Wataru Inoue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wataru Inoue |
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Inoue in 2007
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| Born | July 27, 1973 Tokyo, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Wataru Inoue El Puma Inoue |
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Billed weight | 94 kg (207 lb) |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan |
| Trained by | Animal Hamaguchi NJPW Dojo |
| Debut | October 10, 1999 |
| Retired | February 2, 2014 |
Wataru Inoue (born July 27, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has now retired. He used to wrestle for a big company called New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Contents
Wataru Inoue: A Wrestling Star
Starting His Career
Wataru Inoue began his wrestling journey with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1999. In 2005, he joined a group called New Japan Junior Seikigun. This group was made up of "good guys" (called a stable or team) who worked against another group called Control Terrorism Unit.
Inoue became known for being very tough. He showed his strength in many matches. For example, he once kept fighting even after a very strong move from another wrestler. In another match, he bled from his eyebrow but still won by making his opponent give up.
Tag Team Success
Besides wrestling by himself, Inoue was also very good at tag team matches. In 2005, he teamed up with Koji Kanemoto. Together, they won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles. This was a big achievement for them as a team.
Time in Mexico and Return
In February 2007, Inoue got injured. He returned to wrestling in July of the same year. He and Koji Kanemoto had a match for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Title but lost. Inoue felt disappointed with his performance.
After this, he went to Mexico for a "learning trip." This is when wrestlers go to another country to learn new styles and improve. In Mexico, Inoue got stronger and learned new wrestling moves. He learned a more technical style, similar to a wrestler he admired, Dean Malenko.
In November 2007, Inoue returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was ready to challenge Ryusuke Taguchi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. He had also improved his special finishing moves.
Becoming a Champion
On December 8, 2007, Wataru Inoue defeated Ryusuke Taguchi. This win made him the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for the first time! He successfully defended his title against Taguchi again on January 27, 2008.
Inoue then moved up to the "heavyweight" division, which is for bigger wrestlers. Because of this, he gave up his Junior Heavyweight title on June 16, 2008. The day before, he had also won the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, which is a major competition for junior heavyweight wrestlers.
Heavyweight Challenges and New Teams
After moving to the heavyweight division, Inoue faced new challenges. In late 2009, he joined a new team called Seigigun ("Blue Justice Army"). This team included other famous wrestlers like Yuji Nagata.
On May 3, 2010, Inoue and Yuji Nagata won the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They defeated two other teams in a special three-way match. However, they lost the titles on June 19 to another team called Bad Intentions.
Later in 2010, Inoue and Nagata entered the 2010 G1 Tag League. They performed very well, winning their block. In the semifinals, they defeated the current IWGP Tag Team Champions. Then, in the finals, they won the entire tournament! This victory earned them another chance at the IWGP Tag Team Championship, but they were defeated by Bad Intentions again on December 11, 2010.
Retirement
On March 4, 2013, Wataru Inoue suffered a neck injury. Because of this injury, he announced his retirement from professional wrestling on February 2, 2014. Even though he stopped wrestling, he continued to work for New Japan Pro-Wrestling behind the scenes. On April 2, 2014, New Japan held a special event to celebrate Inoue's career and mark his official retirement.
Championships and Achievements
Wataru Inoue achieved many great things in his wrestling career:
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Koji Kanemoto
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yuji Nagata
- Best of the Super Juniors (2008)
- G1 Tag League (2010) – with Yuji Nagata
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 118 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Wataru Inoue para niños
