Satoshi Kojima

Infobox Wrestler
name=Satoshi Kojima


names=Satoshi Kojima
The Great Koji
The Great Kosuke
height= 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
weight= 112 kg (247 lb)
birth_date=birth date and age|1970|9|14
death_date=
birth_place= Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan
death_place=
resides=
billed=
trainer=Animal Hamaguchi
debut=July 16 1991
retired=

nihongo|Satoshi Kojima|小島 聡|Kojima Satoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler and currently works for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and AJPW's Triple Crown simultaneously.

Career

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1991-2002)

Kojima entered the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in February of 1991. He debuted as a wrestler on September 14 in a match against Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, who would later adopt the stage name of Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In 1994 he defeated Manabu Nakanishi in the Young Lions Cup finals, winning the tournament. In the end of that year he went to Germany, and returned to NJPW in January of 1996. In May 1997 he defeated Riki Chōshū and Kensuke Sasaki with Nakanishi to become an IWGP Tag Team Champion for the first time. At the end of 1998 he joined nWo Japan, by Keiji Mutoh's leadership. Kojima and Tenzan (known together as TenKoji, a portemanteau of their last names) formed a tag team and ended up holding the IWGP Tag Team titles together two times.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002-Current)

In January of 2002, in opposition to Antonio Inoki focusing the IWGP title on unreliable shoot style wrestlers such as Kazuyuki Fujita and Tadao Yasuda, Kojima left NJPW with his mentor Keiji Mutoh, and joined All Japan Pro Wrestling. He held both of the company's tag team titles, the AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Championship twice. In February of 2005 he won the Triple Crown, AJPW's unified heavyweight championship from Toshiaki Kawada. Only four days later he won NJPW's heavyweight championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, from his former tag team partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a cross-promotional double title match. On May 14, 2005, Tenzan won the IWGP title back, but not the Triple Crown. Kojima sometimes uses the Great Koji (copying Mutoh) and Great Kosuke (copying The Great Sasuke) personas in special matches. He learned the Lariat move directly from Stan Hansen, one of its most frequent and best users. On July 3, 2006 Kojima lost the Triple Crown to Taiyō Kea. Three days later it was revealed that Kojima would return to New Japan to compete in the 2006 G-1 Climax, where he would go to lose in the finals against former tag team partner and rival Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In October 2006 it was announced that TenKoji would reform for the upcoming Worlds Strongest Tag Team League tournament. On December 2, 2006 the reformed TenKoji won the Real World Tag League defeating Kohei Suwama & RO'Z in the finals when Kojima used a lariat on RO'Z. The duo next faced Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto at the NJPW/AJPW Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome. They lost when Chono forced Tenzan to submit.

In July 2007, Kojima shocked the All-Japan roster when he turned on them and joined the Voodoo Murders, where he was quickly made the group's co-leader along with TARU. Soon after joining, Kojima and TARU won the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championships from Toshiaki Kawada & Taiyō Kea. Kojima left the group in 2008 after returning from injury to side with his sworn friend Hiroyoshi Tenzan against Great Bash Heel/VooDoo Murders alliance.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves [ [http://ajpw.puroresufan.com/roster/kojima.php Profile at Shining Road, AJPW fansite] ] :*Lariat:*"Koji Cutter" (Cutter, sometimes from the top rope):*"C.C.D. – Coji Crash Dynamite" (Side over the shoulder reverse piledriver):*"Rydeen Bomb" :*"Bakayaro Elbow" (Diving elbow drop):*"Koji MAX" (Modified seated armbar):*"Rolling Elbow" (Discus elbow smash):*"Machine Gun Chops" (Backhand chops to the chest of an opponent in the corner):*Moonsault – 1990s:*Pumphandle sitout powerbomb:*Arm trap neckbreaker slam:*Senton:*Sitout double underhook powerbomb:*Slingshot crossbody

Championships and accomplishments

*All Japan Pro Wrestling
**AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shiryu
**AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Taiyō Kea (1), Kaz Hayashi (1), and Yoshikazu Taru (1)
**Champion's Carnival (2003)
**World's Strongest Tag Team League – with Taiyō Kea (2002)
**World's Strongest Tag Team League – with Kaz Hayashi (2003)
**World's Strongest Tag Team League – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2006)
*New Japan Pro Wrestling
**IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2) and Manabu Nakanishi (1)
**G1 Climax Tag League – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2001)
**Super Grade Tag League – with Keiji Mutoh (1998)
**Young Lion Cup (1994)
*Major League Wrestling
**MLW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/mlw/ | title=Major League Wrestling | accessdate=2008-07-08|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com]
*Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX
**Fire Festival (2003)
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**PWI ranked him # 3 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005.
*Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
**Most Valuable Player (2005)
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
**Tag Team of the Year (2001) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan

References

External links

* [http://oudou.b2p.jp/blog/10000167.html Official profile at AJPW]
* [http://ajpw.puroresufan.com/roster/kojima.php Profile at Shining Road, AJPW fansite]