| Magnum Tokyo | |
|---|---|
Magnum Tokyo in 2009 |
|
| Ring name(s) | Detective Alan Kuroki Tokyo Magnum[1] Magnum TOKYO[1] |
| Billed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 85 kg (190 lb)[1] |
| Born | January 9, 1973 [1] |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan[1] |
| Trained by | Último Dragón |
| Debut | May 11, 1997[1] |
Katsumasa Kuroki (born January 9, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Magnum TOKYO. He wrestles for the HUSTLE professional wrestling promotion, and has competed in the past for World Championship Wrestling, Toryumon, and Dragon Gate as Tokyo Magnum and Magnum TOKYO.[1]
Contents |
Magnum Tokyo was a popular mainstay in Japan's Dragon Gate promotion. He was trained by Último Dragón and graduated from Dragon's "Toryumon Gym" in 1997, making his professional wrestling debut on May 11 of the same year.
Less than a year into his professional career, he gained some mainstream notoriety in North America with World Championship Wrestling in early and mid-1998. While there, he participated in a brief program wherein he wanted to become a member of the Dancing Fools (a tag team consisting of Disco Inferno and Alex Wright), and would appear dancing behind them (without their knowledge) during their entrance. The program came to a head when his interference backfired in a tag team match between The Dancing Fools and The Public Enemy at the 1998 "Road Wild" pay-per-view. Two nights later on the August 10 episode of Nitro, he was told by Wright and Disco Inferno that if he wanted to be a member of The Dancing Fools, he needed to impress them in a match against Eddie Guerrero. He lost the match in under two minutes, and the match was his last appearance with the company until he returned briefly in October and November of that same year. During those two months, he appeared sporadically in squash matches and as a participant in the annual World War 3 battle royal on November 22, 1998. One night later (on the November 23 episode of Nitro) he made his final televised appearance for WCW in a loss against Kanyon.
Magnum TOKYO has become popular in Japan for both his high-flying junior-heavyweight style (a style common amongst students of Último Dragón) and his elaborate entrances, which have included dancing through the crowd and dance sequences in the ring with his own dance troupe. His gimmick is that of an adult entertainer, and he often wears eye-masks to the ring while carrying a pink umbrella. At one point in his career, some members of the crowd would actually stuff money into his tights. Magnum Tokyo most recently competed for the Dragon Gate promotion as part of the "Do Fixer" faction.
In August 2006, Magnum's career was put into jeopardy after he suffered a very serious eye injury. After being out for seven months with little to no improvement to the condition of his eye, TOKYO announced his retirement in April 2007.
On November 20, 2008, Magnum returned to professional wrestling, appearing under a new gimmick, Detective Alan Kuroki, at a Hustle event in Tokyo, Japan. He wrestled his return match for HUSTLE on November 22, 2008. On March 25, 2009, he announced he would be returning to his Magnum Tokyo gimmick.
| Wager | Winner(s) | Loser(s) | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | Masaaki Mochizuki | Magnum TOKYO | Osaka, Japan | September 30, 2001 | Five-way steel cage match, which also included CIMA, Darkness Dragon and Dragon Kid. |