 Gentaro in May 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gentaro Takahashi (1974-10-28)October 28, 1974 (age 51)[10][11][12] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Anavel Taro[1] Benten[2] Blue Onigumo[2] Bret Gentaro[3] Gentaro GGG / Great God Gentaro / Triple G[4] Kojiki[5] Madness Tiger[6] Masked Taro[2] Moto Tairou[7] Nasty Black Panther[2] Snuka Boy[8] Takahashi[9] |
| Billed height | 1.76 m (5 ft9+1⁄2 in)[10][11][12] |
| Billed weight | 90 kg (198 lb)[10][11][12] |
| Debut | May 8, 1999[10][12] |
Gentaro Takahashi (高橋 元太郎,Takahashi Gentarō; born October 28, 1974)[10][11][12][13] is aJapaneseprofessional wrestler, better known by thering nameGentaro (stylized asGENTARO). Though officially affiliated with thePro Wrestling Freedomspromotion, Gentaro also works for several otherindependent promotions, includingDDT Pro-Wrestling,Kaientai Dojo and women's wrestling promotionIce Ribbon, where he works mainly as the leadplay-by-play announcer. Takahashi also makes sporadic appearances as the masked characterBenten (also stylized in all capital letters).
Trained by the Wrestle Dream Factory (WDF)promotion, Takahashi made hisprofessional wrestling debut on May 8, 1999, at a WDF event inTokorozawa, Saitama.[10][12][13] While also making appearances for Kageki Pro as the masked character Nasty Black Panther, Takahashi remained with WDF for two years, before becoming afreelancer in 2001.[2]
On November 30, 2000, Gentaro made his debut forDramatic Dream Team (DDT), teaming withTakashi Sasaki in a tag team match, where they defeated Kengo Takai and Yuki Nishino.[14] Gentaro began working regularly for the promotion in October 2001, when he started astoryline rivalry withMikami.[15] On November 1, Gentaro won his first title in DDT, when he and Yoshiya defeated Mikami andThanomsak Toba to win thevacantKO-D Tag Team Championship.[16] Gentaro and Yoshiya made their first successful defense on November 30, defeating Mikami and Toba in a rematch, with Gentaro pinning his rival for the win.[15] However, on December 12, Mikami came back and pinned Gentaro to make himself and Gentaro's former partner Takashi Sasaki the new KO-D Tag Team Champions.[16] On June 6, 2002, Gentaro received his first shot at DDT's top singles title, theKO-D Openweight Championship, when he unsuccessfully challengedKintaro Kanemura.[3] In July, Gentaro reunited with Takashi Sasaki, under the team name Akarangers, to take part in the2002 KO-D Tag League, where they would finish third.[3][17] On October 24, the Akarangers defeated Mikami and Thanomsak Toba in aChampionship vs. Championship match to retain theWEW World Tag Team Championship and win the KO-D Tag Team Championship.[16] On November 14, Gentaro defeated Sasaki andTomohiko Hashimoto in a three-way match to become the number one contender to the KO-D Openweight Championship.[3] On November 29, Gentaro defeatedSanshiro Takagi to also become the new KO-D Openweight Champion.[18] However, his reign would last less than a month, as he was defeated by his rival Mikami on December 22, in a four-way match, which also included Sanshiro Takagi and Tomohiko Hashimoto.[18] On January 4, 2003, Gentaro made his first appearance as thekabuki mask wearing Benten, taking part in abattle royal for theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship.[19] Benten has since also made appearances forKaientai Dojo,[20]Apache Pro-Wrestling Army,[21]New Japan Pro-Wrestling,[22] andUnion Pro Wrestling.[23] On January 31, 2003, Gentaro and Sasaki lost the KO-D Tag Team Championship to Sanshiro Takagi and Tomohiko Hashimoto.[16] Shortly afterwards, Gentaro left DDT for the remainder of the year,[19] returning in early 2004, when he reunited with Sasaki, with the two defeatingHero! andKudo on February 11 to regain the KO-D Tag Team Championship.[16] After three successful defenses, they lost the title toRyuji Ito and Sanshiro Takagi on July 1.[24] On September 30, Gentaro won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship two times during a ten-minute battle royal, but was unable to leave the match with the title.[25] From October 2004 to December 2009, Gentaro only made fifteen appearances for DDT, but still managed to win the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship for the third time on April 9, 2008, and losing it two days later.[26][27]
Gentaro finally returned full-time on January 10, 2010, when he defeated longtime rival Mikami for theDDT Extreme Championship.[28] After a four-month reign, he lost the title toDanshoku Dino on May 5.[29] In October 2010, Gentaro formed a newstable named Granma withDick Togo andYasu Urano.[30][31] After Gentaro and Urano unsuccessfully challengedAntonio Honda andDaisuke Sasaki for the KO-D Tag Team Championship on November 28,[32] Gentaro also faced Honda in a losing effort for theinterim KO-D Openweight Championship on December 26.[33] On February 20, 2011, Gentaro and Urano defeated Honda and Sasaki in a rematch to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship, Gentaro's third time winning the title.[34] On March 27, Gentaro entered the annual Anytime and Anywhere battle royal, a match combining elements of a regular battle royal and aladder match, where he managed to grab the "Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere" contract to earn the right to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Championship at a time of his own choosing.[35] After three successful title defenses, Gentaro and Urano lost the KO-D Tag Team Championship toMunenori Sawa andShigehiro Irie on June 4.[36] On June 19, Gentaro cashed in his "Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere" contract, but was defeated in his KO-D Openweight Championship match by the defending champion,Shuji Ishikawa.[37] Granma folded shortly afterwards, following the retirement of Dick Togo on June 30, and Gentaro and Urano failing to recapture the KO-D Tag Team Championship on July 24.[38][39] Gentaro returned to DDT on June 3, 2012, whenTomomitsu Matsunaga chose him as his tag team partner, after earning the right to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Championship. In their title match, Gentaro and Matsunaga were defeated by the defending champions, Yasu Urano andYuji Hino.[40] On July 30, Gentaro returned to referee a four-way tag team match, after which he surprised one of the competitors,Mio Shirai, and pinned her to become the new Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion.[41] However, his reign ended later that same event, when he was pinned by Michael Mamezawa.[41]
Gentaro returned to DDT on July 20, 2014, when he teamed with Yasu Urano in a tag team match, where they faced Mikami and Tomomitsu Matsunaga. After submitting Mikami for the win, Gentaro entered a storyline, where he took his "unmotivated" opponent under his wing to help him out of his recent slump.[42][43] This led to a match on August 17 at DDT's biggest event of the year,Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2014, where Gentaro and Mikami defeatedAkito and Yasu Urano.[44][45]
In 2002, Gentaro began working for the newly foundedWorld Entertainment Wrestling (WEW), teaming with Takashi Sasaki on August 23 to defeat Hi68 andTaka Michinoku and become the first WEW-promoted World Tag Team Champions.[46] After a seven-month reign, Gentaro and Sasaki lost the title toKintaro Kanemura and Tetsuhiro Kuroda on March 11, 2003.[46] The following year, WEW folded and was replaced byApache Pro-Wrestling Army, with Gentaro jumping to the new promotion, where he would join the Apache Army.[13] As a member of the Apache Army, Gentaro formed a regular partnership with The Winger and adopted a newcharacter, opposing all hardcore wrestling.[13] On September 23, 2007, Gentaro and The Winger defeatedJun Kasai andJaki Numazawa to win the WEW World Tag Team Championship, starting Gentaro's second reign with the title.[47] They would lose the title toTokyo Gurentai (Mazada andNosawa Rongai) on April 17, 2008.[48] The following year, Apache Pro-Wrestling Army folded.
On August 16, 2003, Gentaro made his debut for Kaientai Dojo, teaming withHi69 to defeatKengo Mashimo and Kunio Toshima in a tag team match.[49] During the following months, Gentaro formed a regular trio with Hi69 andKazma.[50][51] In December 2003, Gentaro, Daigoro Kashiwa, Hi69, Kazma, Psycho and Teppei Ishizaka made it to the finals of the Survivor-K tournament, before being defeated by Kengo Mashimo, Kunio Toshima, Mike Lee Jr.,Miyawaki,Super-X and Yuu Yamagata.[52] On July 3, 2004, Gentaro won his first championship in Kaientai Dojo, when he teamed with Yoshiya to defeat Daigoro Kashiwa and Teppei Ishizaka for theUWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.[53] After a four-month reign, Gentaro and Yoshiya lost the title to Taka Michinoku and Ryota Chikuzen on October 30.[54] Gentaro became a champion again on February 12, 2005, when he defeatedOnryo for theUWA World Middleweight Championship.[55] However, his reign ended just seven days later, when he was defeated by Boso Boy Raito.[56] Afterwards, Gentaro took a four-month break from Kaientai Dojo to concentrate on his work in Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, defeatingPsycho in his return match on June 11.[57] The following month, he entered the Strongest-K tournament, defeating female wrestlerTomoka Nakagawa and Kunio Toshima to advance to the semifinals of the tournament, where, on August 6, he was defeated by Psycho.[58][59][60] During the next four years, Gentaro only made three more appearances for Kaientai Dojo.[61][62][63]
After the folding of Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, Gentaro returned to Kaientai Dojo on May 5, 2009, reuniting with Yoshiya.[64][65] On August 9, Gentaro and Yoshiya unsuccessfully challengedMakoto Oishi andShiori Asahi for theStrongest-K Tag Team Championship.[66] On September 23, Gentaro defeated Oishi to win theIndependent World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[67] Afterwards, Gentaro began spending more time in his new home promotion,Pro Wrestling Freedoms, but returned on April 2, 2010, to lose the Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship to Marines Mask II.[68] Gentaro's next Kaientai Dojo appearance took place on December 16, 2011, when he wrestled in Kengo Mashimo's tenth anniversary match, where Mashimo, Hiroki and Yasu Urano defeated Gentaro, Taka Michinoku and Yoshiya.[69] On January 9, 2012, Gentaro and Hiroki entered the Kaientai Dojo Tag League, where they made it to the finals, before losing to Kengo Mashimo and Taka Michinoku on January 28.[70][71] On February 4, Gentaro and Hiroki defeated Mashimo and Ryuichi Sekine in a tag team match, with Gentaro pinning Mashimo for the win.[72] As a result, Gentaro was named the number one contender to Mashimo'sStrongest-K Championship, but was defeated in the title match on February 26.[73]
Gentaro returned to Kaientai Dojo on July 17, 2014, unsuccessfully challenging Taka Michinoku for the Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[74]
On July 14, 2008, Gentaro made his debut for women's wrestling promotionIce Ribbon, teaming withRiho to defeatEmi Sakura andRibbon Takanashi in a tag team match.[75] Gentaro returned to Ice Ribbon seventeen months later on December 20, 2009, when he began working regularly for the promotion, becoming only the second male wrestler to have a regular spot on the roster (the first being Ribbon Takanashi).[76] In March 2010, Gentaro got involved in a storyline withMiyako Matsumoto, starting on March 31, when he successfully defended the DDT Extreme Championship against her.[77] Following the match, Gentaro and Matsumoto formed a tag team, wrestlingKeita Yano and Munenori Sawa to a fifteen-minute time limit draw on April 7.[78] However, problems quickly arose between the two, when Matsumoto revealed that Gentaro's fellow Freedoms worker Jun Kasai was her favorite wrestler.[79] On April 17, when Matsumoto and Kasai were named the number one contenders to theInternational Ribbon Tag Team Championship, held by Kazumi Shimouna andNanae Takahashi of Passion Red, Gentaro interrupted the announcement and demanded to be included in the match. When Emi Sakura agreed to change the match, Keita Yano entered the ring and attacked Matsumoto, revealing himself as Gentaro's partner.[80] The three-way match, contested underhardcore rules, took place on May 3, and saw Matsumoto and Kasai become the new champions.[81] On August 11, Gentaro formed a new tag team withMai Ichii, with the two defeating the reigning International Ribbon Tag Team Champions,Chii Tomiya andIsami Kodaka, in a non-title match in their first match together.[82] As a result, Gentaro and Ichii were granted a shot at the title on September 23, where they defeated Tomiya and Kodaka to become the new International Ribbon Tag Team Champions.[83] However, Gentaro's and Ichii's reign ended just two days later, when they were defeated by Emi Sakura and Nanae Takahashi.[84] Since losing the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship, Gentaro has mainly remained outside of storylines, wrestling only sporadically, and instead began working as the leadplay-by-play announcer on Ice Ribbon's broadcasts onUstream and Samurai TV.[85]
After the folding of Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, Gentaro officially made Pro Wrestling Freedoms his new home promotion, debuting at the promotion's first ever event on September 2, defeating the promotion's founder and former partner Takashi Sasaki in the opening match.[86] Later in the main event, Gentaro teamed with The Winger in a losing effort against the team of Taka Michinoku andTajiri.[86] At the promotion's second event on September 27, Gentaro defeatedEl Samurai in the main event to retain the International Junior Heavyweight and VKF Championships.[87] During the rest of the year, Gentaro also successfully defended the titles against Madoka and just the International Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kazuhiko Ogasawara.[88][89] In November, Gentaro was invited to represent Freedoms in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's2009 Super J-Cup.[90][91] He was eliminated from the tournament in the first round on December 22 byRyusuke Taguchi.[92] In early 2010, Gentaro continued defending both titles,[93][94] while also regularly teaming with The Winger, with the two joining the Freedoms Army in the process.[95][96] Freedoms Army feuded with theBig Japan Pro Wrestling based Kojika Army, culminating on June 21, 2010, in a special event, where members of both stables faced each other in singles matches. In the main event of the evening, Gentaro defeated Kojika Army leader, The Great Kojika, in a singles match, winning the match series for Freedoms Army 3–2.[97] At the following event on July 15, Gentaro turned on the Freedoms Army and jumped to the Kojika Army.[98] The turn built to a four-on-four elimination match between the two stables on November 23, which Takashi Sasaki won for Freedoms by pinning Gentaro.[99] On December 15, Gentaro was defeated by Sasaki in aTwo Out of Three Falls main event, ending the rivalry between the two wrestlers.[100] In 2011, the Kojika Army moved on to feuding with the DDT Pro-Wrestling based TKG48 stable, led by Sanshiro Takagi.[101] On March 6, Gentaro teamed with The Great Kojika to defeat Takagi and Riki Sensyu in a tag team match, pinning Takagi for the win.[102] On March 26, Gentaro unsuccessfully challenged Jun Kasai forAmerican promotionCombat Zone Wrestling's (CZW)Ultraviolent Underground Championship in a "Pool of Blood Deathmatch".[103][104][105] On May 8, Gentaro returned to defending the VKF Championship, when he defeated TKG48 member Shigehiro Irie in the main event to retain the title.[106] The following September, Gentaro left the Kojika Army and on October 27, 2011, defeated The Great Kojika in a singles match.[107][108] On August 5, 2012, after a match at a Freedoms event, Gentaro was hospitalized and diagnosed withcerebral infarction.[109] Gentaro resumed training in May 2013 and in early 2014 announced he was ready to return to the ring.[110] On May 2, 2014, Gentaro was defeated by Isami Kodaka in his first match in 21 months.[111][112] On March 5, Gentaro won his Freedoms title, when he andKenichiro Arai defeatedEl Hijo del Winger Uno and El Hijo del Winger Dos for the King of Freedom World Tag Team Championship.[113] They lost the title toBuffalo and Yuya Susumu in their first defense on March 23.[114] On May 1, Gentaro unsuccessfully challengedMasashi Takeda for the King of Freedom World Championship.[115] On July 25, Gentaro and Takashi Sasaki defeated Kamui and Mammoth Sasaki to win the King of Freedom World Tag Team Championship.[116][117] They lost the title to Kenji Fukimoto andMinoru Fujita four days later.[118]
On August 11, 2016, Gentaro defeated The Winger to win theUWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[119] After losing the title to Miedo Extremo on November 17,[120] he regained it on December 7.[121] He then lost the title to Yuya Susumu in his third defense on May 2, 2017.[122]
