 Yoh in July 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yohei Komatsu (1988-06-25)June 25, 1988 (age 37)[4] |
| Website | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Fujin Yohei Komatsu Yo[1] Yoh[2] Yohey[3] |
| Billed height | 171.5 cm (5 ft 7.5 in)[4] |
| Billed weight | 85 kg (187 lb)[4] |
| Trained by | NJPW Dojo Junji Hirata Tetsuya Naito[5] |
| Debut | November 19, 2012[4] |
Yohei Komatsu (小松 洋平,Komatsu Yōhei) (born June 25, 1988), better known by hisring nameYoh (stylised inall caps), is a Japaneseprofessional wrestler. He is signed toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and is one-third of the currentNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions alongside Spiritech tag team partnerMaster Wato andToru Yano in their first reign as a team and his second individually.
After returning from his excursion, he was a part of the junior heavyweighttag teamRoppongi 3K, along withSho. The tag team were five-timeIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and three-time winners of theSuper Junior Tag League. Additionally, Yoh is a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Master Wato), a two-timeNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion (the first alongsideHirooki Goto andYoshi-Hashi), and won the Super Junior Tag League withLio Rush. From 2017 to 2025, Yoh was a member ofChaos.
He has previously also worked for the American promotionRing of Honor (ROH) and Mexican promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). In the latter promotion, he was known under the ring nameFujin (風神,Fūjin), named after the Japanese God of the wind, and was part ofLa Ola Amarilla ("the Yellow Wave") alongsideOkumura,Kamaitachi and Raijin (the name Sho worked under in Mexico).
Komatsu was born on June 26, 1988, inKurihara, Miyagi,Japan where he also grew up. He became interested in professional wrestling by watching it on television with his parents from the age of three.[4] While in school he joined the wrestling club, learning amateur wrestling at a young age.[4][6]
After graduating from university, Komatsu began training for his professional wrestling career at theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) dojo. Initially, he worked a part-time job while trying to pass the NJPW "Young Lions" test, which he finally passed in May 2012.[4]
He made his debut for NJPW on November 19, 2012, on NJPW'sNEVER project'sShodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament show where he lost toTakaaki Watanabe.[7] Komatsu competed as one of NJPW's "Young Lions", a class of rookie wrestlers who work mostly against each other early on, wearing all black gear and with no particular ring character, all part of the structured learning process in NJPW.[6] In 2013, he competed in his first major NJPW tournament, teaming up withKushida to compete in the 2013Super Junior Tag Tournament. The team lost in the first round toBushi andValiente.[8][9] On January 4, 2014 Komatsu teamed up withJyushin Thunder Liger,Manabu Nakanishi andSuper Strong Machine to work a non-televised match atWrestle Kingdom 8, NJPW's biggest show of the year. The team lost to Bushi,Captain New Japan,Hiroyoshi Tenzan andTomoaki Honma.[10][11] Throughout 2013 and 2014, Komatsu often faced off against fellow Young LionSho Tanaka, with both men trading victories in both singles and tag team competition.[12] By 2015, Komatsu and Tanaka had begun teaming together on a regular basis, including working together in theNew Japan Rumble as part ofWrestle Kingdom 9 on January 5, 2015. The two teamed up to eliminateTiger Mask andTaichi but were both eliminated byTama Tonga.[13] On January 15, 2015, Komatsu competed at theFantastica Mania 2015 event as he was called upon to replace the injuredRey Cometa in the NJPW/Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) co-promoted event. The team of Komatsu and Kushida lost toBárbaro Cavernario andYoshi-Hashi.[14] On February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Komatsu lost to Tanaka and three days later Komatsu andSatoshi Kojima lost to Captain New Japan and Nakanishi.[15][16] TheInvasion Attack 2015 show saw Komatsu,Alex Shelley, Captain New Japan, Kushida andYuji Nagata defeated Liger, Nakanishi,Ryusuke Taguchi, Sho Tanaka and Tiger Mask.[17]
He was announced to be one of 16 wrestlers selected to be part of the 2015Best of the Super Juniors tournament. However, he would go on to lose all his qualifying matches.[18] On July 5, 2015, atDominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, Nakanishi,Máscara Dorada, Taguchi, Tanaka and Nagata defeatedHiroyoshi Tenzan, Liger, Kojima, Tiger Mask and Komatsu in the untelevised first match of the night.[19] His next match at a major NJPW show was on September 23, 2015 atDestruction in Okayama where he, Tanaka,Katsuyori Shibata and Nagata defeatedDavid Finlay,Jay White, Nakanishi andTetsuya Naito.[20] A few days later, atDestruction in Kobe, Komatsu and Tanaka defeated fellow Young Lions Finlay and White.[21] In early 2016, it was announced that Komatsu and Tanaka would compete in the 2016Fantastica Mania series of shows, competing in what NJPW called the "Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka send-off game", announcing that the two would travel to Mexico and work for CMLL as part of their continued in-ring skill development.[22] The team worked the opening match for each of the six Fantastica Mania events, losing each time.[23][24][25][26][27][28] On the last night, Tetsuya Naito, Komatsu's original trainer, called Komatsu to the ring and implied that he was going to join Naito's stableLos Ingobernables de Japón, but then proceeded to beat him up withEvil.[5]
Komatsu and Tanaka would be the latest in a long line of young Japanese wrestlers to travel to Mexico to learn thelucha libre style. In Mexico, Komatsu was given thering name Fujin, named after theJapanese God of Wind, teaming with Tanaka who would be known as Raijin, named after theJapanese God of Thunder.[29] The duo made their Mexican debut on January 31, teaming up withOkumura, forming the most recent version ofLa Ola Amarilla ("The Yellow Wave").[30] The group was joined byKamaitachi, the previous NJPW trainee who has worked for CMLL since 2014.[31] On March 22, Fujin took part in the 2016 edition of TheCMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa, a tournament in which rookies team up with veterans in asingle-elimination tournament. Teaming up withRey Escorpión, Fujin won his block, advancing to the finals of the tournament scheduled for April 5,[32] in which they were defeated in the finals of the tournament byEsfinge andVolador Jr.
In October 2016, Komatsu and Tanaka, now billed as "Yohey" and "Sho" and known as the "Tempura Boyz", began working regularly for American promotionRing of Honor (ROH), with whom NJPW also had a working relationship.[33]
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On October 9, 2017, atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Komatsu and Tanaka, billed as "Yoh" and "Sho", returned to NJPW, when they were revealed asRocky Romero's new tag teamRoppongi 3K. The two defeatedFunky Future (Ricochet andRyusuke Taguchi) in their return match to become the newIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.[34] Through their affiliation with Romero, Yoh and Sho also became part of theChaos stable.[35] On November 5 atPower Struggle, Roppongi 3K defeatedSuper 69 (ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the finals to win the2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament.[36] On January 4, 2018, Roppongi 3K lost the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship toThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) atWrestle Kingdom 12,[37] but won it back on January 28 at the New Beginning in Sapporo. In May 2018, Yoh entered his secondBest of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with 3 wins and 4 losses, failing to advance to the finals. In October, Sho and Yoh entered the 2018Super Junior Tag League, winning the tournament for the second time in a row to faceEl Desperado andYoshinobu Kanemaru atWrestle Kingdom 13. However, an earlier loss to the team ofShingo Takagi andBushi made the title match a triple threat, that Takagi and Bushi would go onto win, with Takagi pinning Sho. At New Japan’s 47th Anniversary Event, Sho and Yoh would defeat Takagi and Bushi to win the championship for a third time. In June, Roppongi 3K would lose the Junior Tag Team Championship to the team ofEl Phantasmo andTaiji Ishimori. In November, Sho and Yoh would win theSuper Junior Tag League for the third time in a row. AtWrestle Kingdom 14, Roppongi 3K would defeat Phantasmo and Ishimori to win the titles for the fourth time. Roppongi 3K would make their first successful title defense against Desperado and Kanemaru at The New Beginning in Osaka. They would make their second successful title defense against Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi on the first night of the New Japan Road tour. Following New Japan’s return to producing wrestling shows, Yoh entered the 2020New Japan Cup losing to Bushi in the first round.[38] During this match, Yoh tore his leftACL which kept him out of action for the rest of 2020.[39][40]
Yoh returned to NJPW during the finals of the 2021New Japan Cup.[41] Later that year along with partner Sho, Yoh entered theSuper Junior Tag League. Despite entering as favourites and former winners the pair struggled to pick up any wins. On August 16, 2021, following a loss toSuzuki-gun, Sho attacked Yoh, ending their eight-year partnership.[42]
Following Sho's betrayal, the two faced off atWrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, where Sho defeated Yoh via referee stoppage.[43] After the match, Sho joinedBullet Club, accepting a shirt fromEvil,Yujiro Takahashi andDick Togo, hence joining their sub-group House of Torture.[44] Following the loss, Yoh was inactive in the ring, until November, where he participated in theBest of the Super Juniors tournament. Yoh finished second in the block, ending with 14 points and advancing to the finals, after avenging his loss to Sho on the final day.[45] In the finals, Yoh lost toHiromu Takahashi.[46] AtWrestle Kingdom 16, Yoh teamed withHirooki Goto andYoshi-Hashi, in a losing effort to House of Torture for theNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[47]
During the Golden Series tour in February, the duo lost in a rematch to House of Torture.[48] The following month, Yoh entered the 2022New Japan Cup, but lost toHiroshi Tanahashi in the first round.[49] In May, Yoh entered theBest of the Super Juniors tournament, competing in the A Block.[50] Yoh ended his tournament campaign with 8 points, failing to advance to the finals.[51] In July, Yoh, Goto and Yoshi-Hashi defeated House of Torture to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The trio lost the titles in a rematch to House of Torture in September atBurning Spirit[52] In November, Yoh teamed with newChaos stablemateLio Rush in theSuper Junior Tag League. The duo finished joint top of the block with 14 points, advancing to the finals.[53] In the finals, Yoh and Rush defeated Bullet Club'sAce Austin andChris Bey, to win Yoh's record fourth Super Junior Tag League.[54] The duo earnt their title shot atWrestle Kingdom 17, where they lost toIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ChampionsCatch 2/2 (TJP andFrancesco Akira).[55]
AtThe New Beginning in Sapporo, Yoh faced Hiromu Takahashi for theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated.[56] In May, Yoh entered the 2023Best of the Super Juniors, competing in the B Block.[57] Yoh finished the tournament with 12 points, narrowly missing out on advancing to the semi-finals.[58] As Rush was unavailable for theSuper Junior Tag League due to illness, Yoh made a surprise appearance atMichinoku Pro Wrestling's anniversary show and confrontedMusashi, who he had known since high school.[59] Musashi accepted his invitation, but they finished eighth in the block with eight points.[60]
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