Muhammad Yone

Satoshi Yoneyama (米山 聡, Yoneyama Satoshi), better known by his ring name Muhammad Yone (モハメド・ヨネ, Mohamedo Yone), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he a multi-time GHC Tag Team Champion, a one time GHC Openweight Hardcore Champion and winner of the Global Tag League in 2012 with Naomichi Marufuji. He is known for his trademark afro hairstyle, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Afro". Later on he would cut his hair short and changed his pants color to black and red in order to resemble his BRAVE teammates.

Professional wrestling career

Yoneyama made his professional wrestling debut on August 18, 1995 wrestling under his real name Satoshi Yoneyama. Early in his career he would work for Japanese promotions such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling BattleARTS, Michinoku Pro, WaR and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. In 1999 he changed his ring name to Muhammad Yone (some times spelled "Mohammad Yone" in some sources). In 2000 Yone joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) working low card matches.

Pro Wrestling NOAH (2001–present)

In 2001 top AJPW wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa and a number of other AJPW wrestlers, including Yone, left the promotion to start their own wrestling promotion called Pro Wrestling NOAH (NOAH). On March 5, 2005 Yone defeated Naomichi Marufuji to win the GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship, a championship he would hold for 231 days until Scorpio won it on October 22, 2005.^[1] During that time Yone began teaming regularly with Takeshi Morishima in the tag team division. On October 28, 2005 the duo defeated Marafuji and Minoru Suzuki to win the GHC Tag Team Championship.^[2] They later lost the championship to Tamon Honda and Kenta Kobashi. In 2006 Yone and Morishima won the vacant tag team championships once more and held them until April 1, 2007 where they lost to Jun Akiyama and Takeshi Rikio.^[3] In 2009 Yone helped create a group known as "Disobey" that included himself, KENTA, Yoshinobu Lanemaru, Genba Hirayanagi, Takeshi Rikio and Kotaro Suzuki. Yone and Rikio defeated Morishima and Kensuke Sasaki to with the GHC Tag Team Championship on December 6, 2009 as part of the 2009 "Winter Navigation Tour". Their reign lasted until April 14, 2010 where they lost to Bison Smith and Keith Walker. In 2012 Yone became part of a stable known as "BRAVE" that also included Narumi Marafuji, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, Atsushi Kotoge, Takeshi Morishima, Takashi Sugura and Ricky Marvin. Marafuji and Yone went on to win the 2012 version of the Global Tag League, defeating Morishima and Katsuhiko Nakajima in the finals.^[4]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Kinniku Buster (Muscle buster)

• Signature moves
  • Backbreaker rack
  • Cradle suplex, sometimes from the top rope
  • Jumping knee strike
  • Lariat
  • Roundhouse kick to a seated or standing opponent
  • Running arched big boot, sometimes to a cornered opponent
  • Running guillotine leg drop, sometimes from the top rope
  • Single leg Boston Crab
  • Standing or a running spinning heel kick, sometimes to a cornered opponent

• Entrance themes

• Mohammed 1200
• Disobey by Maria Theresa Gow ^[1]

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (2001)^[5]

• BattlARTS
  • BattlARTS Tag Battle (1998) - with Alexander Otsuka^[6]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #89 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010^[7]

• Pro Wrestling Noah
  • GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship (1 time)^[1]
  • GHC Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Takeshi Morishima (2) & Takeshi Rikio (1)^[1][2][3]
  • Global Tag League (2012) – with Naomichi Marufuji^[4]
  • One Day Six Man Heavyweight Tag Team Tournament (2008) - with Mitsuharu Misawa & Takeshi Morishima^[6]

References