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Animal Hamaguchi

Japanese retired professional wrestler (born 1947)

Summary

Japanese retired professional wrestler (born 1947)

Field	Value
name	Animal Hamaguchi
birth_name	Heigo Hamaguchi
names	Animal Hamaguchi
Heigo Hamaguchi
Higo Hamaguchi
image	Hamaguchi Heigo, Japanese professional wrestler.jpg
caption	Hamaguchi in February 2011.
height	178 cm
weight	103 kg
birth_date
birth_place	Hamada, Shimane, Japan
trainer	Karl Gotch
Rusher Kimura
Tsutomu Yoshihara
debut	September 20, 1969
retired	1995
family	Kyoko Hamaguchi (daughter)

Heigo Hamaguchi Higo Hamaguchi Rusher Kimura Tsutomu Yoshihara Heigo Hamaguchi is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Animal Hamaguchi. During his career he was recognized as a talented tag team wrestler despite his relatively small size for a heavyweight, and today he is recognized as a trainer in both professional and amateur wrestling. He is the father of freestyle wrestler Kyoko Hamaguchi.

Professional wrestling career

Hamaguchi debuted in 1969 with International Wrestling Enterprise. He was a regular midcarder although his teams with Sueo Inoue and Rusher Kimura were main event. He also made forays into North American wrestling in the late 1970s, winning titles in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and Canada's Stampede Wrestling.

In 1981, when IWE collapsed, Hamaguchi teamed with Kimura and Isamu Teranishi in an "invasion" angle in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. When the angle was dropped, Hamaguchi joined Riki Choshu in forming the original Ishin Gundan rebel stable.

In 1984 Ishin Gundan left NJPW and formed Japan Promotion, which eventually became a mere stable of All Japan Pro Wrestling. AJPW promoter Giant Baba ordered Choshu to replace Hamaguchi, who was rather small-sized, with rookie Yoshiaki Yatsu in order to feud with Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu in the upper card. Hamaguchi thus reformed his team with Inoue in the lower card.

After Japan Pro Wrestling broke up and Choshu and others went back to NJPW in 1987, Hamaguchi chose to retire.

In 1990 he returned as Big Van Vader's partner against Antonio Inoki and Tiger Jeet Singh in Inoki's 30th anniversary match. Hamaguchi competed sporadically until settling in Tenryu's WAR in 1993. In his last earnest comeback he teamed with Tenryu and Koki Kitahara to win his last title, the WAR 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

Retirement

Hamaguchi retired in 1995, after his team lost the title, to dedicate full-time to his dojo, today recognized as one of the premier independent wrestling schools in Japan. Famous pros trained by him include Satoshi Kojima, Shinjiro Otani, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Bushi and Takao Omori.

He also trains amateur wrestlers, including his own daughter Kyoko, who is one of the premier amateurs in Japan. She is a two timer Olympic bronze medalist in 72 kg weight class and she has won the FILA Wrestling World Championship 5 times.

Championships and accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling
- All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Mighty Inoue (1) and Isamu Teranishi (1)
International Wrestling Enterprise
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Great Kusatsu (2) and Mighty Inoue (2)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Greatest Wrestlers (Class of 2010)
Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mr. Hito
Tokyo Sports
- Effort Award (1981)
- Fighting Spirit Award (1980)
- Outstanding Performance Award (1977)
- Service Award (1987)
- Special Award (1997)
Wrestle And Romance/Wrestle Association R
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Genichiro Tenryu & Koki Kitahara
World Wrestling Council
- WWC North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gordon Nelson

References

"Animal Hamaguchi". Puroresu Central.
Hoops, Brian. (January 20, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/20): HHH returns, wins 2002 Royal Rumble". [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
"NJPW Greatest Wrestlers". [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]].
"東京スポーツプロレス大賞". [[Tokyo Sports]].
"東京スポーツプロレス大賞". [[Tokyo Sports]].
"東京スポーツプロレス大賞". [[Tokyo Sports]].

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1947-births 20th-century-male-professional-wrestlers 20th-century-japanese-professional-wrestlers all-asia-tag-team-champions japanese-male-professional-wrestlers living-people japanese-professional-wrestling-trainers people-from-hamada,-shimane sportspeople-from-shimane-prefecture stampede-wrestling-alumni tenryu-project-world-6-man-tag-team-champions 20th-century-japanese-sportsmen

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