P-E-J Heavyweight Championship

P-E-J Heavyweight Championship History

**Ryu Takeshita**

March 2008-

Won the Shunji Takayama tournament when The Result put his title on the line in the finals

**The Result**

March 2007- March 2008

Won the title in the Shunji Takayama Memorial Tournament after the title was vacated by Masashi Michonoki. The title reign and tournament marked a series of rivalries between USD talent and P-E-J talent.

**Vacant**

Feburary 2007- March 2007

Masashi Michonoki vacates the title after a motorcycle accident, which would put him out of action for the next year

**Masashi Michonoki**

December 2006-Feburary 2007

Beat SHAME in a Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch at Exploding Ring Special

**SHAME**

May 2006-December 2006

Beat Ryu Takeshita in a razor board deathmatch

**Ryu Takeshita**

May 2005 - May 2006

Defeated Gene Mourge in a best two out three falls deathmatch

**Gene Mourge**

April 2005-May 2005

Defeated Susumu Akihiko in a 200 light tube death match

**Susumu Akihiko**

October 2004-April 2005

Defeated Ryu Takeshita in an Angel of Deathmatch, with Masashi Michonoki as the Angel. The Angel participates in the match but cannot win.

**Ryu Takeshita**

December 2003-October 2004

Exploding Ring Special main event, defeated Masashi Michonoki.

**Masashi Michonoki**

April 2003-December 2003

Defeated Giant Gojira in their rematch from the finals of the Shunji Takayama Memorial Tournament.

**Giant Gojira**

December 2002-April 2003

Defeated Ryu Takeshita after the title was vacated due to Shunji Takayama's passing.

**Vacant**

December 2002

Champion Shunji Takayama passes away after passing away at the age of 37.

**Shunji Takayama**

April 2002-December 2002

After a legendary face turn, Shunji Takayama finally wins the Heavyweight Championship by defeating Ryu Takeshita.

**Ryu Takeshita**

April 2001-April 2002

In his first ever Tournament of Executioners win, Ryu Takeshita ends the longest P-E-J Heavyweight Championship reign of all time, defeating Giant Gojira. Takeshita's first reign since the company founded.

**Giant Gojira**

February 1998-April 2001

Considered the greatest reign in the titles history, seen as the one contributing factor to the survival of deathmatch wrestling in not only Japan but also in general, as the success of Giant Gojira and the influence he had in saving P-E-J led to Byron B. Wright founding Death of Wrestling. During this time the company was based around Gojira, the iconic top gun of the company, Ryu Takeshita, the face underdog, and Shunji Takayama, the heel threat with a constant mean streak. Happened after the man that was responsible for the companies struggles, co-founder and booker Satama Ito, was fired by owner Ryu Takeshita. Ito was known for pushing untalented talent with corny gimmicks.

**American Dream**

June 1997-February 1998

Chad Beck was a veteran of nearly 25 years when he won the title off Silver Saiki, and was a legendary hardcore wrestler and wrestler in general. Despite this during his time in P-E-J he was put under the mask (which covered his infamous scarred forehead) and given the name American Dream. Considered one of the worst decisions ever made by booker Satama Ito and was the second to final nail in P-E-J's almost coffin.

**Silver Saiki**

February 1997-June 1997

Won the title off PAIN in a quick throwaway match so the champion could go on hiatus (supposedly doing so to avoid Satama Ito's booking). Despite beiong a product of Ito's bad booking decisions Saiki would not only remain successful in the company following a new booker but also surprisingly did so in the same character.

**PAIN**

December 1995-February 1997

A historically lengthy reign with the title, the notorious booking of P-E-J began a couple of months in.

**Electric Mask**

October 1994-December 1995

A legendary Japanese wrestler, Electric Mask had a brief hardcore stint in P-E-J that lasted nearly a year and included a Heavyweight title reign. The reign is often looked back upon favorably.

**Akira Yuzuru**

July 1994-October 1994

The first big heel of P-E-J, Yuzuru was an important early fixture of the company. Many fans expected him to remain a staple of the company in the same vein as his face rival Ryu Takeshita. This would not be the case as very shortly after his title reign he would mysteriously vanish from the world of wrestling immediately after his current contract with the company expired. Even owner Takeshita, who had been told by Yuzuru that he would be resigning, admits that he is not aware of the wrestlers whereabouts. He says that any known ways of contacting Yuzuru do not pass and that it seemed as if Yuzuru purposefully made it so no one could find him. While this is the case on two separate occasions in the mid 2000's Takeshita had wrestlers and referees that would have recognized Yuzuru claiming that they would see him among the crowd during unrecorded house shows. This has returned Takeshita's attention to finding him and he continues to search in 2008.

**Ryu Takeshita**

November 1993-July 1994

Won a tournament to crown the first ever P-E-J Heavyweight champion, defeating Akira Yuzuru in the finals. Thanks to an endorsement from JWCS star Jumbo Kurosawa, who had befriended Takeshita while working independent shows in the US, the company and his reign received vital traction that would be responsible for their prolonged success.