History Wrestling / TAKAMichinoku

Takao Yoshida (born October 26, 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as TAKA Michininoku. He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling (see MeaningfulName, below). He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan and Mexico in his early years. He would debut in the USA in 1997 via bWo Japan in Wrestling/{{ECW}}, which in turn lead to his July 6th debut for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before WWF decided to actually do anything with it.)

* IHaveTheHighGround: The whole purpose of introducing a "light heavyweight" title was for the WWF to compete with the the high fliers of WCW.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Taka's name is often typed "TAKA Michinoku", with insistent capitalization of the first name. In Japan, his character used to insist that the "Taka" be in "American letters", while the "Michinoku" (like most other names) was printed in Kanji. While it isn't pronunciation per se, it ''is'' a character trying to distinguish himself and "social climb" through a name difference.

As always, you can find more info at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taka_Michinoku The Other Wiki]].

* BashBrothers: Sho Funaki, Dick Togo and Terry Boy/MEN's Teioh in Kaientai and Taichi and El Desperado in Wrestling/{{Suzuki-gun}}.

** Is the flag-bearer for the Wrestling/{{Suzuki-gun}} and a member of ECW's [=bWo=]. Kaientai is the stable probably most remembered for but YMMV on how powerful it actually was anywhere but it's original Michinoku Pro run.

* AmazonChaser: {{Downplayed|trope}}, as strength is something he looked for when he settled on Malia Hosaka, but more importantly than that or anything else, she was evil! (and unfortunately released by the WWF soon after her debut)

* FinishingMove: Formerly a Michinoku Driver, later the Michinoku Driver II (which he innovated), Michinoku Driver II-B, Just Facelock and Just Facelock 2006. Sometimes the Heavy Killer variations too.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Kaientai had three main ones in the WWF. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqzbmQUzS5I Yamato Suite]] being the easiest to find and is the one TAKA keeps using in Japan, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7GSsxjn5IY This]], commonly known as "Evil" or "MEN's Teioh", being the most famous of them, as Funaki kept using it even after Taka left. The third seems absent from youtube, aside from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfZoHiI4_mk this]] eight bit rendition.
* MeaningfulName: A surprisingly complicated origin that also encompasses LegacyCharacter, HometownNickname, and EarnYourTitle: The name "Michinoku" is a respectful reference to Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke. The Great Sasuke had previously wrestled under the name "Masa Michinoku", which is a shortened version of his first name "Masanori", and his home region of Japan, the Tōhoku region, which was historically known as Michinoku. Sasuke would use the latter to name both his promotion/dojo ("Michinoku Pro") and his finishing attack ("Michinoku Driver", a double underhook brainbuster). TAKA debuted and trained in Michinoku Pro under Sasuke and was a standout there. TAKA would name the finishing move that he himself innovated the "Michinoku Driver number 2" (often written as "Michinoku Driver II") in homage, despite it being a completely different type of move (a sitout scoop slam piledriver).
** Averted in his working as a manager/stablemate of Zack Sabre Jr: Zack's use of the Michinoku Driver II gifted to him is called the "Zack Driver".

* BashBrothers: Sho Funaki, Dick Togo and Terry Boy/MEN's Teioh in Kaientai and Taichi and El Desperado in Suzukigun.

** When he teams with or manages Suzuki-Gun stablemate Wrestling/ZackSabreJr, his promos are often littered with English catch phrases, such as: [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "Just. Tap. OUT!"]], and "Come on over here!"

** Is the flag-bearer for the Suzuki-gun and a member of ECW's [=bWo=]. Kaientai is the stable probably most remembered for but YMMV on how powerful it actually was anywhere but it's original Michinoku Pro run.

* StartMyOwn: Formed Kaientai Dojo, which started as a dojo in Puerto Rico but moved to Japan after ECW closed and began running it's own show in addition to being a dojo for training new pro wrestlers.

* LaughablyEvil: As part of Kaientai when they were gag dubbed. Taka in particular was very "[[{{Memes}} EEEVVVVIIILLL]]."

After 10 months and several successful title defenses (including a victory in [[Wrestling/WrestleMania WrestleMania XIV]]), TAKA would lose his title to Wrestling/{{Christian}} and start feuding with the all Japanese wrestler stable Kaientai, of which he was a former member. TAKA would eventually rejoin Kaientai as the group's number would dwindle to just TAKA and Sho Funaki. The pair would be a comedic {{Jobber}} TagTeam that had GagDub voices. In between ECW, IWA Puerto Rico and WWF he had founded the Kaientai Dojo in 2000. After TAKA left WWF in 2001 he set about turning Kaientai Dojo into a full fledged wrestling promotion. Not surprisingly, he won every title in the company at least once.

* AmazonChaser: {{Downplayed| trope}}, as strength is something he looked for when he settled on Malia Hosaka, but more importantly than that or anything else, she was evil!(and unfortunately released by the WWF soon after her debut)

* BoringButPractical: Answered Naomichi Marufuji flippy kicks with...a poke to the eyes.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: A high-flying pro wrestler with minimal amateur wrestling experience like TAKA doesn't look like the best aspiring MMA fighter, but he fought a bout against a heavier and much more experienced fighter like KEI Yamamiya and did pretty well, to the point some wondered how far could have TAKA gone had he dedicated himself to MMA instead of pro wrestling.

Takao Yoshida (b. 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as TAKA Michininoku. He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling (see MeaningfulName, below). He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan and Mexico in his early years. He would debut in the USA in 1997 via bWo Japan in Wrestling/{{ECW}}, which in turn lead to his July 6th debut for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before WWF decided to actually do anything with it.)

!!!These tropes are EVIL, and they're gonna kick your ass:

Takao Yoshida (b. 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as TAKA Michininoku. He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling. He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan and Mexico in his early years. He would debut in the USA in 1997 via bWo Japan in Wrestling/{{ECW}}, which in turn lead to his July 6th debut for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before WWF decided to actually do anything with it.)

TAKA also splits his time between various Japanese promotions including Michinoku Pro, New Japan, [[Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling All Japan]], Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, Wrestling/DragonGate, Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Apache Pro-Wrestling. In 2005-2006 TAKA would hold All Japan's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-j.html World Junior Heavyweight Title]], Michinoku Pro's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/michinoku/tohoku-j.html Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title]] and Kaientai Dojo's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/kd/kd-s.html Strongest-K Title]] simultaneously for almost 10 months.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Kaientai's Hong Kong Dub gimmick ended up getting the previously lukewarmly received group popular, too popular to be be mere jobbers. So naturally they were broken up.

* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Spelled TAKA]]: Taka's name is often typed TAKA Michinoku. (In Japan, his character used to insist that the "Taka" be in "American letters", while the "Michinoku" (like most other names) was printed in Kanji.) While it isn't pronunciation per se, it ''is'' a character trying to distinguish himself and "social climb" through a name difference.

* EvilLaugh: Naturally, especially after he and Funaki betrayed Too Cool.

!!!These tropes are EVIL, motherfucker:

* GratuitousEnglish: Prevlant in his NJPW there. "Taka is coming... ''motherfucker''".

* {{Leitmotif}}: Kaientai had three main ones in the WWF. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqzbmQUzS5I Yamato Suite]] being the easiest to find, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7GSsxjn5IY This]], commonly known as "Evil" or "MEN's Teioh", being the most famous of them, as Funaki kept using it even after Taka left. The third seems absent from youtube, aside from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfZoHiI4_mk this]] eight bit rendition.
* MechaMooks: Robo Michinoku with Robo Hayashi in All Japan

** Is the flag-bearer for the Suzukigun and a member of ECW's [=bWo=]. Kaientai is the stable probably most remembered for but YMMV on how powerful it actually was anywhere but it's original Michinoku Pro run.

** In Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, he's a member of Suzuki-gun.

* SignatureMove: Back to back double underhook piledriver, Brainbuster, Dick Killer (Arm trap bridging cobra clutch)

* TheOneGuy: Has served as such in the Joshi(read: females only) promotion REINA.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: Pulled a fake knee injury on Naomichi Marufuji

!!!These tropes are EVIL!:

Takao Yoshida (b. 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as either TAKA Michininoku. He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling. He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan and Mexico in his early years. He would debut in the USA in 1997 via bWo Japan in Wrestling/{{ECW}}, which in turn lead to his July 6th debut for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before WWF decided to actually do anything with it.)

'''Takao Yoshida''' (b. 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as either '''TAKA Michininoku.''' He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling. He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan and Mexico in his early years. He would debut in the USA in 1997 via bWo Japan in Wrestling/{{ECW}}, which in turn lead to his July 6th debut for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before WWF decided to actually do anything with it.)

* FollowTheLeader: While not the first person to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, he was the first winner in the WWF, as it was part of the J-Crown.

'''Takao Yoshida''' (b. 1973) is a Japanese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er from Morioka, Iwate best known for his work internationally as either '''TAKA Michininoku.''' He debuted in 1992, taking his name as a sign of respect for his mentor Wrestling/TheGreatSasuke as he debuted and wrestled for his company, Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling. He would also wrestle in other various promotions in Japan, Mexico and the United States in his early years. On July 6,1997, he debuted for the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] in a well-recived match with the Great Sasuke. Months later he won a tournament to crown the "first" champion for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html WWF Light Heavyweight Title]] (at least for the WWF, the title was defended in MPW, Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling 16 years before reaching WWF.)

After 10 months and several successful title defenses (including a victory in [[Wrestling/WrestleMania WrestleMania XIV]]), TAKA would lose his title to Wrestling/{{Christian}} and starts fueding with the all Japanese wrestler stable Kaientai. TAKA would eventually join Kaientai as the group's number would dwindle to just TAKA and Sho Funaki. The pair would be a comedic {{Jobber}} TagTeam that had GagDub voices. In 2001, TAKA left WWF and formed his own wrestling company, Kaientai Dojo. Not surprisingly, he won every title in the promotion at least once.

TAKA also splits his time between various Japanese promotions including Kaientai Dojo, Michinoku Pro, New Japan, [[Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling All Japan]], Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, Wrestling/DragonGate, Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Apache Pro-Wrestling. In 2005-2006 TAKA would hold All Japan's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-j.html World Junior Heavyweight Title]], Michinoku Pro's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/michinoku/tohoku-j.html Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title]] and Kaientai Dojo's [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/kd/kd-s.html Strongest-K Title]] simultaneously for almost 10 months.

* PowerStable: Is the flag-bearer for the Suzukigun and a member of ECW's [=bWo=]. Kaientai is the stable probably most remembered for but YMMV on how powerful it actually was. In AJPW, he participated in the groups Roughly Obsess and Destroy and Mexico Amigos/Mexico Amigos Black.

* StartMyOwn: Formed Kaientai Dojo, which runs it's own show in addition to being a dojo for training new pro wrestlers.