SANADA Seiya Sanada ( January 28 , 1988 ) is a Japanese professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling , where he was the first Gaora TV Champion when he won a tournament , a two - time All Asia Tag Team Champion , and a one - time World Tag Team Champion after winning the 2011 World ' s Strongest Tag Determination League . Sanada is also known for his time in the Japanese Wrestle - 1 and American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotions , performing in the latter as The Great Sanada and becoming a one - time TNA X Division Champion . Professional wrestling career . All Japan Pro Wrestling ( 2007 – 2013 ) . Sanada was trained by AJPW dojo and turned pro on March 13 , 2007 in a losing effort teaming with Ryuji Hijikata against Katsuhiko Nakajima and Y28 . Within a few months into his career , Sanada won his first honor when he teamed with Kensuke Sasaki and Nakajima to win the Samurai ! TV Triple Arrow Tournament on May 29 , 2007 . Following the tournament victory , Sanada spent the next two years in opening match wrestling other up - and - comers and began teaming with Manabu Soya . By 2009 , Sanada began moving up the card as he took part in his first Champion Carnival but finished last with no points . Later in the year , Sanada broke up with Soya and briefly teamed up with Osamu Nishimura with the two entering the 2009 World ' s Strongest Tag Determination League with Sanada even getting a pinfall victory over the tag team champions : Taiyo Kea and Minoru Suzuki but the team ' s run ended when Sanada suffered the flu and had to withdraw from the tournament . In 2010 , Sanada once again entered the Champion Carnival but the results were the same as he finished last in his block with no points . By the spring , Sanada helped form the New Generation Force stable with Suwama , Masayuki Kono , Ryota Hama , and Manabu Soya . On August 29 , 2010 at Pro Wrestling LOVE in Ryogoku Vol . 10 , Sanada and Soya defeated TARU and Big Daddy Voodoo to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship . Sanada and Soya entered the 2010 World ' s Strongest Tag Determination League in the fall where they finished in 6th place with 7 Points . Sanada and Soya would lose the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship to Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi on March 21 , 2011 . During the year 2011 , Sanada reached his full potential by reaching the finals against Yuji Nagata , but loss to him in the finals . He also entered in 2011 World ' s Strongest Tag Determination League with KAI and won the tournament by defeating Masayuki Kono and Masakatsu Funaki in the Finals . They then challenged the All Japan World Tag Team Champions Dark Cuervo and Dark Ozz for a title shot but came up short . They then faced each other in a singles match , which led to Sanada winning that match . After the match they both had an interview and Sanada decided that they should part ways and move on with their Tag Team which KAI also agreed on . In 2012 he then challenged All Japan Ace Suwama to a 60 minute match but also fell short in that match . He then challenged his former trainer Satoshi Kojima to match but also fell short after a Lariat by Kojima , during the Match he sustained a right knee injury but still wrestled and took a little time off to heal his knee . He then participated in 2012 ' s Champion Carnival and lost to his former tag partner Manabu Soya . But he then won his first match against Manabu Soya ' s brother Takumi Soya and debuted a new finisher called " THIS IS IT " ( Guillotine Dragon Sleeper ) . On May 20 , 2012 , Sanada and Joe Doering defeated Soya and Takao Omori to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship . Sanada and Doering lost the title back to Soya and Ōmori on June 17 . On October 7 , 2012 , Sanada defeated Yasufumi Nakanoueno in a tournament final to become the inaugural AJPW Gaora TV Champion . After reaching the semifinals of the 2013 Champion Carnival , All Japan announced on May 1 , 2013 , that Sanada would be leaving on a learning excursion to Moncton , Canada , where he would train under Emile Duprée . During the excursion , Sanada lost the Gaora TV Championship to René Dupree on May 27 . Wrestle - 1 ( 2013 – 2015 ) . On July 1 , while still in Canada , Sanada announced his resignation from All Japan , taking part in a mass exodus caused by Nobuo Shiraishi becoming the promotion ' s new president . Following his resignation , Sanada traveled to Mexico on his own expense to continue his training . Though Sanada was not announced as part of Keiji Mutoh ' s splinter promotion Wrestle - 1 , he did make a surprise appearance at the promotion ' s inaugural event on September 8 , losing to Kai in a singles match . Sanada and Kai had a rematch in the main event of Wrestle - 1 ' s second show on September 15 ; this time Sanada was victorious . On September 24 , Wrestle - 1 announced that Sanada had signed a contract with the promotion . Sanada wrestled his first match under a Wrestle - 1 contract on October 6 , losing to Kai in the main event of the promotion ' s first event in Korakuen Hall . As a result , Kai won the series between him and Sanada 3 - 2 . On November 16 , Sanada unsuccessfully challenged visiting American wrestler A . J . Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . In early 2014 , Sanada was offered an opportunity to earn another shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , but he instead opted to go for the TNA X Division Championship . On February 15 , Sanada defeated nineteen other men in a battle royal to become the number one contender to the title . On March 2 at , Sanada defeated Austin Aries to become the new TNA X Division Champion . The following day , Wrestle - 1 announced Sanada would be leaving Japan to work for TNA indefinitely . Sanada continued making sporadic appearances for Wrestle - 1 , defending his X Division Championship against Seiki Yoshioka on March 22 and against Christopher Daniels on April 17 , while also losing to The Great Muta in the main event of Wrestle - 1 ' s second Ryōgoku Kokugikan event , Shōgeki : Impact , on July 6 . The following day , Wrestle - 1 and Sanada held a press conference to announce that he had signed a contract with TNA , giving him a dual contract between Wrestle - 1 and the American promotion . Sanada returned to working for Wrestle - 1 full - time in October 2014 , when TNA went inactive for the rest of the year . The following month , Sanada teamed up with Hiroshi Yamato for the First Tag League Greatest tournament , set to determine the inaugural Wrestle - 1 Tag Team Champions . The team finished their block with a record of one win , two draws and one loss , narrowly missing advancement to the semifinals . On December 22 , Sanada unsuccessfully challenged Keiji Mutoh for the Wrestle - 1 Championship . On May 13 , 2015 , Sanada held a press conference in Japan , where he announced that he was leaving Wrestle - 1 once his contract expired two days later , so he could continue working in the United States full - time as a freelancer . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2014 – 2015 ) . Sanada made his TNA debut on March 9 at Lockdown , where he , working under just his family name , teamed with The Great Muta and Yasu to defeat Chris Sabin , Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in a six - man tag team steel cage match . Four days later , Sanada made his " Impact Wrestling " debut , teaming with Tigre Uno to defeat TNA World Tag Team Champions , The BroMans ( Jessie Godderz and Robbie E ) , in a non - title match . As a result , the two received a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship the following week , but were defeated in a three - way match , which also included The Wolves ( Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards ) . Sanada and Tigre Uno were then put against each other in a " best of three " match series for the TNA X Division Championship . On April 27 at Sacrifice , Sanada defeated Uno to win the series 2 – 1 and retain the X Division Championship . On June 15 at Slammiversary XII , Sanada defeated Crazzy Steve , Davey Richards , Eddie Edwards , Manik and Tigre Uno in a six - way ladder match to retain the X Division Championship . At the June 20 " Impact Wrestling " tapings , Sanada lost the X Division Championship back to Austin Aries . During the June 25 tapings , Sanada took part in an angle , where he turned on his mentor Great Muta , hitting him with a steel chair and a moonsault , after initially saving him from James Storm . The following day at Destination X , Storm introduced Sanada as his new protégé , before he defeated Brian Cage and Crazzy Steve to advance to the finals of a tournament for the vacant X Division Championship . At the June 27 " Impact Wrestling " tapings , Sanada was defeated by Samoa Joe in the finals of the tournament , which also included Low Ki . After signing a one - year contract with TNA , Sanada debuted the new ring name " The Great Sanada " and a look inspired by The Great Muta on the August 27 " Impact Wrestling " , defeating Austin Aries with help from Storm . Sanada and Storm were eventually joined by Abyss and Manik to form a stable named The Revolution . On October 12 , Sanada main evented TNA ' s Bound for Glory event in Tokyo , teaming with Storm in a tag team match , where they were defeated by The Great Muta and Tajiri . On the April 10 , 2015 , " Impact Wrestling " , Storm dismissed Sanada from The Revolution , stating that Sanada had let him down one too many times . Sanada ' s departure from TNA was confirmed by the promotion on April 16 . American independent circuit ( 2014 – present ) . On September 20 , 2014 , Sanada , using his villainous Great Sanada persona , made his debut for American independent promotion Chikara , entering the annual Rey de Voladores tournament . After defeating Amasis , AR Fox and Orlando Christopher in his opening four - way elimination match , Sanada was defeated in the finals of the tournament the following day by Shynron . After leaving TNA in April 2015 , Sanada began working more regularly on the American independent circuit . Global Force Wrestling ( 2015 – present ) . On May 6 , 2015 , Global Force Wrestling ( GFW ) announced Sanada as part of their roster .