Takeshi Minamino
| Takeshi Minamino | |
|---|---|
 Minamino in July 2014 | |
| Born |
December 24, 1985 Kyoto, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Beetle Takeshi Esthetic Jaguar HAPPY MAN Kendo Takeshi Masked Tree-Planting Man Takeshi Minamino Takeshi Yamamoto |
| Billed height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Billed weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
| Trained by |
Último Dragón Jorge "Skayde" Rivera |
| Debut | November 7, 2002 |
Takeshi Yamamoto (山本タケシ Yamamoto Takeshi),[1] better known with the alias Takeshi Minamino (南野タケシ Minamino Takeshi), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He wrestles in Michinoku Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Yamamoto made his pro wrestling debut in Toryumon Mexico at only sixteen, making him the youngest debutant out of the Último Dragón Gym. He changed his ring name to Takeshi Minamino (南野タケシ Minamino Takeshi) and joined Pineapple Hanai and Mango Fukuda to found Los Salseros Japoneses, a salsa themed heel stable led by him. Minamino established himself as a major heel and went to feud with top face Taiji Ishimori and his Sailor Boys (Kei and Shu Sato). They had their first bout in Toryumon X, where Minamino unsuccessfully challenged Ishimori for UWA World Welterweight Championship. On August 29, 2004 Minamino got a rematch in Mexico and won the title, retaining it against Taiji on October, 10 with aid from Fukuda and Hanai. The title was vacated after the match.
After the Toryumon X demise, Minamino and his colleagues were moved to Michinoku Pro Wrestling, where Takeshi dissociated himself from Los Salseros and formed a tag team with Como Leoapard, using a mask and the name Esthetic Jaguar. The team fell after the Futaritabi Tag Team League 2004 and Minamino returned to Los Salseros Japoneses, posing as the top heel team in Michinoku Pro. The trio won the UWA World Trios Championship from Solar, Ultraman and Ultraman, Jr. in a Toryumon Mexico show, and Minamino captured the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship in a tournament final against Rasse, becoming double champion. His individual reign lasted until May, when he lost his title against Super Delfín. Later, Los Salseros Japoneses lost the UWA World Trios title against STONED (Maguro Ooma, Kei Sato and Shu Sato) after a misaimed attack from Minamino to Hanai. Shortly after, Los Salseros Japoneses broke up when Hanai turned on him. Minamino went solo and turned face, adopting a traditional Japanese attire with a black hakama. He also played HAPPY MAN, an alien character dressed in a Superman-like pink attire, and had a title hot against the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Yoshitsune, but he failed.
In 2008, Minamino turned heel again and became a member of the Kowloon stable, directed by Fujita Hayato. He formed a tag team with Maguro Ooma, which was called Tonery Family. Minamino and Ooma won the Futaritabi Tag Team League 2009 and beat Kesen Numajiro & Kinya Oyanagi to win the Tohoku Tag Team Championship. They retained the title during months, until they dropped it to Yapper Men (Yapper Man #1 & Yapper Man #2). After the dissension of Kowloon, Tonery Family and Ken45º turned tweener and followed Hayato to his new stable, Bad Boy.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Takeshi Minamino
- High-angle senton bomb[1]
- Loco Cutter[1] (Straight jacket shoulder neckbreaker) – 2003
- NENJY[2] (Death Valley driver, sometimes from an elevated position)[3]
- Shikahama Dynamite (Stepover abdominal stretch) - 2013-present
- Sore Ha NENJY[4] (Wrist-clutch Death Valley driver, sometimes from an elevated position)
- As HAPPY Man
- HAPPY Press[1] (Diving splash, with theatrics)
- As Como Leopard
- El Nudo[5] (Over–rotated Delfin clutch)
- Hug Clutch[5] (Gory bomb followed into a figure four leglock)
- As Masked Tree-Planting Man
- Tree-Planting Driver[6] (Death Valley driver)
- Tree-Planting Press[7] (Diving splash)
- Signature moves
- B-BLUE[1] (Super Death Valley driver onto a table)
- Diving double foot stomp
- Diving headbutt[8]
- Kneeling reverse piledriver
- Running jumping high kick
- Samoan drop
- Shining wizard to a standing opponent
- Sitout powerbomb[9]
- With Pineapple Hanai and Mango Fukuda
- WE ARE Bomb[10] (Aided powerbomb)
Championships and accomplishments
- All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mitsuya Nagai
- WEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Maguro Ooma
- Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Tohoku Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Maguro Ooma
- Futaritabi Tag Team League (2009) – with Maguro Ooma
- UWA World Trios Championship (1 time) – with Mango Fukuda and Pineapple Hanai
- UWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- Young Dragons Cup Tournament (2003)
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Profile at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Pro Wrestling SEM Results: 2008" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ Kent, Peter (2005-03-11). "VIOLENT PANDA Wrestling Digest 03.11.05". 411mania.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "August 2006 News and Report Archive". iHeartDG. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- 1 2 "Michinoku Pro Wrestling: "Michinoku Tag League 2004"" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Michinoku Pro Wrestling Results: 2005" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Michinoku Pro Wrestling Results: 2007" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Toryumon Mexico Results". iHeartDG. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Michinoku Pro Wrestling: "Michinoku Autumn Festival Event Pro Wrestling Series"" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
- ↑ "Michinoku Pro Wrestling – "Michinoku Trios League 2005"" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- ↑ "Michinoku Pro Wrestling Results: 2011" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2013-03-21.