Yuji Nagata

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Yuji Nagata : biography

April 24, 1968 –

On January 4, 2012, at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Nagata teamed with Wataru Inoue in a tag team match, where they were defeated by the All Japan Pro Wrestling team of Masakatsu Funaki and Masayuki Kono. During the match, Nagata broke Funaki’s orbital bone, sidelining him from in-ring action for an estimated six months. Afterwards, Nagata began making more regular appearances for All Japan, feuding with Funaki’s protégé, Kono, in anticipation of Funaki’s return in the summer. In April and May, Nagata took part in All Japan’s 2012 Champion Carnival, suffering his only round-robin loss against Kono. On May 7, Nagata was defeated in the semifinals of the tournament by Taiyō Kea, who went on to win the entire tournament. On July 29, Nagata was defeated by Masakatsu Funaki in a grudge match. On September 9, Nagata celebrated his 20th anniversary in professional wrestling with an event, which saw him, Jun Akiyama and Masaaki Mochizuki defeat Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura and Yujiro Takahashi in the main event, with Nagata pinning Takahashi for the win. In November, Nagata took part in Pro Wrestling Noah’s 2012 Global League Tournament, where he won four out of his six matches, with a loss to GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Morishima on the final day, costing him a spot in the finals. From November 20 to December 1, Nagata and Masaaki Mochizuki took part in the round-robin portion of the 2012 World Tag League, finishing with a record of four wins and two losses, narrowly missing advancing to the semifinals of the tournament. On January 4, 2013, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki in another chapter of their long rivalry.

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Loss |align=center|0-2 | Fedor Emelianenko |TKO (strikes) |Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:02 |Kobe, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center|0-1 | Mirko Filipović |TKO (strikes) |Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:21 |Saitama, Japan |

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Bridging belly to back suplex
    • Drive Screw (Swinging vertical suplex)
    • Nagata Lock (Reverse figure four leglock)
    • Nagata Lock II (Crossface)
    • Nagata Lock III (Crossface / Scissored armbar combination)
    • Nagata Lock IV (Chickenwing over the shoulder crossface)
    • Thunder Death Driver (Twisting brainbuster)
  • Signature moves
    • Crucifix armbar
    • Enzuigiri
    • Guillotine choke
    • Lifting DDT
    • Multiple suplex variations
      • Belly to back
      • Exploder
      • Northern Lights
      • Overhead belly to belly
    • Roundhouse kick
    • Seated armbar
    • Shining wizard
    • Sleeper hold
    • Spinning wheel kick
    • Running arched big boot
  • Managers
    • Sonny Onoo
  • Nicknames
    • "Blue Justice"
  • Entrance themes
    • "Blade Runner End Titles" by Vangelis (NJPW; 1992–1993)
    • "Warp" (NJPW; 1993–1997)
    • "Gun Me Down" (WCW; 1997–1998)
    • "Insane" by Centaur (NJPW; 1998-?)
    • "Mission Blow" (various mixes) (NJPW; 1998–present)

Amateur wrestling career

Before turning professional, Nagata was a successful amateur wrestler. Competing in the Greco-Roman style, Nagata represented Japan in the Asian Championships twice, placing fifth in 1993 and placing fourth in 1994, in one World Cup at the Espoir level in 1988, and in the 1991 World Championships, placing twenty-first.

Championships and accomplishments

  • All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kendo Kashin
  • Champion Carnival (2011)
  • New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Manabu Nakanishi (1) and Wataru Inoue (1)
  • G1 Climax (2001)
  • G1 Climax Tag League (2000, 2010) – with Takashi Iizuka (2000) and Wataru Inoue (2010)
  • New Japan Cup (2007, 2011)
  • Naeba Cup Tag Team Tournament (2001) – with Jushin Ligerhttp://www.purolove.com/njpw/profiles/yujinagata.php
  • SAMURAI! TV Openweight Tag Team Tournament (2005) – with Hirooki Goto
  • MVP Award (2002)
  • Outstanding Performance Award (2001)
  • Singles Best Bout (2001) vs. Keiji Mutoh on August 12
  • Singles Best Bout (2002) vs. Masahiro Chono on October 26
  • Tag Team Best Bout (2000) with Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima on October 9
  • Tag Team Best Bout (2001) with Jun Akiyama vs. Hiroshi Hase and Keiji Mutoh on October 8
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him #8 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002
  • Pro Wrestling Noah
  • GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX
    • ZERO1-MAX World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
    • Fighting Spirit Award (2011)