Ikuto Hidaka

###

Masuda, Shimane, Japan

**Ikuto Hidaka** (日高郁人, *Hidaka Ikuto*) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he is a former seven-times NWA International Lightweight Champion. Hidaka also was the regular partner of Minoru Fujita, with whom he has held the Zero1-Max International Lightweight Tag Team and Intercontinental Tag Team Titles, making them the only team to do so. He has also worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling.

## Professional wrestling career

### Battlarts (1997-2001)

Hidaka debuted for the Battlarts shoot style promotion in 1997 after training in the Animal Hamaguchi Dojo. He spent his rookie year venturing to promotions like Michinoku Pro Wrestling and KKingdom Pro Wrestling, sharing rings with names like Yuki Ishikawa, Daisuke Ikeda, Minoru Tanaka and Yoshihiro Tajiri. In 1998, he challenged for the vacated UWA World Middleweight Championship, but was defeated by Willow. Shortly after, he formed a tag team with Minoru Fujita, who was based in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, and they competed at the *Tag League 98*, where they managed to snatch a significant win over Masao Orihara and Takeshi Ono. They would team extensively in several promotions, but over time, conflicting schedules from competing for separate promotions limited their activity as a team.

In November 1999, after several months wrestling for Battlarts alone, Hidaka was sent to America as a Battlarts representative for a learning excursion in Extreme Championship Wrestling. He competed mainly in cruiserweight matches against Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy, as well as Super Calo. His tenure was notable for commentator Joel Gertner constantly making racist remarks about Hidaka during his matches and nicknamed him "Pokémon" after the popular children's animated series. In 2000, Hidaka returned to Japan, now somewhat higher on the scale, and wrestled numerous matches for Battlarts with Mitsuya Nagai as his tag team partner. He wrestled for the promotion until its very end in late 2001.

### Michinoku Pro Wrestling (2001)

In late 2001, when Battlarts collapsed, Hidaka wandered in the Japanese independent circuit. He entered Michinoku Pro Wrestling and won a tournament for the vacant FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship, upsetting New Japan Pro Wrestling star El Samurai in the final - his first great solo victory. He made an alliance with Dick Togo, styling himself as Togo's disciple and joining him in the Far East Connection stable. As Togo and Michinoku Pro owner The Great Sasuke bickered over problems, that had once caused Togo to leave the promotion before, the team left the promotion for Pro Wrestling Zero-One.

### Pro Wrestling Zero-One/Zero1 (2001-2020)

In 2001, Hidaka entered Pro Wrestling Zero1 and began to battle the active junior heavyweight roster. For a while they were successful, winning the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship once, but as Togo wanted to keep on wrestling other independents, their team broke up just in time as Minoru Fujita was returning from an overseas excursion. Hidaka and Fujita formed a team known as "Skull and Bones" and became prominent in the ZERO-1MAX/independent scene, even winning Pro Wrestling Noah's GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Following a crucial loss to Minoru Tanaka and Masaaki Mochizuki, another team long "defunct before it even started" due to scheduling conflicts, Hidaka and Fujita turned on each other. On January 19, Hidaka defeated Fujita to win the AWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship for a second time. He lost the title to Mochizuki on January 23, 2008.

On March 13, 2010, Hidaka made his debut for American professional wrestling promotion Evolve Wrestling at *Evolve 2: Hero vs. Hidaka*, defeating Chris Hero in the main event of the evening.

On May 21, 2017, Hidaka along with Takuya Sugawara defeated Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa to win the NWA International Lightweight Championship. They lost the titles on January 1, 2018 to Masamune and SUGI, before regaining it on June 6 alongside Fuminori Abe defeating SUGI and Masamune in a rematch. On July 2, 2020, Zero1 announced that Hidaka, Kohei Sato, and Tatsuhito Takaiwa would be leaving the promotion following the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the promotion.

### Pro Wrestling Noah (2020-present)

In December 2020, Nosawa Rongai and Kotaro Suzuki began feuding with Stinger, with Rongai usually bringing with him a mystery partner, who was wearing a mask being nicknamed the "Part Time Guy". On January 4, 2021 at New Sunrise, following a match between Kotaro Suzuki and Stinger's Yoshinari Ogawa, Ogawa alongside his stablemates HAYATA and Yuya Susumu unmasked Rongai's mystery partner, revealing himself to Hidaka, who announced his full commitment with the promotion. On February 12, 2021 at Destination, Hidaka and Kotaro Suzuki unsucessfully challenged Yoshinari Ogawa and HAYATA for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On June 27, Hidaka and Nosawa alongside Suzuki, YO-HEY and their new member Eita would form reveal the name of their new stable Los Perros del Mal de Japon.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Iwami Ginzan* (Vertical suplex lifted and dropped into a single knee gutbuster)
	+ *Misty Flip* (Sitout shiranui, sometimes while standing)
	+ *Norainu High Kick* (High-speed roundhouse kick)
	+ *Shawn Capture* (Cross kneelock, sometimes from a wheelbarrow bodyscissors position)

* **Signature moves**
	+ Belly-to-back suplex
	+ *Flying Catch Hit Alpha* (Arm wrench inside cradle pin)
	+ *Flying Catch Hit V* (Spinning ankle lock)
	+ *Hidaka Special* (Rolling German suplex transitioned into a kneebar)
	+ *H8U* (Fireman's carry sitout scoop slam piledriver)
	+ *Iguchi Bomb* (Leg capture one shoulder powerbomb)
	+ *Iguchi Slam* (Arm trap side slam)
	+ *La Solarina* (Double underhook / Indian deathlock combination)
	+ *Mariposa* (Springboard corkscrew senton to a standing opponent outside of the ring)
	+ Multiple kick variations
		- Savate
		- Spinning heel
		- Springboard drop to the knee of a rising opponent
	+ *Spider Net* (Tornado DDT floated over into a guillotine choke)
	+ Springboard tornado DDT
	+ *SRU - Super Roll Up* (Reverse prawn hold)
	+ Suicide dive
	+ Swinging neckbreaker

* **With Minoru Fujita**
	+ *Union DDT* (Top rope tornado DDT by Hidaka from Fujita's shoulders)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Premier Wrestling Federation**
	+ PWF Unified Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Minoru Fujita

* **Kohaku Wrestling Wars**
	+ UWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Menso-re Oyaji

* **Michinoku Pro Wrestling**
	+ Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ Tohoku Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Minoru Fujita
	+ UWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Minoru Fujita

* **Pro Wrestling Noah**
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Minoru Fujita

* **Pro Wrestling WORLD-1**
	+ PWF Universal Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Minoru Fujita

* **Pro Wrestling Zero1**
	+ NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Minoru Fujita (1) and Munenori Sawa (1)
	+ NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (7 times) – with Dick Togo (1), Minoru Fujita (1), Munenori Sawa (1), Takafumi Ito (1), Fujita Hayato (1), Takuya Sugawara (1) and Fuminori Abe (1)
	+ NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ ZERO1-MAX International Junior Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
	+ Tenkaichi Jr. (2009, 2010, 2015)
* ***Tokyo Sports***
	+ Best Tag Team (2005) - with Minoru Fujita

## Notes

1. ↑ In his first reign as champion, title was known as the AWA/ZERO1-MAX/UPW/WORLD-1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship, while in his second reign title was known as the AWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `OWOW`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Puro`
3. ↑ Csonka, Larry 2010-03-15. EVOLVE 2 Results From New Jersey . *411Mania*. Retrieved on 2010-05-02.
4. ↑ Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE - "Enormous 2004"  (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved on 2015-02-05.
5. ↑ http://www.purolove.com/tokyosports.php