 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2019) |
 Marufuji in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1979-09-26)September 26, 1979 (age 46)[2][3] Kōnosu, Saitama, Japan[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Marufuji Naomichi Marufuji Pennywise[1] |
| Billed height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2][3] |
| Billed weight | 90 kg (198 lb)[2][3] |
| Trained by | AJPW Dojo[4][5] Giant Baba Mitsuharu Misawa[4] |
| Debut | August 28, 1998[2] |
Naomichi Marufuji (丸藤正道,Marufuji Naomichi) (born September 26, 1979)[2][3] is a Japaneseprofessional wrestler signed toPro Wrestling Noah. Marufuji is a four-timeGHC Heavyweight Champion, as well as the first of two men to win Junior Heavyweight Championships in all three major Japanese promotions (Minoru Tanaka is the other). In 2020, he was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President ofCyberFight, the parent company of Noah.[5] He also makes occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions includingNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW),All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW),Ring of Honor (ROH), andImpact Wrestling.
Marufuji pursuedamateur wrestling andbasketball during his high school days before joiningAll Japan Pro Wrestling, and trained inSatoru Sayama's Super Tiger Gym.[6] His debut match came on August 28, 1998, againstYoshinobu Kanemaru.[2] For the first two years of his career, underGiant Baba andMitsuharu Misawa's isolationist policy, he was a jobber; one of the few rare interpromotional matches he worked was inMichinoku Pro Wrestling in 1999, alucha libre six-man tag match, gave him a chance to shine.
After the Noah secession, he joined the upstart promotion and became an integral part of its Junior Heavyweight division, impressing many with his high-flying style and charisma. He would go on to form a successful tag team withKENTA and win the2004Super J-Cup.[7] In early and mid-2005, Marufuji toured through Germany and Austria, competing for Westside Xtreme Wrestling and Rings of Europe. Along withMinoru Suzuki, they were the first talent delegation that was sent over that began the Noah/European Talent Trade Partnership. On March 5, 2006, Marufuji pinned formerTriple Crown Heavyweight Champion and formerGHC Heavyweight ChampionAkira Taue.
On September 9, 2006, Naomichi defeatedJun Akiyama for theGHC Heavyweight Championship at the Budokan Hall, utilizing the Perfect Inside Cradle. In doing so, he became the first wrestler to win all five GHC titles in Noah and became the lightest GHC Heavyweight Champion of all time. A little over a month later, Marufuji's successfully defended the title against his tag team partner Kenta on October 29, 2006. The match received critical acclaim, andTokyo Sports named the match the2006 Match of the Year. On December 10, 2006, Marufuji lost theGHC Heavyweight Championship toMitsuharu Misawa in his third defense.
On July 5, 2009, Marufuji was appointed to the position of Noah's Vice President alongsideKenta Kobashi by Noah's current President,Akira Taue, in the wake of Misawa's death.[5]
On July 5, 2014, Marufuji won the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the second time, defeatingYuji Nagata.[8] That same month he defended the championship against BRAVE stablemateKatsuhiko Nakajima on July 21.[9] He then defeatedTakeshi Morishima on August 24 in his second title defense atKorakuen Hall.[10] That same night,Maybach Taniguchi won a number one contenders match over Nakajima and the two men squared off on September 23 at the 'Great Voyage in Niigata' show where Marufuji successfully retained his championship.[11] Shortly after, he retained the championship for a fourth time by defeatingDaisuke Sekimoto ofBig Japan Pro Wrestling at the 'Great Voyage in Yokohama' show on October 23.[12] Marufuji then, still as champion, took part in the2014 Global League. Marufuji finished with eight points and a four-win, three-loss record, including losses to Nakajima, Morishima, andSatoshi Kojima. Marufuji defeated the Global League winnerTakashi Sugiura on December 6 at the 'Great Voyage in Tokyo vol.3' show.[13] Following Marufuji's appearance onWrestle Kingdom 9, the New Japan stableSuzuki-gun made their debut in Noah invading the company and on March 15, 2015, Marufuji lost his title to the stable's leaderMinoru Suzuki.[14]
Marufuji took part in the2015 Global Tag League with Katsuhiko Nakajima as his partner. The pair finished with six points and a disappointing fourth-place finish in the six-team block. However, at 'Great Voyage in Yokohama' on May 10, Marufuji received a rematch with Suzuki for the championship. Marufuji, however, ultimately came up short in his attempt to dethrone the Suzuki-gun leader.[15] Marufuji continued the year outside of the title picture taking part in tag team matches squaring off with Suzuki-gun foes, however at the September 19 'Great Voyage in Osaka' show Marufuji defeated BRAVE stablemateAtsushi Kotoge.[16] Marufuji then took part in the2015 Global League. Marufuji began the tournament with four straight victories, however a loss toMasato Tanaka on October 29 and a subsequent loss to Satoshi Kojima at the next show on November 3 put Marufuji in a four-way tie on points at the top of his block. On the final group stage day, paired with a loss by Tanaka, Marufuji beat fellow co-first place contenderChris Hero to win the block and advance to the final on November 8.[17] In the final, Marufuji defeated fellow Suzuki-gun memberShelton Benjamin who had finished his block without a single loss to go on and receive a championship opportunity.[18] Marufuji received his title match at the DESTINY 2015 show and he regained the title from Suzuki on December 23, 2015.[19] However, immediately following the match as his Noah roster members celebrated with him, Takashi Sugiura turned on Marufuji to join forces with Suzuki-gun.
On January 31, 2016, Marufuji faltered in his first defense of his newly won championship as he lost the title toTakashi Sugiura.[20] The next month, on February 19, Marufuji took part in a ten-man tag team match that pittedSuzuki-gun members against Noah roster members. Marufuji was the second to last person eliminated being pinned by Sugiura.[21] On March 19, 2016, Marufuji continued to battle against theSuzuki-gun stable that had invaded Noah as he alongsideMuhammad Yone andMitsuhiro Kitamiya defeatedShelton Benjamin,Takashi Iizuka, and Suzuki himself in a six-man tag team match the 2016 'Great Voyage In Korakuen' event.[22]
From April 21 to May 4, Marufuji took part in the2016 Global Tag League withToru Yano, who took part despite being mainly a competitor in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The pair got eight points, good enough for second in the block, and ultimately avenged a loss by defeatingKiller Elite Squad in the finals.[23] As a result of winning the tag league, the duo won a shot at theGHC Tag Team Championships held by Killer Elite Squad. On May 28 at the 2016 'Great Voyage In Osaka' event, the pair defeated Killer Elite Squad and became the new GHC Tag Team Champions.[24] The pair's first match as champions was an immediate title defense over the former champions at 'Emerald Spirits In Korakuen' on June 12.[25] The pair defended their championships twice more before Marufuji went to New Japan to take part in the 2016 G1 Climax. They defeated Suzuki and Iizuka on July 5[26] followed by a defense overKatsuhiko Nakajima and Kitamiya on July 16.[27]
Upon Marufuji's return, he and Yano defended their belts against the team of Muhammad Yone and Quiet Storm, known as '50 Funky Powers', on September 23[28] and, as a continuation of his feud based in New Japan withKazuchika Okada, Marufuji and Yano retained their championships over Okada andChaos stablemateYoshi-Hashi on October 8.[29] The pair defended their belts yet again on October 23 at 'Great Voyage 2016 In Yokohama Vol. 2' where they defeatedGreat Bash Heel (Togi Makabe andTomoaki Honma)[30] From November 3 to November 22 Marufuji took part in the2016 Global League and was placed in the 'B' block. Marufuji, with eight points, faced off with Masa Kitamiya on the final day's main event and a spot in the tournament final on the line, however, Marufuji ultimately lost and Kitamiya finished first in the B block.[31] The next day, the day of the Global League Final, Marufuji and Yano lost their championships to Killer Elite Squad, the team they defeated for the belts six months prior and thus marking the end of the team.[32] The final tour of 2016 went poorly for Marufuji as he and his various partners were unable to beat the team ofAlejandro Saez and Takashi Sugiura the entire tour and, on the final show of 2016, Marufuji was defeated in a singles match by Sugiura.[33]
On the first show of 2017 on January 7, Marufuji and partnerAtsushi Kotoge failed to dethrone GHC Tag Team ChampionsGo Shiozaki andMaybach Taniguchi in a championship opportunity.[34] At the 2017 'Great Voyage In Yokohama' show on March 12, Marufuji teamed with Japanese wrestling legendKeiji Muto to defeat debutingImpact Wrestling starMoose andKazma Sakamoto.[35] Marufuji formed a new team with former rival Maybach Taniguchi and, on the April 14 'Countdown to GTL' show, the new pairing defeated Takashi Sugiura andKenoh for the GHC Tag Team Championships shortly before the start of the2017 Global Tag League's beginning.[36] The team took part in the tag league finishing at the top of the block with ten points and ultimately won the final as well by defeating Shiozaki and Kotoge.[37] The champion duo was then promptly challenged by a team they lost to in the tournament,Cody Hall and Randy Reign, and on June 4 Marufuji and Taniguchi defeated them in a championship title defense.[38] On August 26, Marufuji and Taniguchi lost the title to Atsushi Kotoge and Go Shiozaki.[39] On December 22, the two received their rematch for the titles, but lost to 50FP (Quiet Storm and Mohammad Yone) after Taniguchi turned on him, revealing himself as the traitor within NOAH that Mitsuya Nagai had been hinting at for several shows. On May 29, 2018, five days after his Triple Crown challenge, Marufuji unsuccessfully challenged Takashi Sugiura for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. On July 28, Marufuji and Akitoshi Saito defeated The Aggression (Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya) to win the GHC Tag Team Championship, marking his sixth reign and Saito's fifth reign with the titles.
On June 6, 2021, atCyberFight Festival, Marufuji won theGHC Heavyweight Championship fromKeiji Mutoh. He successfully defended it against Takashi Sugiura andKazushi Sakuraba before losing it toKatsuhiko Nakajima on October 10.
In 2023 Kenta and Marufuji reunited in NOAH for the GHC tag titles.[40]
As part of the partnership betweenWWE and NOAH, Marufuji facedAJ Styles atNoah Destination 2024 on July 13, 2024, at Nippon Budokan but was defeated withStyles Clash.[8]
On June 10, 2003, Marufuji made his debut forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), teaming withKotaro Suzuki to unsuccessfully challengeJyushin Thunder Liger andKoji Kanemoto for theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[41] Marufuji returned to the company on December 9, failing in his attempt to win theIWGP U-30 Openweight Championship fromHiroshi Tanahashi.[42] On May 3, 2004, Marufuji would make his final appearance for NJPW in over five years in a six-man tag team match, where he,Heat andTiger Mask were defeated by theAmerican Dragon, Koji Kanemoto, andÚltimo Dragón.[43]
On December 22, 2009, Marufuji made his return to NJPW, defeating Jyushin Thunder Liger in the first round of the2009 Super J-Cup.[44] The following day he defeatedTigers Mask,Ryusuke Taguchi, and finallyPrince Devitt in the finals, to win the Super J-Cup and earn a match for theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[45] On January 4, 2010, Marufuji represented Noah in the New Japan vs. Noah match series atWrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Tiger Mask to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[46] With his victory Marufuji became the first person to hold the three major Junior Heavyweight Titles in Japan (All Japan, Noah, and NJPW). On June 19 atDominion 6.19, Marufuji lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Prince Devitt.[47]
Marufuji's next appearance for NJPW was on January 4, 2012, atWrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, where he andGo Shiozaki defeatedCHAOS Top Team (Shinsuke Nakamura andToru Yano) in a tag team match.[48] Marufuji returned to NJPW that August to take part in the2012 G1 Climax tournament.[49] After a slow start, which saw Marufuji lose two of his first three matches, he bounced back by defeating reigningIWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi on August 5 and afterward made a challenge for his title.[50] After four wins and three losses, Marufuji was eliminated from the tournament on August 12, after losing to Toru Yano in his final round-robin match.[51] Following the tournament, Marufuji was named the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[52] On September 23 atDestruction, Marufuji unsuccessfully challenged Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[53][54]
On September 29, 2013, Marufuji returned to New Japan, challenging Shinsuke Nakamura to a match for theIWGP Intercontinental Championship.[55] Marufuji failed in his title challenge on October 14 atKing of Pro-Wrestling.[56] Marufuji returned to New Japan on December 20, 2014, when he, along with fellow Noah wrestlersTMDK (Mikey Nicholls andShane Haste), was revealed as one of Toru Yano's tag team partners at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2015.[57] At the event, the four defeatedSuzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr.,Lance Archer,Shelton X Benjamin andTakashi Iizuka) in an eight-man tag team match.[58]
Marufuji returned to NJPW on July 18, 2016, by entering the2016 G1 Climax tournament and defeating reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in his opening match. On August 12, Marufuji finished his tournament with a record of five wins and four losses with a loss againstHirooki Goto on the final day eliminating him from the finals.[59] Marufuji's win over Okada earned him a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on October 10 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, where Okada retained the title.[60]
As part of his foreign excursion to the United States, Marufuji challengedBryan Danielson for theROH World Championship on December 17, 2005, inEdison, New Jersey. Danielson retained his title, but the crowd gave Marufuji a loud ovation after the match.
Marufuji returned to the United States to wrestle forRing of Honor on the main event of the "Best in the World" show on March 25, 2006 show inNew York City, teaming with Kenta for the first time in the United States against the team ofSamoa Joe andBryan Danielson; the team of Marufuji and Kenta won after Kenta pinned Danielson.
Marufuji returned to Ring of Honor for a third tour, along with Kenta. Both started off the tour with a win, teaming up to defeat theBriscoe Brothers atGlory By Honor V: Night 1. The following night atGlory By Honor V: Night 2, he successfully defended the GHC Heavyweight Championship againstNigel McGuinness. Marufuji also appeared at Ring of Honor's firstpay-per-view,Respect Is Earned, where he defeatedRocky Romero.
On September 28, 2008, ten years after his original debut in All Japan Pro Wrestling, Marufuji returned to AJPW and won theWorld Junior Heavyweight Championship fromRyuji Hijikata. He would go on to successfully defend the title againstShuji Kondo in a match that won the Tokyo Sports Best Bout of 2008 award and Takashi Okita before losing it toKaz Hayashi.
Marufuji returned to AJPW to compete in the 2018Champion Carnival, where he finished his block with a record of five wins and two losses to advance to the finals. The following day, he defeated B Block winner andTriple Crown Heavyweight ChampionKento Miyahara to win the Champion Carnival. He faced him for the title a month later and lost.
He Returned to NJPW for one night only on January 21, 2023, atWrestle Kingdom 17 night 2 to team up with theBullet Club (El Phantasmo,Kenta andGedo againstHiroshi Tanahashi,Takashi Sugiura,Toru Yano andSatoshi Kojima) in aneight-man tag team match, which they lost. After the match he got Kicked out of the Bullet Club.
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