Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada | |
---|---|
![]() Takada dressed as Generalissimo Takada in HUSTLE | |
Born | |
Ring name(s) | The Esperanza Generalissimo Takada Nobuhiko Takada |
Billed height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Trained by | Antonio Inoki Karl Gotch Kotetsu Yamamoto Yoshiaki Fujiwara |
Debut | May 9, 1981 |
Retired | July 26, 2009 |
Martial arts career | |
Nationality | Japanese |
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Weight | 95.25 kg (210 lb; 15 st 0 lb) |
Division | Heavyweight Openweight |
Style | Shootfighting |
Team | Takada Dojo |
Years active | 1997–2002 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 10 |
Wins | 2 |
By submission | 2 |
Losses | 6 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 4 |
By decision | 1 |
Draws | 2 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Nobuhiko Takada
Takada later turned to mixed martial arts (MMA) where, despite his controversial match fixing ventures and lack of competitive success, he was credited with the existence and development of global MMA promotion Pride Fighting Championships,[4][5] in which he worked as an executive after his retirement from active competition until its closure. He also founded and starred at the sports entertainment professional wrestling promotion Hustle from 2004 to 2008, and currently works as an executive for the Rizin Fighting Federation.
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981–1984)
After training in the
In August 1983, Takada accompanied Inoki to Canada for a special appearance in Stampede Wrestling. He replaced the retiring Satoru Sayama in the event, and had his first worldwide match, defeating Athol Foley.[6] The victory granted a rank increase for Takada, and he was made part of the 1984 WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship league, facing wrestlers like Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, and Davey Boy Smith. He stayed with NJPW until April 1984, before switching over to the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) by Fujiwara's invitation, and in June he was officially part of the new promotion.
Universal Wrestling Federation (1985–1986)
Takada's first matches in UWF were as a NJPW representative, but he soon joined full-time. He started with a successful singles run; he defeated foreign wrestlers and had fought Fujiwara and Akira Maeda. On 20 January 1985, he won against Super Tiger by referee stoppage. The tenure was short, as UWF folded shortly after, and Takada and other wrestlers returned to NJPW.
Return to NJPW (1986–1988)
Upon their return, the former UWF wrestlers created a storyline of invading the promotion, with Takada and Maeda as the twin leaders. As a singles wrestler, Takada was involved in a heated feud with the
In March 1987, Takada amplified the feud with Koshinaka to a tag team when he and Maeda defeated Koshinaka and
UWF Newborn (1989–1990)
Takada debuted in UWF Newborn in an exhibition match with rookie Shigeo Nakano, but he soon climbed the rankings to become the promotion's top wrestler second only to Maeda, who he defeated by TKO in their second match. The promotion's run was highly successful, and they broke records on the professional wrestling/shoot-fighting event U-COSMOS, where he defeated Greco-Roman wrestling champion Duane Koslowski, twin brother of Olympic medalist Dennis Koslowski. After the event, Takada was almost unbeaten in singles matches until the promotion's closure in December 1990.
Union of Wrestling Forces International (1991–1996)
After UWF Newborn shut down, Takada formed the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFI), using former UWF wrestlers, while Maeda formed Fighting Network Rings, and Fujiwara formed Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi. Takada opened his run as the top star of the company beating Tatsuo Nakano, Yamazaki, and American wrestler Bob Backlund, whom he fought in a pair of publicized matches. The first of them was controversial, as Takada ended the bout in 1:15 when Backlund fell to a body kick, and it almost caused a riot in the stadium; it is believed that it was an accidental KO instead of a pre-planned match. They held a rematch after two months, with Takada winning by submission after 15 minutes.[8]
Immediately after his affair with Backlund, Takada was put in a fight against boxing champion
Takada also had feuds with
As champion, Takada fought against Kōji Kitao, who came back after a long hiatus, at the October 23, 1992, UWFI event. However, it was known that Kitao was no stranger to controversy and so discussions over the outcome of the match were difficult, which led to a draw. During the match, Takada shot on Kitao, throwing a roundhouse kick which legitimately knocked him out.[8] Like the Berbick situation, it improved Takada's reputation with the audience, but also changed Kitao's professionalism to a better avail, as the two shook hands afterwards.
In 1995, Takada returned to NJPW as the key figure in the landmark New Japan vs. UWFI program. On October 9, 1995, Takada's match against Mutoh drew 67,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome, drawing the largest crowd and gate in Japanese wrestling history at the time. Three months later at Wrestling World, Takada defeated Mutoh in a rematch to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, becoming the only wrestler to hold all three major New Japan titles at the time, and also, the only one before Kota Ibushi to hold both IWGP Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight titles in his career. Takada dropped the title to Shinya Hashimoto at Battle Formation on April 29, 1996, drawing a crowd of 65,000 and a gate of $5.7 million.
On August 17, 1996, Takada defeated
Hustle (2004–2009)
In 2004, Takada was made the president of the Hustle promotion in Japan, created by a coproduction between
Takada returned to the ring in 2006 as The Esperanza, a supernatural wrestling
Mixed martial arts career
Takada entered MMA when he joined Pride Fighting Championships, an event created to host a fight between him and Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Rickson Gracie. The bout was highly anticipated since Gracie had defeated the UWFI wrestler Yoji Anjo in 1994, as Takada was still expected to face Rickson in order to restore his late promotion's reputation.[9][4] However, although he had been believed to be a strong legitimate contender for most of his career,[10] Takada was not a qualified fighter.[4][11] He had trained in submission wrestling and other disciplines in his various promotions,[4] but after a 17-year professional wrestling career, he was already too far from his physical prime to transition into MMA.[9][5]
According to his former training partners, future
Despite these considerations, Takada was able to hold a limited amount of in-ring competence. As described by Jack Slack from Fightland: "It would be easy to remember Nobuhiko Takada as some kind of bum. [...] But this might be doing a disservice to what Takada was able to accomplish in the ring despite inexperience, age and a lack of athletic prowess. For one thing, in legitimate fights Takada was able to scramble up from beneath Mark Kerr, take down Igor Vovchanchyn, and indeed take the latter's notoriously powerful punches."[5]
Pundits acknowledged his effort to continue an unsuccessful fighting career in order to support the MMA promotion he had helped to found, lending Pride his own popularity as a professional wrestler until it had established its place, even through
Pride (1997–2007)
Challenge against Gracie
Takada's debut against Gracie happened on October 11, 1997, at Pride 1. After circling around Gracie for some time, Takada stopped the first takedown attempt by grabbing the ring ropes, but after the restart, Gracie scored a
Takada faced kickboxer Kyle Sturgeon at
Gracie opened the fight shooting for a takedown, but Takada blocked it and held Gracie away from the ground with a tight
Matches against wrestlers
Takada fought his next match at Pride 5 against Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament winner Mark Coleman. This was the second instance of a worked fight in Takada's career given in an attempt to increase his fleeting popularity.[16] Despite outweighing Takada by 40 pounds,[5] Coleman was chosen as his opponent because his previous losses to low-ranked fighters would make the result more credible. He described the treat as "It was what it was. I needed to support my family. They guaranteed me another fight after that and I needed that security. It was what it was. I'm going to leave it at that."[16] It was being argued Takada did not know of this fixing and ignored Coleman's intentions to throw the fight.[5]
Despite these considerations, the match was noted to fail at working seamlessly. Takada opened it earning a yellow card when he grabbed the ropes to avoid being taken down, while Coleman had to abstain visibly from land strikes on the ground when he scored another takedown.
Takada was then pitted against
Started the match, Takada came out with punches, driving Kerr to clinch.
At PRIDE 7, Takada faced fellow professional wrestler
PRIDE Grand Prix and competition against strikers
Takada competed in the
The fight was negatively received by the crowd, who booed Takada. It drew comparisons to Ken Shamrock's "The Dance in Detroit" bout against Dan Severn in April 1995[23] and particularly to Shamrock's own bout against Royce Gracie at the same year.[5]
Takada's next MMA event participation was in Pride 11, where he fought against Vovchanchyn. Having trained especially for the match with his own trainee Kazushi Sakuraba and K-1 veteran Masaaki Satake,[24] Takada was acknowledged to have improved his performance.[25] Vovchanchyn overpowered Takada in the second round, when he caught him with a counterpunch and gained full mount after a restart. Vovchanchyn landed hard strikes, making Takada tap out.[25]
At
His next fight was again against a kickboxer, Mike Bernardo, as part of Inoki's team in the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event. The fight saw virtually no offense, as both fighters acted with excessive caution to the other's skills and never engaged in the entire fight.[27]
Retirement fight
Takada's final match was against his former student Kiyoshi Tamura. There was both story and controversy between them, as Tamura had challenged Takada several times without an answer, and then walked out of UWF International in 1995 to work for Fighting Network Rings.[6] Tamura was also reluctant to fight at the event, as he shared cards with Kenichi Yamamoto, another Takada understudy he had a personal enmity with.[28]
Tamura dropped Takada with a leg kick, but the match was paused when he landed an accidental heavy low blow. After recovering, Takada took Tamura down and worked a few strikes through his guard, but he escaped to his feet. In the second round, Tamura connected with a combination and knocked Takada out.[28]
The bout was followed by a reconciliation between Takada and Tamura, the latter of whom cried and stated: "Thank you for giving the people their dream and hope for twenty-two years."
After retiring, Takada ran his mixed martial arts training facility, Takada Dojo, where he helped train fighters. He also stayed on in a management role at Pride and its parent company Dream Stage Entertainment until it was purchased by Zuffa in 2007.
Rizin Fighting Federation (2015–present)
In 2015, Takada returned to mainstream MMA when he signed on as a spokesperson and matchmaker for the Rizin Fighting Federation, Takada works alongside Nobuyuki Sakakibara and other former Pride employees.
Works
- (1993) In the name of the Strongest (最強の名のもとに, Saikyō no na no moto ni) ISBN 4195551900
- (2005) 10.11 ISBN 4062130602
- (2012) Words to be ready: Those who are worried, come on! (覚悟の言葉 〜悩める奴らよでてこいや!〜, Kakugo no kotoba 〜 nayameru yatsura yo dete koi ya!〜) ISBN 9784062130608
Championships and accomplishments
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- 1 time)
- 1 time)
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Akira Maeda
- Nikkan Sports
- Match of The Year (1996) vs. Shinya Hashimoto on April 29[29]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Tokyo Sports
- Best Tag Team of the Year (1986) – with Shiro Koshinaka[33]
- Effort Award (1983)[33]
- Match of the Year (1996) – vs. Genichiro Tenryu on September 11[33]
- Wrestler of the Year (1992)[33]
- Union of Wrestling Forces International
- Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Wrestle Association R
- 1 time) – with Naoki Sano and Masahito Kakihara
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament (1996)– with Naoki Sano and Masahito Kakihara
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Technical Wrestler(1987)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
Mixed martial arts record
10 matches | 2 wins | 6 losses |
By knockout | 0 | 1 |
By submission | 2 | 4 |
By decision | 0 | 1 |
Draws | 2 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2–6–2 | Kiyoshi Tamura | KO (punch) | PRIDE 23
|
November 24, 2002 | 2 | 1:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Draw | 2–5–2 | Mike Bernardo | Draw | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 | December 31, 2001 | 3 | 3:00 | Saitama , Japan
|
|
Draw | 2–5–1 | Mirko Cro Cop | Draw | PRIDE 17
|
November 3, 2001 | 4 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Loss | 2–5 | Igor Vovchanchyn | Submission (punches) | PRIDE 11 | October 31, 2000 | 2 | 3:17 | Osaka, Japan | |
Loss | 2–4 | Royce Gracie | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round
|
January 30, 2000 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Loss | 2–3 | Mark Kerr | Submission (kimura) | PRIDE 6 | July 4, 1999 | 1 | 3:04 | Yokohama, Kanagawa , Japan
|
|
Win | 2–2 | Mark Coleman | Submission (heel hook) | PRIDE 5 | April 29, 1999 | 2 | 1:44 | Nagoya, Japan | |
Loss | 1–2 | Rickson Gracie | Submission (armbar) | PRIDE 4 | October 11, 1998 | 1 | 9:30 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Win | 1–1 | Kyle Sturgeon | Submission (heel hook) | PRIDE 3
|
June 24, 1998 | 1 | 2:18 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Loss | 0–1 | Rickson Gracie | Submission (armbar) | PRIDE 1
|
October 11, 1997 | 1 | 4:47 | Tokyo, Japan |
Filmography
- Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl!
|
Himself | Cameo |
2006 | Simpsons | Noriyuki Motoyima | |
2007 | Calling You | Mr. Yamaguchi | |
2007 - 2019 | Mokoubuchi movies 1-16 | An-san | |
2010 | Watashi no Yasashiku nai Senpai | Makoto Iriomote | |
Bokutachi no Play Ball | Himself | ||
2014 | The Great Shu Ra Ra Boom | Nami Natsume | |
2015 | Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3 | General Black | |
Mr. Maxman | Ryo Jindaiji | ||
2019 | Mentai Piriri | Kazuhisa Inao | |
2023 | We're Broke, My Lord! | [34] |
- Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Kōmyō ga Tsuji | Honda Tadakatsu | Taiga drama |
2007 | Fūrin Kazan | Kojima Gorozaemon | Taiga drama |
Hitomi | Masaru Morimoto | ||
Seven Days of a Daddy and a Daughter | Shin'ichi Sakuragi | ||
2009 | Otomen | Ryo's father | |
2012 | Mou Yuukai Nante Shinai | Quick service delivery man | |
2018 | Solitary Gourmet |
- Dubbing
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Sabotage | James "Monster" Murray | [35] |
Video games
- Saikyō: Takada NobuhikoSuper Famicom1995
References
- ^ "Nobuhiko Takada profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
- ^ "Profile at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
- ^ "高田道場オフィシャルサイト - 高田延彦/NOBUHIKO TAKADA - プロフィール". Takada-dojo.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ^ a b c d e f David Bixenspan (October 13, 2017). "The World's Greatest Fighter Was A Pro Wrestler Who Couldn't Fight". Deadspin. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jack Slack (July 3, 2017). "Nobuhiko Takada: MMA's Most Important Bad Fighter". Fightland. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Tatsuhito Kaneko, Nakimushi, Gentosha 2002
- ^ Nobuhiko Takada, Nobuhiko Takada no Katachi, Toho 2002
- ^ a b c d "UWF-I Roster at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ ISBN 978-15-502292-3-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b Keith Vargo, Way of the Warrior: Takada's Last Dance, Black Belt magazine, April 2003
- ^ a b Ben Fowlkes (October 11, 2017). "Today in MMA History: The birth of PRIDE FC". MMA Junkie. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-4800271235.
- ^ Jonathan Snowden (Jun 29, 2011). "52 Things I Love About MMA: Kazushi Sakuraba And Royce Gracie Make History". SB Nation. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Keith Vargo, Kazushi Sakuraba and the Takada Dojo, Black Belt magazine, June 2001
- ^ Rickson Gracie interview 2, Onthemat.com
- ^ a b c "Not For the Ages: Mark Coleman vs. Nobuhiko Takada and a brief history of fight fixing". BloodyElbow.com. 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
- ISBN 978-17-709022-1-3.
- ^ a b c Stephen Quadros, Kerr, Takada compete at PRIDE 6, Black Belt magazine
- ^ Scott Newman (2014-01-24). "MMA Review: #432: PRIDE 6". The Oratory. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
- ^ "Nobuhiko Takada MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog.com. 1962-04-12. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ^ "PRIDEFC Official Website". Pridefc.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ISBN 978-15-502269-1-1.
- ^ a b Jake Rossen, Royce Gracie triumphs in PRIDE, Black Belt magazine, May 2000
- ^ "Interview with Kazushi Sakuraba". Global Training Report. November 25, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Scott Newman (February 26, 2007). "Pride 11: Battle Of The Rising Sun review". The Sports Oratory. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c Keith Vargo, Sperry, Silva, Nogueira and Gracie win at Pride 17, Black Belt magazine, March 2002
- ^ D, G. "The 10 Worst Matches in MMA History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ^ a b c d Ichiban Puroresu - November 2002
- ^ "Nikkan Sports Awards - 1996". wrestlingscout. February 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Nobuhiko Takada « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Cagematch.net. 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ^ [1] Archived May 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [2] Archived January 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d [3] Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "大名倒産". eiga.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "サボタージュ". Fukikaeru. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Saikyou: Takada Nobuhiko Release Information for Super Nintendo". GameFAQs. 1995-12-27. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Professional MMA record for Nobuhiko Takada from Sherdog
- PRIDE profile Archived 2007-04-19 at the Wayback Machine