10 Things You Need To Know About Minoru Suzuki
I have to be a lonely warrior tonight!
There's nobody in the world of professional wrestling quite like Minoru Suzuki. The 48-year-old is a throwback to the days of catch wrestling and legitimate submission holds, but at the same time, his toughness and athleticism allows him to mix it up with the best of the best today, including men 20 years his junior.
Currently working primarily for Pro Wrestling NOAH, Suzuki has just made a new career move - he (and Suzukigun underling El Desperado) will be coming to WhatCulture Pro Wrestling in October.
Suzuki is booked for October 6's Refuse to Lose show in Newcastle, as well as October 8's special in Manchester.
For those who know Minoru Suzuki, his name alone conjures up a varied, almost contradictory, set of descriptions - he's a monster and a warrior, a brute and an artist. For those who don't know about him, though, his long career is full of interesting facts and impressive achievements. He's seen and done a lot both inside and outside of the world of pro wrestling, and he's far from finished.
Before Suzuki comes to WCPW, catch up on his amazing life - or learn about it for the first time.
Here are ten things you need to know about Minoru Suzuki...
10. He Trained At The New Japan Dojo
While training at the New Japan Dojo is difficult and demanding, it's not exactly unusual - most of New Japan's stars, from Yoshiaki Fujiwara to Hiroshi Tanahashi, have been trained at and graduated from the Dojo. The reason why its special in Minoru Suzuki's case is that his original New Japan tenure was so brief, his history in the Dojo is often overlooked.
Suzuki was an accomplished freestyle wrestler before training at the New Japan Dojo, and when he graduated in 1988, he began working for New Japan, taking on the likes of future Suzukigun associate Takayuki Iizuka, future IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kensuke Sasaki, and future Junior Heavyweight Champions Akira Nogami and Naoki Sano. Less than a year after his debut, though, he had left Japan's top promotion.
Despite his quick departure from NJPW, Suzuki is a graduate of what is arguably the world's most difficult, prestigious, and ultimately, successful pro wrestling training school.