 | |
| Acronym | MPW M-Pro |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 1, 1992 |
| Style | Lucha libre |
| Headquarters | Morioka, Iwate,Japan |
| Founder | The Great Sasuke |
| Owner | Jinsei Shinzaki |
| Split from | Universal Lucha Libre |
| Website | michipro |
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (みちのくプロレス,Michinoku puroresu) (originally known asNorth Eastern Wrestling) is a Japaneseprofessional wrestlingpromotion founded byThe Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the firstindependent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather inMorioka, Iwate. Since the promotion is primarily focused on theLucha libre style of wrestling, many of their wrestlers don masks and special motifs as they compete in the ring. However, Michinoku Pro has accepted wrestlers from various styles (such asshoot style and strong style) and backgrounds over the years. In 2003, Sasuke left the running of the promotion toJinsei Shinzaki.
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (Michinoku Pro or M-Pro) was founded on October 1, 1992 byThe Great Sasuke as a community-based promotion for the northeastern greaterTohoku region of Japan. Their first-ever pre-show was held on November 27, 1992 inTakizawa City, although due to disputes with theUniversal Lucha Libre (UWF), the promotion was put on the back-burner for the next several months.Gran Hamada joined M-Pro, and their first-ever show was held on March 16, 1993 inYahaba,Iwate.
The stableKaientai Deluxe (海援隊Deluxe) was formed in 1996.Dick Togo, Men's Teioh,TAKA Michinoku,Shoichi Funaki, and Hanzo Nakajima worked as young protagonists looking to make a break in the business. This group competed against The Great Sasuke andSuper Delfin. After a couple of years, TAKA and the rest of KAIENTAI moved to the US to compete.
In 1997, Michinoku Pro Wrestling entered into a working relationship with theWorld Wrestling Federation, with M-Pro founder The Great Sasuke wrestling in two matches for the promotion. The WWF would also send talent to Japan, such asThe Undertaker, who would wrestle against M-Pro mainstayJinsei Shinzaki.[1] During this period, the WWF was planning on holding a tournament to crown the first holder of theWWF Light Heavyweight Championship. It has been theorized in the wrestling press that although Great Sasuke was pushed to be the winner of the tournament, he had bragged to the Japanese media that he would only defend the title in Japan, and would refuse to drop the title on WWF television.[2] When the WWF heard Sasuke's comments, he was removed from the tournament, fired, and the MPW/WWF working agreement was terminated.[3] However, speaking on his Something to Wrestle With podcast in July 2017,Bruce Prichard disputed this version of events, suggesting the WWF never entered into any formal agreement with Sasuke, and that the company was only interested in signing TAKA Michinoku.[4] Michinoku Pro Wrestling alumnus TAKA Michinoku would end up winning the title.
By 1998, the promotion had gone on a temporary hiatus after Sasuke suffered a knee injury that required surgery. Delfin took charge of the promotion for the time being, but on January 17, 1999, he announced that he would be withdrawing from the promotion and that many of the wrestlers and backstage personnel would be joining him. This was in part due to differences regarding the direction of the promotion. Delfin was joined by Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Naohiro Hoshikawa, Masaru Seno, Hayato Kigawa, and referee Yukinori Matsui. Delfin formedOsaka Pro Wrestling. TAKA Michinoku and Dick Togo later returned after their stint in the US and competed from time to time. In 2003, Sasuke ran for public office, andJinsei Shinzaki took over as the president of the promotion. The 10th anniversary of the promotion was held on November 2, 2003 at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan.
In July 2004, the promotion underwent a revival asUltimo Dragon disbanded his thenToryumon X promotion and sent his talent to join the promotion, which was then dubbed Shinsei Michinoku Pro-Wrestling. Bear Fukuda,Ken45°, Murcielago, andManabu Murakami were the first to join the promotion. Then in October, Taro Nohashi, Dynamite Tohoku, andShu and Kei Sato joined the promotion. Then at the end of that year SUGI, Rasse, Kagetora, and Manabu Murakami made their debuts.
On December 13, 2013Kenoh left the promotion and vacated the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship due to signing withPro Wrestling Noah. In 2014, Michinoku Pro reactivated the Okinawa Wrestling Championship which was won by Eisa8.
On December 13, 2019 at theKorakuen Hall, the promotion had a sellout, standing-room-only event with an attendance of 1,890, the highest reported attendance at the Korakuen Hall to date for a pro-wrestling event since April 2015.[5]
| Ring name | Real name | Unit[6] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Wolf[7] | Mason Childs | Main Unit | |
| Ayumu Gunji[8] | Ayumu Gunji | Main Unit | |
| Boso Boy Raito [ja][9] | Unknown | Main Unit | |
| Brahman Kei[10] | Kei Sato | Mu no Taisho | |
| Brahman Shu[11] | Shu Sato | Mu no Taisho | |
| Dick Togo[12] | Shigeki Sato | Main Unit | |
| Douki[13] | Tatsuya Hayama | Bad Boy | Part-timer |
| Fujita "Jr." Hayato[14] | Hayato Fujita | Bad Boy | |
| Gaina[15] | Kazuya Yuasa | Main Unit | Also wrestles under themask of Shisao UWA World Tag Team Champion |
| Ikuto Hidaka[16] | Ikuto Hidaka | N/A | Part-timer |
| Jinsei Shinzaki[17] | Kensuke Shinzaki | Main Unit | Tohoku Tag Team Champion |
| Ken45°[18] | Kenichi Sakai | Bad Boy | |
| Kenbai[19] | Yuki Sato | Main Unit | |
| Kengo[20] | Kengo Nishimura | N/A | Part-timer |
| Kesen Numajiro[21] | Akihiro Yonekawa | Main Unit | Part-timer Also wrestles as Yone Genjin |
| Koji Kawamura[22] | Koji Kawamura | Main Unit | |
| Manjimaru[23] | Manabu Murakami | Bad Boy | |
| Minoru Fujita[24] | Minoru Fujita | N/A | Part-timer |
| Rasse[25] | Masaki Okimoto | Main Unit | |
| Rui Hiugaji[26] | Rui Hiugaji | Main Unit | |
| Taira Ogasawara[27] | Taira Ogasawara | Main Unit | |
| Taro Nohashi[28] | Taro Nohashi | Main Unit | UWA World Tag Team Champion |
| The Great Sasuke[29] | Masanori Murakawa | Mu no Taisho | Tohoku Tag Team Champion |
| Último Dragón[30] | Yoshihiro Asai | N/A | Part-timer |
| Yapper Man #1[31] | Tatsuhito Senga | Main Unit | |
| Yapper Man #2[32] | Tsutomu Oosugi | Main Unit | |
| Yasutaka Oosera[33] | Yasutaka Oosera | Main Unit | Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion |
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship |  | El Pantera Jr. | 2 | July 19, 2025 | 128+ | Yahaba, Japan | Defeated Yasutaka Oosera at Michinoku Pro Shobi No Kyu. |
| Tohoku Tag Team Championship | | Demonios (Arashi and Yasutaka Oosera) | 1 (1, 1) | November 2, 2025 | 22+ | Tokyo, Japan | DefeatedMusashi andRasse to win the vacant titles at Michinoku Pro Grande Uno 2025. |
| Tournament | Latest winner(s) | Date won |
|---|---|---|
| Fukumen World League | El Pantera Jr. | October 13, 2024 |
| Kanjin Ōgama League | Oso11 | February 25, 2023 |
| Futaritabi Tag Team League | Yapper Man #1 andYapper Man #2 | October 14, 2019 |
| Championship | Last champion(s) | Date won |
|---|---|---|
| UWA World Welterweight Championship | Vacated | 2004 |
| UWF Super Welterweight Championship | Vacated | January 4, 2000 |
| UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship | Súper Nova | May 17, 2013 |
| WWF Light Heavyweight Championship | Vacated | November 5, 1997 |
| British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship | Vacated | December 7, 2003 |
| Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship | Ikuto Hidaka | February 17, 2002 |
| UWA World Tag Team Championship | Gaina &Taro Nohashi | October 3, 2021 |
Until Great Sasuke allegedly told Japanese reporters that he was going to win the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship and refused to defend it in the USA and threatened to only defend it in Japan. The WWE immediately fired The Great Sasuke and moved on to put their new championship around the waist of the young Taka Michinoku. One would have to speculate that this hurt WWE's new relationship with Michinoku Pro
Until Great Sasuke allegedly told Japanese reporters that he was going to win the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship and refused to defend it in the USA and threatened to only defend it in Japan. The WWE immediately fired The Great Sasuke and moved on to put their new championship around the waist of the young Taka Michinoku. One would have to speculate that this hurt WWE's new relationship with Michinoku Pro
"There was interest in [Sasuke] coming over and doing special events, but Sasuke could not work a full schedule in the United States. And, frankly, we were more interested in TAKA on a full-time basis.
And another historical moment took place on December 13, as this event was a sellout, standing room only. The event had an attendance of 1,890. That is the highest reported attendance at the Korakuen Hall for a pro-wrestling event since April 2015.
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