Hayato Fujita (藤田 勇人 Fujita Hayato, born September 20, 1986)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Fujita "Jr." Hayato (フジタ"Jr"ハヤト). Despite his small stature and physique for a professional wrestler, he is known for his toughness and hard shoot-style strikes.
Professional wrestling career
Hayato started training amateur wrestling at 8 under influence of his father, who had overcome a cerebral palsy to become a successful wrestler himself. Fujita specialized in Greco Roman wrestling and competed at national level, and it was in one of his wrestling tournaments in Tokyo that he was introduced to Michinoku Pro Wrestling president Jinsei Shinzaki, who invited him to MPW to compete in professional wrestling. Prior to his debut, he also trained in mixed martial arts under Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, and as a tribute to his trainer he would his guillotine choke finishing hold the "K.I.D."
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (2004-present)
Fujita made his pro debut in December 3, 2004 in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall, losing to fellow young wrestler Katsuhiko Nakajima. He spent 2005 training until September, when he was sent to Mexico to train at the Último Dragón Gym. The night of his farewell, at September 3, he was confronted in the ring by the heel stable Los Salseros Japoneses (Takeshi Minamino, Pineapple Hanai, Mango Fukuda) and Kesen Numajiro. The quartet proceeded to verbally attack Hayato, but Shanao, Kagetora and Gaina came to his aid and a tag team match had place, with Hayato's team winning when Shanao pinned Minamino. Leaving in a high note, Hayato reached Mexico and competed in Toryumon's Young Dragons Cup, beating Guillermo Akiba, but being eliminated by Kazuchika Okada.
In midst 2006, Hayato returned to Japan and started ascending the scale, standing out for his hard shoot-style wrestling style, which differed from the acrobatic, complex lucharesu predominantly practised in Michinoku Pro. He gave a good performance at the Tetsujin Tournament, defeating the likes of Banana Senga, Ken45º and Osaka Pro Wrestling representative Tigers Mask before being pinned by Rasse at the finals. He also was sent to Osaka Pro to compete in the Tennozan Tournament, getting eliminated by Tigers Mask. Fujita initially competed as a face, opposing the heel faction STONED led by Kagetora, but after the disbandment of STONED, he eventually turned heel and created the Kowloon stable with its remants, among them Kei and Shu Sato and Maguro Ooma. Through 2008, Hayato wrestled against the top faces, namely Yoshitsune, Rasse and Kagetora, and went to defeat the first of them in December 2008 to win the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship. He retained the title before Rasse and MPW founder The Great Sasuke, until that he lost it in September 2009 against the debuting Kenou. Fujita and Kenou got into a heated feud, helped by Kenou's stiff wrestling style being highly similar to Hayato's own. Kenou frustrated Fujita's attempts to win the Michinoku Tag League 2009 and regain the championship, while Hayato focused in commanding Kowloon until he got injured starting 2010.
After Hayato returned, however, Último Dragón joined Kowloon and took over as a leader, while the rest of members revealed they had actually been serving Dragón behind the scenes and not Fujita, who was demoted. Fujita appeared to turn face, but he stayed with Kowloon and made the better of his situation, bringing Kagetora from Dragon Gate as a new member and allying closely with Taro Nohashi. Eventually, Último Dragón sparsed his apparitions in MPW and allowed Hayato to take his functions as leader, but the venture was short, as he was betrayed again, this time by Nohashi himself. Claiming Hayato to be too weak for his place as leader, Nohashi shockingly brought Kenou as his real ally and ordered the rest of Kowloon integrants to beat Hayato down, which they did. However, Maguro Ooma and Takeshi Minamino kept loyal to Hayato and tried to save him, only to be floored as well. While Nohashi and Kenou declared formed the heel faction Asura, Hayato and his followers created the tweener trio Bad Boy, also known as Hayato Army, which also was joined by Ken45º. Fujita started his revenge with a great victory, beating Kenou to recapture the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight title, successfully defending it before Great Sasuke, Hayato's old rival Katsuhiko Nakajima, and his new enemy Ikuto Hidaka, coming from Pro Wrestling Zero1. After another great defense before Koji Kanemoto, Hayato lost the championship against to Kenou, who vacated it in order to leave Michinoku Pro for Pro Wrestling Noah. Hayato took part in a tournament to decide the new championship, but it was won by one of Asura's former enforcers, Brahman Shu, now working for Great Sasuke as part of his cult stable Mu no Taiyo.
In wrestling
Hayato wrestling against Kazuhiro Tamura in December 2010.
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
- Cross armbreaker[3]
- Implant DDT
- K.I.D. Clutch (Guillotine choke rolled into a bodyscissors cradle)[4]
- Kimura
- Multiple suplex variations
- German
- Gutwrench
- High-angle belly to back
- Leg hook belly to back
- Repeated stiff shoot kicks to the opponent's chest
- Running knee strike to the face of an opponent seated in the corner
- Sole kick
- Spear
- STF[5]
- Nicknames
- "GOD BLESS"
- Entrance themes
- "I Believe" by T.O.K.
Championships and accomplishments
- Dragon Gate
- Mochizuki Buyuden Tag Tournament (2008) – with Munenori Sawa[6]
- Futen
- One Night Tag Tournament (2008) – with Takeshi Ono[7]
- Michinoku Pro Wrestling
- Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[8]
- Tetsujin Tournament (2009)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #104 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2013[9]
- Pro Wrestling Zero1
- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ikuto Hidaka
- Furinkazan (2011) – with Masato Tanaka
Filmography
Movies
| Year | English Title | Japanese Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Gachi Boy[10] | ガチ☆ボーイ | Silver Jiro Ando / Shirakanzu No. 2 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Profile at Puroresu Central . Puroresu Central. Retrieved on 2013-11-27.
- ↑ Michinoku Pro Wrestling: "Hokkaido Tour 2009" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved on 2015-11-23.
- ↑ Michinoku Pro Wrestling Results: 20009 (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved on 2015-11-23.
- ↑ Pro Wrestling ZERO1 - "Midsummer Festival - Fire Festival 2011" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved on 2015-11-23.
- ↑ Pro Wrestling ZERO1 Results: 2012 (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved on 2015-11-23.
- ↑ Match results. Purolove.Com. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
- ↑ Futen Results: 2008. Purolove.Com. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
- ↑ Tohoku Jr. Heavyweight Title. Purolove.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
- ↑ Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2013 . The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved on 2013-08-22.
- ↑ DVD release – Gachi Boy: Wrestling With a Memory [Gachinko Edition] (Pony Canyon) available on September 17, 2008. Nippon Cinema. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.