| Seigigun | |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Members | Yuji Nagata (leader) Akebono (honorary) Captain New Japan/Mitsuhide Hirasawa King Fale Super Strong Machine Wataru Inoue |
| Name | Seigigun |
| Debut | September 2009 |
| Disbanded | April 2013 |
Seigigun (青義軍,Seigigun; literally translated to "Blue Justice Army") was aprofessional wrestling stable inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling, led byYuji Nagata.
Seigigun was first formed in September 2009 as a branch of New Japan Seikigun ("regular army") that seeks justice.[1] Upon the formation of the group, Nagata and Inoue also began forming a "teacher/student" like team, teaming up at the2009 G1 Tag League and finished in 4th place with 4 points.[2] On December 5, 2009, Nagata challengedShinsuke Nakamura for theIWGP Heavyweight Championship but lost.[3]
AtWrestle Kingdom IV In Tokyo Dome, Inoue, Machine, and Hirasawa defeatedJyushin Thunder Liger,Koji Kanemoto, andKazuchika Okada in the opening match while Nagata teaming withAkebono lost toTajiri andMasato Tanaka.[4] In March, Nagata and Inoue entered theNew Japan Cup tournament. Nagata lost in the first round toYujiro Takahashi while Inoue defeatedGiant Bernard in the first round but lost to Masato Tanaka in the second round.[5] Following the New Japan Cup, Hirasawa continued in the midcard largely serving as thefall guy in tag match, Machine also remained in the midcard, & Nagata and Inoue formed a team and began a feud withNo Limit andBad Intentions over theIWGP Tag Team Championship. AtWrestling Dontaku 2010 on May 3, 2010, Seigigun defeated Bad Intentions and No Limit in a 3 way to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. One month later atDominion 6.19 on June 19, Seigigun lost the title to Bad Intentions in another 3 way (also involving No Limit).[4] On June 28, Seigigun entered a six man tag tournament with Nagata, Inoue, and Hirasawa forming one team while Machine teamed with Tonga Strong Machine andPink Strong Machine however both teams lost.[4] On July 19, Nagata and Inoue once again took part in a 3 way for the IWGP Tag Team Titles but came up short.[6] In August, Nagata and Inoue both entered the2010 G1 Climax with both in the same block. Neither won with Nagata coming in 5th place with 8 points while Inoue finished in last place with 2 points.[7] In September 2010, Hirasawa left New Japan and Seigigun to go on a learning excursion toPuerto Rico, young lion:King Fale was recruited in Hirasawa's place. On September 26, Nagata and Inoue challenged Bad Intentions for theIWGP Tag Team Championship but lost.[8] In October, Seigigun entered the2010 G1 Climax Tag League with Nagata and Inoue forming one team while Machine and Fale formed another. Machine and Fale would finish in last place of their block with 0 points, Nagata and Inoue would ultimately go on to win the tournament defeating Bad Intentions in the semi-finals and No Limit in the finals.[9] With the G1 Climax Tag League victory, Nagata and Inoue challenged Bad Intentions once again for the IWGP Tag Team Titles on December 11 but would once again lose.[10]
Following the tag title loss, Nagata began a short feud withMinoru Suzuki which culminated in a match atWrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, which Nagata won.[11] AtThe New Beginning on February 20, Nagata, Inoue, and Fale teamed withHiroyoshi Tenzan againstChaos (Shinsuke Nakamura,Toru Yano,Takashi Iizuka, andYujiro Takahashi) in an elimination match which they came up short.[11] In March, Nagata and Inoue entered the 2011 New Japan Cup with Inoue falling to Yano in the first round while Nagata fared better as he won the tournament, defeating Nakamura in the finals.[12] On June 18, Hirasawa returned from Puerto Rico, now performing under the ring name Hideo Saito, and turned on Nagata and the Seigigun, joining rival group Chaos.[13]
After a long hiatus, Nagata reunited the Seigigun on March 3, 2013, at New Japan's 41st anniversary event, where he, Super Strong Machine (making his first wrestling appearance in nineteen months), Wataru Inoue and Captain New Japan, the masked persona of former member Mitsuhide Hirasawa, were defeated in an eight-man tag team match byHirooki Goto,Karl Anderson,Ryusuke Taguchi andTama Tonga.[14] On April 7 atInvasion Attack, King Fale returned to New Japan, turning on the Seigigun, including unmasking Captain New Japan, and aligning himself withPrince Devitt.[15] With Fale turning on the stable and Inoue being absent due to injuries, Nagata announced he was disbanding Seigigun.[16]
On April 2, 2014, Seigigun reunited for one night to take part in Wataru Inoue's retirement event, where Nagata, Captain New Japan and Super Strong Machine defeatedSuzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki,Taichi andTaka Michinoku).[17]
Even though the group is disbanded, Yuji Nagata still represents them while wrestling for the Main Unit. He is still considered the leader of Seigi-gun and continues to wear the signature blue on his gear.[18]