Akira Nogami
| Akira Nogami | |
|---|---|
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AKIRA in September 2011.
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| Birth name | Akira Nogami |
| Born |
March 13, 1966 Narashino, Chiba, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Akira Akira Nogami Sue Takafusa |
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Billed weight | 90 kg (200 lb) |
| Debut | October 12, 1984 |
Akira Nogami (野上 彰 Nogami Akira?, born March 13, 1966, in Narashino, Chiba) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working as Akira. He has also worked as a trainer.
After graduating from high school in 1984, Nogami was initiated into the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo. He debuted in October of that year against Keiji Mutoh. In April 1990, he left on an overseas learning excursion to Europe in Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association and returned to NJPW a year later. Showing a new wrestling style, he changed his name to Akira (stylized in all capital letters) and adopted the gimmick of a kumadori-wearing kabuki actor. Akira scored a big win over Jushin Thunder Liger in August 1991 to begin his one and only reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
After losing the title to Norio Honaga in November 1991, he graduated to the heavyweight division. In June 1992, he teamed up with Hiroshi Hase to participate in the NWA World Tag Team Championship tournament, held by World Championship Wrestling. They defeated the Headhunters in the first round, but Akira suffered an eye injury and was replaced by Shinya Hashimoto for the remainder of the tournament. In September 1993, he formed the J-J-Jacks with Takayuki Iizuka. After proving that the team was no threat to the IWGP Tag Team Championship, the J-J-Jacks disbanded in March 1996, as Iizuka teamed up with Kazuo Yamazaki, with whom he won the titles, while Nogami joined Shiro Koshinaka's Heisei Ishingun.
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