Koki Kitahara

Koki Kitahara
Born	(1964-03-09)March 9, 1964 Fukuoka,Fukuoka,Japan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Koki Kitahara Tatsumi Kitahara Sumo Hara
Billed height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Billed weight	110 kg (240 lb)
Trained by	Genichiro Tenryu Satoru Sayama
Debut	April 8, 1988
Retired	June 11, 2018

Tatsumi Kitahara(Bắc nguyên thần tị,Kitahara Tatsumi)(born March 9, 1964) is a Japanese retiredprofessional wrestlerbetter known by hisring nameKoki Kitahara(Bắc nguyên quang kỵ,Kitahara Kōki).

Career

Kitahara trained insoccerandkarateduring high school, particularly the latter due to his penchant forstreet fighting.After graduating and moving toTokyo,he started trainingmixed martial artsatSatoru Sayama's Super Tiger Gym and eventually became an instructor. Three years later, he developed an interest inprofessional wrestlingand decided to become a wrestler.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1988–1990)

Kitahara began as a trainee forJapan Pro-Wrestlingin 1987. After the promotion dissolved, he transferred toAll Japan Pro Wrestlingand trained underGenichiro Tenryu.He made his debut on April 8, 1988, againstMitsuo Momota.He was part of Tenryu'sRevolutionstable. After spending nearly a year floundering in the opening and mid-card matches, Kitahara left for Canada in March 1989.

When he arrived in Canada, he joinedStu Hart'sStampede Wrestlingin Calgary, where he used thering nameSumo Hara. On July 4, Kitahara was involved in a car accident near Jasper, Alberta, while riding in a car withRoss Hart,Davey Boy Smith,Jason the TerribleandChris Benoit,which he escaped with a minor shoulder injury. In August 1989, Kitahara won his first championship, theStampede International Tag Team Championshipwith fellow Japanese wrestlerKensuke Sasaki.The two held the championship for more than a month before losing them toThe Blackhearts.After Stampede shut down in December 1989, he returned to Japan in February 1990.

Upon returning to AJPW, Kitahara was finally finding his niche, but was cut short the summer of 1990, when Kitahara joined his mentor Tenryu andMegane Super.After leaving AJPW, Kitahara would make a brief return to Canada to wrestle for the Canadian National Wrestling Alliance as Sumo Hara, before returning to Japan for the new promotion.

Super World Sports (1990–1992)

Kitahara wrestled forSuper World of Sportsin 1990. As expected, he was part of Tenryu's group, Revolution. In December 1990, Kitahara took part in the original four-man tournament for the SWS Light Heavyweight Championship, but lost toNaoki Sanoin the semi-finals when a doctor called a stop to the match.After a year in mid-card tag team matches, Kitahara teamed withShinichi Nakanofor a tournament to determine the SWS Tag Team Champions, but lost to his Revolution stablemates, Tenryu andAshura Hara.In June 1992, SWS folded.

WAR (1992–2000)

Upon SWS's folding, Kitahara joined Tenryu in formingWAR.Now known as Koki Kitahara, in the early years of WAR, Kitahara would be Tenryu's main tag team partner in battles againstNew Japan Pro-Wrestling,but in later years, he teamed withKoji Kitao.In September 1994, Kitahara toured Mexico forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.In April 1995, Kitahara won his first championship in Japan, theWAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship,with Tenryu andAnimal Hamaguchi.He won two more, withArashi,Nobutaka Araya,andLance Stormas his partners. In 1999, WAR folded.

Freelance (1999–2018)

In 1997, still as a WAR member, Kitahara formed his own mixed martial artsdojo,Capture International. It initially developed into ashoot-styleprofessional wrestling promotion, which held its first card in 1998.He later expanded it into anon-profitprivate security companynamed Japan Blue Blazer.

After WAR folded, Kitahara focused primarily on Capture International, while taking select shows and tours of various promotions, including a brief return to AJPW in 2001, where he won theAll Asia Tag Team Championshipwith Arashi, and also withTenryu Project.

On April 2, 2018, Kitahara announced his retirement to take place at a June 11 card promoted by AJPW dojo classmateKenta Kobashi,which will also be his 30th anniversary. In a tag team match, Kitahara andMitsuya Nagailost toNaomichi MarufujiandSuper Tiger II.

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • All Asia Tag Team Championship(1 time) - withArashi
• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede International Tag Team Championship(1 time) - withBenkei Sasaki
• Wrestle And Romance / Wrestle Association "R"
  • WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship(3 times) - withAnimal HamaguchiandGenichiro Tenryu(1), Nobutaka Araya and Arashi (1) and Nobutaka Araya andLance Storm(1)