 Takahashi in November 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-01-13)January 13, 1981 (age 44)[1] Niigata, Niigata, Japan[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Yujiro Takahashi Yujiro |
| Billed height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 90 kg (198 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | NJPW Dojo[1] |
| Debut | July 26, 2004[1] |
Yujiro Takahashi (高橋 裕二郎,Takahashi Yūjirō; born January 13, 1981)[1] is a Japaneseprofessional wrestler. He is signed toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member ofHouse of Torture.
Takahashi entered New Japan in November 2003 with an extensive amateur background, advancing through thedojo and debuting on July 26, 2004, under his full name.[1] He later shortened his name toYujiro (裕次郎,Yūjirō). From 2007 to 2008, he was a member of the stable Samurai Gym withEl Samurai andRyusuke Taguchi, which ended when Samurai left the company. In 2010, he joinedChaos, where he was a one-timeIWGP Tag Team andJunior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion withTetsuya Naito, with whom he teamed asNo Limit. In 2014, Takahashi defected toBullet Club, becoming the first non-gaijin member to join the stable. As a member of Bullet Club and House of Torture, he is a one-timeNEVER Openweight Champion and a four-timeNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. During his time in Chaos, he had a "ladies' man" gimmick, which was carried on in Bullet Club. He is referred to as the "Tokyo Pimp" and is often accompanied to the ring bygo-go dancer, the "Tokyo Latina" Pieter.
Yujiro Takahashi, an esteemed Greco Roman wrestler in college[1] passed theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)dojo entry test in November 2003,[1] making his debut on July 26, 2004, in a loss toNaofumi Yamamoto atKorakuen Hall.[2] Takahashi shortened his ring name to simply "Yujiro" shortly thereafter, debuting the name in a match againstAkiya Anzawa on September 2, 2004.[2] Yujiro later entered the 7-man,single-elimination Young Lion Toukon Tournament on October 31, 2004, losing toHirooki Goto in the first round.[3] Yujiro continued to wrestle other young lions such as Anzawa, Goto, Yamamoto andRyusuke Taguchi through 2004 and early 2005, before entering theYoung Lion Cup in March 2005; he finished sixth place out of seven with four points, defeating Akiya Anzawa and Tommy Williams during the group stage.[4] On November 4, 2005, Yujiro defeated formerIWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionMasayuki Naruse, pinning him with an inside cradle.[5] During the match, Naruse hit several stiff slaps and kicks to the face, breaking Yujiro's jaw and causing him to bleed from the mouth,[6] forcing him out of action for the rest of the year. Yujiro returned from injury on March 4, 2006, defeating fellow young lionMitsuhide Hirasawa in the opening match.[7] Yujiro continued to wrestle in the undercard for the remainder of the year.
On January 27, 2007, Yujiro participated in a one-night tournament to decide the #1 contender to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, also includingWataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi andPrince Devitt; Devitt received a bye to the finals due to Taguchi suffering a right eye injury,[8] and Inoue defeated Yujiro, defeating Devitt in the final as well.[9] On March 18, 2007, Yujiro joined a new mini-faction started by El Samurai called Samurai Gym, along with Ryusuke Taguchi.[10] Yujiro received an opportunity at the junior title by traditional means a few months later, unsuccessfully challenging championMinoru on May 22, 2007 in his first title shot in New Japan.[11] After nearly three years with the company, Yujiro entered his firstBest of the Super Juniors tournament in June 2007, earning 4 points in the group stage by defeating Prince Devitt by forfeit and eventual winnerMilano Collection A.T. by pinfall.[12] Yujiro finished in sixth place out of seven in his block.
On February 1, 2008, it was announced that El Samurai would be leaving NJPW due to his contract expiring, effectively ending Samurai Gym.[13] Shortly afterward, Yujiro formed a tag team with fellow rookieTetsuya Naito calledNo Limit. In March, the two went to fifteen-minute time limit draws with formerIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship teams such asKoji Kanemoto and Wataru Inoue, and Minoru and Prince Devitt, and Yujiro pinned veteranSuper Strong Machine in a trios match.[14] All of this led to a junior tag title challenge for the duo, facing Machine's Legend stablematesJyushin Thunder Liger andAkira, in which No Limit came up short when Akira pinned Naito. Yujiro would then participate in the ongoingfeud between New Japan andPro Wrestling Zero1, teaming with Koji Kanemoto andManabu Nakanishi in two separate tag team matches, losing to Zero1'sMasato Tanaka andTatsuhito Takaiwa in the former, and defeatingTakao Omori and Osamu Namiguchi in the latter.[15]
In May 2008, Yujiro and Naito underwent a five-match series with some of New Japan's top tag teams, dubbed "No Limit Generation Smash", held in the variousZepp clubs across Japan. The teams includedJado andGedo,Togi Makabe andToru Yano, Wataru Inoue and Koji Kanemoto,Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto, andYuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi. No Limit lost all five matches.[16] A special sixth match in the series took place in Zero1 on May 29, 2008, Yujiro and Naito defeated Zero1's Osamu Namiguchi and Shito Ueda.[17] In June 2008, Yujiro entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, going winless in his first four matches before defeating Minoru in his final bout to finish with two points.[18] The following month, Yujiro participated in a single-elimination tournament to decide the new holder of the recently vacated IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. He defeated Naito in the first round, before falling to Prince Devitt in the quarterfinals.[19] On October 13, 2008, atDestruction '08, Yujiro and Naito defeated Devitt and Minoru to win theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On January 4, 2009, atWrestle Kingdom III, theMotor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley andChris Sabin) defeated them to win the tag team titles.[20]
Shortly after losing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Yujiro and Naito traveled to North America for a "developmental tour", something often done with young Japanese wrestlers to expose them to other styles of wrestling and help them develop into better wrestlers. No Limit worked mainly forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), while also making an appearance for bothTeam 3D's wrestling academy andJersey All Pro Wrestling, although Naito was not able to wrestle in JAPW due to an injury and was replaced by the team's TNA allySheik Abdul Bashir.[21] Yujiro and Naito worked for TNA approximately two months, receiving another unsuccessful shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[22] No Limit's final appearance for TNA was a handicap match on the May 14, 2009, edition ofImpact! againstKevin Nash, which the team lost.[23]
No Limit made their debut forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) inMexico City, Mexico on May 29, 2009 teaming withDos Caras Jr. to defeatHéctor Garza,La Sombra andVolador Jr. No Limit were presented as "Anti-Mexican"heels ("bad guys") and soon began teaming withOkumura under the nameLa Ola Amarilla (Spanish for "The Yellow Wave") in matches against Mexicans. On July 10, 2009 No Limit teamed withBlack Warrior to defeat the team of Héctor Garza,Toscano andEl Sagrado, After the match Black Warrior made a challenge on behalf of Yujiro (as Yujiro does not speak Spanish) for a "hair vs. hair" match with Garza.[24] This led to all men being involved in a 15-man steel cageLuchas de Apuestas match atInfierno en el Ring that Naito won by pinning Toscano, forcing him to have his hair shaved off.[25] Following the match No Limit's focus was on Black Warrior, who had turned on them during the cage match. When Jyushin Thunder Liger toured Mexico in September, 2009 he joined the "Anti-Mexico" faction, teaming with No Limit and Okumura to defeat Team Mexico (Último Guerrero,Atlantis, Black Warrior and Héctor Garza) at theCMLL 76th Anniversary Show on September 18, 2009.[26] The following week Yujiro teamed with Okumura to win the2009Gran Alternativa tournament, defeating Toscano andRouge in the first round, Héctor Garza andÁngel de Plata in the second round andMístico andÁngel de Oro in the finals.[27] The storyline feud between No Limit and Black Warrior reached its conclusion on October 16, 2009 as Black Warrior faced Yujiro in aLucha de Apuesta, hair vs. hair match that Yujiro won two falls to one, forcing Black Warrior to have his hair shaved off after the match.[28] After the storyline with Black Warrior ended, No Limit began working with the team ofEl Texano Jr. andEl Terrible in a feud that led to aLucha de Apuesta hair vs. hair match between the two teams that was the main event of CMLL'sSin Salida show on December 4, 2009. After being successful throughout the summer and fall No Limit finally lost to Texano Jr. and Terrible atSin Salida and were both shaved completely bald after the match per Lucha Libre traditions.[29]
On December 5, 2009, NJPW announced that Yujiro and Naito were returning to Japan as part of their annualJanuary 4 Tokyo Dome show calledWrestle Kingdom IV.[30] At the event Yujiro and Naito defeatedTeam 3D (Brother Ray andBrother Devon) andBad Intentions (Giant Bernard andKarl Anderson) in a three-way hardcore match to win theIWGP Tag Team Championship.[31] No Limit had their first title defense on February 14, 2010, defeating El Texano Jr. and El Terrible to retain the title.[32] He began using his full name again in February 2010 to signal his progress.[33] On April 4 atNew Dimension No Limit joined New Japan's top heel stableChaos, led by theIWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.[34] On May 3, 2010, atWrestling Dontaku, Takahashi and Naito lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship toSeigigun (Yuji Nagata andWataru Inoue) in a three-way match, which also included Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson).[35] On October 24 No Limit entered theG1 Tag League.[36] After three wins and two losses, they finished first in their block and advanced to the semifinals.[37] On November 7, after defeatingManabu Nakanishi andStrong Man in the semifinals, No Limit was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Nagata and Inoue.[38] On December 11, 2010, No Limit picked up a major win by defeating theTNA World Tag Team Champions,The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley andChris Sabin), in a non–title match.[39] On May 3, 2011, No Limit failed in their attempt to regain the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Bad Intentions. After the match, Takahashi walked out on Naito.[40][41] In May 2011 Takahashi took part in New Japan's first tour of the United States, theInvasion Tour 2011. On May 13 inRahway, New Jersey, he entered the tournament to determine the first everIWGP Intercontinental Champion, defeatingHideo Saito in his first round match.[42] The following day inNew York City, Takahashi was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinal stage by his Chaos stablemate Toru Yano.[43] Upon their return to Japan, Takahashi turned on Naito on May 26, effectively dissolving No Limit.[44] Takahashi then joined Gedo, Jado and Masato Tanaka as the fourth member of the Chaos sub-group Complete Players.[45] On June 18 atDominion 6.18, Takahashi defeated Naito in the first match between the former members of No Limit.[46] The two had a rematch on August 1 during the first day of theG1 Climax, where Takahashi was once again victorious.[47] Despite his strong start in the tournament, Takahashi only managed to win two more out of his eight remaining matches, finishing second to last in his block, whereas his former partner made it all the way to the finals.[48] On September 19, Naito defeated Takahashi in the third singles match between the two.[49] In theG1 Tag League, Takahashi teamed with Masato Tanaka with the team picking up three wins in their five group stage matches, including a win over the reigning IWGP Tag Team Champions, Bad Intentions, on October 30.[50] However, a loss to Tetsuya Naito andTomoaki Honma on October 4, with Naito again pinning Takahashi, meant that Takahashi and Tanaka narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.[51] Takahashi then got involved in Tanaka's IWGP Intercontinental Championship rivalry withMVP, which built to a tag team match on January 4, 2012, atWrestle Kingdom VI, where Takahashi and Tanaka were defeated by MVP andShelton Benjamin.[52] On March 11, Takahashi unsuccessfully challengedHirooki Goto for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[53]
On May 10, 2012, Takahashi returned to Mexico for another tour with CMLL.[54] During his first month back in Mexico, Takahashi mainly feuded withCMLL World Light Heavyweight ChampionRush, which built to a match on June 5, where Takahashi unsuccessfully challenged Rush for his title.[55] Takahashi then transitioned into feuding withCMLL World Heavyweight Champion El Terrible, but again was unsuccessful in his title challenge on June 24.[56][57] Takahashi ended his two-month excursion and returned to Japan on July 6.[58] On September 17, Takahashi picked up a major win by pinning IWGP Heavyweight ChampionHiroshi Tanahashi in an eight-man tag team main event.[59] On October 8, Takahashi defeated Naito via referee stoppage, after taking advantage of his injured knee, after which he was named the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[60] On October 21, Takahashi again pinned Tanahashi in a six-man tag team main event.[61] On November 11 atPower Struggle, Takahashi received his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by Tanahashi.[62][63] On November 15, Takahashi participated in theNEVER Openweight Championship tournament, but was eliminated in his first round match byKarl Anderson.[64] From November 20 to December 1, Takahashi took part in the round-robin portion of theWorld Tag League, alongside Complete Players stablemate Masato Tanaka. The team finished with a record of three wins and three losses, failing to advance from their block.[65][66] On January 4, 2013, atWrestle Kingdom 7, Takahashi represented Chaos in an eight-man tag team match, where he,Bob Sapp,Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano were defeated byAkebono, Manabu Nakanishi, MVP and Strong Man.[67] Later that same event, Takahashi also helped Masato Tanaka retain the NEVER Openweight Championship against Shelton Benjamin.[68]
The following month, Takahashi started a new rivalry with Togi Makabe.[69] The two first met each other in a singles match on February 10 atThe New Beginning, where Makabe was victorious.[70] On March 11, Takahashi avenged the loss by defeating Makabe in the first round of theNew Japan Cup.[71][72] Six days later, Takahashi, debuting a new "ladies' man" gimmick, was eliminated from the tournament in the second round byDavey Boy Smith Jr.[73] On March 23, Tomoaki Honma returned to New Japan to support Makabe in his war with Takahashi and Chaos.[74] Takahashi and Makabe faced off in another singles match on May 3 atWrestling Dontaku, where Makabe was victorious.[75] On June 22, Takahashi was defeated in another grudge match by former partner Tetsuya Naito, who was making his return to the ring from an eight-month break due to a knee injury.[76] The two had a rematch on August 1 on the opening day of theG1 Climax, where Takahashi was victorious.[77] When the tournament concluded on August 11, Takahashi finished in the middle of the block with a record of four wins and five losses, failing to advance to the finals.[78] On October 14 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Takahashi unsuccessfully challenged former partner Tetsuya Naito for the NEVER Openweight Championship and thenumber one contendership to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[79]
In April 2014, after being left off theWrestle Kingdom 8,Invasion Attack andWrestling Dontaku cards and losing in the first round of theNew Japan Cup, Takahashi began portraying a new disgruntled character, walking out on his Chaos partners either during a match or immediately afterwards.[80][81] On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku, Takahashi turned on Chaos and jumped toBullet Club by helpingA.J. Styles defeatKazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[82][83] Takahashi wrestled his first match as a member of Bullet Club on May 25 atBack to the Yokohama Arena and, later that same event, entered the NEVER Openweight Championship picture by attacking the reigning champion, former Chaos stablemateTomohiro Ishii.[84] On June 29, Takahashi defeated Ishii with help from the rest of Bullet Club to become the fourth NEVER Openweight Champion.[85] From July 21 to August 8, Takahashi took part in theG1 Climax, where he finished tied sixth in his block with a record of four wins and six losses.[86][87] It has been speculated that Takahashi's poor performances in the tournament led to his status in NJPW plummeting in comparison to the likes of Tomoaki Honma and Tomohiro Ishii.[88] On September 23 atDestruction in Okayama, Takahashi made his first successful defense of the NEVER Openweight Championship against former Chaos stablemateYoshi-Hashi.[89] On October 13 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Takahashi lost the title back to Ishii in his second defense.[90][91] The following month, Takahashi entered theWorld Tag League, alongside Styles.[92] Despite a win over the reigning IWGP Tag Team Champions, Bullet Club stablematesDoc Gallows and Karl Anderson,[93] Takahashi and Styles failed to advance from their block with a record of four wins and three losses due to losing to Kazuchika Okada and Yoshi-Hashi on the final day.[94] During 2015, Takahashi took part in theNew Japan Cup andG1 Climax tournaments, making it to the second round in the former and finishing the latter with a record of three wins and six losses.[95][96]
On January 4, 2016, atWrestle Kingdom 10, Takahashi took part in a match to determine the inauguralNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, where he and his Bullet Club stablematesBad Luck Fale andTama Tonga were defeated byJay Briscoe,Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano.[97] On February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Takahashi, Fale and Tonga defeated the Briscoes and Yano in a rematch to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[98] After a three-day reign, the three lost the title back to the Briscoes and Yano atThe New Beginning in Niigata.[99] Takahashi unsuccessfully tried to regain the title with Fale andKenny Omega, but the three were defeated by Hiroshi Tanahashi,Michael Elgin andYoshitatsu on April 23.[100] On August 14, Takahashi teamed with Bullet Club's newest member,Hangman Page, to unsuccessfully challenge Jay and Mark Briscoe for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[101] From November 18 to December 7, Takahashi and Page participated in theWorld Tag League, where they finished second in block A with record of four wins and three losses, thus failing to advance to the final.[102] On January 4, 2017, atWrestle Kingdom 11, Takahashi, along with Fale and Page, participated in the first NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship gauntlet match representing Bullet Club, however, the team was unsuccessful in winning the title after Takahashi was submitted bySanada, who would go on to win the match along withLos Ingobernables de Japón.[103] In March, Takahashi entered the2017 New Japan Cup, facingJuice Robinson, where he was defeated, failing to advance into the second round.[104] In September, Takahashi would begin to feud withBeretta, who had recently announced that theRoppongi Vice tag team with partnerRocky Romero would be disbanded and the former would graduate to the heavyweight division soon. The two would face of in tag matches throughout theDestruction tour, with Takahashi emerging victorious after each match. On September 16 at Destruction in Hiroshima, Takahashi along with Bullet Club stablemateChase Owens were defeated by Roppongi Vice in their final match together. Post-match, Takahashi took to the mic, telling Beretta to return to the junior heavyweight division, claiming that the heavyweight division was too tough for him, and challenged him to a singles match, which was accepted by Beretta.[105] The match took place one week later at Destruction in Kobe on September 24, where Beretta defeated Takahashi, culminating their feud.[106] From November 18 to December 11, Takahashi teamed up with Page once again for the2017 World Tag League, where they finished third in block A with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance into the final.[107] In March 2018, Takahashi entered the2018 New Japan Cup, where he faced off against Robinson in a rematch, but was yet again defeated, failing to advance into the second round.[108] At theWorld Tag League, Takahashi again teamed with Page, scoring five wins and eight losses. At the end of the tournament and in the midst of the Bullet Club Civil War, Takahashi became an official associate ofThe Elite. After the sub-group's departure from Bullet Club and New Japan, he and Owens, who was also kicked out, were welcomed back into BC byTama Tonga.
At theWorld Tag League, Takahashi teamed withKenta, scoring eight wins and seven losses.[109] AtWrestle Kingdom 14, Takahashi was involved in losing efforts in an eight man tag team match on the first night and a NEVER Openweight six-man Tag Team Championship gauntlet the second night.[110][111]
After missing theNew Japan Cup the year before due to injury, Takahashi participated in the2020 tournament, being eliminated byHirooki Goto in the first round.[112] Later that year, he would embark on a feud with Kazuchika Okada, losing to him in a singles match atSengoku Lord. Later in the year, Takahashi took part inG1 Climax 30, the first time in five years, losing almost every match in his block, and only defeatingJeff Cobb on the last day.[113][114] Takahashi teamed withEvil, in theWorld Tag League, where they finished with six points, failing to advance to the finals.[115] AtWrestle Kingdom 15, Takahashi entered but failed to win theNew Japan Ranbo match.[116]
In March 2021, Takahashi entered theNew Japan Cup, but was defeated byYoshi-Hashi in the first round.[117] In September, Takahashi took part inG1 Climax 31, finishing with five points, failing to advance to the finals. However, one of his wins was against the previous year's winner,Kota Ibushi and his match againstShingo Takagi ended in a double countout.[118]
In September 2021,Roppongi 3K imploded afterSho attackedYoh, following a surprising, poor run in theSuper Junior Tag League. Sho accepted a Bullet Club shirt fromEvil, who stood alongside Takahashi andDick Togo, with an alternative design labeledHouse of Torture, officially starting a new sub-group.[119] AtPower Struggle, Takahashi, Evil and Sho, defeated Chaos to win theNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[120] Takahashi once again teamed with Evil in theWorld Tag League, they finished second in the block advancing to the finals, but lost toBishamon (Hirooki Goto andYoshi-Hashi) in the finals.[121] On night two ofWrestle Kingdom 15, Evil, Sho and Takahashi, retained the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Chaos.[122] Takahashi, entered theNew Japan Cup tournament, but lost in the first round once again, toTetsuya Naito.[123] AtDominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, House of Torture retained the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship againstSuzuki-gun,[124] but lost them to Chaos at New Japan Road. In June, Takahashi took part inG1 Climax 32, where he was placed in the D Block.[125] He finished the tournament with six points, failing to advance to the semi-finals.[126]
On May 3, 2025, at night one ofWrestling Dontaku, House of Torture were defeated by the Bullet Club War Dogs in aDog Pound match. Per the stipulation, House of Torture were forced to leave Bullet Club.[127]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yujiro (hair) | Black Warrior (hair) | Mexico City | Súper Viernes - El Gran Desafío | October 16, 2009 | [28] |
| Los Hijos del Averno (El Texano, Jr. andEl Terrible) (hair) | No Limit (Yujiro andNaito) (hair) | Mexico City | Sin Salida | December 4, 2009 | [29] |
,Internet Wrestling Database