Pretty much every major promotion has its underrated workhorse, a performer doomed to toil in the midcard, putting on amazing matches but rarely (if ever) making it to the main event, much less hold the top title. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s underrated workhorse is Tomohiro Ishii, a hard-hitting bruiser with no neck to speak of.
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Nicknamed the “Stone Pitbull,” Ishii is terminally undervalued in NJPW but popular with Western fans who appreciate his in-ring style. With NJPW’s increased profile in the US thanks to its relationship with All Elite Wrestling, now’s a great time for fans to learn more about Tomohiro Ishii.
10 Started In WAR
While many New Japan performers started out training in the NJPW Dojo, Tomohiro Ishii is not one of them. Trained by Genichiro Tenryu and NJPW alum Riki Choshu, Ishii debuted in 1996 for Tenryu’s own promotion, Wrestle Association R, performing as — believe it or not — a junior heavyweight. After capturing his first title in wrestling, the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, WAR would go under in 2000, after which Ishii would become a freelancer, performing for Japanese promotions DDT Pro-Wrestling, Michinoku Pro, and Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE.
9 Debuted For NJPW In 2004
Late 2004 marked Tomohiro Ishii’s debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a company where he’d spend the rest of his career to date. There, he teamed with Riki Choshu in his first handful of matches and was presented as the three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion’s protege. Their first match together would be a losing effort against Jushin Thunder Liger and Manabu Nakanishi. Ishii only had a few matches in 2004 and 2005 before becoming a regular in the company starting in 2006,
8 Great Bash Heel
It was in March of 2006 that Tomohiro Ishii first teamed with Toru Yano, first in some six-man bouts and then in traditional two-on-two tag team matches, including the 2006 G1 Tag League tournament. This would be the beginning of a partnership that would continue to this day.
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Before long, Ishii and Yano would join up with the stable Great Bash Heel alongside Togi Makabe and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, becoming the top heel stable in NJPW at the time.
7 CHAOS Co-Founder
By 2009, Great Bash Heel had a little rivalry going with another faction, RISE, led by Shinsuke Nakamura, resulting in a leader vs. leader match between Nakamura and GBH’s Togi Makabe. However, Toru Yano would help Nak win the match, and a majority of Great Bash Heel would turn on Makabe to side with Nakamura — including Tomohiro Ishii. Together, the Nakamura loyalists would form a new faction, CHAOS. Initially a heel group, CHAOS would soon turn babyface, with Ishii becoming a prominent member alongside bigger names like Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada.
6 ROH World Television Champion
In February of 2016, Ring of Honor and New Japan held a co-promoted show, Honor Rising: Japan, during which Tomohiro Ishii defeated Roderick Strong to capture his first non-Japanese belt, the ROH World Television Championship. His reign with the title would last 79 days, with defenses in ROH and NJPW alike against Strong, Bobby Fish, Cedric Alexander, and EVIL. However, the reign would come to an end at Global Wars in May 2016 after Bobby Fish made Ishii pass out in a sleeper hold.
5 Feuded With Tiger Mask IV
It was in WAR that Tomohiro Ishii first met Tiger Mask IV, the fourth wrestler to officially don the Tiger Mask gimmick, with Tiger beating Ishii in a singles match in late February 1999. Over 11 years later, the two would engage in a full-on feud, with Ishii defeating Tiger Mask in December 2010. More than a month later, the two would collide in a Hair vs. Mask apuestas match, with Tiger Mask coming out on top, forcing Ishii to shave his head. In response, Ishii began to don the mask of Tiger’s rival, Black Tiger, leading to Tiger Mask beating Ishii in a mask vs. mask match a month later.
4 MVP of the G1 Climax
In 2013, Tomohiro Ishii entered his very first G1 Climax tournament, where he lost every match except two: one was because Hirooki Goto forfeited due to injury, and the other was a victory over Katsuyori Shibata that basically put Ishii on the map, earning critical acclaim from fans and critics alike.
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To date, Ishii has entered nine G1 Climaxes over the years, with the 2022 edition being his 10th outing. While he’s never won a G1, he’s developed a reputation for putting on some of the best matches of the tournament, with acclaimed bouts against standout talent like Kenyn Omega, Kazuchika Okada, and Shingo Takagi, among countless others.
3 Two-Time RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion
Ishii’s popularity in the West has led to a number of opportunities outside of NJPW, including with the UK’s Revolution Pro Wrestling, which has a working relationship with New Japan. In April 2018, Ishii dethroned Zack Sabre Jr. to capture the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, holding the title for 86 before dropping it to Minoru Suzuki. Three months later, Ishii would win the belt back from Suzuki, holding it for 82 days before losing it to Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
2 Only Challenged For The IWGP Heavyweight Title Twice
Despite reaching the pinnacle of other promotions, in New Japan Tomohiro Ishii is a perennial midcarder to the point that he’s only ever challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice. His first-ever shot at the top title was in 2016 — 20 years into his career — when he unsuccessfully challenged Tetsuya Naito for the belt at Wrestling Dontaku. His second shot would come over two years later, taking on Kenny Omega at Destruction in Hiroshima.
1 Six-Time NEVER Openweight Champion
Tomohiro Ishii may never be a world champion in his home promotion, but he does figure into the history of another singles title in NJPW: the NEVER Openweight Championship. Ishii had been a part of the title since its very beginning, having competed in the inaugural tournament to crown the first champion in 2012, although he was knocked out of the semifinals. In 2014, he finally won the belt, defeating Tetsuya Naito to capture his first title in NJPW. Five more title reigns followed, and the NEVER Openweight Championship became synonymous with hard hitting matches as Ishii put on classics with Kota Ibushi, Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe, and countless others.
