Sho

Sho in May 2022

###

Uwajima, Ehime, Japan

**Sho Tanaka** (田中 翔, *Tanaka Shō*) (born August 27, 1989) is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he currently performs under the ring name **Sho**.

In January 2016, Tanaka and fellow young lion Yohei Komatsu were sent to the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, where he was known under the ring name **Raijin** (雷神 *Raijin*), named after the Japanese God of thunder, and was part of *La Ola Amarilla* ("the Yellow Wave") alongside Okumura and Kamaitachi to further his wrestling training and gain international experience, a tradition with NJPW "Young Lions" and then to the United States, where they worked most notably for Ring of Honor (ROH) as **The Tempura Boyz**.

Sho and Yoh returned to NJPW in October 2017 as Roppongi 3K, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in their return match. Sho and Yoh became one of the most of successfull teams in NJPW's junior heavyweight division, holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on five different occasions, while also winning the Super Jr. Tag League/Tournament on three consecutive years in (2017, 2018, 2019), before Sho turned on Yoh in August 2021 and joined the Bullet Club, culminating in the formation of the House of Torture, winning the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship in two occasions and becoming the Provisional 2023 KOPW Champion.

## Early life

Sho Tanaka was born on August 27, 1989, in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. While in high school he became involved with Greco-Roman wrestling, something he continued to practice as he attended Tokuyama University. At Tokuyama he was the vice-captain of the wrestling team, competing in the 7th All-Japan University Championship for Greco-Roman wrestling, where he came in third over all.

## Professional wrestling career

Inspired by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tanaka attended the NJPW Dojo in February, 2012 training for his professional wrestling career.

### New Japan Pro Wrestling (2012–2016)

On November 11, 2012, Tanaka made his pro wrestling debut in the opening match of the NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament 1st round show where he lost to Takaaki Watanabe. Tanaka competed as one of NJPW's "Young Lions" a class of rookie wrestlers who work mostly against each other early on, wearing all black gear and with no particular ring character, all part of the structured learning process in NJPW. Throughout 2013 and 2014 Tanaka often faced off against fellow Young Lion Yohei Komatsu, with both men trading victories in both singles and tag team competition. By 2015 Tanaka and Komatsu had begun teaming together on a regular basis, including working together in the New Japan Rumble as part of Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 5, 2015. The two teamed up to eliminate Tiger Mask and Taichi but were both eliminated by Tama Tonga Tanaka was called upon to replace an injured Rey Cometa on an NJPW/Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre co-promoted Fantastica Mania 2015 show on January 14. Tanaka and Stigma lost to *La Peste Negra* ("The Black Plague"; Bárbaro Cavernario and Mr. Niebla) On February 11, 2015 Tanaka defeated rival and occasional tag team partner Yohei Komatsu in the opening match of NJPW's 2015 The New Beginning in Osaka show. In June and July 2015 Tanaka represented NJPW in Pro Wrestling Noah's Global Junior Heavyweight League. During the tournament he earned two points by defeating Hitoshi Kumano but lost to Daisuke Harada, Zack Sabre Jr. El Desperado, Kenoh, and Yoshinari Ogawa to be eliminated from the tournament. At the 2015 Destruction in Kobe show, Tanaka and Komatsu defeated fellow Young Lions David Finlay and Jay White.

In early 2016 it was announced that Tanaka and Komatsu would compete in the 2016 Fantastica Mania series of shows, competing in what NJPW called the "Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka send-off game", announcing that the two would travel to Mexico and work for CMLL as part of their continued in-ring skill development. The team worked the opening match for each of the six Fantastica Mania events, losing each time.

### Overseas learning excursion (2016–2017)

Tanaka and Komatsu became be the latest in a long line of young Japanese wrestlers to travel to Mexico to learn the *lucha libre* style. In Mexico, Tanaka was given the ring name Raijin, named after the Japanese God of Thunder, teaming with Komatsu who would be known as Fujin, named after the Japanese God of Wind. The duo made their Mexican debut on January 31, teaming up with Okumura, forming the most recent version of *La Ola Amarilla* ("The Yellow Wave"). The group was joined by Kamaitachi, the previous NJPW trainee who has worked for CMLL since 2014.

In October 2016, Tanaka and Komatsu, now billed as "Sho" and "Yohey", The Tempura Boyz, began working regularly for American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), with whom NJPW also had a working relationship.

### Return to NJPW (2017–present)

On October 9, 2017, at King of Pro-Wrestling, Sho and Yoh returned to NJPW as Roppongi 3K, defeating Funky Future (Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Through their affiliation with Romero, Sho and Yoh also became part of the CHAOS stable. On November 5 at Power Struggle, Roppongi 3K defeated Super 69 (ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the finals to win the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. On January 4, 2018, Roppongi 3K lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome. but won it back on January 28 at the New Beginning in Sapporo. They lost the titles to Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado on March 6. In May, Sho entered the 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. From October 16 until November 1, Sho and Yoh 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, Sho and Yoh defeated Desperado and Kanemaru, and BUSHI and Shingo Takagi in a three-way match to win the Super Jr. Tag League. Sho and Yoh were booked for another three-way match against Desperado and Kanemaru, and BUSHI and Takagi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4, 2019, at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome, which was won by BUSHI and Takagi. They would win back the titles from BUSHI and Takagi on March 6, 2019. On June 16, Sho and Yoh lost the titles to Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo). On August 22, Sho entered in the 2019 Super J-Cup, defeating Ishimori in his first-round match. He was eliminated from the tournament on August 24 in the second round by his CHAOS stablemate Will Ospreay. From October 16 until November 1, Sho and Yoh 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, Sho and Yoh defeated El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the Super Jr. Tag League, for the record-setting third time.

On January 5, 2020, on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome, Sho and Yoh defeated Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the fourth time. In June, Sho took part in the 2020 New Japan Cup, being eliminated from the tournament by SANADAin the second round. During the tournament, Sho defeated NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi, leading him to challenge Takagi to a title match. On August 27, Sho and Yoh were forced to vacate the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, after Yoh was sidelined with a knee injury. Meanwhile, during Yoh's injury, Sho began transitioning to a singles competitor. From November 15 until December 6, Sho took part in the 2020 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of seven wins and two losses, failling advance to the finals of the tournament, due to losing to El Desperado and Taiji Ishimori in his head-to-head match.

Following Yoh's return on April 4, 2021, at Sakura Genisis, Sho and Yoh defeated El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the fifth time. They lost the titles to El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori on June 23 at Kizuna Road. In August, Sho and Yoh took part in the 2021 Super Jr. Tag League, entering a losing streak, which culminated on August 16, Sho turning on Yoh, to effectively disband Roppongi 3K. Their rivalry culminated into a match on September 4 at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, where Sho defeated his former teammate. Afterwards, Sho was accepted into Bullet Club by Dick Togo, EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi. In the aftermath of Sho's addition, he, Dick Togo, EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi formed their own subgroup within the stable, called "House of Torture". On November 6 at Power Stuggle, Sho, EVIL and Takahashi defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, Sho, EVIL and Takahashi attacked Goto, Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi, before Yoh, who made his return to the promotion since losing to Sho, made the save. From November 13 until December 11, Sho took part in the 2021 Best of the Super Juniors, where he won six out of his ten round robin stage matches, including one over reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado, and was leading his block heading to the final day, but a loss against his former partner Sho forced him to miss the finals of the tournament by two points. On December 15, Sho interfered in the finals of the 2021 Best of the Super Juniors, between his former partner Yoh and Hiromu Takahashi attacking both finalists, before declaring the match a no-contest, only for the referee to ignore his declaration and continue the match, with both CHAOS and *Los Ingobernables de Japón* making the save. After Takahashi won the final, he declare that it was Yoh’s responsibility to stand up against Sho. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, Sho attacked Yoh, setting up their match for the event. On January 4, 2022, on the first night of Wrestle Kingdom 16, Sho was defeated by Yoh, ending their feud.

In March, Sho took part in the 2022 New Japan Cup, losing in the first round to Hiromu Takahashi. Following the tournament, Sho began a heated rivalry with reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado, usually attacking him after his matches, while also posing with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship belt, and aluding to a potential challenge. On March 27, Sho attacked the Suzuki-gun members in the backstage area, which also included Desperado. Afterwards, Sho dragged Desperado to the ring, laying him out with the *Shock Arrow*, before tearring his mask and demanding a title shot. On April 9 at Hyper Battle, Sho unsucessfully challenged El Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. In May, Sho took part in the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of five wins and four losses, failling to advance to the finals of the tournament. On July 5, Sho, EVIL and Takahashi lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Yoh, before regaining them on September 23, after defeating Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Yoh in a Tornado Dog Cage Survival match. From November 21 until December 11, Sho and Dick Togo took part in the 2022 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record two wins and seven losses, failing to win the tournament.

On January 5, 2023, at *New Year Dash!*, House of Torture attacked Ren Narita, before Minoru Suzuki and his former Suzuki-gun stablemate El Desperado, to assist him, quickly taking care of House of Torture. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, the three formed a team, leading to a title match for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship at The New Beginning in Osaka on February 11, where Sho, EVIL, and Takahashi lost the titles to Narita, Desperado and Suzuki. They continued feuding with them over the following months, culminating in a No Count Out match on April 3, where Sho, EVIL, and Takahashi failed to regain the titles. The following month, Sho took part in the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failling to advance to the semifinals. In August, House of Torture embarked on a feud with Just 5 Guys. After a match between the two sides, on August 13, after Sho scored a direct pinfall victory over provisional KOPW Champion Taichi in a eight-man tag team match, Sho proceded to attack him with the title belt, before declaring that he would take it from its rightful holder, setting up a title match at Destruction in Kobe. At the event, he defeated Taichi in a seconds handcuffed match, with help from Yoshinobu Kanemaru to become the new provisional KOPW Champion. From October 21 to November 2, Sho and Kanemaru 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, Sho and Kanemaru were defeated in the finals of the tournament by Francesco Akira and TJP. After Sho and Kanemaru lost the finals of the Super Jr. Tag League, Sho blamed Taichi for the loss, claiming that Taichi "infused the belt with a weird energy", leading to a rematch on November 17, where Sho lost the KOPW Championship back to Taichi, where Kanemaru was the Special Guest referee.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Shock Arrow* (Cross-armed package piledriver)
	+ *Snake Bite* (Modified gogoplata) – 2021–present
* **Signature moves**
	+ Atomic drop
	+ Belly to back suplex dropped into a double knee backbreaker
	+ Cross armbar
	+ Cross-armed piledriver
	+ Dropkick
	+ Elbow drop
	+ German suplex
	+ Hurricanrana
	+ Lariat
	+ *Powerbreaker* (Powerbomb dropped into a double knee backbreaker)
	+ Single leg Boston crab
	+ Spear
	+ Superkick
* **Nicknames**
	+ "High Voltage"
	+ **"Murder Machine"**
	+ **"Uwajima no Haji"** (Japanese for "The Embarrassment of Uwajima)
* **Managers**
	+ Rocky Romero
	+ **Dick Togo**
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "The First Star" by Yonosuke Kitamura
	+ "100% Voltage" by Hige Driver
	+ **"120% Voltage"** by Hige Driver

## Championships and accomplishments

* **New Japan Pro-Wrestling**
	+ NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Yoh
	+ Provisional KOPW 2023 Championship (1 time, current)
	+ Super Jr. Tag Tournament (2017) – with Yoh
	+ Super Jr. Tag League (2018, 2019, 2020) – with Yoh

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Database > 田中 翔  (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
2. ↑ 10/15/16 Glory By Honor - Dearborn, MI . *Ring of Honor*. Retrieved on 2016-12-02.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Komatsu y Tanaka". *Box y Lucha magazine*Spanish (3218). January 24, 2016.
4. ↑ NEVER  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2014-09-10.
5. ↑ 新生NEVERで新設された無差別級王座を争うトーナメント！田中や田口らが順当に勝ち上がる中、内藤が注目した選手は...  (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2012-11-15). Retrieved on 2014-09-10.
6. ↑ Yohei Komatsu matches against Sho Tanaka . Cagematch.net. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
7. ↑ Complete New Japan WrestleKingdom PPV coverage (page 2) . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2015-07-05.
8. ↑ NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2015  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2015-01-14.
9. ↑ Zellner, Kris 2015-01-16. The Lucha Report . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2015-01-16.
10. ↑ 新日本プロレス「The New Beginning in Osaka」  (in Japanese). *Sports Navi*. Yahoo! (2015-02-11). Retrieved on 2015-02-11.
11. ↑ Macklin, Matthew 2015-09-27. New Japan Destruction in Kobe results . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2015-09-27.
12. ↑ 小松洋平、田中翔の“無期限海外遠征”が決定！ 『FANTASTICA MANIA』全6大会で“壮行試合”が実現！  (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2016-01-07). Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
13. ↑ Arrancó Fantasticamanía 2016  (in Spanish). *MedioTiempo* (2016-01-17). Retrieved on 2016-01-17.
14. ↑ Zellner, Kris 2016-01-20. The Lucha Report . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-01-29.
15. ↑ NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-01-20.
16. ↑ Zellner, Kris 2016-01-25. Mario Meija Jimenez aka the original Espectrito & WWF's Mini Vader passes away: The Lucha Report . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-01-29.
17. ↑ NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-01-23.
18. ↑ NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-01-24.
19. ↑ CMLL vs NJPW, en puerta  (in Spanish). *Esto Enlinea*. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
20. ↑ Negro Casas contra Volador; la rivalidad continúa  (in Spanish). *Esto Enlinea*. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
21. ↑ Carrera, Pep. La Ola Amarilla busca conquistar la Arena México  (in Spanish). Plantilla Deportivo. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
22. ↑ Card finalized for Dearborn on October 15 . *Ring of Honor*. Retrieved on 2017-01-24.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Rose, Bryan 2017-10-08. NJPW King of Pro Wrestling live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-10-09.
24. ↑ King of Pro-Wrestling  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro-Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-10-09.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Currier, Joseph 2017-11-05. NJPW Power Struggle live results: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-11-05.
26. ↑ Renner, Ethan 2018-01-03. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 live results: Okada-Naito, Omega-Jericho . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2018-01-04.
27. ↑ Tanaka, Sho 2016-06-05. Shock Arrow . Twitter. Retrieved on 2017-10-04.
28. ↑ Prowrestle theme music list . *RMLabel*. Retrieved on 2016-07-12.