Profile of Yoshihiro Takayama on Famous Like Me

Yoshihiro Takayama is a Japanese professional wrestler and a mixer martial arts fighter, who is currently wrestling in the Professional Wrestling Independent circuit in Japan.

Career

Takayama started in UWF International, but due to the focus of the promotion on star Nobuhiko Takada, he wasn't able to go past the mid-card level. In 1995-96, with the interpromotional feuds with New Japan Pro Wrestling and WAR, he formed the "Golden Cups" stable with Yoji Anjo and Kenichi Yamamoto to compete in tag team and six-man matches. In New Japan he and Anjo assumed masks as the "200% Machines" to mock "Super Strong Machine" Junji Hirata. In WAR, they feuded with Gedo, Jado and the late Hiromichi Fuyuki.

After UWFI's subsequent collapse, he joined Kingdom, but as it, too, collapsed even faster, he joined All Japan Pro Wrestling as a free agent along with former UWFI comrade Masahito Kakihara. In the beginning Takayama was put on a feud with Toshiaki Kawada (against whom he had lost once in an interpromotional match before the UWFI's collapse), but as he lost matches often, he was back in the undercard. He joined former UWFI foreigner Gary Albright and native Takao Omori in a new version of the "Triangle of Power" stable Albright had formed with Steve Williams before he briefly went back to the U. S.

In 1999, upon Shohei Baba's death, Mitsuharu Misawa made him and Kakihara full-time members of All Japan. Pushed as the "NO FEAR" team with Omori, Takayama found instant success, first winning the Asian tag team title from Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki and then the Double Cup from Johnny Ace and Bart Gunn. However, they were eventually defeated by the combination of Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa.

In 2000, when Misawa announced plans for his new promotion, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Takayama followed him. In NOAH he found continued success, winning the new GHC tag team title with Omori as well. It was around 2001 that, spurred by his old UWFI comrades' success in the PRIDE fighting circuit, decided to try his hand at it. Although defeated by Kazuyuki Fujita in a match there, he impressed "real-fight" pundits enough to warrant more fight offers. He at once declared free agency from NOAH so he could pursue them - and also matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he began challenging the top stars, such as Yuji Nagata, Masa Chono, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In 2003 and 2004 he participated in New Japan's annual G-1 Climax tournament.

In mid-2004 he affiliated himself with former Pancrase wrestler Minoru Suzuki, and they won the IWGP tag team title, but he was injured later in the year during a match with Kensuke Sasaki. As of August 2005, Takayama is still out of action but provides occasional colour commentary for NOAH.

Profile

• Height: 196 cm (6 ft 4 in)
• Weight: 125 kg (280 lb)
• Born: September 19, 1966
• Town of birth: Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
• Debut: June 28, 1992 against Hiromitsu Kanehara

Finishing and signature moves

• Everest German Suplex (High angle German suplex)
• Double underhook suplex hold
• High knee
• Jujigatame
• Straight punch to jaw

Championships and accomplishments

New Japan Pro Wrestling

• 1-Time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time IWGP World Tag Team Champion with Minoru Suzuki

Pro Wrestling NOAH

• 1-Time GHC Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time GHC Tag-Team Champion with Takao Omori
• 1-Time NWF Heavyweight Champion

All Japan Pro Wrestling

• 1-Time All Asia Tag Team Champion with Takao Omori
• 1-Time AJPW World Tag Team Champion with Takao Omori

WAR

• 1-Time WAR 6-Man Tag-Team Champion with Kenichi Yamamoto and Yoji Anjoh

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