Takahashi made his debut for NJPW on August 28, 2010, and worked as a "Young Lion" over the following three years. In January 2014, Takahashi, renamedKamaitachi (カマイタチ,Kamaitachi), was sent to the MexicanConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion to further his wrestling training and gain international experience, a tradition with NJPW "Young Lions". In January 2016, he won his first professional wrestling championship, theCMLL World Lightweight Championship. After leaving CMLL he worked for the AmericanRing of Honor (ROH) until the fall of 2016, with Takahashi returning to NJPW in November 2016, once again working under his real name. Since his return, Takahashi has become a five-timeIWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-timeNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion withYota Tsuji andBushi, and a record four-timeBest of the Super Juniors tournament winner (2018,2020,2021,2022). Takahashi made his acting debut in theKamen Rider franchise, portraying Joseph Rando & Evol-X in the series's universe.
Takahashi was born on December 4, 1989, inHachiōji, a city inTokyo. At the age of 12 he became a fan of professional wrestling, especiallyMasahiro Chono, who inspired Takahashi to work hard in school to become a member of thetrack and field team.[4]
Takahashi attendedNew Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) annual open tryout test in May 2009.[4] He passed the test and was accepted into theNJPW Dojo,[4] where he trained in the same class asKing Fale andKyosuke Mikami, who all made their in-ring debut around the same time.
Takahashi was the last of the threeNJPW Dojo class of 2010 to debut for NJPW on August 24, 2010, at theNEVER.1 show. He was defeated by Mikami in a short opening match.[5] Takahashi followed the traditions of NJPW's "Young Lions" (their term for rookies), wrestling in all black trunks and boots, usually losing the majority of their matches as part of their ongoing training regimen. Takahashi would lose every match he competed in until February 6, 2011, when he teamed up withTomoaki Honma to finally win a match, defeating Fale and Mikami.[6] Three weeks later, exactly six months after his debut, Takahashi finally won his first ever singles match as he defeatedKazuki Hirata of theDramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion atNEVER.5.[7] A few months later Takahashi was given an opportunity to compete for a spot in NJPW's annualBest of the Super Juniors tournament as he participated in the 2011 "Road to the Super Juniors" tournament, but was defeated in the first round by another DDT representative,Keisuke Ishii.[8] On October 10, 2011, Takahashi and Mikami teamed up to defeat King Fale andTakaaki Watanabe in thedark match of theDestruction '11pay-per-view event.[9] In 2012Black Tiger had originally qualified for the2012 Best of Super Juniors, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament with Takahashi being named as his replacement.[10] During the tournament Takahashi lost toAlex Koslov,Daisuke Sasaki,Brian Kendrick,Jado,Low Ki,Ryusuke Taguchi, andTiger Mask and only defeatedTaka Michinoku.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] He would later team up with fellow "Young Lions" Mikami & Takaaki Watanabe to compete in the "J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament". The team lost toMadoka,Shinobu &Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in their first round match.[19] On January 4, 2013, Takahashi competed in his first everJanuary 4 Dome Show, when he wrestled in a dark match ofWrestle Kingdom 7, teaming up withJyushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask, losing to the team ofBushi,Kushida & Ryusuke Taguchi.[20] During the summer of 2013 he was once again allowed to compete in the annual Best of Super Juniors, but lost all matches, taking pinfalls against Jyushin Thunder Liger,Prince Devitt,Titán,Taichi,Ricochet,Beretta,Rocky Romero, andAlex Shelley.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] NJPW often sends their "Young Lions" on a learning excursion outside Japan, be it the United States of America, Europe or Mexico, and in the summer of 2013 it was Takahashi's turn. Initially he traveled to the United Kingdom where he worked regularly for a number of local British independent wrestling promotions.
Like his former wrestling school partner Mikami before him, Takahashi then traveled to Mexico to work with NJPW's partner promotion,Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) for an extended stay. During his stay in Mexico, he was given a new wrestling persona, amasked "heel" orrudo character calledKamaitachi, named after a Japanese supernatural monster, which his mask resembled. Much like Mikami before him, Takahashi was teamed up with CMLL's resident Japanese workerOkumura as part ofLa Fiebre Amarilla ("The Yellow Fever").La Fiebre Amarilla primarily worked on the lower half of the show and often insix-man tag team matches. On July 13, 2014, Kamaitachi & Okumura challenged for theCMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by championsDelta &Guerrero Maya Jr.[29] In early 2015, Kamaitachi started astoryline rivalry withDragon Lee.[30] The rivalry culminated on March 20 atHomenaje a Dos Leyendas, where Kamaitachi was defeated by Lee in aMask vs. MaskLucha de Apuestas. As per stipulation, Kamaitachi unmasked following the loss, revealing himself as Hiromu Takahashi.[31] On May 1, Kamaitachi participated in the 2015Reyes del Aire, where he and Dragon Lee eliminated each other via a double pin.[32] On May 15, Kamaitachi was eliminated byMístico in the first roundtorneo cibernetico of the 2015Leyenda de Plata ("Silver Legend") tournament.[33] On July 13, Kamaitachi unsuccessfully challenged Dragon Lee for theCMLL World Lightweight Championship.[34]
On January 23, 2016, Takahashi, billed as Kamaitachi, made a surprise return to NJPW during a CMLL and NJPW co-producedFantastica Mania 2016 event, attacking Dragon Lee and challenging him to a title match.[35] This marked his first NJPW appearance since May 2013.[36] At the following day'sFantastica Mania 2016 event, Kamaitachi defeated Dragon Lee to win his first professional wrestling title, the CMLL World Lightweight Championship. Following the match, Kamaitachi stated that he was not yet returning to NJPW, but would travel back to CMLL.[37] On March 4, back in Mexico City, Kamaitachi lost the title back to Dragon Lee.[38] The following month, it was reported that Takahashi was done with CMLL and had moved to the United States.[39]
On April 30, 2016, Kamaitachi made his debut forRing of Honor (ROH), losing toA. C. H.[40] On May 20, Kamaitachi made his debut forPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), losing toMichael Elgin.[41] On September 3, Kamaitachi entered PWG's2016 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, but was eliminated in his first round match byTrevor Lee.[42] On June 24, 2016, Kamaitachi made his pay-per-view debut with Ring of Honor at Best In The World, losing toKyle O'Reilly by submission. On September 30, 2016, at ROH'sAll Star Extravaganza VIII, Kamaitachi lost to his old rival in CMLL, the debuting Dragon Lee.[43]
In August 2016, a cryptic video started appearing on NJPW programming featuring a time bomb counting down to November 5, 2016.[44] On November 5, 2016, atPower Struggle, Takahashi, once again working under his real name, made a surprise appearance afterKushida had defeatedBushi to regain theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, challenging the new champion to a match atWrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome.[45] On December 10, at the World Tag League finals, Takahashi acceptedTetsuya Naito's offer to join theLos Ingobernables de Japón (L.I.J.) stable.[46] Takahashi wrestled his NJPW return match on December 16, pinning Kushida in a tag team main event, where he and Naito defeated Kushida &Hiroshi Tanahashi.[47] On January 4, 2017, at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, Takahashi defeated Kushida to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[48] He made his first successful title defense on February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka against Dragon Lee.[49] His next defense took place on March 6 at NJPW's 45th anniversary event, where he defeated Ryusuke Taguchi.[50] Takahashi made his third defense on April 9 atSakura Genesis 2017, defeating Kushida in just one minute and 56 seconds.[51] His fourth successful defense took place against Ricochet on April 29.[52] Takahashi suffered his first loss since his return to Japan on May 17, when he was defeated by longtime rival Dragon Lee in his opening match in the2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[53] Takahashi suffered further losses in the tournament against Ricochet andWill Ospreay and failed to advance to the finals with a record of four wins and three losses.[54] On June 11 atDominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall, Takahashi lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to the winner of the tournament, Kushida.[55]
In late 2017, Takahashi started teaming regularly with L.I.J. stablemate Bushi in NJPW's junior tag team division.[56] On October 23, the two defeated Dragon Lee & Titán in the first round of the2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament.[57] They were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals on October 30 by eventual winnersRoppongi 3K (Sho &Yoh).[58] AtWrestle Kingdom 12, he competed in a fatal-four-way match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was unsuccessful. Alongside Bushi, he was challenged for the Jr. Tag Team Championships but was unfortunately unsuccessful in the process. He then competed in the Best of the Super Juniors 2018, winning his block with five wins and two losses, defeating rival Kushida, and advancing to the finals. On June 4, Takahashi defeatedTaiji Ishimori in the finals to win the2018 Best Of The Super Juniors. The match received a5+1⁄2-star rating from Dave Meltzer. AtDominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo-Hall, Takahashi defeatedWill Ospreay to win theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for a second time.[59] On July 7, 2018, at theG1 Special in San Francisco, Takahashi successfully defended his title against Dragon Lee, but it was reported after the match that Takahashi had suffered a broken neck because of a botchedPhoenix-Plex.[60] It was reported that Takahashi would miss up 9 to 12 months of action due to the severity of the injury, and as a result, the title was declared vacant on August 20.
Takahashi (left) returned from a severe neck injury atPower Struggle, challengingWill Ospreay (right) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
On November 3, 2019, atPower Struggle, Takahashi returned to NJPW to challenge Will Ospreay to a match atWrestle Kingdom 14 for the Junior Heavyweight Championship, which Ospreay accepted. His return match took place on December 19, 2019, during the Road to Tokyo Dome event, 530 days after his last match, with he and Bushi losing to Ospreay &Robbie Eagles.[61] On January 4, 2020, atWrestle Kingdom 14, Takahashi defeated Ospreay to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the third time in his career.[62] On the second night of the event, he teamed up withRyu Lee to defeatJushin Thunder Liger &Naoki Sano, in what was Liger'sretirement match; after pinning Liger to win the match, Takahashi vowed to him that he would continue the legacy of the junior heavyweight division that Liger had started.[63] AtSummer Struggle in Jingu, he lost the title to Ishimori after holding the title for 238 days.[64]
In June, Takahashi entered theNew Japan Cup for the first time. Despite being a Junior Heavyweight, Takahashi beat established heavyweight stars, such asToru Yano andTomohiro Ishii to advance to the semifinals.[65] In the semi-finals, Takahashi was defeated byKazuchika Okada. Takahashi would be announced as a participant in the Best of the Super Jr. tournament, which he won after defeatingEl Desperado in the finals. Immediately after, he called out the winner of theSuper J-Cup (won byEl Phantasmo), to a match atWrestle Kingdom 15, where the winner would go on to face Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on the second night.[66] On night one of Wrestle Kingdom, Takahashi defeated Phantasmo, and on night two, he defeated Ishimori, beginning his fourth reign with the Junior Heavyweight Championship. However, Takahashi would suffer a torn pectoral muscle, vacating the title on February 25, 2021.[67] On July 25 atWrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, Takahashi made his return from injury, announcing that he was medically cleared to return to in-ring competition, before challenging the winner of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match between El Desperado and Robbie Eagles. Later that night, Eagles defeated Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, setting up his match against Takahashi. On August 27, Takahashi made his in-ring return from injury defeatingDOUKI. On September 5 atWrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome Night 2, Takahashi unsuccessfully challenged Robbie Eagles for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. From November 13 until December 11, Takahashi took part in the2021 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of seven wins, three losses, and a draw, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On December 15, Takahashi defeatedYoh in the finals to win the 2021 Best of the Super Juniors for the third time in the longest match of the tournament's history, while also becoming the second wrestler in the tournament's history to win back-to-back finals afterTiger Mask IV in 2004 and 2005. Takahashi received his title shot on Night 1 ofWrestle Kingdom 16, where he lost to Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado.[68] On Night 2, Los Ingobernables de Japon defeatedSuzuki-Gun in a 6-man tag-team match.[69]
Takahashi once again entered theNew Japan Cup in March, once again having an impressive showing against heavyweight stars, defeatingMinoru Suzuki and theNEVER Openweight Champion Evil. In the quarterfinals, Takahashi lost to stablemate,Shingo Takagi.[70] Due to his win over Evil, Takahashi received a NEVER Openweight Championship match atHyper Battle, but was defeated.[71] In May, Takahashi entered theBest of the Super Juniors, topping the A Block with 12 points. He once again met El Desperado in the finals, where he was victorious, therefore becoming the record winner of the tournament with four victories and breaking the record for the most amount of consecutive tournament wins at 3.[72] Takahashi received his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW Road, but failed to win the championship from Taiji Ishimori.[73] In June Takahashi and Takagi were scheduled to team withDarby Allin andSting atAEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, however Takahashi was pulled from the card after suffering from a fever.[74] Instead in July, Takahashi made hisNJPW Strong debut in the USA, losing in a three-way match to El Desperado andBlake Christian.[75] Takahashi defeated Christian once again at Music City Mayhem, a few days later.[76] On January 4, 2023, atWrestle Kingdom 17, Takahashi defeatedMaster Wato, El Desperado and champion Taiji Ishimori to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in a four-way match, for a fifth time.[77] Following his Wrestle Kingdom victory, Takahashi defeatedPro Wrestling Noah and KONGO'sHajime Ohara, atWrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena.[78]
On February 5, Takahashi made his first Junior Heavyweight title defense against YOH atThe New Beginning in Sapporo.[79] On February 21, Takahashi defeatedAmakusa atKeiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love.[80] On March 21, Takahashi defeatedLio Rush to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Following the show's main event, Takahashi returned to the ring, confronting his old LIJ stablemateSanada, who had just defeated Kazuchika Okada to win theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi claimed his desire to challenge Sanada for the championship, which was granted by Sanada, however only on the basis that Sanada's stablemateYoshinobu Kanemaru, could challenge for Takahashi's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship first, which Takahashi similarly accepted.[81] On April 8 atSakura Genesis, Takahashi made another successful title defense, defeatingRobbie Eagles.[82] On April 27, Takahashi successfully defended his title against Kanemaru.[83] The following month atWrestling Dontaku, Takahashi failed to defeat Sanada to win the World Championship.[84] Following this, Takahashi competed in the A block of theBest of the Super Juniors 30 tournament.[85] Takahashi finished with a total of 12 points, narrowly failing to advance to the semi-finals.[86] On June 4 atDominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Takahashi defeated the tournament winner Master Wato to retain his title.[87] Following confrontations inImpact Wrestling, Takahashi redeemed two of his losses in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, defeatingLio Rush andMike Bailey in a three-way match atDestruction in Ryōgoku. Following the match, Takahashi was attacked by a returning Taiji Ishimori, who sought a future title match[88] The following month atPower Struggle, Takahashi successfully defended his title against Ishimori. After the match, Takahashi called out longtime rival El Desperado, challenging to a title match atWrestle Kingdom 18, which was accepted by Desperado.[89] On January 4, 2024 at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Takahashi lost the title to Desperado, ending his fifth title reign at 365 days.[90]
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