[29]

Nagai would later debut and makePro Wrestling Noahhis home in late 2017, entering the 2017 Global League where a loss toNaomichi Marufujistopped him from reaching the final.[30]

Fighting style

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As a fighter, Nagai utilized hisshootbo xingbackground and made use of precise kicks, knees and body punches before engaging inclinch fighting.Owing to hisshoot wrestlinginfluence, he showed excellent knowledge ofleglocksand often used single and double-leg takedown attempts to transition into leglock battles, notably winning several fights byheel hook.As he wasn't the strongest fighter in RINGS, he operated an efficient bottom grappling game centered around his flexibility and ability to transition to submission attempts from unlikely positions.

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Muga Premium Tournament (2006)

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
26 matches 18 wins 8 losses
By knockout 4 3
By submission 14 4
By decision 0 0
Unknown 0 1


Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 18–8 Takaku Fuke Submission (ankle lock) U-Spirits - Again March 9, 2013 1 8:46 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 17–8 Akira Maeda N/A Rings - Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Final January 27, 1998 N/A N/A Tokyo, Japan
Win 17–7 Chris Haseman Submission (heel hook) Rings - Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 October 25, 1997 1 9:18 Tokyo, Japan
Win 16–7 Mikhail Simov Submission (kneebar) Rings - Rings Fighting Extension 6 August 13, 1997 1 6:38 Kagoshima,Japan
Loss 15–7 Yoshihisa Yamamoto Submission (armbar) Rings - Fighting Extension 5 July 22, 1997 1 2:27 Tokyo, Japan
Win 15–6 Andre Mannaart Submission (heel hook) Rings - Fighting Extension 4 June 26, 1997 1 0:20 Tokyo, Japan
Win 14–6 Valentijn Overeem Submission (heel hook) Rings - Fighting Extension 3 May 23, 1997 1 4:58 Sendai,Japan
Loss 13–6 Joop Kasteel TKO (lost points) Rings - Extension Fighting 2 April 22, 1997 1 6:27 Osaka, Japan
Loss 13–5 Joop Kasteel KO (punches) Rings Holland - The Final Challenge February 2, 1997 1 5:12 Amsterdam,Netherlands
Loss 13–4 Nikolai Zouev Submission (ankle lock) Rings - Budokan Hall 1997 January 22, 1997 1 13:01 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 13–3 Kiyoshi Tamura Submission (scarf hold armlock) Rings - Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final November 22, 1996 1 6:13 Osaka, Japan
Win 13–2 Willie Peeters Submission (heel hook) Rings - Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round October 25, 1996 1 9:36 Tokyo, Japan
Win 12–2 Tsuyoshi Kosaka TKO (knees) Rings - Maelstrom 7 September 25, 1996 1 11:05 Sapporo, Japan
Win 11–2 Dick Vrij Submission (heel hook) Rings - Maelstrom 6 August 24, 1996 1 6:16 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 10–2 Volk Han Submission (rear-naked choke) Rings - Maelstrom 4 June 29, 1996 1 11:47 Tokyo, Japan
Win 10–1 Glenn Brown Submission (rear-naked choke) Rings - Maelstrom 2 April 26, 1996 1 0:40 Osaka, Japan
Win 9–1 Mikhail Ilyukhin KO (palm strike) Rings - Maelstrom 1 March 25, 1996 1 11:24 Niigata,Japan
Win 8–1 Ruud Ewoldt TKO (retirement) Rings Holland - Kings of Martial Arts February 18, 1996 2 2:12 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Win 7–1 Tony Halme Submission (kneebar) Rings - Budokan Hall 1996 January 24, 1996 1 8:58 Tokyo, Japan
Win 6–1 Nikolai Zouev Submission (guillotine choke) Rings - Mega Battle Tournament 1995 December 19, 1995 1 14:04 Osaka, Japan
Win 5–1 Bakouri Gogitidze Submission (kneebar) Rings - Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round October 21, 1995 1 6:38 Tokyo, Japan
Win 4–1 Peter Oele Submission (ankle lock) Rings Rising Series - Nagatsuki September 22, 1995 1 7:42 Sapporo,Japan
Win 3–1 Willie Peeters Submission (rear-naked choke) Rings Rising Series - Uzuki April 28, 1995 1 5:34 Osaka,Japan
Win 2–1 Yoshihisa Yamamoto Submission (achilles lock) Rings Rising Series - Yayoi March 18, 1995 1 17:18 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–1 Dick Vrij KO (knee) Rings Holland - Free Fight February 19, 1995 1 3:07 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Win 1–0 Mark Ashford TKO (kicks) Rings - Budokan Hall 1995 January 25, 1995 1 8:11 Tokyo, Japan

Mixed rules

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Professional record breakdown
11 matches 6 wins 4 losses
By knockout 2 3
By submission 2 0
By decision 2 1
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Draw 6–4–1 Vladimir Klementiev Draw Rings Megaton Fight 1994 October 17, 1994 6 18:00 Tokyo,Japan
Win 6–4 Mikhail Simov Submission Rings Korakuen Experimental League 1993 Round 6 February 6, 1994 3 1:32 Tokyo,Japan
Win 5–4 Yoshinori Nishi Decision (unanimous) Rings Korakuen Experimental League 1993 Round 3 June 9, 1993 5 15:00 Tokyo,Japan
Win 4–4 Nobuhiro Tsurumaki KO (knees) Rings Korakuen Experimental League 1993 Round 2 April 30, 1993 2 0:37 Tokyo,Japan
Win 3–4 Sandor Telgen Submission (toe hold) Rings Korakuen Experimental League 1993 Round 1 February 28, 1993 1 5:27 Tokyo,Japan
Loss 2–4 Masaaki Satake KO (palm strike) Rings - Mega Battle Tournament 1992 First Round October 29, 1992 1 1:24 Nagoya,Japan
Loss 2–3 Willie Peeters Decision (unanimous) Rings - Mega Battle VI July 16, 1992 5 15:00 Osaka,Japan
Win 2–2 Nobuaki Kakuda Decision (unanimous) Rings Mega Battle 5th - Shishiku June 25, 1992 5 15:00 Sendai,Japan
Loss 1–2 Dick Vrij TKO (palm strike) Rings - Mega Battle IV May 16, 1992 1 6:11 Tokyo,Japan
Win 1–1 Koichiro Kimura KO (palm strikes and knees) Rings Mega Battle 1st - Kaiten January 25, 1992 1 28:05 Urayasu,Japan
Loss 0–1 Gerard Gordeau TKO Rings Astral Step Final - Blaze Up December 7, 1991 4 0:34 Tokyo,Japan

Kickbo xing record

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Kickbo xing record
0 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record
August 22, 1999 Loss Musashi K-1 Spirits '99 Tokyo, Japan KO (left mid kick) 1 3:00 0-6-1
August 22, 1999 Loss Ryuji Murakami K-1 Spirits '99 Tokyo, Japan Decision (unanimous) 2 3:00 0-5-1
February 3, 1999 Loss Andre Mannaart K-1 Rising '99 Tokyo, Japan KO (right punch) 2 1:20 0-4
October 28, 1998 Loss Jan Nortje K-1 Japan '98 Kamikaze Tokyo, Japan TKO (punch) 1 2:51 0-3
August 28, 1998 Loss Tsuyoshi Nakasako K-1 Bushido '98 Tokyo, Japan TKO (left high kick) 2 2:55 0-2
September 28, 1997 Loss Reed Japan Kickbo xing Federation - Kick Over IX Tokyo, Japan Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00 0-1
Legend:WinLossDraw/No contest

References

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  1. ^"Mitsuya Nagai profile".Sherdog.Retrieved1 May2014.
  2. ^BattlartsCage Match
  3. ^AJPW Real World Tag League 2000 - Tag 10Cage Match
  4. ^AJPW Real World Tag League 2000 - Tag 2Cage Match
  5. ^AJPW Excite Series 2001 - Tag 8Cage Match
  6. ^» NJPW Super-Force Group Declaration 2001Cage Match
  7. ^ResultspuroresufanArchived19 January 2016 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^"AJPW Super Power Series 2001 - Tag 10 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2016.
  9. ^NJPW G1 World 2001 - Tag 7Cage Match
  10. ^"AJPW Real World Tag League 2001 - Tag 11 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 3 June 2015.
  11. ^AJPW New Year Giant Series 2002 - Tag 9Cage Match
  12. ^"AJPW Real World Tag League 2002 - Tag 9 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2016.
  13. ^"NJPW Wrestling World 2003 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2019.
  14. ^"NJPW Hyper Battle 2003 - Tag 1 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2014.
  15. ^NJPW Summer Struggle 2003 - Tag 5Cage Match
  16. ^"NJPW Wrestling World 2004 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2015.
  17. ^"NJPW King Of Sports « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.
  18. ^"AJPW Only My Royal Road « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2016.
  19. ^"NJPW Nexess III « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 21 December 2014.
  20. ^"NJPW Chrono Stream ~ Masahiro Chono 20th Anniversary « Events Database « CAGEMATCH".Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2012.
  21. ^"AJPW Real World Tag League 2004 - Tag 8 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2016.
  22. ^"NJPW Big Fight Series 2005 - Tag 6 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".Archived fromthe originalon 4 October 2013.
  23. ^Team Vader Vader Time 2 ~ Fight The Big BangCage Match
  24. ^RJPW Strong ProofCage Match
  25. ^RJPW Space Flying Tiger DropCage Match
  26. ^RJPW DaybreakCage Match
  27. ^RJPW Traditional
  28. ^AJPW New Year Wars 2015 - Tag 2Cage Match
  29. ^AJPW Dream Power Series 2015 - Tag 5Cage Match
  30. ^NOAH Global League 2017 - Tag 11Cage Match
  31. ^"Ngày 24 tháng 11 ( mộc ) Đông Kinh ・ sau lặc viên ホール".Chō Sentō Puroresu FMW(in Japanese). Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2016.Retrieved25 November2016.
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