Yutaka Yoshie

Yutaka Yoshie (January 5, 1974-March 10, 2024) was a Japanese professional wrestler. During his career he wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH and Pro Wrestling Zero1. In New Japan he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and in Zero1 a former NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion.
==Professional wrestling career==
===New Japan Pro Wrestling (1994–2006)===
Yoshie, who had a background in judo, joined New Japan Pro Wrestling's dojo in February 1994 and made his professional wrestling debut on December 9, 1994, in a match against Satoshi Kojima. In only his second match Yoshie broke his leg and was sidelined until December 1995. After spending years on the undercards of New Japan events, Yoshie wrestled his first major match on January 4, 1998, at Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome, where he was one of the five men selected to face Riki Chōshū in his Riki Road Final Message 5 series, set to end his retirement tour. The following year Yoshie picked up major victories over wrestlers such as Tatsuhito Takaiwa and El Samurai, before leaving for a learning excursion to Germany in August to compete for Catch Wrestling Association (CWA). While in Europe, Yoshie bulked up and when he returned to Japan in March 2000, he was a completely different wrestler, basing his new style on sumo wrestling, and was quickly recruited by Yuji Nagata into his stable, Fighting Club G-EGGS. Later that year Yoshie defeated former IWGP Heavyweight Champions Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima in singles matches. However, Yoshie's climb was cut short, when Nagata disbanded Fighting Club G–EGGS in June 2001, sending him back down the card. On June 13, 2003, Yoshie won his to date only title in New Japan, when he teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi to defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They would hold the title for six months, before losing it to Tenzan and Osamu Nishimura. After years of being unable to break through into the main fold of New Japan, Yoshie decided not to re–sign with the promotion in January 2006 and instead became a freelancer.
===Freelancer (2006–2024)===
After leaving New Japan, Yoshie made his debut for Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he, under the ring name Y2P–160 kg, formed a tag team called the P–Force Men with Steve Corino. On February 25, 2006, Yoshie and Corino defeated Skull and Bones (Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita) to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship. They would hold the title for four months, before losing it to Kohei Sato and Ryouji Sai on June 20, 2006. Yoshie spent most of the rest of 2006 working for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he in April participated in his first Champion's Carnival. In late 2006 Yoshie also made his debut for Tatsumi Fujinami's and Osamu Nishimura's Muga World Pro Wrestling, for which he wrestled most of 2007. On December 13, 2007, Yoshie defeated Fujinami in the finals of a tournament to win Muga's Dragon Cup. On January 4, 2008, Yoshie made his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom II, where he, Masato Tanaka, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Katsushi Takemura defeated Takashi Iizuka, Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask IV and Ryusuke Taguchi in an eight-man tag team match, when Yoshie pinned Taguchi. Later that year Yoshie teamed with Manabu Nakanishi to take part in New Japan's G1 Climax Tag League, where the team, named Big Mountain, reached the semifinals before losing to the eventual winners of the entire tournament, TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima). On December 6, 2008, Yoshie and Nakanishi unsuccessfully challenged The Most Violent Players (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. On February 6, 2010, Yoshie made his debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH in a match, where he defeated Shuhei Taniguchi. In June Yoshie made another return to New Japan to compete in the J Sports Crown 6 Man Openweight Tag Tournament, where, under a mask and the ring name Pink Strong Machine, he teamed with Super Strong Machine and Tonga Strong Machine. The team was eliminated in the second round by Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi and Hirooki Goto.
==In wrestling==
*Finishing moves
:*Air Bag (Bridging / Release high-angle German suplex)
:*Canadian Hammer (Running inverted front powerslam)
:*Diving splash
*Signature moves
:*Back Blow (Standing or a discus kesagiri chop)
:*Death Valley driver
:*Lou Thesz press
:*Powerbomb
:*Raiden Drop (Seated senton)
:*Reverse figure four leglock
*Nicknames
:*"The Flying Pink Tank"
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Muga World Pro Wrestling
:*Dragon Cup (2007)
*New Japan Pro Wrestling
:*IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hiroshi Tanahashi
:*Triathlon Survivor League (2002) – with Manabu Nakanishi and Osamu Nishimura
:*New Wave Award (2000)
*Pro Wrestling Zero1
:*NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Corino
*Toryumon
:*Yamaha Cup (2008) – with Último Dragón
==External links==
* Profile
* Profile
Category:Japanese wrestlers
Category:Male wrestlers
Category:1974 births
Category:1994 debuts
Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Big Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Big Mouth Loud alumni
Category:Catch Wrestling Association alumni
Category:Diamond Ring alumni
Category:Dradition Pro-Wrestling alumni
Category:Dragon Gate alumni
Category:HUSTLE alumni
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Osaka Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Pro Wrestling NOAH alumni
Category:Pro Wrestling ZERO1 alumni
Category:Riki Pro alumni
Category:Tenryu Project alumni
Category:Verband Der Berufsringer alumni
Category:Wrestlers who have died
Category:IWGP Tag Team Champions
Category:2024 deaths