Bad Luck Fale

Bad Luck Fale

Bad Luck Fale in June 2014
Born 18 January 1982[1]
Tonga[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Bad Luck Fale[1]
King Fale[1]
Billed height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Billed weight 145 kg (320 lb)[1]
Billed from Kingdom of Tonga[1]
Trained by NJPW Dojo[2]
Debut 4 April 2010[1][3]

Fale Simitaitoko is a Tongan professional wrestler. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling as Bad Luck Fale.[1] He is a former one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

Career

Early career

Simitaitoko was a rugby union player prior to him training and debuting for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He attended the strong rugby school of De La Salle College, Mangere East in Auckland New Zealand and was a member of the 1st XV from 1999 to 2000, also making age grade rugby teams along the way. He then accepted scholarship to play rugby in Japan at Tokuyama University, alongside fellow New Zealander Sila Iona and Greame Brent where they attended from 2001 to 2005. From April 2006 to March 2008 he played for the Japanese rugby union team Fukuoka Sanix Blues.[2] He would start training to become a professional wrestler in June 2009.[1]

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Debut (2010–2012)

Taitoko made his official debut on 4 April 2010 losing to Manabu Nakanishi.[1] Fale would go on to job to bigger stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling which is common for rookies however his first win in New Japan came quickly only a month after his debut, 15 May 2010 against Kyōsuke Mikami.[4] For the rest of the year, King Fale generally was in the opening spots but had more of a chance against established wrestlers as he battled Nakanishi, Nakamura, and others.[3] Fale wrestled in the G1 Tag League, which is very rare for a rookie, but he and his partner Super Strong Machine did not pick up any wins.[4] He also participated in J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament 2010 with Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson and was eliminated in the second round.[4] Fale came out on top in a Young Lion 3 Match Series beating Hiromu Takahashi three times.[4]

Fale would kick off 2011 with a win beating Kyosuke Mikami.[5] Again Fale would lose most of his matches in 2011. Fale joined the Seigigun ("Blue Justice Army") which also included Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue and Super Strong Machine. At The New Beginning on 20 February, Nagata, Inoue, and Fale teamed with Hiroyoshi Tenzan against CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, and Yujiro Takahashi) in an elimination match which they came up short.[5] In the prelude to the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament 2011 he teamed with Inoue and Hiroyoshi Tenzan and lost to Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) & Jushin Thunder Liger, in the actual tournament they were eliminated in the second round by Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) & Satoshi Kojima.[5] Fale participated in New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah joint pay-per-view called All Together and was part of the Destroyer Cup battle royal.[5] Fale along with Nagata teamed up to take part in the 2011 G1 Climax in block A, after only winning one match the team ended with only two points and therefore were eliminated.[4] Fale lost his first match of 2012 when he teamed with Tama Tonga against OKUMURA and YOSHI-HASHI.[4] At NJPW 40th Anniversary Show, Fale and Tomoaki Honma were defeated by CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI and Yujiro Takahashi) On 10 February 2012 at NEVER.8: Go to the Next Level, Fale was defeated in a singles match by Yuji Nagata. Afterwards, Fale left for a fourteen month learning excursion to the United States.[6] On 8 June 2012, Fale debuted for NWA Houston and lost to Mysterious Q.

Bullet Club (2013–present)

Fale with Bullet Club in September 2013.
Main article: Bullet Club

On 7 April 2013, at Invasion Attack, Fale returned to New Japan as Prince Devitt's new heel "bouncer" under the new ring name "The Underboss" Bad Luck Fale.[7] Fale wrestled his return match on 3 May at Wrestling Dontaku 2013, where he and Devitt defeated Captain New Japan and Ryusuke Taguchi in a tag team match.[8] Later in the event, Fale and Devitt joined forces with Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga, forming a stable named "Bullet Club".[9] Later in the year, Fale began his first major feud in New Japan with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe, who had been eliminated from the 2013 G1 Climax following an interference from Fale during his match with Devitt.[10] From 23 November to 7 December, Fale and Devitt took part in the 2013 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of three wins and three losses, with a loss against the previously winless Captain New Japan and Hiroshi Tanahashi on the final day costing them a spot in the semifinals.[11][12] The rivalry between Fale and Makabe culminated in a King of Destroyer match on 4 January 2014, at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, where Makabe was victorious.[13] Fale and Makabe faced off again on 15 March in the first round of the 2014 New Japan Cup, where Fale was victorious.[14] Fale ended up making it all the way to the finals of the tournament, before losing to Shinsuke Nakamura on 23 March.[15] On 21 June at Dominion 6.21, Fale defeated Nakamura in a rematch to become the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion.[16][17] From 21 July to 8 August, Fale took part in his first G1 Climax, where he finished third in his block with a record of six wins and four losses with a loss against Nakamura on the final day preventing him from making the finals.[18] On 21 September at Destruction in Kobe, Fale lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship back to Nakamura in his first defense.[19][20] In November, Fale entered the 2014 World Tag League, alongside stablemate Tama Tonga.[21] The team finished at the bottom of their block with a record of three wins and four losses.[22] In early 2015, Fale started feuding with Kazuchika Okada, which led to him picking up a major win on March 5, defeating the former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the first round of the 2015 New Japan Cup.[23] Fale was eliminated from the tournament in the second round by Tetsuya Naito.[24]

In wrestling

Fale performing the Bad Luck Fall on Shelton X Benjamin.

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 バッドラック・ファレ. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=9201&name=
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.puroresucentral.com/kingfale.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=9201&page=4&s=100
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=9201&page=4&s=0
  6. ↑ "NEVER. 8 ~ Go to the Next Level ~". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Invasion Attack". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  8. ↑ レスリングどんたく 2013. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "「イッツ・リィィィアル!! 」なんとアンダーソン、トンガとも合体!!　デヴィットが外国人軍団“Bullet Club”結成!!". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  10. ↑ 真壁１・４ドーム大会でダブルヘッダー志願. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
  11. ↑ "World Tag League 2013". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  12. ↑ "World Tag League 2013". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  13. ↑ "バディファイトPresents Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 東京ドーム". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  14. ↑ "New Japan Cup 2014". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  15. ↑ "New Japan Cup 2014". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Dominion 6.21". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  17. ↑ Caldwell, James (2014-06-21). "NJPW news: Key results from Saturday's "Dominion" PPV featuring U.S. stars in top title matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  18. ↑ "バディファイトPresents G1 Climax 24". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  19. ↑ "Destruction in Kobe". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  20. ↑ Caldwell, James (2014-09-21). "Caldwell's New Japan PPV results 9/21: Complete live coverage of "Destruction in Kobe" - Nakamura regains IC Title, Tanahashi vs. Shibata, A.J. Styles, new Jr. Hvt. champion, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  21. ↑ "『World Tag League 2014』出場チーム＆公式戦が決定！ 棚橋はヨシタツとタッグ結成！ 桜庭、AJ、柴田、ROH、NWAも参戦!". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  22. ↑ "World Tag League 2014". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  23. ↑ "New Japan Cup 2015". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  24. ↑ "New Japan Cup 2015". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  25. ↑ "Road to Power Struggle". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  26. ↑ "World Tag League 2013". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Best of the Super Jr. XX". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  28. ↑ "Dominion 6.22". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "King Fale". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  30. ↑ 「バッドラック・フォールは世界で最もデンジャラス」スマホサイトで"トンガ版ゴジラ"ファレに直撃!!. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 13 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  31. ↑ 新日本・携帯サイトの"着うた"で、アンダーソンの新入場曲! ベンジャミンの入場曲を8月3日（金）配信!!　真壁独占インタビューも掲載!!. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 31 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Kitamura, Yonosuke. "Biography". RMLabel (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  33. ↑ "好評を博したテーマ曲CD第2弾「NJPWグレイテストミュージックII」が10月9日発売！闘魂Shopで予約受付中!!". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 18 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  34. ↑ "Last Chance Saloon (Bullet Club Theme)". DeviantandNaiveTed.Bandcamp.com. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  35. ↑ [Q]Brick (22 May 2014). ""Shot'Em" Bullet Club 2nd Theme". SoundCloud. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  36. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2014". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2014-12-02.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fale Simitaitoko.