10 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.