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Gedo (wrestler)

(Redirected from Keiji Takayama)

Keiji Takayama (高山 圭司, Takayama Keiji, born February 20, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, manager and booker signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Gedo (外道, Gedō). Gedo has been the main booker of NJPW since the early 2010s. As a wrestler, Gedo is best known for his tag team work with partner Jado, forming a very successful tag team from 1990 through the mid-2010s.

Gedo
Gedo in March 2017
Birth nameKeiji Takayama (高山 圭司, Takayama Keiji)
Born (1969-02-20) February 20, 1969 (age 55)[1]
Musashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bulldog K.T.
C.T.U Ranger Green[2]
Crush
Gedo
Billed height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Billed weight86 kg (190 lb)[1]
Trained byNJPW Dojo[3]
DebutMarch 19, 1989[1]

Alongside his backstage work, Gedo is also an on-screen character in NJPW, working as a manager for the villainous Bullet Club faction and its seventh and current leader David Finlay. Prior to this, he was the manager of Chaos, Kazuchika Okada (Chaos's former second leader) and Jay White (Bullet Club's former fifth leader). Jado and Gedo have won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship four times, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship one-time, BJW Tag Team Championship and several other tag team championships. Gedo is an eight-time recipient of the Best Booker award from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Professional wrestling career

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Early career (1989-2001)

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Gedo debuted on March 19, 1989, for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the Takeshi Puroresu Gundan (TPG), NJPW's parody of World Wrestling Federation's Rock 'n Wrestling era.[4] His debut match was against Magic Monkey Wakita, who would later be known as Super Delfin, on March 19, 1989. After TPG died out, Gedo, Wakita, and TPG comrade Jado left NJPW. Jado and Gedo went on to become one of the premiere tag teams in Japan.

Jado and Gedo headed to the Universal Wrestling Association in Mexico as Punish (Jado) and Crush (Gedo), and defeated Silver King and El Texano for the UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship on November 8, 1991. They would win these belts on two more occasions in 1992.[5] This led to their many tours with W*NG and were a part of the incident where Kanemura was burnt. Jado and Gedo headed to Wrestling and Romance in 1994 and became one of the top tag teams there, forming a group with Kodo Fuyuki called Fuyuki-Gun. Gedo had the distinction of becoming the first title holder of all of WAR's titles as Fuyuki-Gun were the inaugural holders of the WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, which they won five times while Gedo was also the inaugural International Junior Heavyweight Champion and the inaugural International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Lion Do.

Gedo, with the addition of being an accomplished tag team wrestler, was also one of the top junior heavyweights in Japan in the first half of the 1990s. Gedo reached the semi-finals of the 1994 Super J-Cup where he would lose to Wild Pegasus.[6][7] Gedo was in the 1995 Super J-Cup and reached the finals, losing to Jushin Thunder Liger in his fourth match of the night.[8] Gedo won his first singles title when he defeated Lionheart in a tournament final to become the inaugural International Junior Heavyweight Champion on March 26, 1995. Gedo would win this belt again, defeating Último Dragón for it.

Jado and Gedo left WAR, which was declining, and headed to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, one of Japan's top independent promotions. Gedo, with Jado and Kodo Fuyuki, won the FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, defeating the Headhunters and Hisakatsu Oya on March 21, 1997. It was also in 1997 that Gedo toured North America, appearing at the 1997 WCW Halloween Havoc show wrestling Chris Jericho,[9] and winning the CRMW North American Mid-Heavyweight Championship defeating Ricky Fuji on August 31, 1997. During the Halloween Havoc show, Mike Tenay called Gedo the Dusty Rhodes of Japan. He further said that Gedo was a fan of 1970s U.S. Southern style brawling.[9]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

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Tag team success, Great Bash Heel and Chaos (2001–2011)

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Gedo in June 2011

Gedo won the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship not with Jado but with Koji Nakagawa when they defeated Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda on June 13, 1999. Gedo would leave FMW in 2001 along with Masato Tanaka, Jado, Hideki Hosaka, and Kaori Nakayama with the group becoming freelancers with Gedo mostly working in Michinoku Pro. Gedo along with Jado would eventually return to New Japan and win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship when they defeated Jyushin Thunder Liger and El Samurai on July 20, 2001.[10] Gedo had a fierce rivalry with Liger after Jado and Gedo made a surprise appearance in NJPW when they both pulled Liger's mask off.[4] Jado and Gedo won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight belts for a second time in 2003 after again defeating Liger and Samurai.[11] In 2007, Gedo was offered a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but turned it down because he would have been required to portray a stereotypical Japanese character.[12] In July 2007, Gedo and Jado joined the Great Bash Heel (GBH) faction.[13][14] The tag team would compete in the 2007 G1 Tag League, but failed to win, with a final tally of 6 points.[15] In April 2009 Gedo and Jado left GBH and became founding members of the Chaos stable.[16] On November 13, 2010, Jado and Gedo returned to the top of New Japan's Junior Tag Team division by defeating their Chaos team mates Davey Richards and Rocky Romero in the finals of a five-day-long tournament to win the 2010 Super J Tag League.[17] As a result of their victory, Gedo and Jado received a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, which took place at a Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) event on December 26, 2010, where they were defeated by the defending champions, the Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi).[18] At the end of 2011, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Gedo and Jado the bookers of the year. They have won the award three more times since then.

Main booker and manager (2013–2018)

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Gedo celebrates Kazuchika Okada's victory at Power Struggle 2013

On July 5, 2013, Gedo received his first shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in nearly a decade as he attempted to stop Prince Devitt from earning a shot at Okada's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Gedo, however, failed in his challenge and Devitt advanced to the match with Okada.[19] On November 1, Gedo and Jado received their first shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in three years, but were defeated by the defending champions, Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku).[20]

In early 2015, Gedo became the primary booker of New Japan, when Jado took over as the new booker of Pro Wrestling Noah.[21]

Defection to Bullet Club (2018-present)

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See also: Bullet Club

At the 2018 G1 Climax Finals, Okada parted ways with Gedo.[22] Gedo returned at Destruction in Kobe, where it appeared he was going to save Okada but instead, hit him with a chair, becoming Jay White's new manager.[23] At King of Pro-Wrestling, Gedo, White, and longtime tag partner Jado all completed their defection from Chaos to align themselves with Bullet Club.[24] Throughout White's tenure as Bullet Club leader, Gedo managed White, as well as still wrestling occasionally, mostly in tag matches with White and other Bullet Club members.[25] After White's departure from NJPW, Gedo began managing David Finlay, who became the new leader of Bullet Club.

Pro Wrestling Noah (2016)

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On June 12, 2016, Gedo made a surprise appearance at a Pro Wrestling Noah event. He reunited with Jado to unsuccessfully challenge Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada for Noah's GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in a three-way match, also involving Taichi and Taka Michinoku.[26] On October 8, Gedo and Jado defeated Kotoge and Harada to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[27] They lost the title back to Kotoge and Harada on December 24.[28]

Championships and accomplishments

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Gedo in May 2014
 
Gedo in September 2013

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 外道. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  2. ^ "Last of C.T.U～C.T.U Farewell in Korakuen Hall～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  3. ^ "Gedo". Puroresu Central. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Wrestler Profiles: Gedo". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Tanabe, Hisaharu. "U.W.A./U.W.F. Intercontinental Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
  6. ^ "Super J Cup Tournament 1994". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  7. ^ "Sumo Hall 4/94". Pro Wrestling History. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  8. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan; WAR Super Junior Heavyweight (Super J) Cup Tournament Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 386. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  9. ^ a b "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts". Wrestling’s Historical Cards. Kappa Publishing. 2007. pp. 146–147.
  10. ^ a b "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship history: 1998 – 2001". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  11. ^ a b "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship history: 2005 – 2008". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  12. ^ Meltzer, Dave (June 8, 2015). "June 8, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Tommy Rogers bio, Austin-Lesnar notes, WWE signs Samoa Joe full-time, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 31. ISSN 1083-9593.
  13. ^ Marshall, Stuart (2007-07-29). "(Results) LOCK UP, 7/29/07". Strong Style Spirit. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  14. ^ Marshall, Stuart. "Jul 2007 - 15 Aug 2007". Strong Style Spirit. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  15. ^ "G-1 Climax Tag Team League2007". ProWrestlingHistory.com. October 18 – November 2, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  16. ^ "Circuit2009 New Japan Brave". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  17. ^ a b "(Results) New Japan, 11/13/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
  18. ^ "Ibushi & Omega retain IWGP Jr. Tag Title". 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  19. ^ "吉野家Presents Kizuna Road 2013". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  20. ^ "Taka&タイチが自主興行でジュニアタッグ王座防衛！ 次の防衛戦の場所はなんと会場規模200人の北千住。相手はヤングライオンを指名！". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  21. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 9, 2015). "Mar. 9, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Brock Lesnar update, Rey Mysterio leaves WWE for AAA, Bill DeMott allegations, and much more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 34. ISSN 1083-9593.
  22. ^ Rose, Bryan (2018-08-12). "POST-NJPW G1 CLIMAX 28 NOTES: FUTURE MATCHES, OKADA & GEDO". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  23. ^ Renner, Ethan (September 22, 2018). "NJPW DESTRUCTION IN KOBE LIVE RESULTS: OKADA VS. TANAHASHI". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  24. ^ Renner, Ethan (October 8, 2018). "NJPW KING OF PRO WRESTLING LIVE RESULTS: OMEGA VS. CODY VS. IBUSHI". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  25. ^ "Matches wrestled by Gedo". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  26. ^ "6/12 Noah in Tokyo, Japan Results – Go Shiozaki vs. Shelton Benjamin for GHC Hvt. Title, K.E.S. challenges for GHC Tag Titles, NJPW stars, Misawa memorial". Pro Wrestling Torch. 2016-06-12. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  27. ^ a b "Autumn Navig. 2016". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  28. ^ "Winter Navig. 2016". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
  29. ^ "B.J.W. Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. April 28, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  30. ^ "World Street-Fight 6-Man Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 30, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  31. ^ "FMW Flashover 2000: Day 6" (in German). Cagematch. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  32. ^ "World Entertainment Wrestling 6-Man Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  33. ^ "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship history: 2002 – 2004". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  34. ^ "NJPW Results From 2002". Strong Style Spirit. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  35. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2006". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
  36. ^ 東京スポーツ プロレス大賞. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  37. ^ "U.W.A. World Trios Title". Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  38. ^ "Dragon Gate I-J Heavyweight Tag Team Championship title history". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  39. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 30, 2012). "Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. ISSN 1083-9593.
  40. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 23, 2013). "The 2012 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Annual Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. ISSN 1083-9593. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  41. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 27, 2014). "Jan 27 2014 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2013 Annual awards issue, best in the world in numerous categories, plus all the news in pro-wrestling and MMA over the past week and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 34. ISSN 1083-9593. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  42. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 26, 2015). "Jan. 26, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2014 awards issue w/ results & Dave's commentary, Conor McGregor, and much more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 33. ISSN 1083-9593.
  43. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 6, 2017). "March 6, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2016 Awards issue, talent departing TNA, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 25. ISSN 1083-9593.
  44. ^ Stoughton, Derek (March 22, 2019). "2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Revealed". Wrestling Rumors. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  45. ^ "BONUS SHOW: Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards". Post Wrestling. March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  46. ^ Meltzer, Dave (December 12, 2019). "December 16, 2019 Observer Newsletter: 10 Hall of Fame inductees, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
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