| Akira Tozawa | |
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Akira Tozawa in August 2010 |
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| Ring name(s) | Akira Tozawa Tozawa[1] TOZAWA Kengai[2] |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] |
| Billed weight | 93 kg (210 lb)[3] |
| Born | July 22, 1985 [3] Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan[3] |
| Billed from | Kobe, Japan[4] |
| Trained by | Keni'chiro Arai[1] Masaaki Mochizuki[1] |
| Debut | April 3, 2005[1] |
Akira Tozawa (戸澤 アキラ Tozawa Akira), (born July 22, 1985 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan)[3] is a Japanese professional wrestler, mainly performing for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions. In July 2010, Tozawa left on a year-long excursion to United States, during which he performed for promotions such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
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Akira Tozawa was the third graduate of the Dragon Gate dojo to debut.[5] He was being groomed to enter the stable M2K, but he did not progress very well. After debuting, he underwent a 10 match trial series, but lost all 10 matches and was banished back to the DG dojo.[5]
Tozawa returned in October 2005, teaming with fellow rookie Yuki Ono/Katsuo. However, he ended up teaming with Vangelis, a wrestler with a Nazi stripper gimmick. Keni'chiro Arai intervened, much to Tozawa's resentment. When Tozawa scored the biggest win of his career so far by beating Naruki Doi during the Brave Gate League, the impressed Arai offered him a spot in M2K. Tozawa, however, refused, and stated his intention to run a stable of his own, and created a cram school based stable called Tozawa-juku.[5]
Even though Tozawa-juku bore his name, he was not necessarily the leader. Because of his backstage reputation as a troublemaker at the time, he was regularly held off of shows, progressed little, and was far beneath his stablemates Taku Iwasa, Keni'chiro Arai, and even fellow troublemaker Yuki Ono in rank.[5]
When Ono experienced newfound popularity and rank courtesy of a massive amount of weight gain (40+KG), Tozawa began to bulk up as well, and he and Ono formed the Metabolic Brothers tag team within Tozawa-juku. They discarded the gakuran pants worn by the unit and wore silver tights and boots. However, they hardly got anywhere, due to injuries to Ono and the general awfulness of the whole concept.[5]
On July 11, 2008, after having done this for a little over half a year, he appeared on a show with his gakuran pants on and announced that, in light of the recent success that new stablemates Shinobu and El Generico have brought to the unit (as well as constant pestering from Iwasa and Arai), he was going on a diet. After a diet trial series, where he actually had success, he brashly challenged Open the Triangle Gate Champions Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii & Magnitude Kishiwada to a title match against him, Iwasa & Arai on November 16. The trio agreed, but on the condition that Tozawa-juku would have to disband if his team lost. His team would lose the match, bringing about the end of the unit, and he and his stablemates were given a graduation ceremony. He promised everyone that he would ascend to the next stage.[5]
He and Iwasa began to team with Shingo Takagi in the weeks that followed, and then on December 19, he appealed to Shingo to form a new unit with him and Iwasa. Shingo agreed to it. On January 11, 2009, Dragon Kid joined up with him and the others, and Shingo gave the unit the name of KAMIKAZE.[5] Tozawa participated in the Battle of Tokyo Tournament two weeks later, and made it to the finals before losing to KAGETORA. In his times with KAMIKAZE, he was the lowest ranked member; as such he was lower on the card and took the losing fall often in his matches. Highlights of this time period were a Open the Brave Gate Championship challenge in 2009 against CIMA and a "Loser is Banished to Dark Matches" match on May 5, 2010 against KAMIKAZE stablemate Cyber Kong.[6] After this loss against Kong, Tozawa left Japan for an extended tour of the United States beginning in May 2010.
On May 7, 2010, Tozawa made his debut for Dragon Gate's international expansion Dragon Gate USA, as a member of the heel group Kamikaze USA, teaming with Gran Akuma in a match, where they were defeated by Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw.[7]
Also in May 2010 Tozawa began working regularly for SoCal promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut on May 9, during the Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, teaming with fellow Kamikaze partner YAMATO in a first-round losing effort against The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe).[8] At the following show on June 11, he defeated Scott Lost and on July 30 Chris Sabin.[9][10]
Tozawa also competed in Chikara's Young Lions Cup VIII in August 2010. He defeated Green Ant on August 27 in the first round, but was the last man eliminated from the six-way elimination semifinal match later that same night.[11] On August 29, the final day of the tournament, Tozawa was defeated by Hallowicked in a singles match.[12]
On September 5 Tozawa entered PWG's 2010 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating El Generico in his first round match.[13] The following night Tozawa was eliminated from the tournament by Chris Hero, after a breakout performance.[14] Tozawa returned to PWG on December 11, 2010, in a match, where he was defeated by Kevin Steen.[15] Afterwards Steen recruited Tozawa as his partner for the March 4 DDT4 tournament.[16]
Tozawa earned victories over Sami Callihan, Austin Aries and BxB Hulk for Dragon Gate USA in January 2011, but run-ins with stablemates Jon Moxley and YAMATO led to him being kicked out of Kamikaze USA, turning him face in the process.[17][18][19][20] At the following Dragon Gate USA tapings on April 3, Tozawa defeated Moxley to earn an immediate shot at YAMATO's Open the Freedom Gate Championship. He was, however, unsuccessful in his attempt to become the new champion.[21] Tozawa was also unsuccessful in beating PAC for his Open the Brave Gate Championship on April 2, at Mercury Rising 2011.[22]
On March 4, 2011, Tozawa and Kevin Steen, the team known collectively as the Nightmare Violence Connection, entered PWG's DDT4 tournament, upsetting the Briscoe Brothers in their first round match. After another upset victory over the ROH World Tag Team Champions, The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli), during which Tozawa pinned Hero, avenging his Battle of Los Angeles loss, he and Steen made it to the finals of the tournament, where they were, however, defeated by The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).[23] On April 9, Tozawa was defeated by Low Ki in a singles match in PWG.[24]
On April 15, Tozawa returned to Chikara, captaining Team Dragon Gate, consisting of himself, KAGETORA and Super Shisa, in the 2011 King of Trios tournament. In the first round of the tournament, Team Dragon Gate defeated the Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare).[12][25] The following day, Team Dragon Gate was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinal stage by The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Hieracon and Ophidian).[26] On April 17, the final day of the tournament, Tozawa faced Eddie Kingston in a losing effort.[27]
On April 19, Tozawa made his debut for Evolve at the promotion's first live internet pay-per-view, facing Chuck Taylor in a losing effort.[28]
On May 15, 2011, in Austin, Texas, Tozawa captured the Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW) U–30 Young Gun Championship, the first title of his career, by defeating previous champion ACH, Arik Cannon and Gary Jay in a four–way match.[29] He would lose the title to Gerald James six days later.[29]
On May 27, Tozawa returned to PWG for his final weekend with the promotion before his return to Japan. During the first night of All Star Weekend 8, Tozawa and Kevin Steen defeated El Generico and Ricochet in a tag team match.[30] The following night, Tozawa wrestled two matches, first teaming with Steen to defeat the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma) in a tag team match, before defeating Chris Hero in his PWG farewell match.[31] This ended Towaza's extended USA tour, although Tozawa remained a part of Dragon Gate USA.
On June 3, Tozawa and YAMATO failed to capture the Open the United Gate Championship when they lost to reigning champions Masato Yoshino and PAC at Fearless 2011.[32]
On June 8, 2011, Tozawa made his return to Dragon Gate, joining the promotion's dominant heel stable, Blood Warriors.[33] Upon his return, Tozawa was, for the first time in his Dragon Gate career, treated as a serious competitor and given a major push, which included defeating Shingo Takagi on July 17 at Wrestling Festival 2011.[34] On August 7, Tozawa and fellow Blood Warriors member BxB Hulk defeated Masaaki Mochizuki and YAMATO of rival group Junction Three to win the 2011 Summer Adventure Tag League.[35] Tozawa's win streak built to him unsuccessfully challenging Masaaki Mochizuki for the Open the Dream Gate Championship on October 13.[36] On December 1, Tozawa and BxB Hulk defeated KAGETORA and Susumu Yokosuka to win the vacant Open the Twin Gate Championship, Tozawa's first title in Dragon Gate.[37]
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