Stalker Ichikawa
Encyclopedia
, better known by his stage name "Hollywood" , is a Japan
ese professional wrestler
who currently wrestles for Dragon Gate
.
and Don Fuji, though the two have no problem beating him up many times to the delight of the fans.
Stalker gained mass popularity with the Reckless Run series. When not wrestling a regular member of the Dragon Gate roster, he would face an endless run of X opponents of great importance. Among those he had faced during the series included The Great Kabuki
, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Kintaro Kanemura, Yoshihiro Takayama
, Toshiaki Kawada
, and even female wrestlers such as Aja Kong.
When Stalker started out in Japan in 1999, he had a legendary rivalry with Crazy MAX member TARU, the two having many comedy-themed matches. Eventually, he began to occasionally team with TARU and was made an honorary member of Crazy MAX in August 2000. He was promoted to full member after gaining his first victory, scoring the pin in a Hair vs. Mask tag team match where he and TARU beat M2K's Susumu Mochizuki and Yasushi Kanda. His affiliation with the group would not last, however, for he was booted out three months later on the grounds that he did not fit their heel image. In 2002, he became the first member of the Toryumon roster to marry when he married Namiko. Stalker would rejoin CIMA and Don Fujii after Crazy MAX ended in November 2004 in their new stable, Waku Waku Fuji Land, but when CIMA and Don Fujii renamed the stable to Blood Generation in January, Stalker was booted out for not meeting the strength principle set by the group.
In late 2006, Stalker Ichikawa announced he would be retiring to spend more time with Namiko. On November 12, 2006, Dragon Gate held the Stalker Bom-Ba-Ye show at Shinjuk FACE in Tokyo
. In addition to regular Dragon Gate matches featuring the likes of CIMA, Don Fuji, BxB Hulk and Gamma along with guests such as Mr. Pogo
, Onryō and Kevin Steen
, the show centered around a series of three matches between Stalker Ichikawa and Akira Tozawa
. The first, which opened the show, was a Stalker victory in a Miki Bean Jam Filled Rice Cake
Eating Contest, where the first to successfully eat three would win. Half-way through the show, Akira would win in a regular wrestling match that saw members of Akira's Tozawajuku faction as well as CIMA and Don Fuji getting involved. The main event was Akira defeating Stalker in a Vale Tudo
fight.
Stalker's retirement lasted a week and was talked into returning to the ring by his wife Namiko. He honoured the stipulation of retiring the Stalker Ichikawa name and returned as Stalker Ichikawa Z. Not long after returning, he engaged in another Reckless Run series which included him facing Pro Wrestling Noah
superstar Jun Akiyama
.
In 2007, Stalker was invited to wrestle in the United States for the first time in his career. Joining CIMA, Don Fuji, and the Muscle Outlaw'z of Naruki Doi
and Masato Yoshino
, he competed on the two-night Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament event for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
at the Burbank National Guard Armory in Burbank, California
. On May 19, Stalker opened the first night's show in a loss to Don Fuji. He would open night two on May 20 against one of the PWG Six in Top Gun Talwar, once again on the losing end though walking away with a greater fan base.
Upon his return from the United States, it was announced on May 25 that he would change his name to "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa. He also introduced the Open the Owarai Gate Championship
, nicknamed O2G and Open the Comedy Gate, with him as its first champion. The idea would be that the belt could only change hands from earning a particular set of laughter from the audience regardless if the champion lost the actual match itself.
The first defense of the championship was made on June 10 at Hakata Star Lanes in Fukuoka
with Stalker retaining against Don Fuji in an Extreme Comedy Match. Stalker would actually gain a successful pinfall on Fuji in under fifteen seconds. Then, much to Stalker's dismay, they would have an immediate second match only without his title on the line. During the match, they both spilled out into the crowd and bumped into attending guest and reigning official IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Yuji Nagata
from New Japan Pro Wrestling
. Nagata and Fuji traded blows, during which Stalker decided to challenge Nagata to be in the Reckless Run series during the Dragon Gate pay-per-view show on July 1 at the Kobe World Hall in Hyogo. Nagata initially refused, but then Stalker tricked him into signing a contract for the match during a New Japan autograph session on June 8. Nagata would defeat Stalker in just over five minutes with a left middle kick.
Stalker would engage in a highly anticipated feud with renowned comedy wrestler Kikutaro
during the Storm Gate tour in September. Kikutaro would intrude in the middle of Stalker's matches, setting the stage for their Open the Owarai Gate Championship match on September 22 during the Dragon Gate pay-per-view show at the Ota-ku Gymnasium in Tokyo. Kikutaro won the match in under four minutes and it seemed that he had also won the championship, until Stalker's mother appeared after the match appealing to Kikutaro and the fans that Stalker should retain given that the belt is one of the few things he had left. It worked as Stalker's match with Jackson Florida on October 7 at Nagoya Telepia Hall in Aichi was for the belt. However, he officially lost the belt on October 8 at the Twin Messe Shizuoka in Shizuoka
during a 3-Way Matach against Open The Dream Gate Champion
CIMA and K-ness
. Because Ichikawa failed to receive Audience Approval, CIMA won the belt after pinning him. In their title rematch on October 17, Ichikawa failed in both beating CIMA as well as failing to receive Audience Approval. However, instead of retaining the belt, CIMA dropped it to Jackson Florida, who happened to be sitting at ringside.
A second Stalker Bom-Ba-Ye show took place on November 9, once again at Shinjuk FACE. It was previously implied that this would be his last show and that he would be stepping away from the ring this time due to trouble he and his wife Namiko were having with their marriage and wanted to work things out. The show was based around a team put together by Ichikawa facing a team put together by Naoshi Sano. Like the previous show, Ichikawa and Sano competed in a series of three matches with varying gimmicks. The first was a 3 Question Quiz, which Sano won 3-0. The second was a Sumo Wrestling Match, which Ichikawa won. The third was a Lights Out Death Match. Masaaki Mochizuki
was to be the scheduled guest referee, but it was announced that due to an unfortunate accident involving Lupin Matsutani's pistol, Keni'chiro Arai
would take his place. During the match, Arai lost his glasses. Sano would take advantage by faking a Firebird Splash for the win.
Ichikawa is still active, but will now likely take a much lighter schedule than before. His marriage to Namiko would come to an end in late 2007.
Ichikawa would make a return to the United States on September 5, 2008 to take part in the first Dragon Gate-produced show in the country, "Friday LA Extreme Night." Ichikawa would face Necro Butcher
as part of his current Reckless Run Series and in a match dubbed a "Dangerous Comedy Match." He would lose in eighteen seconds, getting knocked out by a punch in retaliation for slapping Necro in the face. He asked for a restart and their match went longer before Necro pinned him with the Necro Bomb on a pile of chairs.
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...
ese professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
who currently wrestles for Dragon Gate
Dragon Gate
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...
.
Career
Stalker Ichikawa is one of the most popular superstars from Dragon Gate. A member of Último Dragón's Toryumon Dojo second class, Ichikawa is one of the many comedy characters whose purpose is more based on entertaining the fans than it is to actually win matches. Stalker's matches do not last very long, often within five to ten minutes tops. His offenses would have little to no effect on his opponents and they would simply side-step whenever he attempts any sort of high flying move. In some cases, just as Stalker is about to be hit by his opponent's finisher some one, usually his wife Namiko, would throw in the towel to stop the match. The opponent would still hit him with his finisher shortly after. He is very good friends with CIMANobuhiko Oshima
, better known by his ring name Cima , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for Dragon Gate and its international expansion Dragon Gate USA...
and Don Fuji, though the two have no problem beating him up many times to the delight of the fans.
Stalker gained mass popularity with the Reckless Run series. When not wrestling a regular member of the Dragon Gate roster, he would face an endless run of X opponents of great importance. Among those he had faced during the series included The Great Kabuki
Akihisa Mera
Akihisa Yone Yoshi Mera , better known as The Great Kabuki, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was famous for being the first to blow "Asian mist" in his opponents' faces.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Kintaro Kanemura, Yoshihiro Takayama
Yoshihiro Takayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...
, 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....
, and even female wrestlers such as Aja Kong.
When Stalker started out in Japan in 1999, he had a legendary rivalry with Crazy MAX member TARU, the two having many comedy-themed matches. Eventually, he began to occasionally team with TARU and was made an honorary member of Crazy MAX in August 2000. He was promoted to full member after gaining his first victory, scoring the pin in a Hair vs. Mask tag team match where he and TARU beat M2K's Susumu Mochizuki and Yasushi Kanda. His affiliation with the group would not last, however, for he was booted out three months later on the grounds that he did not fit their heel image. In 2002, he became the first member of the Toryumon roster to marry when he married Namiko. Stalker would rejoin CIMA and Don Fujii after Crazy MAX ended in November 2004 in their new stable, Waku Waku Fuji Land, but when CIMA and Don Fujii renamed the stable to Blood Generation in January, Stalker was booted out for not meeting the strength principle set by the group.
In late 2006, Stalker Ichikawa announced he would be retiring to spend more time with Namiko. On November 12, 2006, Dragon Gate held the Stalker Bom-Ba-Ye show at Shinjuk FACE in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; 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...
. In addition to regular Dragon Gate matches featuring the likes of CIMA, Don Fuji, BxB Hulk and Gamma along with guests such as Mr. Pogo
Tetsuo Sekigawa
Tetsuo Sekigawa is a Japanese professional wrestler who is very well known for his hardcore matches, competing in his most popular gimmick, Mr. Pogo.-Early years :...
, Onryō and Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently performing for various promotions on the independent circuit, most notably California-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor.-Professional wrestling career:...
, the show centered around a series of three matches between Stalker Ichikawa and Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, mainly performing for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions...
. The first, which opened the show, was a Stalker victory in a Miki Bean Jam Filled Rice Cake
Mochi
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time...
Eating Contest, where the first to successfully eat three would win. Half-way through the show, Akira would win in a regular wrestling match that saw members of Akira's Tozawajuku faction as well as CIMA and Don Fuji getting involved. The main event was Akira defeating Stalker in a Vale Tudo
Vale tudo
Vale tudo are full-contact unarmed combat events, with a limited number of rules, that became popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo has been considered a combat sport by some observers...
fight.
Stalker's retirement lasted a week and was talked into returning to the ring by his wife Namiko. He honoured the stipulation of retiring the Stalker Ichikawa name and returned as Stalker Ichikawa Z. Not long after returning, he engaged in another Reckless Run series which included him facing 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...
superstar Jun Akiyama
Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. Akiyama is known for his serious style and outstanding, time-tested work as a tag team wrestler...
.
In 2007, Stalker was invited to wrestle in the United States for the first time in his career. Joining CIMA, Don Fuji, and the Muscle Outlaw'z of Naruki Doi
Naruki Doi
is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one third of the Open the Triangle Gate Champions. He also wrestled for Ring of Honor, where he is a former World Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi, as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
and Masato Yoshino
Masato Yoshino
Masato Yoshino is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion.-Toryumon:...
, he competed on the two-night Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament event for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
at the Burbank National Guard Armory in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. On May 19, Stalker opened the first night's show in a loss to Don Fuji. He would open night two on May 20 against one of the PWG Six in Top Gun Talwar, once again on the losing end though walking away with a greater fan base.
Upon his return from the United States, it was announced on May 25 that he would change his name to "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa. He also introduced the Open the Owarai Gate Championship
Dragon Gate Open the Owarai Gate Championship
The Open the Owarai Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The word owarai in the title's name is the Japanese word for comedy....
, nicknamed O2G and Open the Comedy Gate, with him as its first champion. The idea would be that the belt could only change hands from earning a particular set of laughter from the audience regardless if the champion lost the actual match itself.
The first defense of the championship was made on June 10 at Hakata Star Lanes in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
with Stalker retaining against Don Fuji in an Extreme Comedy Match. Stalker would actually gain a successful pinfall on Fuji in under fifteen seconds. Then, much to Stalker's dismay, they would have an immediate second match only without his title on the line. During the match, they both spilled out into the crowd and bumped into attending guest and reigning official IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
The International Wrestling Grand Prix Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling...
Yuji Nagata
Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was known for his perennial tweener status, currently a solid fan favorite, and his stiff, shoot style wrestling technique....
from 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...
. Nagata and Fuji traded blows, during which Stalker decided to challenge Nagata to be in the Reckless Run series during the Dragon Gate pay-per-view show on July 1 at the Kobe World Hall in Hyogo. Nagata initially refused, but then Stalker tricked him into signing a contract for the match during a New Japan autograph session on June 8. Nagata would defeat Stalker in just over five minutes with a left middle kick.
Stalker would engage in a highly anticipated feud with renowned comedy wrestler Kikutaro
Mitsunobu Kikuzawa
, better known by his wrestling persona and formerly Ebessan, is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler primarily competing for Kensuke Office and Osaka Pro Wrestling...
during the Storm Gate tour in September. Kikutaro would intrude in the middle of Stalker's matches, setting the stage for their Open the Owarai Gate Championship match on September 22 during the Dragon Gate pay-per-view show at the Ota-ku Gymnasium in Tokyo. Kikutaro won the match in under four minutes and it seemed that he had also won the championship, until Stalker's mother appeared after the match appealing to Kikutaro and the fans that Stalker should retain given that the belt is one of the few things he had left. It worked as Stalker's match with Jackson Florida on October 7 at Nagoya Telepia Hall in Aichi was for the belt. However, he officially lost the belt on October 8 at the Twin Messe Shizuoka in Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
during a 3-Way Matach against Open The Dream Gate Champion
Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate Championship
The Open the Dream Gate Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The wrestler who holds it is considered the top singles wrestler in Dragon Gate. It was created on July 4, 2004 when CIMA was awarded the title as a result of being the last Último Dragón...
CIMA and K-ness
Makoto Saito (wrestler)
Makoto Saito, better known by his stage name K-ness is a Japanese professional wrestler for Dragon Gate.-Early years:...
. Because Ichikawa failed to receive Audience Approval, CIMA won the belt after pinning him. In their title rematch on October 17, Ichikawa failed in both beating CIMA as well as failing to receive Audience Approval. However, instead of retaining the belt, CIMA dropped it to Jackson Florida, who happened to be sitting at ringside.
A second Stalker Bom-Ba-Ye show took place on November 9, once again at Shinjuk FACE. It was previously implied that this would be his last show and that he would be stepping away from the ring this time due to trouble he and his wife Namiko were having with their marriage and wanted to work things out. The show was based around a team put together by Ichikawa facing a team put together by Naoshi Sano. Like the previous show, Ichikawa and Sano competed in a series of three matches with varying gimmicks. The first was a 3 Question Quiz, which Sano won 3-0. The second was a Sumo Wrestling Match, which Ichikawa won. The third was a Lights Out Death Match. Masaaki Mochizuki
Masaaki Mochizuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently performing for Dragon Gate, where he is the current Open the Dream Gate Champion in his second reign and the leader of the Junction Three stable...
was to be the scheduled guest referee, but it was announced that due to an unfortunate accident involving Lupin Matsutani's pistol, Keni'chiro Arai
Keni'chiro Arai
Keni'chiro "AraKen" Arai is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate.-Biography:Keni'chiro Arai, also known as AraKen, is a second term graduate of Ultimo Dragon's Toryumon Japan group, and has been a mainstay on the roster ever since. He participated in FMW before joining Toryumon...
would take his place. During the match, Arai lost his glasses. Sano would take advantage by faking a Firebird Splash for the win.
Ichikawa is still active, but will now likely take a much lighter schedule than before. His marriage to Namiko would come to an end in late 2007.
Ichikawa would make a return to the United States on September 5, 2008 to take part in the first Dragon Gate-produced show in the country, "Friday LA Extreme Night." Ichikawa would face Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
as part of his current Reckless Run Series and in a match dubbed a "Dangerous Comedy Match." He would lose in eighteen seconds, getting knocked out by a punch in retaliation for slapping Necro in the face. He asked for a restart and their match went longer before Necro pinned him with the Necro Bomb on a pile of chairs.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- 735 (Tiger feint kick)
- Arm wrench inside cradle
- Kanchou (Ichikawa clasps his hands together and pokes his opponent's rectumRectumThe rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 cm long...
with his index fingers) - Ina Bauer German (Bridging german suplex with a figure skating pose)
Championships and accomplishments
- Dragon GateDragon Gateis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...
- Dragon Gate Open the Owarai Gate ChampionshipDragon Gate Open the Owarai Gate ChampionshipThe Open the Owarai Gate Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The word owarai in the title's name is the Japanese word for comedy....
(5 times)