| Gianni Valletta | |
|---|---|
 Valletta in September 2019 | |
| Birth name | Wayne Pace |
| Born | August 8, 1989 [1] Valletta, Malta |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gianni de la Valette Maltese Warrior [2] Gianni Valletta |
| Billed height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) [3] |
| Billed weight | 118 kg (260 lb) |
| Debut | 2011 |
Wayne Pace (born August 8, 1989), better known by his ring name Gianni Valletta, is a Maltese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.
Pace began his professional wrestling career in the European independent scene. He first in the Pro Wrestling Malta promotion where once defeated a notable opponent, Pete Dunne on July 1, 2016, at PWM Retribution. [4] At BEW International Grand Prix 2016, an event promoted by British Empire Wrestling in partnership with World Wonder Ring Stardom on May 22, 2016, Pace teamed up with Kyle Ashmore and Theodore Powers in a losing effort to The Buffet Club (Lance Lawrence, Ray Linofloor and Rob Cage) as a result of a six-man elimination tag team match. [5]
Pace had a brief run with All Japan Pro Wrestling. On the sixth night of the AJPW Summer Action Series 2018 from July 22, he teamed up with Tajiri to unsuccessfully challenge Violent Giants (Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama) for the AJPW World Tag Team Championship. [6] His last match took place at AJPW What We Can Do Now on April 6, 2020, where he fell short to Jiro Kuroshio. [7]
Pace is known for competing in the promotion's signature events. At the 2018 edition of the World's Strongest Tag Determination League where he teamed up with Tajiri, and scoring a total of six points after competing against the teams of Joe Doering and Dylan James, Jun Akiyama and Daisuke Sekimoto, Kai and Kengo Mashimo, Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama, Odinson and Parrow, Kento Miyahara and Yoshitatsu, Takao Omori and Manabu Soya, Zeus and The Bodyguard, Jake Lee and Ryoji Sai, and Yuma Aoyagi and Naoya Nomura. [8] [9] He also made an appearance in the 2019 edition of the event where he teamed up with Takashi Yoshida and scoring a total of eight points after going against the same teams from the preceding year as well as Yoshitatsu and Joel Redman. [10]
As for the Champion Carnival branch of events, Pace made his only appearance at the 2019 edition of the event where he placed himself in the Block A and scored a total of six points after competing against the reigning Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Kento Miyahara, Atsushi Aoki, Dylan James, Yuji Okabayashi, Shuji Ishikawa, Zeus, Ryoji Sai and Yuma Aoyagi. [11]
Pace made his debut in the International Wrestling Revolution Group at IWRG Thursday Night Wrestling on September 2, 2021, where he teamed up with El Hijo de Fishman and El Hijo de Pirata Morgan to defeat El Hijo del Alebrije, Texano Jr. and Veneno in a six-man tag team match. [12] On September 5 at a house show he won the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship after competing in a battle royal also involving Black Taurus, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Heddi Karaoui and others. [13] He dropped the title to El Hijo del Espectro Jr. eleven days later. [14]
Maunakea Mossman is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known under his stage name Taiyō Kea (太陽ケア). Best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), he is the only wrestler in AJPW's history to have held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and the World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Voodoo Murders were a professional wrestling stable who were best known as the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011, and 2022 to 2023. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring and later performed primarily for Pro Wrestling ZERO1 in the stable's final years. The group, famously led by former Toryumon wrestler Taru, performed violent actions in their matches and displayed a lack of respect for their opponents.
The IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship is a singles Championship in the Mexican lucha libre promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and was introduced in 1997. It has since been defended throughout Mexico, primarily in Naucalpan, but also in Japan as well. As the Championship is designated as a heavyweight title, it can only officially be competed for by wrestlers weighing at least 105 kg (231 lb).
Naofumi Yamamoto is a Japanese professional wrestler, former boxer and mixed martial artist currently working as a freelancer.
The IWRG Rey del Ring refers both to an annual tournament and a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha libre professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). From 2002 until 2011 the IWRG Rey del Ring only referred to an annual 30-man tournament, but as of the 2011 tournament there is also a physical championship belt that is and can be defended throughout the year.
Katsushi Takemura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mostly known for his ring name Takemura. Having worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling for most of his career, he was an occasional member of the renowned stable Tokyo Gurentai.
Kento Miyahara is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a six time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He was trained by Kensuke Sasaki and started his career in his Kensuke Office promotion in February 2008, before joining AJPW in January 2014. He won his first title, the All Asia Tag Team Championship, in August 2014. He has also held AJPW's World Tag Team Championship. In February 2016, Miyahara won AJPW's top title, the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, becoming the youngest winner of the title in the process until March 20, 2024, when Yuma Anzai break his record at 24 years. He has since won the title five more times and is tied with Toshiaki Kawada for the most title defenses with ten. He is known for his charismatic and energetic demeanor in his matches and segments, with him adding brash and anti-authority rhetoric within his later years as the "Best of the Best".
Kensho Obayashi is a Japanese bodybuilder and professional wrestler better known by his ring name Zeus. He is currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a former four-time World Tag Team Champion with Bodyguard.
Shuji Ishikawa is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2017 Champion Carnival.
Masashi Takeda is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, primarily working for Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Deathmatch division. Takeda also competes as a freelancer for Freedoms and occasionally, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).
Lee Jae-kyung, better known by his ring name Jake Lee, is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist and weightlifter. As of July 2024, he is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its War Dogs subgroup.
Shotaro Ashino is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was trained by and best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he was a former two time Wrestle-1 Champion.
Fernando Antonio Cornejo Soto is a masked Mexican professional wrestler known under the ring names El Hijo de Canis Lupus and Alpha Wolf. He is primarily known for working for International Wrestling Revolution Group and Pro Wrestling Noah where he portrays a tecnico wrestling character. He previously worked under the ring names The Ram and Ram el Carnero. Cornejo is a second-generation wrestler, the son of Fernando Cornejo Camarena who used the name "Golpelador" as a wrestler. His younger brother is also a wrestler, known as Dragón Bane and the pair wrestles as Los Golpeadores. While he portrays the son of Canis Lupus, they are not related.
Hideyoshi Kamitani is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW).
Seigo Tachibana is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his tenure with the Japanese promotions Wrestle-1 and All Japan Pro Wrestling where he also appeared under the ring names Masao Hanabatake and O Hanabatakemasa.
Dan Tamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling where he is a former All Asia Tag Team Champions alongside Hikaru Sato.
Ryuki Honda is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling where he was formerly World Tag Team Champions in his first reign alongside Shotaro Ashino.
The Saito Brothers are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Japanese American twin brothers Jun Saito and Rei Saito. They were born on December 19, 1986, in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan to an American father and Japanese mother. They are currently signed with the Japanese professional wrestling promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, where they are aligned with the Voodoo Murders stable. They are also known for their work with various promotions of the Japanese independent scene.
Yuma Anzai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling where he is the current and youngest Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in history at 24 years and 350 days old, in his first reign.
Michael Parrow better known mononymously by his ring name Parrow is an American professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his tenures with various promotions such as Full Impact Pro (FIP), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).
Media related to Wayne Pace at Wikimedia Commons