George Takano

Infobox Wrestler
name=George Takano
names=George Takano
The Cobra
Mr. X
height= 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
weight= 115 kg (254 lb)
birth_date =1958
birth_place =Uganda
debut=1977|

George Takano(高野攘治) (born in 1958) is a professional wrestler who hailed from Uganda under the alias The Cobra, a masked wrestler persona. He worked for various Japanese and American wrestling promotions from the late '70s to early '90s.

Takano debuted in 1977 and worked for Stampede Wrestling, winning its British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship in September 1983. A mere two months later, he defeated Davey Boy Smith for the vacated NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Still working under the ringname The Cobra, Takano performed in the World Wrestling Federation throughout the early and mid '80s. In December 1984, he defeated Dynamite Kid for its Junior Heavyweight Championship. The following title loss to Hiro Saito was redeemed in July 1985, the same month that he lost and then won back the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title in the same night against the very same man, Saito. In October that year, his WWF title was vacated when New Japan Pro Wrestling separated from WWF. He would lose the #1 contendership match for the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Shiro Koshinaka in June 1986. However, Takano went on to win the IWGP World Tag Team Championship with Super Strong Machine in March 1989.

He would then join the Super World of Sports in the early '90s, which had a partnership contract with WWF. During their interpromotional events throughout 1991, he would face the likes Randy Savage, Rick Martel, Tito Santana, and Legion of Doom, and scored wins against WWF superstar Bret Hart and, with his brother Shunji, The Rockers and The Samoan Swat Team. His last major career highlight would come one year later when he won the SWS Tag Team titles with Shunji, only to lose them the very next night to The Natural Disasters of WWF fame. SWS folded in June 1992, with the Takano brothers venturing into Pro Wrestling Crusaders.

Takano maintains his place in professional wrestling today as runs his own promotion, "Fighting Spirit wRestling" (FSR), based in Hokkaidō.

Championships and accomplishments

*New Japan Pro Wrestling:*IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Super Strong Machine:*NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times):*WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Stampede Wrestling:*Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Super World of Sports:*SWS Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shunji Takano

*World Wrestling Federation:*WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter:*Most Improved Wrestler (1984)

External links

* [http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/91.htm WWF events of 1991]
* [http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25E3%2582%25B8%25E3%2583%25A7%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2582%25B8%25E9%25AB%2598%25E9%2587%258E&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpro%2Bwrestling%2Bcrusaders%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG Wikipedia Japan - George Takano (English translation)]
* [http://www.luchawiki.com/index.php?title=Takano Lucha Wiki - Takano]