 Otani in 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1972-07-21)July 21, 1972 (age 53) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Achichi Mr. Otani Shinjiro Otani |
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 97 kg (214 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | Animal Hamaguchi Hiroshi Hase Kensuke Sasaki |
| Debut | June 25, 1992 |
Shinjiro Otani (大谷晋二郎,Ōtani Shinjirō; born July 21, 1972)[2] is a Japanese semi-retiredprofessional wrestler and the current acting president ofPro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury sustained in April 2022. A product of theNew Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo, Otani is best known for his longtime association with Zero1, a promotion he founded in 2001 along withShinya Hashimoto.
Starting his career in NJPW as ajunior heavyweight, Otani gained a reputation as a gutsy underdog and would go on to hold several championships during his nine-year run with the promotion, including theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and theJ-Crown, as well as forming a successful tag team with dojo classmateTatsuhito Takaiwa,twice holding theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. After jumping to the heavyweight division in 2001, Otani would leave New Japan the same year, joiningShinya Hashimoto as one of the founders of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). Following the departure of Hashimoto in 2004, Otani was pushed as one of the promotions top stars, becoming a six timeIntercontinental Tag Team Champion, a one timeWorld Heavyweight Champion and a four-time winner of theFire Festival. In addition to his role as a wrestler, Otani has also served as acting company president since 2007.
Otani was born inYamaguchi and was a big pro wrestling fan during his youth, specificallyAntonio Inoki'sNew Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). He attended the only two events NJPW ran in Yamaguchi yearly and idolisedKengo Kimura. At one point during his childhood, he snuck into a hotel in a bid to try and meet Antonio Inoki; initially stopped by security, they allowed him in upon Inoki's instruction, who signed Otani's "闘魂" (fighting spirit)hachimaki, after which the young Otani vowed to Inoki that he would one day make it to NJPW.[3] Otani was successful inamateur wrestling during high school.
Upon graduation, Otani planned to move almost 600 miles from Yamaguchi toTokyo to join a professional wrestling dojo. Otani's dream was strongly opposed by his parents, which resulted in him running away from home in January 1992 at the age of 19, leaving for Tokyo with only between ¥50,000-¥60,000 ofotoshidama money to his name. After being homeless for a brief period of time, Otani finally found a place to stay, a smalltatami-like dwelling for ¥24,000, located next to a public toilet and without a futon to sleep on.
At the time, the only wrestling school Otani knew of wasAnimal Hamaguchi's dojo, where he would travel and introduce himself to Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi accepted Otani into his dojo where he began his training, in addition to feeding him and getting Otani a part-time job in a local liquor store, which allowed him to pay for better living quarters. Hamaguchi brought Otani to the NJPW dojo in February 1992 and he enrolled soon after, training in the same class asTatsuhito Takaiwa andYuji Nagata.[3] As part of his rookie duties, Otani would also spend two years working closely withShinya Hashimoto as his assistant, which led to the two developing a long-lasting friendship.[3]
Otani made his in-ring debut on June 25, 1992, losing toHiroyoshi Yamamoto at a house show inFukushima.[4] His televised debut came a little under a month later, losing toOsamu Nishimura inGifu.[5] Early in his career, Otani became known for hisspringboarddropkick, his cornerface wash, and developed a reputation as a likeable underdog thanks to his sympathetic performances and his willingness to challenge senior wrestlers, in particularJushin Thunder Liger. The two met for the first time on May 25, 1993, in aTop of the Super Juniors tournament match inKorakuen Hall, with Liger victorious.[6] Otani would struggle throughout his first foray into the tournament, failing to advance past the first stage but managing to earn a solitary win overEddie Guerrero inHamamatsu.[7] He spent much of 1992 and 1993 trading wins and losses with fellow dojo classmates such asTatsuhito Takaiwa,Tokimitsu Ishizawa andYuji Nagata, customary for younger wrestlers in Japan as they develop and earn their place within the company. He represented NJPW during their feud withWrestle Association-R (WAR) on January 16, 1994, losing toMasao Orihara at a WAR's Super Revolution event.[8] He would once again enter the renamedBest of the Super Juniors tournament that summer and performed much better, defeating the likes ofTaka Michinoku andBlack Tiger, however also once again losing to Jushin Liger and failing to advance to the finals.[9][10][11] In October, he partnered up withWild Pegasus for the Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League. The two would reach the semi-finals on October 18, beatingDean Malenko and Tokimitsu Ishizawa to book their place in the final, where they defeated Black Tiger andThe Great Sasuke in a highly acclaimed bout to win the tournament, giving Otani his first taste of success in the company.[12] His strong performances throughout 1994 earned him his firstIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship opportunity on October 30, however, he was unable to overcome championNorio Honaga and lost by referee's decision atRyogoku Kokugikan.[13] He received a big opportunity at the annual "Dream Win" card on October 30, where he was defeated byKeiji Muto, one of the top stars of New Japan in a singles match.[14]
Otani won the first championship of his career on December 13, 1994, beating Norio Honaga to win theUWA World Welterweight Championship.[15] After two successful defences, he dropped the title to IWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionKoji Kanemoto in a double title match on April 16 inHiroshima.[16] Otani would turn his attention to the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in June where he would have his best outing to date, making it all the way to the final where he was narrowly defeated by former partner Wild Pegasus.[17]
By 1996, Otani had firmly established himself as a serious contender for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and unsuccessfully challenged Jushin Thunder Liger for the title in the main event of a card inAmagasaki on March 17.[18] Just days later on March 20, he defeatedWild Pegasus to become the inauguralWCW Cruiserweight Champion; he held the title until May 2, when he was defeated byDean Malenko inOrlando, Florida (the match would air on the May 18, 1996 edition ofWCW Worldwide).[19] On June 17, he captured the vacantUWA World Junior Lightweight Championship, beatingUWFi representativeKazushi Sakuraba.[20] He held the title until August, when he was one of the wrestlers who entered their championship into theJ-Crown; his defeat toUltimo Dragon in the semi-final of the inaugural J-Crown Champion tournament meant that he relinquished the UWA World Junior Lightweight Championship. Almost a year later on August 10, 1997, he would capture the J-Crown for himself, defeatingEl Samurai inNagoya.[21] After his third successful defence against Wild Pegasus in November, the World Wrestling Federation ordered itsLight Heavyweight Championship to be returned to them; in the aftermath, Otani relinquished all belts except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, returning all other titles to their respective promotions and effectively dissolving the J-Crown. Otani would continue to solely defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship until February 1998, when he dropped the title to Jushin Thunder Liger.[22] After an unsuccessfulBest of the Super Juniors tournament in the summer, Otani turned his attention to the emerging junior tag team division in New Japan; with the introduction of theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, a tournament was announced to crown the inaugural champions in July, where Otani would partner dojo classmateTatsuhito Takaiwa, with the two of them defeatingKoji Kanemoto andDr Wagner Jr in the finals to become the first ever holders of the belts.[23] On December 11, Takaiwa and Otani travelled toWrestle Association R where they defeatedMasaaki Mochizuki andMasao Orihara to win the vacantInternational Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, making themselves double champions.[24] Their days as double champions didn't last long, however, as they would lose the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship toKendo Kashin and Dr Wagner Jr atWrestling World 1999.[25] Later in the year they would regain the championships, defeating Jushin Thunder Liger andThe Great Sasuke in July.[26] In 2000, both Otani and Takaiwa took part in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, with both men winning their blocks and reaching the final, where, on June 9, Takaiwa defeated Otani to win the 2000 Best of the Super Juniors.[27] Later in the month after just under a year as champions, Otani and Takaiwa lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships to theJunior Stars (Koji Kanemoto andMinoru Tanaka).[28] After dropping the titles, both men would go their separate ways, with Takaiwa focusing on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and Otani beginning to be groomed for a run as a heavyweight.
After a largely lacklustre summer of 2000, Otani was sent on excursion by New Japan officials in August, with the intention of him gaining weight and returning as a heavyweight. Otani toured withAll Star Wrestling (ASW) in the United Kingdom and spent time training underTokyo Joe inCanada, where he developed his newKing Cobra Clutch finishing move.[29] Otani returned to New Japan on January 4, 2001, teaming withKeiji Muto as a member of Muto's newBad Ass Translate Trading stable, to convincingly defeatManabu Nakanishi andJushin Thunder Liger, who, like Otani, had also been converted into a heavyweight; Otani would submit Liger for the win with his new King Cobra Clutch. The following month, he would unsuccessfully challengeKensuke Sasaki for theIWGP Heavyweight Championship on February 16 inRyogoku Kokugikan. This would go on to be Otani's last match signed to the company, as he would depart New Japan after nine years soon after to helpShinya Hashimoto found his new promotion,Pro Wrestling Zero-One.
In November 2000, during Otani's time spent overseas, it was announced by longtime associate and former ace of NJPWShinya Hashimoto, who had recently been fired by the company, that Otani was one of the names that would be joining him in his new promotion,Zero-One.[3] At the time, Otani had not yet agreed to join the promotion, and in 2019, he said that this premature announcement was what led to him leaving New Japan, the promotion he had loved since his childhood, so suddenly.[3] Hashimoto would meet with Otani and apologise for using his name without permission upon his return to Japan, but said that he had only done so because Otani was the main person he wished to see compete in Zero1, and that Otani was free to stay with New Japan if he wished.[3] Otani, convinced by Hashimoto's words and concerned about Hashimoto feeling alone after his firing from New Japan, agreed to join Zero1 as one of the founders. Otani would relay his decision to New Japan officials soon after, who accepted his decision; he was also told by then head-bookerRiki Choshu that the door was always open for a potential return in the future.[3]
Otani competed on the inaugural Zero1 card on March 2, 2001, remaining a heavyweight and beginning his feud withMMA fighter turnedpro-wrestlerKazunari Murakami. Otani lost their first meeting by referee's decision, a wild and scrappy brawl that lasted less than five minutes.[30] As a result of Zero1's working relationship withBattlarts, Otani would have a brief run with the promotion around this time, where he formed an alliance withYuki Ishikawa. The two would also team up in Zero1, defeatingSteve Corino and Mike Rapada to win theNWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship on July 12 inTokyo.[31] In September, Otani entered the inauguralHimatsuri (火祭り), "fire festival" tournament, remaining undefeated on his way to the final where he defeatedKohei Sato. As a result of winning, Otani was presented with the Fire Sword for the first time, an accessory that would go on to be commonly associated with his ring entrance.[31] Otani and Ishikawa would vacate their championships in October 2001, after Ishikawa's departure from the promotion. Otani would instead form a new tag team withMasato Tanaka, collectively known as "Emblem". The duo won the vacant championships on January 6, 2002, defeatingSamoa Joe andTom Howard.[32] In singles action, Otani entered the now round-robin Fire Festival once again in August, winning all but one of his matches and defeatingTetsuhiro Kuroda in the final to become a two-time Fire Festival winner, retaining the Fire Sword for another year.[33] After ten months and five successful defences as champions, Otani and Tanaka dropped their titles toJohn Heidenreich andNathan Jones in Korakuen Hall on October 20.[34] By this time, the two had established themselves as one of the best tag teams in Japan, and were invited byAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) to compete in itsReal World Tag League in late 2002. Four wins and a solitary defeat toKeiji Muto andAnimal Warrior was enough to see them through to the final, where they were defeated bySatoshi Kojima andTaiyo Kea in the main event atNippon Budokan on December 6.[35] The two would also briefly tour withMitsuharu Misawa'sPro Wrestling Noah in January 2003, the highlight of their run being a memorable if unsuccessfulGHC Tag Team Championship match againstJun Akiyama andAkitoshi Saito in Budokan.[36]
Back in Zero1, Otani looked to win his third successive Fire Festival tournament and again made it to the final, though, this time, he was defeated by AJPW representative Satoshi Kojima.[37] Otani would get his revenge over in AJPW on September 6, when he defeated Kojima in the semi-final of the vacantTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship tournament, though he was later defeated byToshiaki Kawada in the final.[38]
As 2004 progressed, Otani began to be pushed as one of Zero1's top stars, starting in April when he was narrowly defeated by former partner and then-currentNWA United National Heavyweight ChampionMasato Tanaka, the beginning of a rivalry between the former partners.[39] The two would have severalsteel cage matches against each other throughout the summer, as Otani formed an alliance withTakao Omori after he was betrayed by former allyWataru Sakata, who instead formed a new tag team with Tanaka. This culminated in a sixty-minute, ten-man elimination cage death match on October 16 inSapporo, as Otani's team of himself, Omori,Ikuto Hidaka,Minoru Fujita andTomohiro Ishii defeated Tanaka, Sakata,Jun Kasai,Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Yoshihito Sasaki after Hidaka last eliminated Kuroda for the win.[40] Upon Hashimoto's departure from Zero1 in late 2004, after which he retained the rights to the Zero1 name, Otani would take over Hashimoto's role as owner of the promotion in 2005 and re-introduced it inKorakuen Hall as Pro-Wrestling Zero-One Max. In August 2005, Otani would enter the fifth annual Fire Festival, again reaching the final where he defeatedKensuke Sasaki to win his third tournament.[41]
After taking over Zero1, he would establish a working partnership with Dream Stage Entertainment, which led to Otani making regular appearances in DSE's comedy wrestling promotion,Hustle. Initially appearing under his own name, Otani was later renamed toAchichi Otani, a character that seemed to gain the power of fire, as Otani would seemingly burn opponents and partners with a single touch. Otani would also establish a working relationship between Zero-One Max andNew Japan Pro Wrestling, which led to Otani appearing in a New Japan ring for the first time since February 2001 on October 8, 2005, in theTokyo Dome. Otani and his Zero-One Max team of Kamikaze,Ryoji Sai andKohei Sato were defeated byHiroyoshi Tenzan,Takashi Iizuka,Naofumi Yamamoto andYutaka Yoshie.[42] He would again return to New Japan on January 4, 2006, in the same venue, re-igniting his feud with old rival and allyKoji Kanemoto where Otani was victorious in singles action.[43] Back in Zero-One Max, Otani defeatedSteve Corino on January 22 to win theAWA World Heavyweight Championship, the first major heavyweight singles title of Otani's career.[44] Otani held the title until April 1, when he dropped it toTakao Omori.[45]
On December 24, 2007, it was announced by Zero-One Max's parent company, First On Stage, that Otani would solely take over from Yoshiyuki Nakamura as president of Zero-One Max, taking office on January 23, 2008, as Nakamura became the new director of First On Stage. After taking over as president, Otani further expanded the promotion's working deal with NJPW, which led to an inter-promotional feud between the two beginning in 2008. As a result of this, Otani would enter his first G1 Climax in August 2008, where he earned 7 points, though a defeat againstHiroshi Tanahashi prevented him from advancing past the first stage.[46] On February 27, 2009, at a Zero-One Max event inKorakuen Hall, he defeated former NJPW dojo classmateYuji Nagata to become the newWorld Heavyweight Champion.[47] Otani held the belt until March, successfully defending it againstSteve Corino andOrlando Colón before dropping it toRyoji Sai on March 29.[48] On October 12, 2009, atMasahiro Chono's 25th anniversary event inRyogoku Kokugikan, Otani received his first opportunity at theIWGP Heavyweight Championship in over nine years, challengingShinsuke Nakamura. Despite entering to a mixed reaction as an outsider, Otani's performance would prompt a loud reaction from the audience, who, by the end, were cheering for Otani, even though he was narrowly defeated by Nakamura.[49]
In late 2009, Otani formed a new partnership with former sumo wrestlerAkebono, prior to the upcomingFurinkazan tag tournament, dubbing themselves "Kazan" (火山, volcano). The two reached the final on December 19, where they defeatedMasaaki Mochizuki and Otani's former Emblem partnerMasato Tanaka to win the tournament.[50] A month later inTokyo, they beatIkuto Hidaka andMunenori Sawa to win theNWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.[51] In August 2010, he entered theFire Festival tied with Masato Tanaka for the most tournament wins at three; Otani progressed to the final, where he defeated Tanaka to become the first ever four-time winner of the tournament.[52] Otani would try and once again capture the World Heavyweight Championship in November, but fell to championDaisuke Sekimoto.[53] On March 6, 2011, Otani competed in the main event of Zero1's special 10th anniversary card inRyogoku Kokugikan, where he would lose toYoshihiro Takayama.[54] This event also saw the debut ofDaichi Hashimoto, the son of Otani's since deceased longtime associateShinya Hashimoto. Both Otani andMasahiro Chono handled his training, and Otani would go on to become a frequent tag team partner for the young Hashimoto during his early career in Zero1.[54]
Otani would unite with former rivalsKoji Kanemoto andOsamu Nishimura in NJPW for one night only in October 2011, where they were defeated by the reunited Okami Gundan team ofHiroyoshi Tenzan,Masahiro Chono andHiro Saito, in the main event of Tenzan's 20th anniversary event inKorakuen Hall.[55] He would later reunite withKeiji Muto in theTokyo Dome, atWrestle Kingdom 7, replacing the injured Daichi Hashimoto as the two were defeated byTencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan andSatoshi Kojima).[56] Beginning in September 2015, Otani downgraded himself back to the junior heavyweight division, proclaiming that the division had "lost its way" and "needed more heart". On September 23, he reformed his junior heavyweight team with Tatsuhito Takaiwa and defeatedNWA International Lightweight Tag Team ChampionsTakuya Sugawara andBrother Yasshi to win the titles, the team's fourth tag team title overall and their first in 15 years. On October 11 Otani defeatedMinoru Tanaka (who had defeated him and Takaiwa in 2000, along withKoji Kanemoto, to end their second IWGP junior tag reign) to win both theZero1 International andNWA World Junior Heavyweight Championships.[57] After three successful defenses, he lost the titles toKotaro Suzuki on February 3, 2017.[58]
After Otani wonReal Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW)'sLegend Championship in 2016, he again began occasionally competing in the heavyweight division. He held the title until June 2017, when he dropped it toMasakatsu Funaki, the man he initially defeated to win the title.[59] On June 22, 2019, at 46 years old, he challengedDaisuke Sekimoto for theWorld Heavyweight Championship. Otani was defeated after a hard-fought 22 minute match, but earned plaudits from the crowd for the strong effort he displayed.[60] He again returned toNew Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4, 2020, taking part in one ofJushin Thunder Liger's retirement matches, where he,Tatsuhito Takaiwa,Ryusuke Taguchi andNaoki Sano defeated Liger,Tatsumi Fujinami,The Great Sasuke andTiger Mask.[61] In December, Otani allied himself withYumehito Imanari for the upcomingFurinkazan, where theNWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship would be awarded to the winner.[62] Otani and Imanari defeated the Kubota Brothers (Yasu and Hide) in the final to win the tournament and the titles.[62] In August 2021 he entered what would be his last Fire Festival, reaching the final where he fell toTakuya Sugawara.[63]
On April 10, 2022, Otani was booked to challengePro Wrestling Noah (Noah)'sTakashi Sugiura for Zero1's World Heavyweight Championship at Zero1's anniversary event inRyogoku Kokugikan. At one point in the match, Otani became unresponsive after taking aGerman suplex into the turnbuckles. Otani was transported to hospital, where he awoke, however, he was unable to move his limbs; he was diagnosed with a cervical spinal injury. It was later announced he would undergo surgery on April 13, which was successful, after which Otani was moved to another hospital to begin further treatment and rehabilitation for his injuries.[64][65][66]
Otani married his wife Eriko on February 16, 2014.[67]
1The championship was won in Tokyo, Japan as part of an interpromotional card between New Japan Pro-Wrestling andWorld Championship Wrestling.
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