| Masanobu Fuchi | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Masanobu Fuchi Masa Fuchi Akaoni |
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Billed weight | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Born | January 14, 1954 Kitakyushu, Fukuoka |
| Resides | Kitakyushu, Fukuoka |
| Debut | August 22, 1974 |
Masanobu Fuchi (渕 正信 Fuchi Masanobu, born January 14, 1954) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling as a full-time wrestler, as well as a director. Fuchi holds the record for the longest AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign and has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling longer than any wrestler on the current roster.
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With a background in amateur wrestling, Fuchi debuted as a professional wrestler on August 22, 1974 for AJPW, facing future Death Match innovator Atsushi Onita. For the next couple of years, Fuchi and Onita alternated between teaming and feuding on the opening bouts. In 1979, the two went on an excursion to Memphis, Tennessee to season their careers. Fuchi briefly worked for the NWA's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling as a jobber who always showed a good account of himself.
Following Onita's retirement in 1985 and Tiger Mask II's graduation to the heavyweight division in 1986, Fuchi became the top junior heavyweight star, holding the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship on 5 different occasions spanning over 11 years. Fuchi's third reign spanned 4 years (1989-1993), but the fact that AJPW was relatively closed off to outside competition factored heavily in his lengthy third reign.
After losing the belt for the last time in 1996, Fuchi was relegated to the opening "legends" bouts, mostly in teams opposing AJPW founder Giant Baba. In 2000, when Mitsuharu Misawa defected from AJPW to form Pro Wrestling Noah, Fuchi was one of two (the other being Toshiaki Kawada) native wrestlers who remained with the promotion. As a result, Fuchi was pushed for a while into the upper regions of the card, teaming with Toshiaki Kawada and becoming a top contender for the AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Championship. Fuchi's last title was the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship with fellow veteran Genichiro Tenryu.
Fuchi became a director for the promotion soon after the arrival of Keiji Mutoh, a position that Fuchi still holds to this day. Fuchi still competes on a full-time basis for All-Japan Pro Wrestling, but usually in comedic preliminary bouts against rookie heavyweights and junior heavyweights. On August 20, 2006, Fuchi became a member of the Voodoo Murders stable, competing under a red mask as Akaoni. His tenure as Akaoni and with the stable only lasted for that evening, as Fuchi unmasked and helped fellow All Japan competitors attack the stable following the main event. From November 23 to December 9, 2007, Fuchi teamed with Osamu Nishimura to compete in the Real World Tag League, finishing the league with 7 points (2 wins, 2 losses and 3 draws) and placing 5th overall.