 Chono in November 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1963-09-17)September 17, 1963 (age 62)[4] Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kamikaze Chono[1] Masahiro Chono[1] Masa Chono[1] Tokyo Chono[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 238 lb (108 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan (WCW) Mitaka, Tokyo (NJPW) |
| Trained by | Stu Hart Lou Thesz Antonio Inoki Kotetsu Yamamoto[3] |
| Debut | October 5, 1984 |
| Retired | February 21, 2023 |
Masahiro Chono (蝶野正洋,Chōno Masahiro; born September 17, 1963) is an American-born Japanese retiredprofessional wrestler andactor best known for his 26-year stint withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader ofnWo Japan,Team 2000 andBlack New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for much of his career, beginning in 1994 when he adopted ayakuza inspired gimmick.
Aside from his work in NJPW, Chono has also made appearances forWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), as a member of theNew World Order, as well as occasional appearances inAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW),Pro Wrestling Noah andPro Wrestling Zero1. Chono holds the record for most wins at theG1 Climax at 5, which has earned him the nicknames"Mr. August" and"Mr. G1". Overall, he is a two-time world champion, with one reign asIWGP Heavyweight Champion andNWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion each. He is also a seven-timeIWGP Tag Team Champion.
Chōno debuted in 1984 againstKeiji Mutoh at aNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event inSaitama, Japan.[5] In 1987, he defeatedShinya Hashimoto to win theYoung Lions Cup. After winning the tournament, he went on an excursion that started in Europe, wrestling forOtto Wanz'sCatch Wrestling Association.
After a while inEurope, Chono went on an excursion toNorth America, starting in theUnited States forCentral States Wrestling in Kansas City, which by then had broken away from theNational Wrestling Alliance to form the World Wrestling Alliance. His first major feud was againstMike George over theNWA Central States TV and WWA World Heavyweight championships.[5] He would also later wrestle in the Canadian Maritimes forAtlantic Grand Prix Wrestling and inPuerto Rico, where he, Hashimoto, and Mutoh formedThe Three Musketeers.
Chono returned to NJPW part-time in July 1988. He came back to the United States in October 1988 and teamed withMike Davis inContinental Championship Wrestling (CCW), by then renamed the Continental Wrestling Federation (CWF), and won that company's tag titles as the Japanese Connection.
In April 1989, he took part in theIWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament, held at New Japan's very first show at theTokyo Dome; he lost to eventual winner of the tournament and new championBig Van Vader in the quarterfinals. During this time, he would return to the United States and have a brief run inAustralia.
Upon Chono's return to New Japan in October 1989, he reinvented himself. On October 15, 1989 during a match againstMatt Borne where he was victorious, he debuted his signature move, the STF. On February 10, 1990, he wrestled in the main-event of NJPW's secondTokyo Dome show, teaming withShinya Hashimoto againstAntonio Inoki andSeiji Sakaguchi, on April 27 he won theIWGP Tag Team Championship with Mutoh, and on December 26 he defeated his mentor, wrestling legendLou Thesz, when Thesz came out of retirement for one last match.[5] The next year, Chono solidified his main-event status with an amazing performance in the firstG1 Climax tournament, winning the tournament in a thirty-minute final over Mutoh.[5]
He won the tournament again in 1992, winning theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in the process. Since then, he has won the tournament on three more occasions. On September 23, 1992, Chono suffered a serious neck injury from a botched sitdown tombstone piledriver while defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship againstSteve Austin.[5] On January 4, 1993, he lost the NWA World title to IWGP Heavyweight championThe Great Muta in a Title vs. Title match. Around 1993, he participated in his third G1 Climax tournament, losing toHiroshi Hase in the semi-finals. In January 1994, he received a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Shinya Hashimoto, though he would ultimately lose the match. In August 1994, he won his third G1 Climax tournament, defeatingPower Warrior in the finals.
A short time after winning his third G1 Climax, Chono underwent a change in attitude. Originally a clean-cut fan favorite during his NWA World title reign, he turned heel, angered that Power Warrior received a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before him, as he won the tournament. He also changed his image and adopted ayakuzagimmick, complete with sunglasses, menacing mannerisms and black coats and tights.Chono's partnering withHiroyoshi Tenzan andHiro Saito as "Team Wolf" provided a foundation to NJPW'snWo Japan. Establishing himself as leader of its Japanese sister stable, Chono joined the American nWo in December 1996 as it was gaining momentum inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW). He would also join its successor, Team 2000, which would eventually restructure again. In a match against WCW'sBill Goldberg, Chono supposedly "shot" the match (actually employing legitimate combat) and dislocated his shoulder.
Upon returning to Japan, Chono rejoined NJPW, where he achieved much success. He won the IWGP Tag Team Titles on six occasions and also won the very prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Title in 1998. In 2002, Chono won his fourthG1 Climax tournament and had a brief, memorable feud with WWE'sChyna. He also became abooker for NJPW around this time.[5] In 2003, Chono briefly joined Pro Wrestling NOAH for a handful of matches and was defeated by GHC ChampionKenta Kobashi on 2 May of that year. On October 13, he lost toHulk Hogan.
In early 2004, Chono became the leader of theBlack New Japan stable, which was the most dominating heel stable in NJPW until it was disbanded byRiki Choshu. As a reaction to this, Chono lead an "Anti-Choshu Army" with Hiroyoshi Tenzan andBlack Strong Machine. Chono won the2005 G1 Climax tournament, thus having achieved a record-setting five G1 victories. His success in the G1 has given him the nickname Mr. August.
On October 30, 2005, Masahiro Chono and Tenzan defeated the team ofShinsuke Nakamura andHiroshi Tanahashi to win their fifth IWGP Tag Team Championship. The team went on to rename themselvesCho-Ten, aportmanteau of the members' names. They were stripped of the titles in late 2006 after they split up, and refused to defend them together. Masahiro Chono formed a stable withShinsuke Nakamura in 2006 called Chono and Nakamura-gun, which began feuding with Tenzan's new group,GBH.
Chono continued to wrestle full-time in 2007, but also began working as a promoter, with New Japan permitting him to set up cards in different areas of Japan. Following the2007 G1 Climax, it appears that Chono may be breaking away from his BLACK faction and formed the Legend stable, having sworn in wrestlers such as Riki Choshu,Jushin Thunder Liger,Shiro Koshinaka, andAKIRA.
Outside wrestling, Chono began appearing onGaki no Tsukai's "No Laughing Batsu Game" as one of the attackers, usually givingHōsei Tsukitei a slap to the face.
In January 2010 it was reported that Chono would be leaving New Japan and becoming a freelancer, after spending most of his career with the company.[6]
In March 2010, Chono portrayedNobunaga Oda in two matches during a Samurai Festival after leaving New Japan. Chono wrestled AKIRA, who portrayedMitsuhide Akechi, on both days, winning the first match and losing the second. On August 15, 2010, Chono returned to New Japan to serve as the special ring announcer for the G1 Climax final match between Hiroshi Tanahashi andSatoshi Kojima.[7] On November 5 and 6, Chono appeared in a series of shows inTaiwan for All Japan. On November 5, Chono and Mutoh defeated theVoodoo Murders (TARU andRene Dupree). The following day, Chono teamed with Mutoh andMasakatsu Funaki to defeat the Voodoo Murders (Dupree,KENSO, andJoe Doering).[8] In December 2010, Chono began working for Antonio Inoki'sInoki Genome Federation as a booker.
On March 6, 2011, Chono enteredPro Wrestling ZERO1 for their 10th Anniversary Show, where he defeated Daichi Hashimoto in his debut match.[9] On April 17, 2011, Chono wrestled for Osaka Pro, where he teamed with Kuuga andOrochi in a losing effort againstShodai Tiger Mask, Billyken Kid, and Tsubasa.[10] On August 14, 2011, Chono returned to Osaka Pro, teaming with TAJIRI and Zeus in a victory over JOKER (Kuuga, Orochi, andTadasuke).[11] On October 3, 2011, Chono returned to NJPW for a Team Wolf reunion match, teaming with Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hiro Saito to defeat Osamu Nishimura,Koji Kanemoto, and Shinjiro Otani.[12]
In January 2013, Chono signed withAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as an advisor. On August 25, 2013, Chono teamed withJoe Doering and defeatedKENSO and AJPW President Nobuo Shiraishi in an exhibition tag team match. Chono left AJPW in 2014.
After returning to freelance, Chono wrestled once in eight years: a six man tag team match for Dotonbori Pro Wrestling on April 13, 2014. He teamed withDaisuke Masaoka andHayata in a loss toSuper Delfin,Hub, andGran Hamada. From 2014, Chono's appearances were limited to non-active roles such as commentary, talk battles and special appearances. In a 2017 interview, Chono did not completely rule out the possibility of a return to the ring but believed it would be unlikely due to various injuries.[13] In 2021, he revealed that he had been suffering fromspinal stenosis and underwent surgery for it, which was successful.[14]
In a 2022 interview, Chono discussed how Keiji Muto requested to have his retirement match with him but was unsure if he could compete.[15] On February 21, 2023, Chono was challenged to an impromptu match by Muto duringMuto's retirement show at theTokyo Dome, which Chono won.[16] Chono announced his own retirement following the match.
On December 28, 1991, Chono married Martina Carlsbad, whom he met while on an excursion inGermany in 1987.[citation needed] Together they have one son (born July 4, 2006) and one daughter (born August 2009).[citation needed]
In late-June 1995, Chono's father died. His death forced Chono to miss an IWGP Tag Team title defense and take a hiatus, which forced him and Hiroyoshi Tenzan to vacate the title on July 7, 1995.[citation needed]
Since 1999, Chono has owned his own clothing brand,Aristrist (stylised in all caps), with his wife Martina. The name is a portmanteau of "Aristo" and "Tristano".[17]
Chono appears as a gang member in the 2017 video gameYakuza Kiwami 2, alongsideGenichiro Tenryu,Keiji Mutoh,Riki Choshu andTatsumi Fujinami.[18] Besides appearing in numerous TV shows, he was the voice actor in the Japanese dubbed version ofBlade: Trinity for Jarko Grimwood,[citation needed] portrayed by fellow professional wrestlerTriple H.
Chono has provided his vocals for anUTAU voice library, distributed through the February 2013 issue of UTAU Perfect Master, a Windows100% mook.
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