Hiromu Takahashi
Japanese professional wrestler (born 1989)
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Hiromu Takahashi (高橋 広夢, Takahashi Hiromu; ring name: 高橋 ヒロム) (born December 4, 1989) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his sixteen-year tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Kamaitachi
Takahashi in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 4, 1989[1] Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Hiromu Takahashi Kamaitachi |
| Billed height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 88 kg (194 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | NJPW Dojo Tetsuya Naito Jado[2] Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
| Debut | August 24, 2010[1] |
Takahashi made his debut for NJPW on August 28, 2010, and worked as a "Young Lion" for three years. In January 2014, Takahashi, renamed Kamaitachi (カマイタチ, Kamaitachi), was sent to the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion to further his wrestling training and gain international experience, a tradition with NJPW "Young Lions". In January 2016, he won his first professional wrestling championship, the CMLL World Lightweight Championship. After leaving CMLL, he worked for the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) until the fall of 2016, with Takahashi returning to NJPW in November, once again working under his real name. Upon his return, Takahashi became a five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Yota Tsuji and Bushi, and a record four-time Best of the Super Juniors tournament winner (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022). He also wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Early life
Takahashi was born on December 4, 1989, in Hachiōji, a city in Tokyo.[3] At the age of 12, he became a fan of professional wrestling, especially Masahiro Chono, who inspired Takahashi to work hard in school to become a member of the track and field team.[4]
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2010–2026)
Young Lion and foreign excursion (2010–2016)
Takahashi attended New Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) annual open tryout test in May 2009, which he passed, being accepted into the NJPW Dojo.[4] Takahashi was the last of the three Dojo class of 2010, which included Kyosuke Mikami and King Fale, to debut for NJPW at the NEVER.1 show on August 24, where he lost to Mikami in a short opening match.[5] Takahashi followed the traditions of NJPW's "Young Lions" (their term for rookies), wrestling in all black trunks and boots, usually losing the majority of their matches as part of their ongoing training regimen. He would lose every match he competed in until February 6, 2011, when he teamed up with Tomoaki Honma to defeat Fale and Mikami.[6] Three weeks later, exactly six months after his debut, Takahashi won his first ever singles match, defeating Kazuki Hirata of the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion at NEVER.5.[7] A few months later, Takahashi was given an opportunity to compete for a spot in NJPW's annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament, participating in the 2011 "Road to the Super Juniors" tournament, but was defeated in the first round by fellow DDT representative Keisuke Ishii.[8] On October 10, Takahashi and Mikami defeated Fale and Takaaki Watanabe in the dark match of the Destruction '11 pay-per-view.[9]
In May 2012, Takahashi replaced Black Tiger for the 2012 Best of Super Juniors.[10] During the tournament, Takahashi lost to Alex Koslov, Daisuke Sasaki, Brian Kendrick, Jado, Low Ki, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask, only defeating Taka Michinoku.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] He would later team up with fellow "Young Lions" Mikami and Watanabe to compete in the "J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament", losing to Madoka, Shinobu and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in their first round match.[19] On January 4, 2013, Takahashi competed in his first ever January 4 Dome Show, when he wrestled in a dark match at Wrestle Kingdom 7, teaming up with Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask in a loss to the team of Bushi, Kushida and Taguchi.[20] Four months later, he was once again allowed to compete in the annual Best of Super Juniors, but lost all matches, taking pinfalls against Liger, Prince Devitt, Titán, Taichi, Ricochet, Beretta, Rocky Romero and Alex Shelley.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] NJPW often sends their "Young Lions" on a learning excursion outside Japan, and in June, it was announced that Takahashi would travel to the United Kingdom, where he worked regularly for a number of local British independent wrestling promotions.[29]
Joining Los Ingobernables de Japón (2016–2019)
In August 2016, a cryptic video started appearing on NJPW programming featuring a time bomb counting down to November 5, 2016, the day of Power Struggle.[30] At the event, Takahashi, once again working under his real name, made a surprise appearance after Kushida had defeated Bushi to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, challenging the new champion to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome.[31] On December 10, Takahashi accepted Tetsuya Naito's offer to join the Los Ingobernables de Japón (L.I.J.) stable.[32] Takahashi wrestled his NJPW return match six days later, pinning Kushida in a tag team main event, where he and Naito defeated Kushida and Hiroshi Tanahashi.[33]
On January 4, 2017, at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, Takahashi defeated Kushida to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[34] He made his first successful title defense on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka against Dragon Lee.[35] His next successful defense took place on March 6 at NJPW's 45th anniversary event, defeating Ryusuke Taguchi.[36] Takahashi made his third defense on April 9 at Sakura Genesis 2017, defeating Kushida in just one minute and 56 seconds.[37] His fourth successful defense took place against Ricochet on April 29.[38] Takahashi suffered his first loss since his return to Japan on May 17, when he was defeated by longtime rival Dragon Lee in his opening match in the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[39] He suffered further losses in the tournament against Ricochet and Will Ospreay, failing to advance to the finals with a record of four wins and three losses.[40] On June 11, at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall, Takahashi lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to the winner of the tournament, Kushida.[41]
In late 2017, Takahashi started teaming regularly with L.I.J. stablemate Bushi in NJPW's junior tag team division.[42] They entered the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament in October, defeating Dragon Lee and Titán in the first round, before being eliminated in the semifinals by eventual winners Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh).[43][44] At Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 14, 2018, he competed in a fatal-four-way match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Will Ospreay.[45] He unsuccessfully challenged Ospreay for the title on February 10 at The New Beginning in Osaka.[46] Months later, Takahashi competed in the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors, winning his block with five wins and two losses, defeating rival Kushida to advance to the finals.[47] On June 4, Takahashi defeated Taiji Ishimori in the finals to win the tournament.[48] At Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo-Hall five days later, Takahashi defeated Ospreay to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for a second time.[49] On July 7, at G1 Special in San Francisco, Takahashi successfully defended his title against Dragon Lee.[50] However, it was reported after the match that Takahashi suffered a broken neck due to a botched Phoenix-Plex, which would cause him to miss 9 to 12 months of action due to the severity of the injury.[51][52] As a result, the title was declared vacant on August 20.[53]
Junior division success (2019–2024)
At Power Struggle on November 3, 2019, Takahashi returned from injury and challenged Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 4, 2020,[54] where he defeated Ospreay to capture the title for the third time in his career.[55] On the second night of the event, Takahashi and Ryu Lee defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Naoki Sano in what was Liger's retirement match, after Takahashi pinned Liger.[56] At The New Beginning in Osaka on February 9, he defeated Lee to retain the title.[57] In June, despite being a junior heavyweight, Takahashi entered the New Japan Cup, defeating established heavyweight stars Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii to advance to the semi-finals,[58][59][60] where he was defeated by Kazuchika Okada.[61] On July 25, at Sengoku Lord in Nagoya, Takahashi unsuccessfully challenged Evil in a match for both his IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[62] At Summer Struggle in Jingu on August 29, he lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Taiji Ishimori, ending his reign at 238 days.[63] On December 11, Takahashi won the 2020 Best of the Super Juniors, defeating El Desperado in the finals.[64]
On Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4, 2021, he defeated Super J-Cup winner El Phantasmo to face Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on Night 2,[65] where Takahashi defeated Ishimori for his fourth Junior Heavyweight Championship.[66] However, he vacated the title on February 25, after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during a match the week prior.[67] At Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome on July 25, Takahashi returned from injury and challenged the winner of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match between El Desperado and Robbie Eagles, which the latter won.[68] On Night 2 of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on September 5, he failed to win the title from Eagles.[69] On December 15, Takahashi defeated Yoh in the finals of the 2021 Best of the Super Juniors, marking his third time winning the tournament and the longest match in the tournament's history; he also became the second wrestler to win back-to-back finals after Tiger Mask IV in 2004 and 2005.[70][71] He received his title shot against champion El Desperado on Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 16 on January 4, 2022, but lost.[72]
Takahashi entered the New Japan Cup in March, scoring a victory in the third round over NEVER Openweight Champion Evil.[73] He then lost to L.I.J. stablemate Shingo Takagi in the quarterfinals.[74] For his win over Evil, Takahashi received a NEVER Openweight Championship match on April 9 at Hyper Battle, but was defeated.[75] On June 3, Takahashi defeated El Desperado in the finals of the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors, winning the tournament for a third consecutive time and becoming the only wrestler to win the tournament four times.[76] However, he unsuccessfully challenged Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on June 21.[77] Takahashi and Takagi were scheduled to team with Darby Allin and Sting against El Phantasmo, Hikuleo and The Young Bucks at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door on June 22, but Takahashi was pulled from the card after suffering from a fever.[78]
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On January 4, 2023, at Wrestle Kingdom 17, Takahashi defeated Master Wato, El Desperado and Ishimori in a four-way match to capture his fifth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[79] He retained the title against Yoh on February 5 at The New Beginning in Sapporo.[80] At Sakura Genesis on April 8, Takahashi made another successful title defense against Eagles. Following the main event, he confronted former L.I.J. stablemate and newly crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion Sanada, claiming his desire to challenge Sanada for the title. Sanada accepted the challenge, but only on the basis that his Just 5 Guys stablemate Yoshinobu Kanemaru could challenge for Takahashi's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship first, which Takahashi similarly accepted.[81][82] Later that month, he defeated Kanemaru to retain the title.[83] At Wrestling Dontaku on May 3, Takahashi failed to win Sanada's IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[84] On June 4, at Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Takahashi defeated 2023 Best of the Super Juniors winner Master Wato to retain his title.[85] At Destruction in Ryōgoku on October 9, Takahashi retained the title in a three-way match against Impact Wrestling's Lio Rush and Mike Bailey, after which he was attacked by a returning Ishimori.[86] At Power Struggle on November 4, after successfully defending his title against Ishimori, Takahashi challenged longtime rival El Desperado to a title match at Wrestle Kingdom 18, which he accepted.[87] At the event on January 4, 2024, Takahashi lost the title to Desperado, ending his fifth title reign at 365 days.[88]
Teaming with Tetsuya Naito and departure (2024–2026)
At Windy City Riot on April 12, Takahashi lost to Mustafa Ali.[89] On June 9, at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, Takahashi, Bushi and Yota Tsuji defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin and Toru Yano to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship,[90] but lost the titles in a rematch the following week.[91] At Capital Collision on August 30, Takahashi defeated Ali in their rematch.[92] On December 8, Takahashi and L.I.J. stablemate Tetsuya Naito won the 2024 World Tag League by defeating Gabe Kidd and Sanada.[93] However, due to the IWGP Tag Team Championship being vacant at the time, Naito and Takahashi instead decided to face each other in a singles match at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4, 2025,[94] which Naito won.[95] They failed to win the titles in a three-way tag team match the following night at Wrestle Dynasty, which was won by The Young Bucks.[96]
At Battle in the Valley on January 11, Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani and Yuka Sakazaki defeated House of Torture (Evil and Sho) and Sumie Sakai in Sakai's retirement match.[97] At The New Beginning in Osaka on February 11, Takahashi and Naito defeated The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship,[98] but lost the title to Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb on April 5 at Sakura Genesis.[99] After Naito's NJPW departure and the disbandment of L.I.J., Takahashi, Daiki Nagai, Shingo Takagi, Titán and Tsuji formed "Unaffiliated" and later aligned with Bullet Club. After Wrestle Kingdom 20, at New Year Dash!! on January 5, David Finlay and Yota Tsuji announced the dissolution of Bullet Club and Unaffiliated, replacing the alliance with Unbound Company, which was a complete merger.[100]
On February 3, 2026, NJPW announced that Takahashi would be leaving the promotion, with his final match taking place on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka.[101] At the event, Takahashi teamed with stablemate Taiji Ishimori to defeat Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young in his farewell match.[102] After the main event between Tsuji and Jake Lee, Takahashi bid the fans farewell and embraced his Unbound Co. stablemates, officially ending his sixteen-year tenure with NJPW.[103]
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2014–2017)
Takahashi traveled to Mexico in January 2014 to work with NJPW's partner promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), for an extended stay. He was given a new wrestling persona, a masked "heel" or rudo character called Kamaitachi, named after a Japanese supernatural monster which his mask resembled, being paired with CMLL's resident Japanese worker Okumura as part of La Fiebre Amarilla ("The Yellow Fever").[104] In Takahashi's Mexico debut match, on January 31, they teamed with Sangre Azteca to defeat Fuego, Super Halcón Jr. and Tritón.[105] On July 13, Kamaitachi and Okumura unsuccessfully challenged Delta and Guerrero Maya Jr. for the CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship.[106]
In early 2015, Kamaitachi started a storyline rivalry with Dragon Lee after having faced each other many times the previous year.[104][107] They were paired for the Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles ("National Incredible Teams Tournament"), in which rivals are forced to team up, but lost their first round match to Mephisto and La Máscara on February 20, after which Kamaitachi stole Lee's mask.[104][108] The rivalry culminated on March 20 at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to Two Legends"), where Kamaitachi was defeated by Lee in a Mask vs. Mask Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match"). As per stipulation, Kamaitachi unmasked following the loss, revealing himself as Hiromu Takahashi.[109][110] On May 1, Kamaitachi participated in the 2015 Reyes del Aire ("King of the Air") tournament, where he and Lee eliminated each other via a double pin.[111] On May 15, he was eliminated by Místico in the first round torneo cibernetico of the 2015 Leyenda de Plata ("Silver Legend") tournament.[112] Over the following months, Kamaitachi unsuccessfully challenged Lee for the CMLL World Lightweight Championship on four occasions.[104] At Infierno en el Ring ("Inferno in the Ring") on December 25, Kamaitachi, Bárbaro Cavernario and Negro Casas lost to Máximo Sexy, Super Parka and Valiente.[113] The following week, at Sin Piedad ("No Mercy") on January 1, 2016, Kamaitachi lost to Máximo in a Hair vs. Hair Lucha de Apuestas, forcing him to be shaved bald as a result.[114][115]
On January 23, Takahashi, billed as Kamaitachi, made a surprise return to NJPW during the CMLL and NJPW co-produced Fantastica Mania 2016 tour, attacking Dragon Lee and challenging him to a title match, marking his first NJPW appearance since May 2013.[116][117] The following day of the tour, Kamaitachi defeated Lee to win his first professional wrestling title, the CMLL World Lightweight Championship. After the match, Kamaitachi stated that he was not yet returning to NJPW, but would travel back to CMLL.[118] On March 4, back in Mexico City, Kamaitachi lost the title back to Dragon Lee.[119] At Homenaje a Dos Leyendas on March 18, he, Okumura, Fujin and Raijin lost to Lee, Máscara Dorada, Místico and Valiente.[120] The following month, it was reported that Takahashi was done with CMLL and had moved to the United States.[121] He made a one-night return on November 12, 2017, teaming with Los Ingobernables de Japón stablemate Tetsuya Naito and Rush to defeat Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone and Volador Jr.[122]
Ring of Honor (2016–2018, 2023)
On April 30, 2016, Kamaitachi made his debut for Ring of Honor (ROH), replacing Roderick Strong in his match against A. C. H., but lost.[123][124] On May 20, Kamaitachi made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), losing to Michael Elgin.[125] On June 24, Kamaitachi made his ROH pay-per-view debut at Best In The World, losing to Kyle O'Reilly by submission.[126] At Death Before Dishonor XIV on August 19, he was part of a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender for the ROH World Television Championship, which was won by Donovan Dijak.[127] On September 3, he entered PWG's 2016 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, but was eliminated in his first round match by Trevor Lee.[128] On September 30, at ROH's All Star Extravaganza VIII, Kamaitachi lost to his old rival in CMLL, the debuting Dragon Lee.[129][130] Under his real name, Takahashi participated in the ROH/NJPW co-promoted Honor Rising: Japan, War of the Worlds UK and Global Wars tours throughout 2017.[131][132][133] At the ROH 16th Anniversary Show on March 9, 2018, he defeated Flip Gordon.[134]
On the June 29, 2023 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Takahashi returned to ROH after five years, teaming with Bushi and Shingo Takagi to unsuccessfully challenge Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage and Toa Liona) for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[135]
Return to CMLL (2023–2025)
On July 26, 2023, it was announced that Takahashi would return to CMLL to compete in that year's International Grand Prix tournament on August 18.[136] He was the last wrestler eliminated by Místico, sparking a feud between the two.[137] Takahashi challenged Místico for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship on August 27, but the match ended in a draw after a double pin, thus Místico retained the title.[138] At Fantastica Mania Mexico on June 21, 2024, Takahashi lost to Místico in their rematch.[139][140] At the following year's edition of Fantastica Mania Mexico on June 20, 2025, Takahashi teamed with Los Ingobernables de Japón stablemates Shingo Takagi and Titán to defeat United Empire (Francesco Akira, TJP and Templario), in what was L.I.J.'s final match as a faction before stablemates Bushi and Tetsuya Naito left NJPW.[141]
All Elite Wrestling (2024–2025)
Takahashi made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on the June 26, 2024 episode of Dynamite, teaming with his stablemates Shingo Takagi and Titán against Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, and Wheeler Yuta). The match ended in a no contest due to both teams brawling outside of the ring.[142] On August 24, 2025 at the AEW/NJPW co-promoted event Forbidden Door, Takahashi unsuccessfully challenged Kyle Fletcher for the AEW TNT Championship.[143]
Pro Wrestling Noah (2024–2026)
Takahashi made his Pro Wrestling Noah debut at Sunny Voyage on July 28, 2024, teaming with AMAKUSA, Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura to defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro, Cristobal, Kaito Kiyomiya and Kenoh).[144] On September 8, 2025, he won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating YO-HEY.[145] At Wrestle Odyssey on October 11, he successfully defended the title against Eita.[146] The following month, he won the 2025 Jr. Grand Prix, defeating Kai Fujimura in the grand finals.[147] On January 1, 2026, at Noah The New Year 2026, Takahashi lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to AMAKUSA, ending his reign at 115 days.[148]
Other media
In January 2023, Takahashi made his acting debut in the Kamen Rider franchise, portraying Joseph Rando in the series's universe.[149]
Championships and accomplishments
- Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
- DDT Pro-Wrestling
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tetsuya Naito[98]
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (5 times)[34][49][55][66][79]
- NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yota Tsuji and Bushi[90]
- Best of the Super Juniors (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022)[48][64][71][76]
- World Tag League (2024) – with Tetsuya Naito[93]
- Pro Wrestling Noah
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Tokyo Sports
- Fighting Spirit Award (2020)[152]
- Outstanding Performance Award (2023)[153]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Gimmick (2017) as part of Los Ingobernables de Japón[154]
- Non-Heavyweight MVP (2020)[155]
Luchas de Apuestas record
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Lee (mask) | Kamaitachi (mask) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 20, 2015 | [109] |
| Máximo Sexy (hair) | Kamaitachi (hair) | Mexico City | Sin Piedad | January 1, 2016 | [114][115] |
