| Akira Maeda | |
|---|---|
 Maeda in 2018 | |
| Born | Go Il-myeong (1959-01-24)January 24, 1959 (age 66)[1] Osaka, Japan |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Team | Rings Japan |
| Rank | Eighth degree black belt in Kyokushin Budokai |
| Years active | 1995–1999 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 12 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By submission | 4 |
| Unknown | 3 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Unknown | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1959-01-24)January 24, 1959 (age 66)[1] Osaka, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kwik-kik-Lee Akira Maeda |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Karl Gotch[2] Yoshiaki Fujiwara |
| Debut | August 25, 1978 (vsKotetsu Yamamoto) |
| Retired | February 21, 1999 (vsAlexander Karelin) |
Akira Maeda (前田 日明,Maeda Akira) (bornGo Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명,Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is aJapanesemixed martial artspromoter,writer and retiredprofessional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Maeda was also known by thering nameKwik-kik-Lee during his time on theBritish wrestling's slot on the sports showWorld of Sport (WoS). Maeda helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s.[2][3][4] He foundedFighting Network RINGS in 1991 which would become one of the top MMA promotions before it folded in 2002.
Maeda entered theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)dojo in 1978, after being discovered at akarate tournament, and debuted the same year. Like many other New Japan stars before and after him, Maeda embarked on a foreign tour to theUnited Kingdom in 1982, where he adopted the Kwik-kik-Lee moniker. In 1983, he participated in the firstInternational Wrestling Grand Prix tournament, won byHulk Hogan. He was one of three Japanese entrants to the international tournament, alongsideAntonio Inoki andRusher Kimura.
Maeda would briefly joinVince McMahon'sWWF for a few months in the Spring of 1984 working in the opening matches of shows and even appearing a few times in televised bouts.[5] He defeatedPierre Lefebvre in a tournament final for the vacatedWWF International Heavyweight Championship on March 25 inMadison Square Gardens.[6]
In 1984, Maeda,Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and other New Japan defectors formed theJapanese UWF.[2] It was during his time in the first incarnation of the UWF that his willingness to show his displeasure in the ring became known; he quarreled withSatoru Sayama (the originalTiger Mask) over the direction of the UWF, as Maeda and other wrestlers were reportedly resentful of Sayama's cramming too much creative power.[7] This included booking himself to win all his matches, where others, Maeda included, "jobbed" in the worked matches. The promotion folded a year later, and Maeda returned to New Japan, where he became one of the promotion's biggest stars.
Maeda became involved in a real-life feud with New Japanbooker and top star, Antonio Inoki, refusing to work with him in what could have been a huge moneymaking program.
In April 1986, he was involved in one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history during a match withAndré the Giant; neither man could agree to losing the match. Andre appeared drunk and started no selling Maeda's moves. Then Maeda proceeded to shoot kick André's legs and repeatedly take him down. After nearly 30 minutes of this, André voluntarily laid down to be pinned (in spite of being assured that Maeda would lose the match), but Akira refused to do so. Inoki eventually came to the ring and demanded the match to end as a No Contest, much to the bewilderment of the audience.
On November 19, 1987, during a six-man tag team match, asRiki Choshu was puttingOsamu Kido in aSasori-gatame, Maeda delivered astiff kick to Choshu's face, breaking his orbital bone. The flow of the match was disrupted, as Choshu then tried to attack Maeda, and a finish had to be improvised. The resulting injury would sideline Choshu for well over a month and Maeda was immediately suspended for his actions. The promotion's management offered Maeda to lift the suspension in exchange for going on a training excursion to Mexico to learn lucha libre, but Maeda refused and abandoned New Japan along with his partners in February 1988.
Although the kick is popularly believed to have been a deliberate attack, Maeda has claimed it was actually an accident, with Choshu having supposedly failed at protecting his face at the cue (a tap on his back) before the kick was thrown.[8] RefereeMr. Takahashi, despite disapproving Maeda's stiff style, has agreed it was an accident on a scriptedspot, declaring that such miscommunications were not uncommon at the time. Years later, Maeda and Choshu reconciled amicably, to the point where Maeda attended his retirement ceremony.[9]
In 1988, Maeda formed Newborn UWF withNobuhiko Takada and others, this time as its number one star, using the notoriety he gained in New Japan to draw large crowds. Maeda's UWF became the first promotion to hold a show at theTokyo Dome, drawing 60,000 to watch Maeda defeatWilly Wilhelm in the main event. In December 1990, Newborn UWF dissolved due to disagreements over the direction of the company.
Maeda would go on to formFighting Network RINGS in 1991, whileNobuhiko Takada formedUnion of Wrestling Force International with most of the Newborn UWF roster. Fighting Network RINGS would no longer bill itself as wrestling in 1997, after the collapse ofUWF International, holding shoot style wrestling matches, legitimate mixed-style fights and later competitivemixed martial arts on the same cards since 1992. In 1999 he retired from active competition after being defeated in a match against three-time Olympic Gold medalistAlexander Karelin, drawing an incredible gate of $2.5 million. The match gained widespread media coverage, including mentions inThe New York Times andSports Illustrated.
Following Maeda's retirement, he switched his promotion's style from shoot style to fully competitive mixed martial arts fighting. The new Rings held two King of Kings tournaments, which introduced such mixed martial artists asFedor Emelianenko,Dan Henderson,Randy Couture,Jeremy Horn andAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira to the Japanese audience. RINGS folded in 2002, due to the growing popularity ofPRIDE.
WhenK-1 wanted to start a new MMA brand after their previous attempt withK-1 Romanex,Fighting and Entertainment Group hired Maeda as a consultant forHero's. However, FEG retired Hero's in February 2008 to team up with former PRIDE staff to createDREAM. Maeda's new project was calledThe Outsider, an amateur MMA series that uses Hero's rules.[10] RINGS brand was revived forThe Outsider series and several events have been held since March 30, 2008.[11]
On January 22, 2012, Maeda decisively resurrected the Fighting Network RINGS brand with Battle Genesis: Vol. 9, the continuation of theBattle Genesis series the last event of which was held on September 20, 2001.[12] The event was sanctioned byZST.[13]
Akira Maeda's Mixed Martial Arts record. The validity of matches is contested.[1]
| 12 matches | 7 wins | 5 losses |
| By submission | 4 | 3 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown | 3 | 1 |
Maeda's interest in martial arts developed as a schoolboy while watching theUltraman television series. By the time he was in high school, his only interests were motorcycles and karate. He is friends withMother series creatorShigesato Itoi.
Maeda was a third-generationZainichi Korean prior to naturalization.
He is an 8th degree black belt inKyokushin Budokai.[14]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | YAWARA! a fashionable judo girl! | Himself |
| 2006 | Waru |
,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
