Team 2000
Encyclopedia
Team 2000 was a professional wrestling
stable that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling
. Throughout its tenure, T2000 was New Japan's top heel stable.
was leader of nWo Japan and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. By September, Chono suffered a neck injury which forced him to vacate the IWGP Title and take time off. During Chono's absence, Keiji Mutoh
assumed control of nWo Japan and changed its philosophy making them a Face stable.
to New Japan and added MMA legend: Don Frye
. Throughout the majority of 1999, Team 2000 was feuding with nWo Japan exchanging victories and in the big shows most of T2000 (Sting, Wallstreet, and AKIRA) were left off. T2000's first big moments occurred at Strong Style Symphony on April 10, 1999 where Chono went to a double KO with fellow legend: Atsushi Onita
in an exploding barbwire match in the opener while Frye main evented with Mutoh for the IWGP Title but was defeated. In August 1999, Chono entered the 1999 G1 Climax but finished in 4th place with 6 points, despite the loss Chono was still able to get several big wins including one over Shinya Hashimoto
and eventual winner: Manabu Nakanishi
. At the next big event: The Battle of Last Summer on August 28, T2000 would go 2–0 with Frye defeating fellow gaijin
and nWo Japan member: Scott Norton
while Chono defeated Hashimoto. In September 1999, Chono and Frye entered the 1999 G1 Tag League but ultimate finished in 6th place with 6 points. By the end of 1999, T2000 went through several changes as nWo Sting became Super J and Wallstreet left New Japan an returned to WCW.
while Scott Norton defeated Super J. However, T2000 would dominate for the remainder of the series with Frye defeating Satoshi Kojima
and Chono defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan
to give T2000 3–1. The following day on February 5, Frye challenged Kensuke Sasaki
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but lost. On February 8, Chono announced he retook nWo Japan and absorbed it into Team 2000 giving him all nWo Japan members (except Mutoh) and he also announced the addition of The Mad Dogs (Tatsutoshi Goto
and Michiyoshi Ohara
). On February 20, Team 2000 did a 10 match series with New Japan which saw Team 2000 emerge victorious with Chono defeating Sasaki in a tie-breaker match. In March, Team 2000 took on New Japan in several title matches hoping to win some gold but would lose both of their title matches with Kojima falling to Sasaki in an IWGP Title match on March 19, while Chono and Tenzan lost to Yuji Nagata
and Manabu Nakanishi
for the IWGP Tag Team Championship on March 20. On July 20, Ten-Koji
would defeat Nagata and Nakanishi to win the IWGP Tag Titles. In August, Chono, Tenzan, Kojima, Goto, and Saito entered the 2000 G1 Climax but none of them would win as Chono made it the semi-finals losing to Nakanishi. On October 8 at Do Judge, Team 2000 would once again dominate as Frye defeated Takashi Iizuka, Ten-Koji defeated Nagata and Nakanishi to successfully defend the Tag Team Titles, and Chono teaming with a masked man named "Mr. T" (Goto) defeated Shiro Koshinaka
and Masanobu Fuchi
but the group did experience one loss as Norton fell to "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. In October, T2000 began a feud with Yuji Nagata's Fighting Club G-EGGS
as the two stables began a series with the winning team getting match making rights for Battle Final 2000, in the end thanks to the numbers advantage T2000 won the series 11–8. In November, Team 2000 entered the 200 G1 Tag League with three teams (Ten-Koji, Chono/Norton, & T2000 Machines), in the end Team 2000 came up short with Chono and Norton (semi-finals) and Ten-Koji (finals) both fell to eventual winners: Yuji Nagata and Takashi Iizuka. At Battle Final 2000 on December 10 saw Team 2000 get match making rights. Chono would book himself and Goto to challenge Ten-Koji For the Tag Team Championship, ensuring that win, lose, or draw Team 2000 kept the titles. Chono also booked AKIRA to challenge Minoru Tanaka for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
and had Ohara take on Kensuke Sasaki for Sasaki's spot in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament. While Ten-Koji retained the titles, everything else went wrong as AKIRA fell to Tanaka and Ohara was squashed in six seconds by Sasaki.
in the semi finals while Kojima (first round) and Chono (semi-final) were defeated by eventual winner: Kensuke Sasaki. In February 2001, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Team Titles against Manabu Nakanishi and Osamu Nishimura
but Team 2000 lost Don Frye. Things picked up for T2000 in March as Chono recruited wrestling legend: Scott Hall
, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Titles against Riki Choshu
and Shinya Makabe, and in an upset: Scott Norton defeated Sasaki to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Beginning in the spring, Team 2000 began a feud with Keiji Mutoh and his new stable BATT
. On April 9 at Strong Style, T2000 had mixed results as Chono and Ten-Koji defeated BATT but Norton lost the IWGP Title to Kazuyuki Fujita
. At Dome Quake on July 20 saw T2000 rebound as new members: Jado and Gedo
defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and El Samurai to win the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Team Titles against BATT's Jinsei Shinzaki
and Taiyo Kea
, and Chono defeated Mutoh. In August, Chono, Tenzan, and Kojima entered the 2001 G1 Climax but they came up short with Chono losing in the semi-finals. In September 2001, T2000 would experience a downturn as Norton, Hall, J, and newcomer: Giant Silva
entered the G1 World League but despite Team 2000 having 4/5 of the participants, they all lost to Don Frye. On September 23, Ten-Koji would finally lose the Tag Team Titles to Tatsumi Fujinami
and Osamu Nishimura. In September, T2000 added more members including Giant Singh (who began forming a team with Giant Silva as Club 7) & Koji Kanemoto
(both entered Team 2000 at Indicate of Next). Chono also expanded Team 2000 to All Japan Pro Wrestling
and recruited Steve Williams, Mike Barton, Jim Steele
, & reunited with Mike Rotundo (Michael Wallstreet). On October 27, Chono entered All Japan to challenge Mutoh for the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship but was defeated, around the same time, Chono also began having problems with Ten-Koji and a power struggle in Team 2000 began. In December, Williams and Rotundo entered the 2001 World's Strongest Tag League but finished in 5th place with 6 points. At the same time, Team 2000 had 4 teams enter the 2001 G1 Tag League (Ten-Koji, Chono/Silva, Barton/Steele
, & Norton/J), in the end, Ten-Koji would win the tournament defeating Barton and Steele in the finals.
, Sliva lost to Nakaniashi by countout, & Ten-Koji defeated Chono and Singh. On January 11, 2002, Keiji Mutoh shocked the Japanese Wrestling World by defecting to All Japan. Kojima would be one of the few wrestlers to follow Mutoh to All Japan, ending his involvement with Team 2000. New Japan also ended their relationship with All Japan and the All Japan branch also left as a result, Scott Hall also left New Japan to return to the WWF. Beginning in February/March, Team 2000 added both Black Tiger III
and Eddie Guerrero
to the group while Super J left to join the New Japan army, and Chono and Tenzan buried the hatchet and reunited. In February, Team 2000 added another accomplishment as Chono, Singh, and Silva won the Teisen Hall Six Man Tag Team Tournament. In the same month, Chono and Silva entered a tournament for the vacated IWGP Heavyweight Championship but neither won. On March 21, Tenzan challenged Tadao Yasuda
for the IWGP Title but was defeated. On March 24, Chono and Tenzan reunited their old team and defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi for the vacated IWGP Tag Team Titles. On May 2, at Toukon Memorial Day, Team 2000 lost their grip on the Jr. Tag Team Titles when Jado and Gedo lost the titles to Jushin Liger and Minoru Tanaka, Tenzan and Norton lost to OH Gun (Shinya Hashimoto
and Naoya Ogawa
), & Chono fought Mitsuharu Misawa
to a draw. In June, Team 2000 sent 5 participants (Kanemoto,, Jado, Gedo, Black Tiger, & AKIRA) in the 2002 Best of the Super Juniors tournament with Kanemoto winning the tournament. In August, Chono and Tenzan entered the 2002 G1 Climax with Chono eventually winning his fourth G1 Climax defeating Yoshihiro Takayama
. Following the G1 Climax tour, Team 2000 began to form an alliance with New Japan against the new Makai Club
as well as a foreign army of wrestlers/MMA fighters and by September 2002, Team 2000 was absorbed into the New Japan army.
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...
stable that competed 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...
. Throughout its tenure, T2000 was New Japan's top heel stable.
Background
In August 1998, Masahiro ChonoMasahiro 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...
was leader of nWo Japan and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. By September, Chono suffered a neck injury which forced him to vacate the IWGP Title and take time off. During Chono's absence, 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...
assumed control of nWo Japan and changed its philosophy making them a Face stable.
1999
Upon his return in February 1999, Chono became angry of nWo Japan's direction and decided to break away from the faction and formed a new stable: Team 2000 to battle nWo Japan. For Team 2000, Chono was able to recruit nWo Sting and Michael Wallstreet as both of them followed Chono out of nWo Japan. Chono also brought back AKIRAAkira Nogami
is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working for Yoshihiro Tajiri's Smash promotion as AKIRA.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
to New Japan and added MMA legend: Don Frye
Don Frye
Donald Frye is a retired American mixed martial artist, actor, and professional wrestler. Frye rose to fame fighting in early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, winning the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments...
. Throughout the majority of 1999, Team 2000 was feuding with nWo Japan exchanging victories and in the big shows most of T2000 (Sting, Wallstreet, and AKIRA) were left off. T2000's first big moments occurred at Strong Style Symphony on April 10, 1999 where Chono went to a double KO with fellow legend: Atsushi Onita
Atsushi Onita
Atsushi Onita is a Japanese former politician and active professional wrestler best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling...
in an exploding barbwire match in the opener while Frye main evented with Mutoh for the IWGP Title but was defeated. In August 1999, Chono entered the 1999 G1 Climax but finished in 4th place with 6 points, despite the loss Chono was still able to get several big wins including one over Shinya Hashimoto
Shinya Hashimoto
, 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....
and eventual winner: Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
. At the next big event: The Battle of Last Summer on August 28, T2000 would go 2–0 with Frye defeating fellow gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
and nWo Japan member: 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:...
while Chono defeated Hashimoto. In September 1999, Chono and Frye entered the 1999 G1 Tag League but ultimate finished in 6th place with 6 points. By the end of 1999, T2000 went through several changes as nWo Sting became Super J and Wallstreet left New Japan an returned to WCW.
2000
At Wrestling World 2000 on January 4, 2000, the Team 2000/nWo Japan feud continued as both groups would go 1–1 with Frye losing to Norton while Chono defeated Mutoh. On February 4, T2000/nWo Japan feud finally ended when the two stables went at it in a best of 4 series. During the first two matches, the groups would tie 1–1 with AKIRA defeating Hiro SaitoHiro Saito
Hiroyuki Saito is a professional wrestler best known by the shortened name of .-Career:Hiro debuted in 1978 in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In May 1985, he defeated The Cobra to win the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship only to lose back to him 2 months later...
while Scott Norton defeated Super J. However, T2000 would dominate for the remainder of the series with Frye defeating Satoshi Kojima
Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously...
and Chono defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
to give T2000 3–1. The following day on February 5, Frye challenged Kensuke Sasaki
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but lost. On February 8, Chono announced he retook nWo Japan and absorbed it into Team 2000 giving him all nWo Japan members (except Mutoh) and he also announced the addition of The Mad Dogs (Tatsutoshi Goto
Tatsutoshi 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:...
and Michiyoshi Ohara
Michiyoshi Ohara
Michiyoshi Ohara is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, best known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he wrestled from 1990 to 2004 where he enjoyed success winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Tatsutoshi Goto in 1999....
). On February 20, Team 2000 did a 10 match series with New Japan which saw Team 2000 emerge victorious with Chono defeating Sasaki in a tie-breaker match. In March, Team 2000 took on New Japan in several title matches hoping to win some gold but would lose both of their title matches with Kojima falling to Sasaki in an IWGP Title match on March 19, while Chono and Tenzan lost to 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....
and Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
for the IWGP Tag Team Championship on March 20. On July 20, 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...
would defeat Nagata and Nakanishi to win the IWGP Tag Titles. In August, Chono, Tenzan, Kojima, Goto, and Saito entered the 2000 G1 Climax but none of them would win as Chono made it the semi-finals losing to Nakanishi. On October 8 at Do Judge, Team 2000 would once again dominate as Frye defeated Takashi Iizuka, Ten-Koji defeated Nagata and Nakanishi to successfully defend the Tag Team Titles, and Chono teaming with a masked man named "Mr. T" (Goto) defeated Shiro Koshinaka
Shiro Koshinaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Wrestle Association "R" during the 1980s and 1990s...
and Masanobu Fuchi
Masanobu Fuchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling as a full-time wrestler, as well as a director. Fuchi holds the record for the longest AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign and has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling longer than any wrestler on the...
but the group did experience one loss as Norton fell to "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. In October, T2000 began a feud with Yuji Nagata's Fighting Club G-EGGS
Fighting Club G-EGGS
Fighting Club G-EGGS was a professional wrestling stable that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Led by Yuji Nagata, it consisted of wrestlers with sporting backgrounds.-History:...
as the two stables began a series with the winning team getting match making rights for Battle Final 2000, in the end thanks to the numbers advantage T2000 won the series 11–8. In November, Team 2000 entered the 200 G1 Tag League with three teams (Ten-Koji, Chono/Norton, & T2000 Machines), in the end Team 2000 came up short with Chono and Norton (semi-finals) and Ten-Koji (finals) both fell to eventual winners: Yuji Nagata and Takashi Iizuka. At Battle Final 2000 on December 10 saw Team 2000 get match making rights. Chono would book himself and Goto to challenge Ten-Koji For the Tag Team Championship, ensuring that win, lose, or draw Team 2000 kept the titles. Chono also booked AKIRA to challenge Minoru Tanaka for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling junior heavweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on February 6, 1986 at a NJPW show....
and had Ohara take on Kensuke Sasaki for Sasaki's spot in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament. While Ten-Koji retained the titles, everything else went wrong as AKIRA fell to Tanaka and Ohara was squashed in six seconds by Sasaki.
2001
At Wrestling World 2001 on January 4, 2001, Chono, Tenzan, and Kojima entered the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament hoping to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title but they all lost as Tenzan fell to Toshiaki KawadaToshiaki 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....
in the semi finals while Kojima (first round) and Chono (semi-final) were defeated by eventual winner: Kensuke Sasaki. In February 2001, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Team Titles against Manabu Nakanishi and Osamu Nishimura
Osamu Nishimura
Osamu Nishimura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling. Nishimura formerly worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling and MUGA World Pro Wrestling.-Early years :...
but Team 2000 lost Don Frye. Things picked up for T2000 in March as Chono recruited wrestling legend: Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Titles against Riki Choshu
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 Shinya Makabe, and in an upset: Scott Norton defeated Sasaki to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Beginning in the spring, Team 2000 began a feud with Keiji Mutoh and his new stable BATT
BATT (professional wrestling)
BATT was a professional wrestling stable that competed in both New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling from 2001 to 2002. The name: BATT is short for "Bad Ass Translate Trading", meaning a group of wrestlers that crossed borders...
. On April 9 at Strong Style, T2000 had mixed results as Chono and Ten-Koji defeated BATT but Norton lost the IWGP Title to Kazuyuki Fujita
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler. He has fought in mixed martial arts promotions including PRIDE, K-1 and currently fighting in Sengoku....
. At Dome Quake on July 20 saw T2000 rebound as new members: Jado and Gedo
The World Class Tag Team
The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....
defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and El Samurai to win the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship, Ten-Koji retained the IWGP Tag Team Titles against BATT's Jinsei Shinzaki
Jinsei Shinzaki
Kensuke Shinzaki is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his stage names Jinsei Shinzaki and Hakushi...
and Taiyo Kea
Taiyo Kea
Maunakea Mossman is an American professional wrestler, better known under his stage name Taiyō Kea . Although he was born in Hawaii, he has spent nearly his entire career as a member of the Japan-based All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion...
, and Chono defeated Mutoh. In August, Chono, Tenzan, and Kojima entered the 2001 G1 Climax but they came up short with Chono losing in the semi-finals. In September 2001, T2000 would experience a downturn as Norton, Hall, J, and newcomer: Giant Silva
Giant Silva
Paulo César da Silva , better known by his ring name Giant Silva, is a former Brazilian basketball player and mixed martial artist and current professional wrestler...
entered the G1 World League but despite Team 2000 having 4/5 of the participants, they all lost to Don Frye. On September 23, Ten-Koji would finally lose the Tag Team Titles to 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 Osamu Nishimura. In September, T2000 added more members including Giant Singh (who began forming a team with Giant Silva as Club 7) & Koji Kanemoto
Koji Kanemoto
is a professional wrestler. He is of Zainichi Korean descent.-Career:Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he...
(both entered Team 2000 at Indicate of Next). Chono also expanded Team 2000 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 :...
and recruited Steve Williams, Mike Barton, Jim Steele
Jim Steele (wrestler)
James Rocha is an American Professional Wrestler who competed in World Championship Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He's perhaps best known for using the gimmick: Wolf Hawkfield, based on the video game character from the Virtua Fighter video game series.-World Championship Wrestling :Rocha...
, & reunited with Mike Rotundo (Michael Wallstreet). On October 27, Chono entered All Japan to challenge Mutoh for the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship but was defeated, around the same time, Chono also began having problems with Ten-Koji and a power struggle in Team 2000 began. In December, Williams and Rotundo entered the 2001 World's Strongest Tag League but finished in 5th place with 6 points. At the same time, Team 2000 had 4 teams enter the 2001 G1 Tag League (Ten-Koji, Chono/Silva, Barton/Steele
Mike Barton and Jim Steele
The tag team of Mike Barton and Jim Steele was a professional wrestling tag team that competed in several puroresu promotions including All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-All Japan Pro Wrestling :...
, & Norton/J), in the end, Ten-Koji would win the tournament defeating Barton and Steele in the finals.
2002
At the January 4 Dome show, Jado and Gedo (teaming with Dick Togo) lost to Liger, Great Sasuke, & Tiger Mask IVTiger Mask IV
Yoshihiro Yamazaki , best known by his ring name Tiger Mask , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995...
, Sliva lost to Nakaniashi by countout, & Ten-Koji defeated Chono and Singh. On January 11, 2002, Keiji Mutoh shocked the Japanese Wrestling World by defecting to All Japan. Kojima would be one of the few wrestlers to follow Mutoh to All Japan, ending his involvement with Team 2000. New Japan also ended their relationship with All Japan and the All Japan branch also left as a result, Scott Hall also left New Japan to return to the WWF. Beginning in February/March, Team 2000 added both Black Tiger III
Silver King
Silver King may refer to:* Silver King , Charles Koenig, a professional baseball player from the 19th century*A silver king, another name for the species of fish better known as the Atlantic Tarpon...
and Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
to the group while Super J left to join the New Japan army, and Chono and Tenzan buried the hatchet and reunited. In February, Team 2000 added another accomplishment as Chono, Singh, and Silva won the Teisen Hall Six Man Tag Team Tournament. In the same month, Chono and Silva entered a tournament for the vacated IWGP Heavyweight Championship but neither won. On March 21, Tenzan challenged Tadao Yasuda
Tadao Yasuda
Tadao Yasuda is a retired sumo and professional wrestler from Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992, under the shikona of Takanofuji, achieving the rank of komusubi, and afterwards turned to professional wrestling, in which he competed from 1994 to 2011.-Sumo career:He made his...
for the IWGP Title but was defeated. On March 24, Chono and Tenzan reunited their old team and defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi for the vacated IWGP Tag Team Titles. On May 2, at Toukon Memorial Day, Team 2000 lost their grip on the Jr. Tag Team Titles when Jado and Gedo lost the titles to Jushin Liger and Minoru Tanaka, Tenzan and Norton lost to OH Gun (Shinya Hashimoto
Shinya Hashimoto
, 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....
and Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
), & Chono fought Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa
was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling . From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as All Japan Pro Wrestling had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling...
to a draw. In June, Team 2000 sent 5 participants (Kanemoto,, Jado, Gedo, Black Tiger, & AKIRA) in the 2002 Best of the Super Juniors tournament with Kanemoto winning the tournament. In August, Chono and Tenzan entered the 2002 G1 Climax with Chono eventually winning his fourth G1 Climax defeating 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...
. Following the G1 Climax tour, Team 2000 began to form an alliance with New Japan against the new Makai Club
Makai Club
Makai Club was a professional wrestling stable that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was led by Tadao Yasuda and managed by Kantaro Hoshino.-History:...
as well as a foreign army of wrestlers/MMA fighters and by September 2002, Team 2000 was absorbed into the New Japan army.
Championships and Accomplishments
- 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 (1 Time)- Norton
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 Times)- Chono and Tenzan (1 Time) & Tenzan and Kojima (1 Time)
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ChampionshipIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ChampionshipThe IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on August 8, 1998 at a NJPW live event...
(1 Time)- Jado and Gedo - G1 ClimaxG1 ClimaxThe G1 Climax professional wrestling tournament is a weeklong event held each August by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. The G1 draws standing room only crowds each night, record receipt gates and generates front-page coverage on the sports sections of several of the daily newspapers in Tokyo...
(2002)- Chono - G1 Climax Tag LeagueG1 Climax Tag LeagueThe G1 Climax Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of a regular tag team tournament held since...
(2001)- Tenzan and Kojima - Best of the Super JuniorsBest of the Super JuniorsThis article is about the professional wrestling tournament. For the South Korean boy band, see Super Junior.The Best of the Super Juniors is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling , typically in May or June...
(2002)- Kanemoto - Teisen Hall Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2002)- Chono, Singh, and Silva
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Best Tag Team Prize (2000, 2001)- Tenzan & Kojima (2000) & Jado and Gedo (2001)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (2001)- Tenzan and Kojima