| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1988-01-05)January 5, 1988 (age 37) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Leave Mask #2 Seiki Seiki Yoshioka |
| Billed height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Billed weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| Billed from | Japan |
| Trained by | Hanzo[1] Minoru Tanaka[1] Kaz Hayashi[1] Keiji Muto[1] Shuji Kondo[1] |
| Debut | October 5, 2008 |
Seiki Yoshioka (吉岡 世起,Yoshioka Seiki; born January 5, 1988), previously known asSeiki (stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler. Yoshioka is known for his time inWrestle-1, where he was a three-timeWrestle-1 Cruiser Division Champion andUWA World Trios Champion and a one-timeNWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champion inPro Wrestling Zero1. In Wrestle-1, Yoshioka was a member of the #Stronghearts stable, led byCima. In the past, Yoshioka has also touredGreat Britain, as the finalAll Star WrestlingBritish Mid-Heavyweight Champion.
Yoshioka grew up inKumamoto City,Kumamoto.[2] His father and two older brothers are all doctors.[2] After watching a pro-wrestling video while still in elementary school, he became inspired byKeiji Muto.[2] While in third year of junior high, he learnt aboutTriple H attempting to recover from a serious quad injury, and was so impressed he decided to become a pro-wrestler.[2] To supplement this, he attended aTaekwondo Dojo while attending Kumamoto Prefectural High School and learnt various techniques.[2][3] Yoshioka attendedOkayama University as it was close to the Wrestle Gatedojo inHiroshima, and after one unsuccessful attempt, was entered into the college on his second attempt. He started in April 2007 and studied at theirFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences for 6 years, earning a qualification as apharmacist.[4][5][6]
A day after starting at university, Yoshioka began training at Wrestle Gate, run by Hanzo, and would train there whilst also attending school.[4][5][6] After nearly a year, Yoshioka was given exhibition matches on Wrestle Gate pre-shows, whilst wearing a mask,[2][7] On October 5, 2008, he made his official debut teaming withSusumu in a losing effort against Kindaichi Hogo &Minoru Fujita on Wrestle Gate's 5th Anniversary show.[8] Eventually, he changed hisring name to justSeiki (stylized in all capital letters).
In 2011, Seiki won his first belt, winning the Hakata Tag Team Championship (a championship managed by Pro Wrestling Kageki) with Susumu, in a team known asScramble☆Time.[6][9] They successfully defended the belts 3 times before losing them to Hanzo & Victory Shanghai. During this time, whenAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW),DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) &Wrestling New Classic (WNC) were in Hiroshima & Okayama, Seiki would occasionally perform on their shows.
Seiki unsuccessfully challenged for the Hakata Light Heavyweight Championship (held by Cosmo Soldier) twice in 2012 while spending that year wrestling his final matches for Wrestle Gate & Pro Wrestling Kageki.[10]
In April 2013, after finishing his pharmacist degree, Seiki decided to start wrestling full-time in Tokyo and graduate from Wrestle Gate in Hiroshima. He wrestled his farewell match on May 26, 2013, teaming with Betcha Hogo in a winning effort againstDaisuke Masaoka & Yuki Tanaka.[10] He was signed by All Japan Pro-Wrestling on May 1 as Seiki's trainer, Hanzo, is close withKaz Hayashi who was a senior figure there at the time.[5] Seiki then again started going by his real nameSeiki Yoshioka and begun retraining for AJPW.[11][5]
After only making sporadic appearances since signing withWrestle-1, Yoshioka wrestled his first full tour in 5 years by participating in the Junior Battle of Glory 2019. Yoshioka finished the league with a record of 3 wins, 1 loss and a draw, advancing to the final, where he was defeated byKoji Iwamoto.
In 2013, there was amass exodus from All Japan Pro-Wrestling after issues with its new ownership, and Yoshioka was one of the many that joinedKeiji Muto's new promotion, Wrestle-1 (W-1), He left AJPW on June 30 and transferred to W-1 on July 10. He resumed his re-training, and debuted againstHiroshi Yamato on September 15 in a losing effort.[2]
Yoshioka's first big win came in January 2014 when he pinned Kaz Hayashi in a singles match in just over 6 minutes after aSwanton bomb.[12][2] On March 2, he andManabu Soya defeatedRyoji Sai &Kazma Sakamoto inRyōgoku Kokugikan in an event co-promoted by partner companyTotal Nonstop Action (TNA).[12] Later that month, Yoshioka won abattle royal to faceSeiya Sanada for theTNA X-Division Championship. He would go on to unsuccessfully challenge for the title in aKorakuen Hall main event after Sanada pinned him following aRounding Body Press.[12] Sanada said that he had 'changed so much in these two weeks'.[12]
On June 22, Yoshioka defeatedJiro 'Ikemen' Kuroshio, then won another battle royal for a title opportunity, this time forAll Star Wrestling (ASW)'sBritish Light Heavyweight Championship.[13] On July 6, in Ryogoku Kokugikan, he defeatedDean Allmark to win the belt with his signatureSwanton Bomb.[12] Yoshioka was then immediately sent on a foreign learning excursion to Britain, where he lost the title back to Allmark on August 19 inRhyl,Wales.[13] After a month, he returned to Japan.[14]
On November 7 onKassen ~ Battle Zero1vsW-1 Full Battle~ inShinjuku Face, Yoshioka wonPro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1)'sNWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship withShuji Kondo fromTakuya Sugawara and"brother" Yasshi, after Yoshioka pinned Sugawara.[12] Yoshioka entered W-1'sFirst Tag League withMinoru Tanaka, but failed to win the tournament.[12] After one successful defence, Yoshioka & Kondo lost their belts back to Sugawara and Yasshi.[15] After two straight unsuccessful challenges for Minoru Tanaka'sWrestle-1 Cruiser Division Championship, he started teaming with Jiro 'Ikemen' Kushio.[16] This alliance eventually came to includeYasufumi Nakanoue, and the three became known asJackets, as all three men wore jackets during their matches. They won theUWA World Trios Championship fromNew Wild Order (Akira,Jun Kasai & Kumagoro) on October 9, 2015, atWrestle-1 Tour 2015 Fan Appreciation Day in Korakuen Hall.[17] A month later, they lost those titles toReal Desperado (Kazma Sakamoto,Nosawa Rongai & Koji Doi), although they won them straight back less than 30 days later atWrestle-1 2015 Tour Autumn Bout.[17] Yoshioka unsuccessfully challengedAndy Wu for the Wrestle-1 Cruiserweight Championship on December 24.[17]
On January 7,Jackets would vacate their UWA World Trios belts after Yoshioka couldn't make their next scheduled defence due to cecum surgery.[18] On January 31,Jackets would attempt to regain those belts against Kaz Hayashi, Minoru Tanaka &Tajiri, but lost.[17] On April 28, Yoshioka would team with Nakanoue to challengeReal Desperado (Yuji Hino & Kazma Sakamoto) for theirWrestle-1 Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful after Yoshioka was pinned by Hino following aFucking Bomb.[17] In June, Nakanoue left Wrestle-1, and this led toJackets disbanding. Their last match together was againstReal Desperado (Yuji Hino, Kazma Sakamoto & Nosawa Rongai), with Nakanoue pinning Nosawa after a Diving Elbow Drop for the win.[17] In July, Yoshioka would team up with Andy Wu &Daiki Inaba to win the UWA World Trios titles back from Hayashi, Tanaka & Tajiri atWrestle-1 Tour 2016 Symbol in Shinjuku Face.[17] This time, Yoshioka's team managed a successful defence, defending againstKai, Hiroki Murase & Shota.[17] Yoshioka would defeat teammate Andy Wu in a Cruiserweight Championship #1 contender's match, and on September 18, challenged Yusuke Kodama in a losing effort.[17] Yoshioka, Wu & Inaba made a second successful defence, defending the UWA World Trios belts against Koji Doi, Yusuke Kodama & Kumagoro. After this match, all six men would form an alliance.[17] Yoshioka, Inaba & Wu again successfully defended, this time againstTrigger (Masayuki Kono & Shuji Kondo) & Nosawa Rongai. On December 9 atWrestle-1 Tour 2016 Shining Winter, the unit of Yoshioka, Inaba, Yusuke Kodama, Koji Doi, Kumagoro & Andy Wu was namedNewera. That same night, Yoshioka lost his UWA World Trios titles to Allied Forces (Shuji Kondo, Jun Kasai & Nosawa Rongai) after Kondo pinned Inaba following aKing KongLariat.[17]
On March 20, 2017, Yoshioka finally won the Wrestle-1 Cruiserweight Championship, beatingMazada in Korakuen Hall after hisClock Strikes Kicks.[17] A month later, stablemate Andy Wu defeated him for the belt, ending his reign with 0 defences. Yoshioka then made regaining the championship his goal, eventually winning it back on September 2 at2017 Pro-Wrestling Love in Yokohama after anSK kick.[17] He made his first successful defence a month later against Jun Tonsho.[17] Another month later, he made a second successful defence against Kenshin Chikano.[17] Yoshioka's third successful defence came in December againstRyuiji Hijikata.[17]
Newera's Yoshioka, Daiki Inaba & Jiro 'Ikemen' Kuroshio unsuccessfully challenged for the UWA World Trios Titles against Koji Doi,Takanori Ito & Kumagoro in January 2018.[17] Yoshioka defended his Cruiser Division title against Alejandro on April 18, marking his fourth defense.[17] The next day,Newera disbanded.[17] On June 13, Yoshioka lost his championship to former ally Yusuke Kodama who had recently just joinedEnfants Terribles. This brought his reign to 9 months with 4 defences.[17] In September, Yoshioka failed to regain the Cruiser Division Championship from Kodoma. Yoshioka suffered an injury that month on a J-Stage show and missed 2 months of action. Before his return, it was revealed by the#Stronghearts stable led byCima that they had a 'spy' on Wrestle-1's roster that would join them. This was revealed on the November 23 showWrestle-1 Tour 2018 Autumn Bout in Korakuen Hall to be Yoshioka, who interfered in a tag team match with Alejandro's mask, provoking Kaz Hayashi & Pegaso Iluminal.[17] He then wrestled in the main event 6-man tag match teaming with#Stronghearts'sT-Hawk &El Lindaman to defeatsEnfants Terribles (Shotaro Ashino, Kumagoro &Kenichiro Arai), with Yoshioka himself submitting Kumagoro with aCrossface Lock.[17]
As part of#Stronghearts, Yoshioka had more freedom to perform for other promotions, returning to AJPW for their Junior Battle of Glory 2019 and making appearances for DDT. At W-1, though he'd progressed to the final of the Wrestle-1 2019 Cruiser Fes, beating Andy Wu and Jun Tondoroko to make it there. On March 10, he defeated El Hijo de Pantera with his new technique, theCrush Driver to win the 2019 Cruiser Fes, although the injuries sustained in the match meant he had to miss 3 months and couldn't capitalize on his momentum.[17] He returned to the ring on June 9 teaming with#Stronghearts to take on Wrestle-1's Home Team.#Stronghearts lost the match.[17] Yoshioka teamed with El Lindaman in the Wrestle-1 Tag League 2019, finishing the league with a record of 1-1-1. On December 26, Yoshioka won his third, and final Cruiser Division Championship from El Hijo de Pantera with theCrush Driver.[17]
On February 21, 2020, Wrestle-1 announced it would be indefinitely suspended on April 1 and that all wrestlers would be immediately released from their contracts.[19] On March 15 atWrestle Wars 2020 inŌta, Tokyo, he defended againstHeat.[17] On March 25,Newera made a reunion to farewell Wrestle-1 as Yoshioka, Daiki Inaba & Andy Wu fought the former Allied Powers, Kaz Hayashi, Shuji Kondo & Masayuki Kono to a 30-minute time limit draw in that show's main event.[17] At Wrestle-1's last show to date, Yoshioka teamed with Cima &Issei Onitsuka of#Stronghearts in a losing effort against Andy Wu, Jun Tonsho & El Hijo del Pantera.[17] Yoshioka was now a free agent, and also withdrew from#Stronghearts.
On December 1, Yoshioka would team with Yuya Susumu (formerly known as just Susumu) &Hayata at J-Stage's first event, both of whom he had trained with at Wrestle Gate. They would lose their match atJ-Stage 1st inShin-Kiba 1st Ring againstHi69, Mikami & Minoru Tanaka.[20] On March 29, 2016, Yoshioka defeated Hayata.[20]Scramble☆Time was reunited on August 5 as Yoshioka & Susumu lost toMasaaki Mochizuki & Minoru Tanaka.[20] The next year, on 3 July 2017, Susumu defeated Yoshioka.[20] On February 21, 2018, Yoshioka teamed with Jun Tonsho & Minoru Tanaka in a losing effort againstRatel's (Hayata & Yo-Hey) & Yuya Susumu.[20] Yoshioka finally got a win over his senior, Susumu on the September 12 show for the first time in the 10 years they had been wrestling.[20] Unfortunately, though he suffered a vertabre contusion, ruling him out for 2 months. Yoshioka's last appearance to date is an appearance on the March 18, 2020 show in Korakuen Hall where he and Susumu foughtBig Japan Pro Wrestling'sAstronauts (Fuminori Abe &Takuya Nomura) in a 20-minute time limit draw.[20]
In June 2018, Yoshioka made an appearance inPro Wrestling Noah teaming withHayata, whom he had trained with at Wrestle Gate, to defeat Jiro 'Ikemen' Kuroshio &Yo-Hey.
On April 18, Yoshioka appeared at Pro Wrestling Noah, as the newest member ofTakashi Sugiura's Sugiura-gun after being recruited by Nosawa Rongai. He then pinnedDaisuke Harada in a six-man tag team match.[21] He teamed up with Sugiura-gun memberHajime Ohara to challengeRatel's (Hayata & Yo-Hey) for theGHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship the next day, but they were unsuccessful.[22] On May 5, Sugiura-gun faced off againstKongo, in which Yoshioka facedHaoh in a losing effort, and Yoshioka, teaming with Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura,Kazushi Sakuraba,René Duprée, Hajime Ohara & Nosawa Rongai) lost to Kongo (Kenoh,Masa Kitamiya,Manabu Soya,Yoshiki Inamura,Nioh & Haoh) in an Elimination Match. In that match, Yoshioka was eliminated first.[23] On May 10, afterStinger (Atsushi Kotoge &Kotaro Suzuki) defeated Yoshioka & Ohara, Kotoge betrayed Suzuki, and wished to join Sugiura-gun. Nosawa Rongai then came out and disallowed it, saying he didn't trust him. This led to Yoshioka, Ohara & Kotoge turning on Nosawa, forming their own stable, which became known asFull Throttle.[24] On August 30, atKawasaki,Go! Yoshioka unsuccessfully challenged Kotaro Suzuki for theGHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.[25] On September 23, Yo-Hey turned on Daisuke Harada, and Atsushi Kotoge defended his old friend, reunitingMomo no Seishun Tag.This caused Ohara & Yoshioka to kick Kotoge, their leader, out ofFull Throttle, and welcome Yo-Hey as their newest member.[26] On October 28, atPremium Prelude 2020, Yoshioka & Yo-Hey unsuccessfully challengedMomo no Seishun Tag for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[27] On November 6, Yoshioka signed a one-year contract with Noah.[28]
On February 12, 2021, atDestination 2021 ~Back To Budokan~ in theNippon Budokan, Yoshioka defeated GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Daisuke Harada in just over 10 minutes to win the belt for the first time.[29] After the match, he said that he was 'proud to be a part of Noah's Junior division'.[29] He would go on to lose the belt to Atsushi Kotoge on March 14 atGreat Voyage 2021 in Fukuoka, ending the run at just over a month and without a successful defence.[30] On May 2, Yoshioka attacked tag partner Yo-Hey, betrayingFull Throttle and joinedStinger withYoshinari Ogawa & Wrestle Gate alumni Hayata & Yuya Susumu.[31] OtherFull Throttle member, Hajime Ohara, joined Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge & Junta Miyawaki's team. The two stables had an 8-man tag team match the next day, whereStinger won after Susumu pinned Miyawaki.[32] Yo-Hey joined Nosawa Rongai's new unit,Los Perros del Mal de Japon, and Yoshioka met him atMuta the World on June 27, where Yoshioka teamed withStinger mates Ogawa & Susumu to take onLos Perros del Mal de Japón's Yo-Hey, Nosawa &Dragon Gate'sEita. Yo-Hey pinned Yoshioka after 18 minutes with theYo-Roll.[33] On July 11, after Daisuke Harada & Hajime Harada defended their GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, Yoshioka & Susumu stepped up to challenge them. The match was scheduled forCross Over 2021 in Hiroshima on August 1.[34] On July 27, Noah held a 'Junior Team Game' in whichStinger was involved. InStinger's match against Noah Regular Army, Yoshioka scored a submission elimination over former tag team partner Hajime Ohara. He made it to the last two, before being eliminated by Daisuke Harada, and thusStinger was eliminated from the tournament.[35] The reunion ofScramble☆Time (Yoshioka & Susumu) defeated Harada & Ohara atCross Over 2021 in Hiroshima to each win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the first time each.[36]
Links to related articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
