LiLiCo | |
---|---|
Born | Ann-Sophie Lennerfors 16 November 1970 Stockholm, Sweden |
Nationality | Swedish |
Occupation(s) | TV personality, actress, professional wrestler and film critic |
Years active | 1989-present |
Agent | Plan Chime |
Spouse | [1] |
Ann-Sophie Lennerfors (born 16 November 1970) is a Swedish TV personality and film critic who lives and works in Japan, best known under the stage name LiLiCo.
LiLiCo was born Ann-Sophie Lennerfors in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Japanese mother and a Swedish father. [2] [3] As a biracial child in Sweden, LiLiCo was bullied while at school. [3] Her father left the family when LiLiCo was 9 years old. [3]
LiLiCo moved to Japan in 1988 at the age of 18, initially staying with her grandmother in Katsushika, Tokyo. [3] In May 1989, LiLiCo embarked on a career as a singer, [3] releasing her first single in 1992. [4] In 2001, she was offered a job as a film critic on TBS's Saturday morning King's Brunch programme. [3]
In 2014, LiLiCo began working for Japanese professional wrestling company DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where, over the next three years, she won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship twice and the DDT Extreme Championship once, while also becoming part of the inaugural KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions. [5] [6] [7] [8]
After having fractured her patella in 2020, forcing her to give up wrestling, [9] LiLiCo was invited back to DDT to have a retirement match on March 20, 2022, at Judgement 2022: DDT 25th Anniversary. [10]
DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bought and managed by Shoichi Ichimiya until December 2005, when Sanshiro Takagi took over as the new president. In 2017, DDT was sold to CyberAgent. Takagi retained his position, while Takahiro Yamauchi took over as the new DDT director.
Hoshitango Imachi is an Argentine-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler and current professional wrestler. His highest rank was jūryō 3.
Harashima is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a ten-time KO-D Openweight Champion and a current eleven-time KO-D Tag Team Champion.
Yuzuki Aikawa is a Japanese gravure idol and retired professional wrestler. Starting her modeling career in 2003, Aikawa went on to become one of Japan's top gravure idols, earning the nickname "The Gravure Queen of the Next Generation" by appearing in various men's magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs and video games.
Masahiro Takanashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Masa Takanashi. Takanashi was trained by Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and has worked for the promotion since his debut in September 2003, becoming a one-time KO-D Openweight Champion, a two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion, a seven-time KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion, a two-time DDT Extreme Champion, an 18-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion and a one-time UWA World Trios Champion. Takanashi is also known for his work in women's wrestling promotion Ice Ribbon, where he performed under the ring name Ribbon Takanashi and became a one-time International Ribbon Tag Team and Triangle Ribbon Champion.
Hiroaki Sato is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name Hikaru Sato. Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five times a year, compiling a record of 18 wins, 19 losses and four draws, which included fights against the likes of Keiichiro Yamamiya, Nathan Marquardt, Ryo Chonan and Yushin Okami. In May 2008, Sato transitioned into the world of professional wrestling, when he was signed by the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion. He has since had ten MMA fights. In November 2010, Sato first became a triple crown trios champion with Michael Nakazawa and Tomomitsu Matsunaga and then also won DDT's top singles title, the KO-D Openweight Championship. Sato remained affiliated with DDT until January 2014. He is currently working for the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, where he is a former two-time World Junior Heavyweight Champion and four-time All Asia Tag Team Champion, while also being a five-time winner of the Jr. Tag Battle of Glory tournament.
Daisuke Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where is a former two-time DDT Universal Champion. In addition to that, in DDT, he is also a former three-time KO-D Openweight Champion, one-time DDT Extreme Champion, six-time KO-D Tag Team Champion, three-time KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion and a three-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion. Sasaki has also made several appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), working in the promotion's junior heavyweight division.
Atsushi Kudo is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kudo. Signed to the DDT Pro-Wrestling promotion, he is currently in his seventh reign as one third of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions, while also being a former four-time KO-D Openweight Champion, four-time KO-D Tag Team Champion and the winner of the 2005 and 2011 King of DDT tournaments. Kudo has also made several trips to the United States, working for various independent promotions including Chikara, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA-MS), International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), IWA East Coast and NWA Upstate.
Yukio Sakaguchi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka, who is currently signed with DDT Pro-Wrestling and has fought and competed for All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestling Wave, S-Cup, Shooto, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Union Pro Wrestling, Kaientai Dojo, Dradition, Legend The Pro-Wrestling and K-1. Sakaguchi is known for his fight with Nigerian K-1 kickboxer, Film actor and male model Andy Ologun. Yukio is the son of former judoka and professional wrestling legend Seiji Sakaguchi and the older brother of actor Kenji Sakaguchi, who notably co-starred in Ikebukuro West Gate Park when the television show made its debut run in 2000 and most recently in 2012 started making regular appearances on the show Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi, he also co-starred in the film Face.
The KO-D6-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion. The current champions are Damnation T.A., who are in their third reign as a team; but sixth for Sasaki, second for Kanon and fifth for Paul. They defeated D・O・A at DDT X Zeekstar Tokyo Special Performance on April 26, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.
Burning is a professional wrestling stable originally formed in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in August 1998 by Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi, Kentaro Shiga and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Akiyama and Kobashi dominated AJPW's tag team ranks for the next two years, winning the World Tag Team Championship twice and the World's Strongest Tag Determination League also twice.
All Together is a series of professional wrestling events organized by United Japan Pro-Wrestling. Initially the All Together event series was organized by Japan's three biggest promotions; All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (NOA), in response to the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The first event was held in Tokyo on August 27, 2011, and the second in Sendai on February 19, 2012. All proceeds from the events were donated to Japanese Red Cross. The events featured no storylines or championship matches, instead they were booked as "supercards", putting together combinations of wrestlers from the three promotions that fans would normally not see. A third event called All Together: Again took place in Tokyo on June 9, 2023, as a memorial to NJPW founder Antonio Inoki who had died the previous year. A fourth event took place in Tokyo on May 5, 2024, in response to the 2024 Noto earthquake and was also the first event under the United Japan Pro-Wrestling (UJPW) banner, which comprises NJPW, DDT Pro Wrestling (DDT), Dragongate (DG), Big Japan Pro-Wrestling (BJW), NOAH and World Wonder Ring Stardom (STARDOM).
Isami Kodaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Pro-Wrestling Basara (Basara). He originally started his career in the Kaientai Dojo (K-Dojo) promotion in July 2002, but later left the promotion to become a freelancer, before signing with Union Pro Wrestling in 2005. Through Union Pro's working relationship, Kodaka also began working for Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), where he adopted his current, hardcore wrestling-based style. Kodaka remained affiliated with Union Pro until the promotion folded in October 2015, after which he became a founding member of Pro-Wrestling Basara (Basara).
Yuji Okabayashi is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division, but is on an indefinite absence. Known as "The Golem", he has been working in BJW since his debut in June 2008, and is best known as part of a tag team with Daisuke Sekimoto, with whom he has held the BJW Tag Team Championship, All Japan Pro Wrestling's (AJPW) World Tag Team and All Asia Tag Team Championships and DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT)'s KO-D Tag Team Championship. As a singles wrestler, he is notably a four-time BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion.
Konosuke Takeshita is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to both the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family, and the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). He was named the Rookie of the Year by Tokyo Sports in 2013 and is the youngest KO-D Openweight Champion in history, having won the title on his 21st birthday. In DDT, he has also held the KO-D Tag Team Championship, the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, and the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship. He signed with AEW in November 2022 and is currently managed by Don Callis.
The KO-D10-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling promotion. Meant for teams of five wrestlers, the title is believed to be the first of its kind in professional wrestling. The title was first announced on April 30, 2017, with the inaugural champions crowned on August 20, 2017.
Yuko Miyamoto is a Japanese professional wrestler. He originally started his career in Wrestling Marvelous Future in August 2003, but later left the promotion and in 2004, signed with Dark Pro-Wrestling 666 (666). Miyamoto has since appeared in Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).
Mizuki Kaminade, better known by her ring name Mizuki, often stylized as MIZUKI, is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where she is formerly one-fifth of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions, as well as Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is the former one-time Princess of Princess Champion. She is also three-time Princess Tag Team Champion.
Judgement 2022: DDT 25th Anniversary was a professional wrestling event promoted by CyberFight's DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). It took place on March 20, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. It was the twenty-sixth event under the Judgement name and the fourth to take place at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event aired domestically on Fighting TV Samurai and globally on CyberFight's video-on-demand service Wrestle Universe. It was the culmination of a two-day event, which began with the Grand Princess '22 event held by Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) on March 19 at the same venue.