Kotetsu Yamamoto
| Born |
October 30, 1941 Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan |
|---|---|
| Died | August 28, 2010 (aged 68) Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan |
| Cause of death | hypoxic encephalopathy |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kotetsu Yamamoto |
| Billed height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Billed weight | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Trained by |
Rikidozan Antonio Inoki |
| Debut | July 19, 1963 |
| Retired | April 4, 1980 (full time) December 18, 2008 (Last Match) |
Kotetsu Yamamoto (山本小鉄 Yamamoto Kotetsu, October 30, 1941 – August 28, 2010) was a former professional wrestler, referee, and color commentator for New Japan Pro Wrestling. His real name was Masaru Yamamoto (山本 勝 Yamamoto Masaru). He was named "Kotetsu" by a former Japanese pro wrestler Toyonobori after Aizu-No-Kotetsu, a knight. Originally a wrestler, Yamamoto was mostly known for his tag team The Yamaha Brothers with Kantaro Hoshino but made his biggest mark as a trainer in the New Japan Dojo having helped train Keiji Mutoh, Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru Suzuki, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Masahiro Chono among others.
After graduating from high school, Yamamoto trained as a bodybuilder at a local YMCA while working for the then blossoming steel industry in Japan. In 1962, he was discovered by Rikidozan and trained as his last ever student. After Ridkidozan died, he became the "tsukibito" or trainee of Antonio Inoki.
During January 1967, he along with Kantaro Hoshino were sent to the United States to gain experience. While there, the two became known as The Yamaha Brothers. They appeared at NWA Mid-America where Yamamoto won his first time when he and Hoshino defeated Bad Boy Hines and Billy Hines on August 3, 1967 to win the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship but only held the titles for a week as they lost them to Bad Boy Hines and Len Rossi on August 10. He returned to Japan the same year. On May 2, 1969, he defeated Gorilla Monsoon gaining one of the largest upset victories of the time in less than 5 minutes. When Antonio Inoki was expelled from the JWA, Yamamoto went along with Inoki and helped start New Japan Pro Wrestling. Along with Antonio Inoki and Karl Gotch, Yamamoto is said to be responsible for the fundamentals of the Japanese "strong style".
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