Toshiaki Kawada

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Kawada debuted in AJPW in 1982 alongside Mitsuharu Misawa, becoming the understudy of Genichiro Tenryu until the Revolution stable disbanded in 1990. He then became a founding member of the Super Generation Army with Misawa and Kenta Kobashi. In 1993, he broke away to form the Holy Demon Army with Akira Taue. Their rivalry with Misawa and Kobashi was a huge turning point for AJPW in the 1990s, and the individual rivalry between Kawada and Misawa was considered the defining storyline of the 1990s in AJPW and Japan all-together. That same year, he was coined as a member of the Four Heavenly Kings alongside Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue. When Misawa formed Pro Wrestling Noah, Kawada stayed loyal to AJPW and was picked by Motoko Baba to be the leading wrestler. He had the longest individual reign of any Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in the 2000s, tied for the most defenses of any individual reign with 10.

In Their Own Story

Kawada's matches against Misawa, Jun Akiyama, Taue, and Kobashi in the 1990s are argued by many fans and experts as some of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time. He has the distinction of having three Tokyo Sports Best Bout awards, bringing him the nickname "Best Match Machine." His match against Stan Hansen on June 5, 1992, was named Match of the Year by Tokyo Sports. His one-hour draw with Kenta Kobashi on January 19, 1995, has been called the greatest one hour match in pro wrestling history by Dave Meltzer. After Misawa's death in June 2009, Kawada slowed down his role as a pro wrestler, having his final match on August 15, 2010 during the G1 Climax XX tournament, unbeknownst to most contemporaries and fans.

Reader's Guide

Kawada's first major break came in 1987 when he joined Genichiro Tenryu's Revolution group. He paired with Hiromichi Fuyuki as Footloose, holding the All Asia Tag Team Championship three times between 1988 and 1989. In July 1989, during a match with Shunji Takano, Kawada lost four front teeth in a freak accident when Takano's back landed on his face during a German suplex. In 1990, he became Misawa's main partner in the feud against Jumbo Tsuruta's group. Kawada and Taue formed the Holy Demon Army in 1993, defeating Terry Gordy and Steve Williams for the World Tag Team Championship. Kawada won the 1994 Champion Carnival by defeating Steve Williams on April 16. He won his first Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship by defeating Williams on October 22, 1994. He also competed for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestling World 2001 in the Tokyo Dome against Kensuke Sasaki. He won his last world title, the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship, in October 2009, defeating Masato Tanaka.

Did You Know?

• Kawada defeated Keiichi Yamada (later Jyushin Thunder Liger) in the finals of a national amateur wrestling championship in high school.
• Despite having no Korean heritage, Kawada was billed as 'Kio Kawata' from Seoul, South Korea in Stampede Wrestling for a short time around June 1986.
• Kawada lost four front teeth in July 1989 when Shunji Takano's back landed on his face during a German suplex.
• His match against Stan Hansen on June 5, 1992, was named Match of the Year by Tokyo Sports.
• Kawada had his final match on August 15, 2010 during the G1 Climax XX tournament, unbeknownst to most contemporaries and fans.