Shinya Hashimoto
Encyclopedia
, was a Japanese
professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono
and Keiji Mutoh
, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling
in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s.
He is one (the other being Keiji Mutoh) of two wrestlers that have held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
, the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He is often compared to All Japan Pro Wrestling
's Toshiaki Kawada
, as both are widely known for their stiff kicks and violent matches. As of 2010, he has the longest IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign in history, lasting 489 days.
. Hashimoto worked on becoming a skilled wrestler over the next few years, travelling whenever necessary to gain more seasoning, such as over in the United States (Continental Wrestling Association
), Canada (Stampede Wrestling
), and Puerto Rico (World Wrestling Council
). During his excursion in the United States, he visited the Elvis Presley museum in Memphis. Instantly, Hashimoto became a huge fan and because of this, his dressing up in Elvis costumes, and his sideburns, many of his peers commonly refer to him as "Fat Japanese Elvis."
It was in Puerto Rico in 1988, that Hashimoto formed The Three Musketeers
with Masahiro Chono
and Keiji Mutoh
.
; he defeated Riki Chōshū
and Victor Zangiev
, before losing to Big Van Vader in the finals. In September 1989, Hashimoto teamed with Masa Saito to win his first gold, the IWGP Tag Team Championship, beating Chōshū and Takayuki Iizuka
. The two would hold the belts until the next year, losing in April 1990 to two other up-and-comers: Masahiro Chono
and Keiji Mutoh
.
In August 1991, Hashimoto, Chono, and Mutoh cemented their status as the aces of NJPW during the G-1 Climax, surpassing longtime aces Antonio Inoki
, Tatsumi Fujinami
, and Riki Chōshū. In July 1992, he replaced an injured Akira Nogami
to team with Hiroshi Hase to participate in the NWA World Tag Team Championship
tournament held by World Championship Wrestling
; they defeated the Fabulous Freebirds
in the quarterfinals, before losing to Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham
in the semi-finals. Hashimoto finally hit the big time in 1993, as he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from the Great Muta in September. Hashimoto would hold the biggest belt in NJPW for the next 7 months before being taken down by the legendary Tatsumi Fujinami. However, Hashimoto didn't sit back after the defeat, as he regained the gold only a month later, in May 1994. For the next year, Hashimoto stayed a dominating force in New Japan, defeating challenger after challenger. In fact, Hashimoto reigned as the IWGP champion for over a year, losing the belt to Mutoh only two days after celebrating the milestone.
A few months after losing the gold, Hashimoto teamed up with Junji Hirata
in July 1995 to face and defeat Scott Norton
and Mike Enos
to win the vacated IWGP Tag Team Championship, making Hashimoto a two-time champion in both divisions. Soon, Hashimoto enjoyed another lengthy championship run, as he and Hirata remained the champions for almost another year. Hashimoto also became a double champion, as he defeated Nobuhiko Takada
to regain the IWGP Heavyweight Title on April 29, 1996. Hashimoto & Hirata would lose the tag titles in June 1996, when they fell to Takashi Iizuka
and Kazuo Yamazaki
. Hashimoto soldiered on to focus solely on the singles gold, as he worked on another lengthy run. In 1997, he was presented with a new championship belt (the second-generation IWGP Heavyweight Championship). On August 31, 1997, Hashimoto lost the title to Kensuke Sasaki, after reigning as champion for a record-breaking 489 days. Hashimoto continued to work for NJPW for the next few years, earning another great honor by winning the G-1 Climax in 1998.
Hashimoto launched into a brutal rivalry against Judo champion Naoya Ogawa
in 1997, leading to Hashimoto vowing to retire if he lost again, which happened in April 2000. Despite the vow, he returned to New Japan for the New Japan/All Japan "Do Judge!" card on October 9, where he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami by submission. He appeared at the Great Voyage 2000 event for Pro Wrestling Noah
on December 23, where he successfully defeated Takao Ōmori
.
-like bouts in New Japan Pro Wrestling, called Different Style Fights, where he defeated the likes of Volk Han
, Tony Halme
, Ramzin Shibiev and Dennis Lane. Most of the bouts lasted from 3 to 14 minutes and usually ended via submission or knockout.
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
in October 2001. The match ended in controversy, leading to the belt being held up. In December 2001, Hashimoto faced off against Corino and Gary Steele
in a Triple Threat Match, winning the vacated NWA World Heavyweight Title. Hashimoto's NWA World Title reign would come to an end in March 2002 through duplicitous means, as a crooked referee gave a fast count, allowing Dan Severn
to win the belt. Hashimoto then went back to concentrating on Zero-One, where he was an active competitor. In October 2002, Hashimoto teamed with his old rival, Naoya Ogawa, to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles (which were usually defended in Zero-One) from John Heidenreich & Nathan Jones
. The two would defend the belts for the next few months, before falling to Matt Ghaffari
and Tom Howard in December 2002. The two teams feuded on and off over the next few months, even as Hashimoto looked to another organization for a major accomplishment.
On February 23, 2003, Hashimoto defeated the Great Muta to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
; as a result, Hashimoto became only the second man to have held the NJPW, AJPW, and NWA World Titles (as Keiji Mutoh was the first). Hashimoto added to that gold, temporarily, when he and Ogawa won back the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles from Ghaffari and Howard in April 2003. However, due to Ogaya having thrown Ghaffari over the top rope at one point in the match, NWA President Richard Arpin stripped them of the belts a few days later, as throwing an opponent over the top rope is against the rules in the NWA. Hashimoto's AJPW Triple Crown would face a similar fate, as Hashimoto suffered a knee injury in August 2003 and had to vacate the belt.
Despite the build-up of several injuries, Hashimoto continued to wrestle on and off in Zero-One, including teaming with Yoshiaki Fujiwara to get the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles for a third time, defeating Takao Ōmori and Shiro Koshinaka in June 2004. The two would stay the champs for the next few months, before Ōmori found a new partner in Shinjiro Otani to take the belts away in August 2004. Going into 2005, Hashimoto left Zero-One and placed Otani in charge, citing financial problems as the reason for his departure. However, many of his peers testified that once Hashimoto recovered from various injuries, he was planning on returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as making an appearance at an All Japan Pro Wrestling event on July 26 in Yoyogi National Gym #2 for a "Three Musketeers" reunion.
, Japan
, on July 11, 2005, 8 days after celebrating his 40th birthday; he was pronounced dead at approximately 10:36 a.m. while en route to the hospital. Hashimoto’s sister Masanari claimed that Hashimoto had been complaining about chest pains and thought that his heart was beating too fast a week prior to his death, but refused to contact his doctor about the conditions.
Hashimoto had a heart problem in 2004 and was put on medicine, but he had to stop taking it after having shoulder surgery. Hashimoto’s doctor claimed that high blood pressure was the most likely cause for his brain hemorrhage, and proposed that other stress over the years led to these problems, which should not have happened for someone his age.
, who made his pro wrestling debut for the Zero1 promotion at their 10th Anniversary Show on March 6, 2011, facing Masahiro Chono in a losing effort. He also left behind two young daughters.
left New Japan and took the belt with him which forced New Japan to bring the second belt back. After regaining the third belt in Feberuary 2008 and the creation of the fourth IWGP Title belt, the second was retired once again. On March 2, 2008, then IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
visited ZERO1 for their anniversary show where he defeated Kohei Sato
. After the match, he gave the second IWGP Title belt to Hashimoto's son: Daichi.
In August 2005, Masahiro Chono used Hashimoto's Bakusho Sengen theme during the final match of the 2005 G1 Climax. At PRIDE Shockwave 2005
, Naoya Ogawa wore Hashimoto's signature headband and came out to Bakusho Sengen for his fight against Hidehiko Yoshida
. In late 2005, Hashimoto was posthumously awarded an achievement award by Tokyo Sports. At Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2007, Chono and Mutoh would pay tribute after defeating Ten-Koji
as they wore Hashimoto's Headbands while his theme song played. On September 21, 2009, ZERO1 held the Shinya Hashimoto 25th Anniversary Destructive King Legend In Korakuen Hall show which celebrated Hashimoto's would be 25th anniversary. In 2010, Hashimoto would be inducted into both New Japan's Greatest Wrestlers Hall of Fame and the NWA Hall of Fame
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s.
He is one (the other being Keiji Mutoh) of two wrestlers that have held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
, the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
AJPW Triple Crown Championship
The AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling. The championship is a unification of the NWA United National Championship, the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship....
and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He is often compared to All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
's Toshiaki Kawada
Toshiaki Kawada
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2005, he started freelancing in other promotions....
, as both are widely known for their stiff kicks and violent matches. As of 2010, he has the longest IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign in history, lasting 489 days.
Early years (1984-1988)
Hashimoto grew up in Toki City in Gifu, and began training in judo in his late teens. His training helped him in his transition to professional wrestling, as he joined the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in April 1984. He made his debut for NJPW in September 1984 at the age of 19, wrestling against Tatsutoshi GotoTatsutoshi Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He competed primarily in WAR and New Japan Pro Wrestling using the name "T2000 Machine". He also briefly competed in WCW as part of the nWo Japan.-Career:...
. Hashimoto worked on becoming a skilled wrestler over the next few years, travelling whenever necessary to gain more seasoning, such as over in the United States (Continental Wrestling Association
Continental Wrestling Association
The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
), Canada (Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
), and Puerto Rico (World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
). During his excursion in the United States, he visited the Elvis Presley museum in Memphis. Instantly, Hashimoto became a huge fan and because of this, his dressing up in Elvis costumes, and his sideburns, many of his peers commonly refer to him as "Fat Japanese Elvis."
It was in Puerto Rico in 1988, that Hashimoto formed The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (professional wrestling)
, or The Three Musketeers, was a Japanese professional wrestling trio consisting of Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono, and Keiji Mutoh.-Careers:...
with Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1988-2000)
Upon Hashimoto's return to New Japan in July 1988, he started to climb his way up the NJPW ladder. In April 1989, he took part in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament at New Japan's first show in the Tokyo DomeTokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
; he defeated Riki Chōshū
Riki Choshu
Mitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...
and Victor Zangiev
Victor Zangiev
Victor Zangiev is a retired Soviet amateur wrestler, who wrestled professionally in Japan.-Amateur wrestling career:Victor Zangiev was a great amateur wrestler from the Soviet Union. In 1981, he reversed the first seat in the 100 kg class for the Junior World Championships in freestyle wrestling...
, before losing to Big Van Vader in the finals. In September 1989, Hashimoto teamed with Masa Saito to win his first gold, the IWGP Tag Team Championship, beating Chōshū and Takayuki Iizuka
Takayuki Iizuka
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Early years :Takayuki Iizuka made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in November 1986, wrestling against Akira Nogami. In June 1989, Iizuka and Hiroshi Hase went to the Soviet...
. The two would hold the belts until the next year, losing in April 1990 to two other up-and-comers: Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
.
In August 1991, Hashimoto, Chono, and Mutoh cemented their status as the aces of NJPW during the G-1 Climax, surpassing longtime aces Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
, Tatsumi Fujinami
Tatsumi Fujinami
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is famous for his gimmick as "The Dragon." He is the one who is credited for inventing the Dragon Sleeper and the Dragon Suplex...
, and Riki Chōshū. In July 1992, he replaced an injured Akira Nogami
Akira Nogami
is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working for Yoshihiro Tajiri's Smash promotion as AKIRA.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
to team with Hiroshi Hase to participate in the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
tournament held by World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
; they defeated the Fabulous Freebirds
Fabulous Freebirds
The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team that attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed under the Freebirds name.-History:The Fabulous...
in the quarterfinals, before losing to Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
in the semi-finals. Hashimoto finally hit the big time in 1993, as he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from the Great Muta in September. Hashimoto would hold the biggest belt in NJPW for the next 7 months before being taken down by the legendary Tatsumi Fujinami. However, Hashimoto didn't sit back after the defeat, as he regained the gold only a month later, in May 1994. For the next year, Hashimoto stayed a dominating force in New Japan, defeating challenger after challenger. In fact, Hashimoto reigned as the IWGP champion for over a year, losing the belt to Mutoh only two days after celebrating the milestone.
A few months after losing the gold, Hashimoto teamed up with Junji Hirata
Junji Hirata
is a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestles for the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, and currently uses the ring name .-Career:Hirata made his debut in New Japan on August 26, 1978 against Yoshiaki Fujiwara...
in July 1995 to face and defeat Scott Norton
Scott Norton
Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
and Mike Enos
Mike Enos
Mike Enos is a retired professional wrestler who wrestled mainly as a tag-team wrestler in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation between 1989 and 2000....
to win the vacated IWGP Tag Team Championship, making Hashimoto a two-time champion in both divisions. Soon, Hashimoto enjoyed another lengthy championship run, as he and Hirata remained the champions for almost another year. Hashimoto also became a double champion, as he defeated Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He...
to regain the IWGP Heavyweight Title on April 29, 1996. Hashimoto & Hirata would lose the tag titles in June 1996, when they fell to Takashi Iizuka
Takayuki Iizuka
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Early years :Takayuki Iizuka made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in November 1986, wrestling against Akira Nogami. In June 1989, Iizuka and Hiroshi Hase went to the Soviet...
and Kazuo Yamazaki
Kazuo Yamazaki
Kazuo Yamazaki is a former Japanese professional wrestler, who is known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling and UWF International.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
. Hashimoto soldiered on to focus solely on the singles gold, as he worked on another lengthy run. In 1997, he was presented with a new championship belt (the second-generation IWGP Heavyweight Championship). On August 31, 1997, Hashimoto lost the title to Kensuke Sasaki, after reigning as champion for a record-breaking 489 days. Hashimoto continued to work for NJPW for the next few years, earning another great honor by winning the G-1 Climax in 1998.
Hashimoto launched into a brutal rivalry against Judo champion Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
in 1997, leading to Hashimoto vowing to retire if he lost again, which happened in April 2000. Despite the vow, he returned to New Japan for the New Japan/All Japan "Do Judge!" card on October 9, where he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami by submission. He appeared at the Great Voyage 2000 event for Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
on December 23, where he successfully defeated Takao Ōmori
Takao Omori
is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler, currently competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He has formerly competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1.-All Japan Pro Wrestling :...
.
Different Style Fights
Between 1990 and 1998, Shinya Hashimoto successfully competed in various worked Mixed Martial ArtsMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
-like bouts in New Japan Pro Wrestling, called Different Style Fights, where he defeated the likes of Volk Han
Volk Han
Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov , better known by his alias Volk Han , is a Russian shoot wrestler and later a mixed martial artist renowned for his technical mastery of Sambo and submission victories in shoot wrestling and MMA. He was representing Russia in the Russian RINGS team with Fedor...
, Tony Halme
Tony Halme
Tony Christian Halme was a member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the True Finns party. He was also known by the pseudonym Viikinki he used while appearing in the Finnish version of the TV game show Gladiators in the 1990s...
, Ramzin Shibiev and Dennis Lane. Most of the bouts lasted from 3 to 14 minutes and usually ended via submission or knockout.
Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (2001-2005)
Even though Hashimoto was assumed to be retired, Hashimoto registered the Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE name on November 13, 2000, after being fired from New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the promotion had its first show on March 2, 2001. Hashimoto challenged Steve CorinoSteve Corino
Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler, who currently works for Pro Wrestling Zero1, Ring of Honor and numerous other independent promotions. Corino is a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and ECW World Heavyweight Champion.-Early years :Corino began wrestling in 1994...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
in October 2001. The match ended in controversy, leading to the belt being held up. In December 2001, Hashimoto faced off against Corino and Gary Steele
Gary Steele
Gary Steele is a retired British professional wrestler, who has competed in European and North American promotions and has been a popular longtime mainstay of NWA UK Hammerlock since the mid-1990s...
in a Triple Threat Match, winning the vacated NWA World Heavyweight Title. Hashimoto's NWA World Title reign would come to an end in March 2002 through duplicitous means, as a crooked referee gave a fast count, allowing Dan Severn
Dan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...
to win the belt. Hashimoto then went back to concentrating on Zero-One, where he was an active competitor. In October 2002, Hashimoto teamed with his old rival, Naoya Ogawa, to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles (which were usually defended in Zero-One) from John Heidenreich & Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones (wrestler)
Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
. The two would defend the belts for the next few months, before falling to Matt Ghaffari
Matt Ghaffari
Siamak Ghaffari is an American-Iranian Olympic silver-medal winning wrestler. He was a two-time Olympic team member obtaining a silver medal after losing against Alexander Karelin in the final of 1996. In total holds four World and Olympic MedalsGhaffari attended Paramus High School in Paramus,...
and Tom Howard in December 2002. The two teams feuded on and off over the next few months, even as Hashimoto looked to another organization for a major accomplishment.
On February 23, 2003, Hashimoto defeated the Great Muta to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
AJPW Triple Crown Championship
The AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling. The championship is a unification of the NWA United National Championship, the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship....
; as a result, Hashimoto became only the second man to have held the NJPW, AJPW, and NWA World Titles (as Keiji Mutoh was the first). Hashimoto added to that gold, temporarily, when he and Ogawa won back the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles from Ghaffari and Howard in April 2003. However, due to Ogaya having thrown Ghaffari over the top rope at one point in the match, NWA President Richard Arpin stripped them of the belts a few days later, as throwing an opponent over the top rope is against the rules in the NWA. Hashimoto's AJPW Triple Crown would face a similar fate, as Hashimoto suffered a knee injury in August 2003 and had to vacate the belt.
Despite the build-up of several injuries, Hashimoto continued to wrestle on and off in Zero-One, including teaming with Yoshiaki Fujiwara to get the NWA Intercontinental Tag-Team Titles for a third time, defeating Takao Ōmori and Shiro Koshinaka in June 2004. The two would stay the champs for the next few months, before Ōmori found a new partner in Shinjiro Otani to take the belts away in August 2004. Going into 2005, Hashimoto left Zero-One and placed Otani in charge, citing financial problems as the reason for his departure. However, many of his peers testified that once Hashimoto recovered from various injuries, he was planning on returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as making an appearance at an All Japan Pro Wrestling event on July 26 in Yoyogi National Gym #2 for a "Three Musketeers" reunion.
Death
The Japanese wrestling world was shocked when Hashimoto suddenly died of a brain aneurysm in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, on July 11, 2005, 8 days after celebrating his 40th birthday; he was pronounced dead at approximately 10:36 a.m. while en route to the hospital. Hashimoto’s sister Masanari claimed that Hashimoto had been complaining about chest pains and thought that his heart was beating too fast a week prior to his death, but refused to contact his doctor about the conditions.
Hashimoto had a heart problem in 2004 and was put on medicine, but he had to stop taking it after having shoulder surgery. Hashimoto’s doctor claimed that high blood pressure was the most likely cause for his brain hemorrhage, and proposed that other stress over the years led to these problems, which should not have happened for someone his age.
Personal life
Hashimoto had a son, Daichi HashimotoDaichi Hashimoto (wrestler)
Daichi Hashimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler, who wrestles for Pro Wrestling Zero1. He is the son of the late Shinya Hashimoto.-Early life:...
, who made his pro wrestling debut for the Zero1 promotion at their 10th Anniversary Show on March 6, 2011, facing Masahiro Chono in a losing effort. He also left behind two young daughters.
Tributes
In the years following Hashimoto's death, numerous wrestlers and promotions have paid tribute to him. Immediately following his death, New Japan retired the second IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt as Hashimoto was the first to wear it. A third IWGP Title belt was created and debuted in October 2005 but New Japan lost it in July 2006 when Brock LesnarBrock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
left New Japan and took the belt with him which forced New Japan to bring the second belt back. After regaining the third belt in Feberuary 2008 and the creation of the fourth IWGP Title belt, the second was retired once again. On March 2, 2008, then IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Super Rookie :...
visited ZERO1 for their anniversary show where he defeated Kohei Sato
Kohei Sato
is a Japanese professional wrestler contracted with Pro Wrestling ZERO1. Sato is also a former mixed martial artist.-In wrestling:*Finishing moves*Briging German suplex*Cross Armbreaker*Pole Star *Signature moves...
. After the match, he gave the second IWGP Title belt to Hashimoto's son: Daichi.
In August 2005, Masahiro Chono used Hashimoto's Bakusho Sengen theme during the final match of the 2005 G1 Climax. At PRIDE Shockwave 2005
PRIDE Shockwave 2005
Pride Shockwave 2005 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2005. In Japan, the event was called "Otoko Matsuri 2005 – Itadaki"...
, Naoya Ogawa wore Hashimoto's signature headband and came out to Bakusho Sengen for his fight against Hidehiko Yoshida
Hidehiko Yoshida
is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial artist. He is a long time veteran of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, competing in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, also managing to fight in the semi-finals in the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix...
. In late 2005, Hashimoto was posthumously awarded an achievement award by Tokyo Sports. At Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2007, Chono and Mutoh would pay tribute after defeating Ten-Koji
Ten-Koji
Ten-Koji is a professional wrestling tag team that has competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. In their history, Ten-Koji currently hold the second longest IWGP Tag Team Championship reign and are currently the first and only team to have won both the G1 tag league and...
as they wore Hashimoto's Headbands while his theme song played. On September 21, 2009, ZERO1 held the Shinya Hashimoto 25th Anniversary Destructive King Legend In Korakuen Hall show which celebrated Hashimoto's would be 25th anniversary. In 2010, Hashimoto would be inducted into both New Japan's Greatest Wrestlers Hall of Fame and the NWA Hall of Fame
NWA Hall of Fame
The National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the NWA. It was established in 2005 to honor select wrestling personalities, mostly alumni of the NWA. Inductees receive commemorative medals that have their names inscribed on it with the...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Jumping spike DDT
- Vertical drop brainbusterBrainbusterA brainbuster is a professional wrestling throw in which a wrestler puts his/her opponent in a front facelock, hooks his/her pants, and lifts him/her up as if he/she was executing a vertical suplex. The wrestler then falls onto his/her back so that the opponent lands on his/her head while remaining...
- Signature moves
- Multiple DDTDDT (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
variations- Elevated
- FlowingDDT (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
- Running
- Multiple suplexSuplexA suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
variations- Bottom rope super
- Exploder
- German
- Overhead chop
- Running leg drop
- Spinning heel kick
- Triangle choke
- Multiple DDT
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Prologue" by Seiji YokoyamaSeiji Yokoyamais a prolific Japanese incidental music composer from Hiroshima who is best known for his work on the Saint Seiya series. He is a graduate student of Kunitachi College of Music....
(1984–1989) - "Never" by Moving PicturesMoving PicturesMoving Pictures may refer to:In film, television and theatre:* Moving picture or film, a story conveyed with moving images* Moving Pictures , a 1990s UK programme devoted to film...
(1989) - "Bakusho Sengen" (1989–2005)
- "Bakusho Sengen (with "Open The Door" intro)" (1991–1993, big matches)
- "Bakusho Sengen (with "Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Into Battle Mix)" intro)" (1993–2005, big matches)
- "Prologue" by Seiji Yokoyama
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Hall of FameNWA Hall of FameThe National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the NWA. It was established in 2005 to honor select wrestling personalities, mostly alumni of the NWA. Inductees receive commemorative medals that have their names inscribed on it with the...
(Class of 2010)
- NWA Hall of Fame
- NWA Pro-Wrestling XpressNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
(1 time)
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Masa SaitoMasa Saitois a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance . He later joined the World Wrestling Federation , where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice...
(2) and Junji HirataJunji Hiratais a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestles for the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, and currently uses the ring name .-Career:Hirata made his debut in New Japan on August 26, 1978 against Yoshiaki Fujiwara...
(1) - G-1 Climax (1998)
- Super Grade Tag League (1992) - with Riki ChōshūRiki ChoshuMitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...
- Super Grade Tag League (1996) - with Scott NortonScott NortonScott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
- Greatest Wrestlers (Class of 2010)
- Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Naoya OgawaNaoya OgawaNaoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
(2) Yoshiaki FujiwaraYoshiaki Fujiwarais a Japanese actor, and professional wrestler who has worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, and UWF.-New Japan Pro Wrestling and Universal Wrestling Federation :...
(1)
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Naoya Ogawa
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #45 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Achievement Award (2005)
- Fighting Spirit (1993)
- Performance Award (1989)
- Wrestler of the Year (1994)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 2000)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame