Yuji Okabayashi

Yuji Okabayashi

Okabayashi in January 2011
Born (1982-10-31) October 31, 1982[1]
Nankoku, Kōchi[1][2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Gregory Okabayashi[3]
Shining Tiger Big Buddy[4]
Yuji Okabayashi
Billed height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1][2]
Billed weight 123 kg (271 lb)[1]
Trained by Big Japan Pro Wrestling dojo[4]
Debut June 27, 2008[1][2]

Yuji Okabayashi (岡林 裕二 Okabayashi Yūji, born October 31, 1982)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler, who has worked for Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) since his debut in June 2008. He is best known as part of a tag team with Daisuke Sekimoto, with whom he has held the BJW Tag Team Championship, All Japan Pro Wrestling's (AJPW) All Asia Tag Team Championship and Dramatic Dream Team's (DDT) KO-D Tag Team Championship. He is the current BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion.

Professional wrestling career

Okabayashi is a former member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and had a sports background in judo and weightlifting,[4][1] when he joined Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in 2008 for a new career in professional wrestling.[2] He made his debut for the promotion against Katsumasa Inoue on June 27, 2008.[1][2] Okabayashi joined the promotion's non-deathmatch division, Strong BJ, eventually becoming one of its cornerstones alongside the likes of Daisuke Sekimoto and Yoshihito Sasaki.[5] Four months after his debut, Okabayashi made his American debut, when he, along with several other BJW wrestlers, took part in the Global Gauntlet events held by the Chikara promotion.[6][7]

Back in BJW, Okabayashi formed a tag team with Daisuke Sekimoto, which led to him winning his first title on July 27, 2009, when the two defeated Isami Kodaka and Masashi Takeda for the BJW Tag Team Championship.[8] After a five-month reign, they lost the title to Shinya Ishikawa and Yoshihito Sasaki.[8] On January 9, 2010, Okabayashi made his debut for Osaka Pro Wrestling, when he and Sekimoto unsuccessfully challenged Hideyoshi and Masamune for the Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship.[9] The following April, Okabayashi returned to Chikara to represent BJW in the 2010 King of Trios tournament, where he formed a trio with Sekimoto and Kankuro Hoshino.[10] They made it to the semifinals, before being eliminated by Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (Ares, Claudio Castagnoli and Tursas).[11] At the end of 2010, Tokyo Sports named Okabayashi Japanese professional wrestling's Rookie of the Year.[12]

The following year, Okabayashi and Sekimoto began making appearances for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where they won the All Asia Tag Team Championship twice.[13] During the year, they also won the Big Japan Tag League.[14] At the end of the year, Tokyo Sports named Okabayashi and Sekimoto the 2011 Tag Team of the Year.[15] During 2012, Okabayashi set his sights on the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship, a new title intended for the Strong BJ division.[16] He received his first shot at the title on June 21, but was defeated by Yoshihito Sasaki.[17] The following month, Okabayashi regained the BJW Tag Team Championship, this time teaming with Shinobu.[18] After a four-month reign, they lost the title to Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto in the finals of the 2012 Big Japan Tag League.[8] On March 31, 2013, Okabayashi received another shot at the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship, unsuccessfully challenging longtime tag team partner Daisuke Sekimoto.[19]

Okabayashi missed most of 2014 with a left shoulder injury, which he suffered while wrestling in Germany in January. He returned from the injury on December 21.[20] His first big match since his return took place on February 2, 2015, when he unsuccessfully challenged Shuji Ishikawa for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship.[21] On February 15, Okabayashi and Sekimoto won another tag team title, when they defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo to win the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion's KO-D Tag Team Championship.[22] On July 20, Okabayashi scored his first-ever win over Sekimoto, when he defeated him to become the new BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion, winning the first singles title of his professional wrestling career.[23][24] On August 23, Okabayashi and Sasaki lost the KO-D Tag Team Championship to Daisuke Sasaki and Kota Ibushi.[25][26] On October 29, Okabayashi and Sekimoto defeated Kohei Sato and Shuji Ishikawa in the finals to win the 2015 Saikyo Tag League and the BJW Tag Team Championship.[27][28] They lost the title to Hideyoshi Kamitani and Ryota Hama on December 30.[29]

Personal life

Okabayashi married his partner of two years, Mika Mukai, in July 2012.[30]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Okabayashi as the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion in August 2015

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 岡林　裕二. Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 岡林 裕二. Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ Byers, Ryan (January 12, 2010). "Into the Indies 01.12.10: Romeo vs. Juliet". 411Mania. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Yuji Okabayashi". Puroresu Central. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ ケガ人続出の大日本が門戸開放を宣言. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). January 26, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ "The Global Gauntlet - Night 1". Chikara. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Global Gauntlet - Night 2". Chikara. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "BJW Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ １月９日試合結果. Osaka Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). January 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Mike (April 19, 2010). "Biggest wrestling tournament of the year kicks off Friday at ECW Arena: 2010 Chikara King of Trios this weekend". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  11. ↑ Higham, Joshua (April 26, 2010). "Chikara King of Trios finale live report from Philadelphia". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 東京スポーツ　プロレス大賞. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ アジアタッグ王座. All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. 1 2 "BJW". Cagematch. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ 実績とチームとしての完成度の高さを評価. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). December 15, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  16. ↑ "「一騎当千」優勝の佐々木義人がベルト新設を要求 ５．５横浜でアブ小林vs.石川のデスマッチ戦開催へ". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "BJW世界ストロングヘビー級王座". Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ 岡林裕二、忍組が至宝奪還. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  19. ↑ 関本が挑戦者に大森指名「ワイルドなら出てこい」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 5, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  20. ↑ 大日本・岡林が復帰後初勝利. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). December 22, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  21. ↑ 復帰岡林が王者・石川に善戦. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). February 3, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  22. 1 2 ＫＯ―Ｄタッグは関本、岡林組が新王者. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). February 16, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  23. ↑ 大日本 7.20両国大会　関本vs.岡林のストロングBJ戦、アブ小vs.伊東のデスマッチヘビー級戦、ツインタワーズvs.ヤンキー二丁拳銃のタッグ王座戦. Battle News (in Japanese). July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  24. ↑ 関本撃破！岡林ストロング王座初戴冠. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  25. ↑ DDT 8.23両国大会　Kudovs.坂口のKO-D無差別級戦、Harashimavs.棚橋、LiLiCoプロレスデビュー戦. Battle News (in Japanese). August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  26. ↑ 【ＤＤＴ両国】飯伏タッグ奪回したが…「防衛戦はしません」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  27. 1 2 「最侠タッグリーグ2015優勝決定戦」後楽園ホール大会. Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  28. ↑ 大日本「最侠タッグ」優勝！岡林　涙の“２冠王”. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  29. ↑ 後楽園ホール大会. Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ 結婚！大日・岡林「子供3人欲しい」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 17, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  31. 1 2 岡林 裕二. Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Yuji Okabayashi". Big Japan Pro Wrestling USA. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  33. ↑ 横浜ショッピングストリート6人タッグ王座. Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  34. ↑ 2009年8月19日(水). Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Dainichi-X 2011". Cagematch. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  36. ↑ "D-Dash Tag Tournament". Cagematch. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  37. 1 2 年越しプロレス12.31後楽園大会　大日本、DDT、K-Dojoから16チーム参加の年忘れ！三団体シャッフル・タッグトーナメント. Battle News (in Japanese). January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  38. ↑ 【プロレス大賞】敢闘賞の岡林　入院中にもスクワット. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.

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