Tomohiro Ishii, the Stone Pitbull, the winner of the 10-man tag match at forbidden door 2 and the scariest man under 5 foot 8.

It’s time for another Japanese pro wrestling crash course.

Ishii has become a cult favorite in both Japan and the West, and it has to be said, a pretty unlikely superstar. He’s not a ripped athletic machine like Kota Ibushi, he’s not a 6 foot 2 charismatic entertainer like Okada, and he’s not a wrestling genius like Tanahashi or Naito.

And it took years for him to earn the popularity he enjoys now.

But to talk about Ishii’s career you first have to start all the way back in 1996 when he debuted for Genichiro Tentryu’s wrestle and romance promotion. He was a junior heavyweight back then, simply due to his height, and saw some success as a multi-time jr tag champion.

After W-A-R shut down in 2000, Ishii bounced around as a freelancer for a handful of years before becoming a permanent fixture in new japan in the mid 2000s.

But success was far from immediate. Relegated to the lower and mid card, it took years for Ishii to even get an opportunity at any kind of championship. In 2014, almost 20 years into his wrestling career, he won his first title in new japan – the NEVER Openweight championship.

He’d go on to hold that title 6 times and play a part in making the true “badass belt” in new japan.

And that’s because Ishii epitomizes that strong style, fighting spirit mentality of “come at me with your best shot, I can take it”. With never ending striking exchanges, suplexes and devastating lariats an Ishii match is always going to be hard hitting and leave somebody’s chest a swollen mess.

He has never held a major singles belt in new japan, depending on how you define major. and yet he’s as popular as ever and a stable on Western New Japan shows.

Big match ishii is very a thing and he often tends to elevate his opponents and draw the best out of other people. Many a wrestler has experienced a career turning point after a feud with The Stone Pit Bull.

#wrestling #aew #njpw

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