Mighty Inoue

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Mighty Inoue
マイティ井上
Birth nameSueo Inoue[1]
Born (1949-04-12) April 12, 1949 (age 73)[1][2]
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)All Mighty Inoue[2]
Chati Mikki Inoue[1]
Enzo Inoue[1]
Mickey Inoue[3]
Mighty Inoue[1]
Mitsu Inoue[1]
Sueo Inoue[1]
Tonpachi Inoue[3]
Billed height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Billed weight108 kg (238 lb)[1]
Trained byBilly Robinson[1]
Hiro Matsuda[1]
DebutJuly 21, 1967[1]
RetiredDecember 31, 2009[4]

Sueo Inoue (born April 12, 1949), better known by the ring name Mighty Inoue (Japanese: マイティ井上), is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and referee. He is best known for his appearances with International Wrestling Enterprise from 1967 to 1981, with All Japan Pro-Wrestling from 1981 to 2000, and with Pro Wrestling Noah from 2000 to 2010.

Early life[]

While attending high school, Inoue competed in judo.[3]

Professional wrestling career[]

International Wrestling Enterprise (1967–1981)[]

Inoue was trained to wrestle by Billy Robinson and Hiro Matsuda.[1] He debuted on July 21, 1967 for the International Wrestling Enterprise promotion.[1]

From May to October 1972, Inoue wrestled in Montreal, Canada where he teamed with Mitsu Arakawa.[5]

In October 1974, Inoue defeated Superstar Billy Graham in an upset victory to win the IWA World Heavyweight Championship.[6] He held the title until April 1975, when he lost to Mad Dog Vachon.[7]

In 1975, Inoue formed a tag team with Great Kusatsu. Between June 1975 and January 1977, they held the IWA World Tag Team Championship three times.[7] Inoue held the IWA World Tag Team Championship twice more from 1979 to 1981 with Animal Hamaguchi, then a final time with Ashura Hara in 1981.[7]

All Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981–2000)[]

In 1981, following the closure of International Wrestling Enterprise, Inoue joined All Japan Pro-Wrestling full-time as part of its junior heavyweight division.[3] He made his debut in October 1981 during the "Giant Series" tour, forming a tag team with Ashura Hara known as the "Japanese High Flyers".[8][9] The duo held the All Asia Tag Team Championship from February 1983 to February 1984.[7]

In February 1984, Inoue defeated Chavo Guerrero to win the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship; he held the title until June 1985, when he lost to Dynamite Kid.[7] From 1985 to 1987, he won the All Asia Tag Team Championship twice with Takashi Ishikawa. In January 1989, he defeated Joe Malenko for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship; his reign lasted until March 1989, when he lost to Masanobu Fuchi.[7] From 1990 to 1993, he was part of the Tsuruta-gun stable.[10]

In April 1994, Inoue formed a "legends" stable with Haruka Eigen and Masanobu Fuchi; for the next three years, he primarily competed alongside them in tag team matches and six-man tag team matches.[11][12][13][14] Inoue retired from professional wrestling in April 1997,[15] transitioning to refereeing.[3] During his final months as a wrestler he regularly teamed with Eigen and Futchi to face Giant Baba, Mitsuo Momota, and Rusher Kimura.[14]

Pro Wrestling Noah (2000–2010)[]

In 2000, Inoue was among the personnel to leave AJPW to join Mitsuharu Misawa's breakway Pro Wrestling Noah promotion. He worked for Noah as a referee for the next decade.[3] He broke his retirement for a single night on December 31, 2009, wrestling in an elimination match at the "New Year's Eve Special" event jointly promoted by Big Japan Pro Wrestling, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Kaientai Dojo.[4] He retired from the professional wrestling industry in 2010 following Misawa's death.[3]

Professional wrestling style and persona[]

Inoue wrestled in a "technical" style.[4] His finishing moves included the somersault senton and the sunset flip.[1][3][15] He customarily wrestled in red tights.[16]

Championships and accomplishments[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Saalbach, Axel. "Mighty Inoue". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Mighty Inouen". ProFightDB.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Mighty Inoue". WrestlingScout. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 2009". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  5. ^ Hébert, Bertrand; Laprade, Pat (2020). The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of André the Giant. ECW Press. p. 146.
  6. ^ Graham, Superstar Billy (2010). Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes. Simon and Schuster. p. 188-189.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - titles". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 1981". Cagematch.net. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2 ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 167.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - tag teams & stables". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  11. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 1994". Cagematch.net. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 1995". Cagematch.net. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 1996". Cagematch.net. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue - matches - 1997". Cagematch.net. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mighty Inoue". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  16. ^ "Mighty Inoue". PuroresuCentral.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.

External links[]

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