Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Kanemaru in October 2023

###

Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan

**Yoshinobu Kanemaru** (金丸義信, *Kanemaru Yoshinobu*, born September 23, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, while also working for the promotion as a producer.

Kanemaru started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), before moving to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he would become a six-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion and a four-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and won 2009 Junior Heavyweight League and Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League tournaments. He would remain in the promotion until the end of 2012.

In January 2013, Kanemaru joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he held a one-time the All Asia Tag Team and World Junior Heavyweight Championship's, before resigning from the promotion in November 2015. Afterwards, he returned to Noah, where, in January 2016, and he joined the Suzuki-gun stable later that month. He would win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for a record setting seventh time and held it until September 2016. In December 2016, Kanemaru and the rest of the Suzuki-gun stable returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), after concluding the invasion storyline with Noah.

Kanemaru would stay in Suzuki-gun until the stable's disbanding at the end of 2022, with Kanemaru forming Just 5 Guys in January 2023, before Kanemaru turned heel in September and joined the House of Touture.

## Professional Wrestling Career

### All Japan Pro Wrestling (1996-2000)

Kanemaru debuted in 1996 for All Japan Pro Wrestling, in the last years of owner Giant Baba's regime, which had isolated the promotion from outsider wrestlers at the expense of the younger, lighter-weight talent. His first high-profile match in 1997 saw him team with New Japan Pro Wrestling's Koji Kanemoto (Tiger Mask III) to battle freelancer Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, and his disciple, Michinoku Pro Wrestling's Tiger Mask. (As Mitsuharu Misawa, who once portrayed Tiger Mask II, was now a heavyweight and fully focused on the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, Kanemaru had to substitute for him in this interpromotional bout.

Despite Baba's death in 1999, Kanemaru rarely had further opportunities to go into other promotions. It was only in 2000, after Misawa broke with AJPW to create Noah that his experience began widening. In a brief promotional alliance with FMW, Kanemaru was able to win his first championship, the WEW Tag Team Championship, with heavyweight Masao Inoue.

### Pro Wrestling Noah (2001-2013)

In 2001, Kanemaru underwent a transformation. His simple Bermuda shorts and boots were changed for tights and shinguards, and he began executing more high-risk maneuvers proper for a junior heavyweight. This paid off well for Kanemaru, as he plowed through a field of unlikely but talented competitors to win a tournament for the first-ever GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to win the title twice more, including a win over NJPW's long time junior ace, Jushin Thunder Liger. In tag teams his experience widened as well, teaming with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, and with Takashi Sugiura to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice. His win of the NJPW title served as a catalyst for the creation of the equivalent Noah title.

In 2008, Kanemaru showed a serious shift in his attitude after the "SugiKane" team of himself and Takashi Sugiura went their separate ways after Sugiura moved to the heavyweight division. Kanemaru began using heel tactics in his matches. And in the summer convinced Kotaro Suzuki to betray his friend & tag team partner Ricky Marvin and attacked the reigning Jr. Heavyweights champions KENTA and Taiji Ishimori. The new team would defeat the champions for their titles two weeks later after Kanemaru pinned KENTA after using his "Touch-Out" brainbuster.

On October 31, 2009, he defeated Jushin Thunder Liger in the finals of the 2009 Junior Heavyweight League to win the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for a fifth time.

On 28 March 2010,he retained his title against Taiji Ishimori, on 25 April 2010 he beat Delirious and on his third defense on 10 July he kept his title after a victory on Naomichi Marufuji.

On September 2, 2010 in Xtreme Wrestling Entertainment defeat José Vargas Jr., to win the XWE Cruiserweight Championship for fthe irst time. On December 5, 2010, Kanemaru lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to Kotaro Suzuki, ending his reign at 400 days, the longest in the title's history. On May 9, 2012, Kanemaru defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for the sixth time. He lost the title to All Japan Pro Wrestling's Shuji Kondo on September 29, 2012. On December 19, 2012, Noah announced that Kanemaru would be leaving the promotion, after refusing to re-sign following the firing of Kenta Kobashi. Kanemaru wrestled his final Noah match on December 24, teaming with Akitoshi Saito in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura.

### Return to All Japan Pro Wrestling (2013-2015)

On January 26, 2013, Kanemaru, Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Jun Akiyama and Kotaro Suzuki, all of whom had quit Noah at the same time, announced that they had joined All Japan Pro Wrestling, forming the "Burning" stable. On February 23, Kanemaru brought Burning its first title, when he defeated Shuji Kondo for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship which he was denied in his first AJPW stint. On May 11, Kanemaru made a one-night return to Noah to take part in Kenta Kobashi's retirement match, where he, Go Shiozaki, Kenta and Maybach Taniguchi were defeated by Kobashi, Jun Akiyama, Keiji Mutoh and Kensuke Sasaki, with Kobashi pinning Kanemaru for the win. On July 5, following a mass exodus led by Keiji Mutoh, it was announced that Kanemaru, along with the rest of Burning, had signed an exclusive contract with All Japan. On December 15, Kanemaru lost the World Junior Heavyweight Championship to Último Dragón. On January 26, 2014, Kanemaru and Akiyama defeated former Burning stablemates Atsushi Aoki and Kotaro Suzuki to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to Keisuke Ishii and Shigehiro Irie at a Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) event on April 29. Kanemaru regained the title from Mitsuya Nagai and Takeshi Minamino on March 22, 2015, now teaming with Último Dragón. They vacated the title on October 14. On November 20, Kanemaru announced he would be leaving All Japan and becoming a freelancer following December 15.

### New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016-Present)

#### Suzuki-gun (2016-2022)

In January 2016, Kanemaru returned to Pro Wrestling Noah, initially forming a partnership with Go Shiozaki, before turning on him on January 31 and joining Suzuki-gun. On February 24, Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for the seventh time. On June 24 at a show produced by Kanemaru's Suzuki-gun stablemates Taichi and Taka Michinoku, Kanemaru was one of two winners of a four-man round-robin tournament to earn a spot in the 2016 Super J-Cup. On July 20, Kanemaru defeated BUSHI in his first round match in the tournament. On August 21, Kanemaru defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in the second round and Matt Sydal in the semifinals, before losing to reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA in the finals of the tournament.

On September 23 he lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion to Atsushi Kotoge. Kanemaru had a chance to regain the GHC Junior title when he faced Kotoge at Great Voyage in Yokohama vol. 2 on October 23, but failed. Suzuki-gun's Noah invasion storyline concluded in December 2016. On January 5, 2017, Suzuki-gun, Kanemaru included, returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling. On March 6, Kanemaru and Taichi defeated Roppongi Vice to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. They lost the title back to Roppongi Vice in their second defense on April 27. Kanemaru then entered the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where he finished with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals.

On March 6, Kanemaru and El Desperado won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship defeating Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) and Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi) in a three-way match. In May, Kanemaru entered 2018 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, finishing the tournament with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance to the finals of the tournament, finishing almost in the last place. From October 16 until November 1, Kanemaru and Desperado took part in the Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record of five wins and two losses, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On November 3 at Power Struggle, Kanemaru and Desperado were defeated in the finals by Sho and Yoh in a three-way match also BUSHI and Shingo Takagi. On January 4, 2019, at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome, Kanemaru and Desperado lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to BUSHI and Takagi in a second three-way match also involving Sho and Yoh, ending their reign at 304 days. From October 16 until November 1, Kanemaru and Desperado took part in the 2019 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record of five wins and two losses, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On November 3 at Power Struggle, Kanemaru and Desperado were defeated in the finals by Sho and Yoh. In June 2020, Kanemaru took part in the 2020 New Japan Cup, being eliminated from the tournament by Taiji Ishimori in the second round.

On September 11, at *New Japan Road* tour, Kanemaru and Desperado defeated *Los Ingobernables de Japon* (BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi) in the finals of a tournament to win the vacant IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, Kanemaru signed a full-time contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling, continuing to perform as a wrestler, as well as becoming a producer for the company. On November 12, it was announced that Kanemaru would be forced to withdraw from the 2020 Best of the Super Juniors due to an injury, being replaced by Yuya Uemura. In January 2021, following Wrestle Kingdom 15, Suzuki-gun entered a rivalry with the Bullet Club over both stables tag team championships. On January 23, Kanemaru and Desperado lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Bullet Club members El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori, before regaining it on February 25. They lost the titles to Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) on April 4 at Sakura Genesis. In August, Kanemaru and Desperado won the 2021 Super Jr. Tag League, after finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and one loss. On September 5 at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, Kanemaru and Desperado defeated El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the fourth time. They lost the titles to Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask on October 26. From November 13 until December 11, Kanemaru took part in the 2021 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and seven losses, failling to advance to the finals of the tournament. In March 2022, Kanemaru took part in the 2022 New Japan Cup, losing in the second round to CIMA. In May, Kanemaru took part in the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failling to advance to the finals of the tournament. From November 21 until December 11, Kanemaru and DOUKI took part in the 2022 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record four wins and five losses, failing to win the tournament. On December 14, Minoru Suzuki announced that Suzuki-gun would disband by the end of the year. On December 23, Suzuki-gun had their final match, with every Suzuki-gun member hoisting the Suzuki-gun banner and posing one last time.

#### Just 5 Guys (2023)

On January 5, 2023, at *New Year Dash!*, Kanemaru alongside former Suzuki-gun members DOUKI, Taka Michinoku, and Taichi announced the formation of "Just Four Guys", with its namesake referring to the four of them. The stable's official match took place shortly after, with Kanemaru, DOUKI, and Taichi facing United Empire's Will Ospreay, Francesco Akira and TJP in a winning effort. Following the match, Kanemaru and DOUKI challenged Akira and TJP to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, before a brawl broke out between both sides. The attack saw Kanemaru and DOUKI target IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Akira and TJP. On February 4, at The New Beginning in Sapporo, Kanemaru and DOUKI unsuccesfully challenged Akira and TJP for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On April 8, at Sakura Genesis, after his Just 5 Guys stablemate SANADA won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, his former stablemate *Los Ingobernables de Japon* Hiromu Takahashi challenged SANADA to a title match. However, before Takahashi concluded his challenge Kanemaru challenged him to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. On April 27, Takahashi unsuccesfully challenged Takahashi for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The following month, Kanemaru took part in the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of three wins and six losses, failling to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

#### House of Torture (2023-Present)

On September 24 at Destruction in Kobe, Kanemaru turned on Just 5 Guys and jumped to House of Torture by helping Sho defeat Taichi in a seconds handcuffed for the provisional KOPW Championship. From October 21 to November 2, Kanemaru and Sho took part in the 2023 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record six wins and three losses, advancing to the finals. On November 4 at Power Struggle, Kanemaru and Sho were defeated in the finals of the tournament by Francesco Akira and TJP. Following the World Tag League, Taichi was attacked by Kanemaru, before being challenged by him to a match for the KOPW Championship. This led to a fan vote deciding the sipulation between a Whiskey Bottle Ladder match or a Corner pad removal, low blows legal match. Shortly after, it was announced that Taichi and Kanemaru would face each other in a Whiskey Bottle Ladder match, following the result of a fan poll. On December 21, Kanemaru failed to become the official KOPW 2023 champion, after losing to Taichi in a Whiskey Bottle Ladder match.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Brainbuster
	+ *Deep Impact* (Diving DDT)
	+ Moonsault
	+ *Touch Out* (Twisting brainbuster)
* **Signature moves**
	+ Camel clutch
	+ Frog splash
	+ Guillotine leg drop to an opponent hanging on a guardrail
	+ *Hollywood Star Press* (Split-legged moonsault)
	+ Rope hung DDT
	+ Running delayed low-angle running dropkick to an opponent in the tree of woe position
	+ Tilt-a-whirl DDT
	+ Triple rolling brainbuster
* **Nicknames**
	+ "Jigen Bakudan" (Japanese for "Time Bomb")
	+ **"Heel Master"**
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Maximum"
	+ "Maximum 2.1"
	+ **"Slyboots"** by Yonosuke Kitamura

## Championships and accomplishments

* **All Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jun Akiyama (1), and Último Dragón (1)
	+ World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ Asunaro Cup (2000)
	+ January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (1999)

* **New Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (1), Taichi (1) and El Desperado (4)
	+ Super Jr. Tag League (2021) – with El Desperado
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship tournament (2020) – with El Desperado

* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ PWI ranked him #**161** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2013

* **Pro Wrestling Noah**
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship (7 times)
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Takashi Sugiura (2), Kotaro Suzuki (1) and KENTA (1)
	+ Junior Heavyweight League (2009)
	+ Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League (2009) – with Kotaro Suzuki
	+ One Night Junior Heavyweight Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2003) – with Makoto Hashi and Takashi Sugiura
	+ One Night Tag Tournament Winner (2001) - with Kentaro Shiga
	+ One Day Jr. Heavyweight Six Man Tag Tournament (2008) - with Kotaro Suzuki and Genba Hirayanagi

* **Taka & Taichi Box Office**
	+ Super J-Cup Qualifying League (2016)

* **westside Xtreme wrestling**
	+ Trios Tournament (2006) – with Doug Williams and Takashi Sugiura

* **World Entertainment Wrestling**
	+ WEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Masao Inoue

* **Xtreme Wrestling Entertainment**
	+ XWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Staff, Powerslam. "Power Slam". *What’s going down…*. SW Publishing LTD. p. 7. 132.
2. ↑ ja:ノア激震！小橋解雇、秋山ら退団 (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2012-12-04). Archived from the original on 2012-12-10. Retrieved on 2012-12-19.
3. ↑ ノ小橋、９日両国大会でフリー宣言へ！秋山ら５選手もノア退団申し入れ . *Sports Navi*. Yahoo!language=Japanese (2012-12-05). Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved on 2012-12-19.
4. ↑ *ja:秋山らノア退団正式決定* (in Japanese). *Nikkan Sports* (2012-12-19). Retrieved on 2012-12-19.
5. ↑ ～Noahful Gift in Differ 2012 vol.2～  (in Japanese). *Pro Wrestling Noah*. Retrieved on 2012-12-24.
6. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2012-12-24. Mon. update: Raw tonight, wrestlers bid farewell to Noah, Leben talks his issues . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2012-12-25.
7. ↑ ja:秋山、潮崎らノア退団5選手が全日本プロレスに参戦 (in Japanese). *Sports Navi*. Yahoo! (2013-01-27). Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved on 2013-01-26.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *ja:5大シングルマッチで全日本との対抗戦が本格開戦したバーニング！金丸の世界ジュニア王座奪取を含む3勝2敗で勝利！* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2013-02-24). Retrieved on 2013-02-23.
9. ↑ *ja:2013年5月11日(土)* (in Japanese). *Pro Wrestling Noah*. Retrieved on 2013-05-11.
10. ↑ ja:秋山13年ぶり！電撃"王道"復帰「全日本の名前の下に頑張りたい」 (in Japanese). *Sports Navi*. Yahoo! (2013-07-06). Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.
11. ↑ 激動だった全日本の1年を斧爆弾で締めくくった大森が、新年一発目の三冠挑戦を表明！究極龍が悲願の世界Jr王座奪取！  (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2013-12-16). Retrieved on 2013-12-15.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 ニューイヤープレゼント in 神戸  (in Japanese). *All Japan Pro Wrestling*. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
13. ↑ Max Bump2014  (in Japanese). *Dramatic Dream Team*. Retrieved on 2014-04-29.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 *ja:【3.22】 2015 ドリームパワーシリーズ　福岡大会* (in Japanese). *All Japan Pro Wrestling* (2015-03-22). Retrieved on 2015-03-22.
15. ↑ *ja:金丸義信選手＆ウルティモ・ドラゴン選手アジアタッグ返上のお知らせ* (in Japanese). *All Japan Pro Wrestling* (2015-10-14). Retrieved on 2015-10-14.
16. ↑ *ja:全日プロ激震！今度は金丸が退団* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-11-20). Retrieved on 2015-11-20.
17. ↑ *ja:鈴木軍の無法行為で杉浦がGHCヘビー強奪！ 金丸がまさかの鈴木軍入り！ 潮崎、マスクを脱いだ谷口が丸藤と合流！【1・31ノア横浜大会・試合結果（1）】* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-02-01). Retrieved on 2016-01-31.
18. ↑ The Second Navig.2016  (in Japanese). *Pro Wrestling Noah*. Retrieved on 2016-02-24.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 *ja:Taka&タイチ興行 in 新木場* (in Japanese). *Kaientai Dojo*. Retrieved on 2016-06-24.
20. ↑ Super J-Cup 2016  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-07-20.
21. ↑ Super J-Cup 2016  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-08-21.
22. ↑ *ja:【ノア】鈴木軍撤退で方舟マットどうなる？* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-05). Retrieved on 2016-12-05.
23. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2017-03-06. NJPW 45th Anniversary show live results: Okada vs. Tiger Mask W . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-03-06.
24. ↑ *ja:Road to レスリングどんたく 2017 ～安芸の国 戦国絵巻～* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-04-27.
25. ↑ *ja:鉄拳7 Presents Best of the Super Jr.24* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro-Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-06-01.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 *ja:時限爆弾 金丸義信* (in Japanese). *Suzukigun.jp*. Retrieved on 2016-02-01.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 *ja:金丸 義信* (in Japanese). *Pro Wrestling Noah*. Retrieved on 2016-02-01.
28. ↑ *ja:【『Super Jr.』出場メンバー決定！】Aブロックにリコシェ、オスプレイ、ドラゴン・リー！ マーティ・スカルが初上陸！ Bブロックにボラドール！ 金丸、ACHも初出場！* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-05-03). Retrieved on 2017-05-03.
29. ↑ RMLabel-Titantron Music List-  (in en).
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Archived copy . Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved on 2015-04-09.
31. ↑ Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2013 . *The Internet Wrestling Database*. Retrieved on 2013-08-22.
32. ↑ Archived copy . Archived from the original on 2008-01-16. Retrieved on 2013-02-22.
33. ↑ Trios Tournament . Cagematch. Retrieved on 2010-02-19.