Yasufumi Nakanoue

###

Osaka, Japan

**Yasufumi Nakanoue** (中上 靖文, *Nakanoue Yasufumi*, born June 14, 1986) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW).

Nakanoue started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), however Nakanoue would quit All Japan following a change in the promotion's management and joined the new Wrestle-1 promotion. He went on becoming a former one-time Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champion and a two-time UWA World Trios Champion. In June, 2016 Nakanoue would quit Wrestle-1 to become a freelancer. He would return to All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2017.

Since freelancing that he mostly competed in Big Japan Pro Wrestling until he signed with the promotion in 2017.

## Professional wrestling career

### Training

At high school Nakanoue practiced baseball and he was nicknamed fast bang first. In 2008 Nakanoue started to train in the Animal Hamaguchi dojo which led to Nakanoue pass an audition to enter Keiji Mutoh's All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) affiliated Mutohjuku training school, where he continued training under Kaz Hayashi and Satoshi Kojima.

### All Japan Pro Wrestling (2010–2013)

On January 2, 2010 Nakanoue made his professional wrestling debut against Shuji Kondo. Nakanoue would then compete as a jobber losing matches to gain experience and knowing his place in the card. On November 6 Nakanoue competed in a tournament to determine the 1º Contendership for the All Asia Tag Team Championship with Osamu Nishimura. Nakanoue and Nishimura would lose at the semifinals to Voodoo Murders (KONO and Minoru).

On July 25, 2012 Nakanoue had his first win when he and Hiroshi Yamato defeated Gillette and KAI. On September 8 to October 7 Nakanoue took part in a tournament to crown the first Gaora TV Championship. Nakanoue would defeat a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Ryota Hama and Kazushi Miyamoto to advance to the finals of the tournament. At the tournament finals Nakanoue would lose to Seiya Sanada. On November 21 Nakanoue unsucessfully challenged Sanada into a rematch for the Gaora TV Championship.

On April 29, 2013 Nakanoue and SUSHI faced Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo in a tag team match. Despite Hayashi pinning Nakanoue for the win, Hayashi and Kondo afterwards offered the rookie wrestler a spot in Last Revolution. Nakanoue immediately accepted the offer, thus becoming the stable's fifth member.

During the fall of 2013, Nakanoue, along with several other wrestlers in All Japan, departed the promotion and joined up with Keiji Mutoh and his new promotion Wrestle-1 due to Nobuo Shiraishi taking over as the president of the promotion.

### Wrestle-1 (2013–2016)

On July 10, 2013, Nakanoue was announced as part of Keiji Mutoh's new Wrestle-1 promotion. During the promotion's inaugural event on September 8, Nakanoue teamed with Ryota Hama in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Kohei Sato and Ryoji Sai. On February 24, 2014 Nakanoue would compete in a tournament to decide the 1º Contendership for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Nakanoue would lose to Masakatsu Funaki at the semifinals. Later that night Nakanoue competed in a Battle Royal match to decide the 1º Contendership for the TNA X-Division Championship. Nakanoue would come up short losing the match with the winner being Seiya Sanada. One month later Nakanoue competed in another Battle Royal to decide the 1º Contendership for the TNA X-Division Championship, but this time the winner was Seiki Yoshioka. On May 4 Nakanoue and Yoshioka would receive a chance for the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship but they would came up short and unsuccessfully challenged Hiroki and Yuji Hino for the titles. On June 22 Nakanoue competed in another Battle Royal to decide this time the 1º Contendership was for the ASW British Mid-Heavyweight Championship, but this time the winner was Seiki Yoshioka again.

In September, Nakanoue took part in the Wrestle-1 Championship tournament, where he lost at first round to Yusuke Kodama. On November 15, Nakanoue entered the First Tag League Greatest tournament, set to determine the inaugural Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champions, alongside Taiyō Kea under the team name Sunrise. The two finished their block with a record of one win and three losses.

On January 11, 2015 Nakanoue and Yusuke Kodama unsuccessfully challenged Team 246 (Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo) for the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship. On August 2 Nakanoue participated at the 2015 Wrestle-1 Grand Prix, Nakanoue would lose at the first round to Jiro Kuroshio. Following the tournament, Nakanoue formed the stable Jackets with Jiro Kuroshio and Seiki Yoshioka. On October 9, 2015 the trio defeated New Wild Order (Akira, Jun Kasai and Kumagoro) to win the vacant UWA World Trios Championship. On November 3, they lost the titles to Real Desperado (Kazma Sakamoto, Koji Doi and Nosawa Rongai) but would regain the belts on November 27. On January 7, 2016, Jackets would vacate the titles due to Yoshioka being sidelined following cecum surgery and being unable to attend a title defence set for January 10. On January 31, Jackets lost to Kaz Hayashi, Minoru Tanaka and Tajiri for the vacant title. On April 28 Nakanoue and Yoshioka unsuccessfully challenged Real Desperado (Kazma Sakamoto and Yuji Hino) for the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship.

On June 8, 2016 Nakanoue and Yuji Okabayashi defeated Sakamoto and Hino for the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship. On June 15 to June 26 Nakanoue participated at the 2016 Wrestle-1 Grand Prix where he made it to the second round, before losing to Yuji Hino. On June 28, 2016, Nakanoue announced he was leaving Wrestle-1 due to his contract with the company expiring.

On July 29, Nakanoue and Okabayashi lost the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship to Jun Kasai and Manabu Soya in their second defense. That turned out to be Nakanoue's last match in Wrestle-1.

### Freelancer (2016-2017)

As a freelancer, after three years Nakanoue would return to All Japan Pro Wrestling, when he and Kento Miyahara lost to Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani. He would sign with BJW in 2017.

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

In 2016 Nakanoue would regularly compete in Big Japan Pro Wrestling. In September Nakanoue would take part of the 2016 Saikyou Tag League at block B with Ryuichi Kawakami. The two would finish the tournament with only 2 points one win and two losses. On October 9 Nakanoue would unsuccessfully challenge Hideyoshi Kamitani for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship. On December 15 Nakanoue and Daisuke Sekimoto would unsuccessfully challenge Jaki Numazawa and Masashi Takeda for the WDW Tag Team Championship. On June 3, 2017 Nakanoue, Ryota Hama and Shogun Okamoto defeated Hideki Suzuki, Yoshihisa Uto and Takuya Nomura to win the Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

On July 1 Nakanoue alongside former Wrestle-1 wrestler Ryota Hama announced that they had signed with Big Japan Pro Wrestling. On December 17 Nakanoue, Hama and Okamoto lost the titles to Daisuke Sekimoto, Hideoyoshi Kamitani and Kohei Sato. On April 21, 2018, Nakanoue and Hama this time teaming with Yoshihisa Uto defeated Sekimoto, Kamitani and Sato to win the titles. They lost the titles to Ryuichi Kawakami, Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani on May 22, they would regain it on May 25. They lost the titles to Hashimoto, Kamitani and Daisuke Sekimoto on June 17, but regained it on June 20. They lost the titles to Masaya Takahashi, Takayuki Ueki and Toshiyuki Sakuda on July 24. On January 2, 2021, Nakanoue defeated Yuji Okabayashi to win BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship, winning his first singles championship in the process. On September 20, Nakanoue lost the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship to Takuya Nomura.

### Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2014)

On March 9, 2014 Nakanoue as Yasu appeared for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as part of TNA's working agreement with Wrestle-1, teaming with The Great Muta and Sanada to defeat Chris Sabin, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in a six-man tag team steel cage match at Lockdown.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Nack Away* (Running Elbow)
	+ Diving Elbow Drop - adopted from Satoshi Kojima
* **Signature moves**
	+ Backdrop
	+ Backslide - adopted from Osamu Nishimura
	+ Butterfly suplex
	+ Missile Dropkick
	+ Dragon Suplex
	+ Double arm suplex
	+ Lariat
	+ STF
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Purity" (AJPW; 2010-2013)
	+ "God Knows" by Satoru Kousaki (Wrestle-1; 2013-2016)
	+ "**Strength**" by Sho Asakura (BJW; 2016-Present)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Big Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ BJW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ryota Hama
	+ Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Championship (7 times, current) – with Ryota Hama and Shogun Okamoto (1) and Ryota Hama and Yoshihisa Uto (4) and Ryota Hama and Takeshi Irei (1) and Chicharito Shoki and Yuji Okabayashi (1)
	+ Saikyo Tag League (2018) – with Ryota Hama
* **Wrestle-1**
	+ UWA World Trios Championship (2 times) – with Jiro Kuroshio and Seiki Yoshioka
	+ Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yuji Okabayashi

## References

1. ↑ *ja:全日本プロレス「2013 チャンピオン・カーニバル」優勝決定戦* (in Japanese). *Sports Navi*. Yahoo! (2013-04-29). Retrieved on 2014-07-25.
2. ↑ Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2014-09-23). Retrieved on 2014-09-23.
3. ↑ いよいよ明日開幕！「First Tag League Greatest～初代タッグ王者決定リーグ戦～」出場各チーム名称決定!!  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2014-11-14). Retrieved on 2014-11-28.
4. ↑ *ja:Ｗ―１初代タッグ王座決定リーグ戦出場チーム決定* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2014-11-04). Retrieved on 2014-11-28.
5. ↑ 「First Tag League Greatest ～初代タッグ王者決定リーグ戦～」公式戦全日程終了！11月30日（日）東京・後楽園ホール（18時試合開始）大会での決勝トーナメント組み合わせ決定のお知らせ  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2014-11-28). Retrieved on 2014-12-22.
6. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Autumn Bout」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-11-03). Retrieved on 2015-11-03.
7. ↑ Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Autumn Bout  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-11-27). Retrieved on 2015-11-27.
8. ↑ 吉岡欠場によりJacketsがUWA世界6人タッグ返上！王座決定戦は1.31大阪に！―2016.1.7記者会見  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-01-07). Retrieved on 2016-01-07.
9. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Outbreak」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-06-08). Retrieved on 2016-06-08.
10. ↑ *ja:6･8　Wrestle-1後楽園ホール大会　【W-1王座】Kaivs芦野　【W-1タッグ】火野＆Kazumavs中之上＆岡林　【UWA6人タッグ】Tajiri＆カズ＆稔vs河野＆Yasshi＆村瀬　【クルーザーディビジョン】鼓太郎vsAkira* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2016-06-09). Retrieved on 2016-06-09.
11. ↑ *ja:Ｗ１、５選手が退団を発表* (in Japanese). *Daily Sports Online*. Kobe Shimbun (2016-06-28). Retrieved on 2016-06-28.
12. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Symbol」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-07-29). Retrieved on 2016-07-29.
13. ↑ *ja:征矢がＷ－１タッグ王座奪取* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-07-30). Retrieved on 2016-07-30.
14. ↑ *ja:★BJW認定横浜ショッピングストリート6人タッグ王座★* (in Japanese). *Big Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-06-03.
15. ↑ Howell, Nolan 2014-03-09. Lockdown: Magnus retains while power shifts in TNA . *Slam Sports*. Canoe.ca. Retrieved on 2015-12-30.
16. ↑ *ja:★BJW認定横浜ショッピングストリート6人タッグ王座★* (in Japanese). *Big Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-06-03.
17. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Outbreak」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-06-08). Retrieved on 2016-06-08.