Xceed (professional wrestling)

Last updated
Xceed
Stable
Members Atsushi Aoki
Go Shiozaki
Kotaro Suzuki
Kenso
Kento Miyahara
Yohei Nakajima
Name(s)Xceed
DebutNovember 18, 2013
DisbandedNovember 16, 2015

Xceed was a professional wrestling stable in All Japan Pro Wrestling and led by Go Shiozaki. The name "Xceed" means "surpass", "transcend", as well as a play on the original word "Exceed". [1]

Contents

History

2013

On October 23, Go Shiozaki quit the Burning stable and decided to go on his own. On November 18, Shiozaki announced the formation of his new stable: Xceed and that Kenso was the first member. [1] The group made their in-ring debut on the first day of the Royal Road Renaissancetour on November 21 with Shiozaki and Kenso teaming up against D-Lo Brown and Bambi Killer. The debut would end in disaster when the team lost after Kenso refused to tag in and betrayed Shiozaki by announcing he was with Brown and Bambi Killer all along. Following the match, Kento Miyahara, Kotaro Suzuki, and Atsushi Aoki came out to save Shiozaki. [2] Following the event, Miyahara, Suzuki, and Aoki officially joined Xceed. For the remainder of the tour, Xceed would feud with Kenso's new stable, now called Dark Kingdom, with the two stable exchanging wins. From November to December, Xceed would enter the 2013 World's Strongest Tag Determination League with Shiozaki and Miyahara forming one team while Suzuki and Aoki would form another. Ultimately, Suzuki and Aoki finished last place with 2 points by only defeating Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori. Shiozaki and Miyahara would fare better by making it to the finals but lost to the World Tag Team Champions Suwama and Joe Doering [3]

2014

On January 2, Miyahara officially joined All Japan and defeated Hikaru Sato. At the same show, Shiozaki would gain revenge by defeating Kenso in a one-on-one match. Aoki would challenge Ultimo Dragon for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship but came up short. In the main event, Suzuki and Miyahara entered the New Year's Battle Royal but lost to Takao Omori. [4] On January 26, Suzuki and Aoki lost the All Asia Tag Team Championship to former Burning teammates Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. [5] In February, Shiozaki began pursuing the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship while Suzuki and Aoki entered the 2014 Jr. Battle of Glory tournament. On February 5, Shiozaki scored a pinfall over triple crown champion Akebono in a tag team match. On the same show, Aoki announced his departure from Xceed and decided to go on his own. [6] On February 16, Suzuki won the Jr. Battle of Glory by defeating Masaaki Mochizuki in the finals and earned a junior heavyweight title shot. On February 23 at Okinawa Impact Vol. 1, Miyahara defeated Takao Omori but the stable were unable to win any titles as Suzuki failed to win the junior heavyweight title against Ultimo Dragon while Shiozaki was unable to wrestle the triple crown from Akebono. [7] In March, Miyahara challenged Akebono for the Triple Crown and received a shot on March 18, but he too, fell to Akebono.

In April, Shiozaki and Miyahara entered the 2014 Champion Carnival but neither won. Miyahara would place 5th in Block A with 2 points and his only win being over Osamu Nishimura. Shiozaki finished in 3rd place in Block B with 7 points but was unable to finish the tournament when he suffered a broken thumb and had to withdraw from the final day. [8] In May, Xceed got two title shots. On May 15, Suzuki and Miyahara challenged Team Dream Future for the All Asia Tag Team Titles but lost. The following day, Suzuki bounced back by defeating Sushi for the Gaora TV Championship. In June, the group had a quiet month with the only highlights being Suzuki's title defenses. During the June Dynamite Tour, Suzuki would make two successful title defenses of his TV Championship. He defeated Sushi in a rematch on June 15 and Menso-re Oyaji on June 30. Oyaji joined Xceed under his real name Yohei Nakajima on July 27. On September 28, Shiozaki defeated Suwama in the finals to win the 2014 Ōdō Tournament and earn another shot at the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

2015

On January 3, 2015, Shiozaki defeated Joe Doering to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Earlier in the event, Miyahara and Suzuki lost the All Asia Tag Team Championship to Dark Kingdom representatives Mitsuya Nagai and Takeshi Minamino. On March 27, Kotaro Suzuki defeated Atsushi Aoki to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. On May 6, Shiozaki and Miyahara defeated Akebono and Yutaka Yoshie to win the World Tag Team Championship. [9] On May 21, Shiozaki lost the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to Akebono in his third defense. [10] On August 16, Nakajima defeated Billyken Kid to win the vacant Gaora TV Championship. [11] On September 28, Shiozaki announced his resignation from AJPW, which led to him and Miyahara vacating the World Tag Team Championship. [12] He wrestled his final AJPW match on October 4. [13] On November 16, Xceed was disbanded, when Kotaro Suzuki also announced his departure from AJPW. [14]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenzo Suzuki</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Kenzo Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion in the latter company. He currently performs for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name Kenso, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time Gaora TV Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jun Akiyama</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1969)

Jun Akiyama is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-head booker, and an in-ring performer. In AJPW, he is a former two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, while also being a six-time overall professional wrestling world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takao Omori</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1969)

Takao Omori is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the All Japan Board of Directors. He has worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) and Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kotaro Suzuki</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1978)

Yasuhiro Suzuki, better known by the ring name Kotaro Suzuki, is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. He is best known for working for the Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling promotions, where he was a four-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion for Noah and a one-time World Junior Heavyweight Champion for AJPW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiyō Kea</span> American professional wrestler

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voodoo Murders</span> Professional wrestling stable

Voodoo-Murders, or more simply as VDM, is a professional wrestling stable and the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring. They perform violent actions and display a lack of respect for their opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suwama</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1976)

Kohei Suwama is a Japanese professional wrestler better known simply as Suwama (諏訪魔). He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former record eight-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the promotion's board of directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Shiozaki</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Go Shiozaki is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion where he is a record-holding five time former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He made his debut for the promotion in July 2004 and remained with it until the end of 2012. In January 2013, Shiozaki joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he became a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a two-time World Tag Team Champion, before resigning from the promotion in September 2015. Afterwards, he returned to Noah, where, in May 2016, he won the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the third time. He has also worked for American promotions Ring of Honor (ROH) and Full Impact Pro (FIP), winning the latter's World Heavyweight Championship. In August 2016, Shiozaki was appointed the chairman of Noah's wrestlers' association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Doering</span> American professional wrestler

Joseph Doering is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a member of Violent By Design. He is currently inactive due to cancer surgery. He is a former two-time Impact World Tag Team Champion alongside Eric Young and Deaner, holding the title under the Freebird rule. Doering is best known for his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he has had two reigns as the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He also performed for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he competed in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), under the ring name Drake Brewer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atsushi Aoki</span> Japanese professional wrestler (1977–2019)

Atsushi Aoki was a Japanese professional wrestler who worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as a wrestler, president of talent relations and head trainer at their dojo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menso-re Oyaji</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Yohei Nakajima, is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working under the name Black Menso-re for All Japan Pro Wrestling where he is a former four-time Gaora TV Champion. He was previously known as the similar masked character Menso～re Oyaji, under which he performed for several independent promotions, most notably Okinawa Pro Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

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.

Dark Kingdom (DK) was a stable that appeared in All Japan Pro Wrestling and led by Kenso. It was the top heel stable in all Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution (All Japan Pro Wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

Evolution is a professional wrestling stable in the All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) promotion. Originally started as a tag team named Last Revolution by Joe Doering and Suwama in October 2012, it was later turned into a stable when Kaz Hayashi, Shuji Kondo and Yasufumi Nakanoue joined the two. The stable was disbanded in June 2013, when Hayashi, Kondo and Nakanoue left AJPW, but Doering and Suwama came back together under the new name Evolution the following September and recruited Hikaru Sato as the stable's third member in February 2014. Suwama has held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion twice and Doering once as representatives of the stable. The two are also former one-time World Tag Team Champions and won the 2013 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. In July 2014, Atsushi Aoki joined Evolution, bringing the World Junior Heavyweight Championship to the stable with him. As part of Evolution, Aoki and Sato formed a tag team named Hentai Jieitai, becoming two-time All Asia Tag Team Champions and three-time winners of the Jr. Tag Battle of Glory tournament.

Ōdō Tournament is a professional wrestling tournament held annually by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) since 2013. The single-elimination tournament is a spiritual successor to the Open Championship tournament, which was held in 1975. Typically, the winner of the tournament earns a future match for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kento Miyahara</span> Japanese professional wrestler

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. 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeus (Japanese wrestler)</span> Japanese professional bodybuilder and wrestler (born in 1982)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Guns (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Big Guns is a professional wrestling tag team currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where they are former three-time World Tag Team Champions. They have also worked for Osaka Pro Wrestling, Smash, DDT, Wrestling New Classic, and Pro Wrestling Zero1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Lee (wrestler)</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Lee Jae-kyung, better known by his ring name Jake Lee, is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist and weightlifter currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the GHC Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. Known as the "Good Looking Emperor", Lee is best known for his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where, within two runs between 2011 and 2022, became a two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and Champion Carnival winner in 2021. He debuted for Pro Wrestling Noah in 2023 during their New Years event and in March, two months after his debut for the promotion, became the GHC Heavyweight Champion by defeating Kaito Kiyomiya at their Great Voyage in Yokohama event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuma Aoyagi</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1995)

Yuma Aoyagi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in his first reign, and a member of the Nextream stable. He is a two time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion, as well as a 3 time AJPW World Tag Team Champion. He is also the older brother of professional wrestler, Atsuki Aoyagi.

References

  1. 1 2 "Puroresu Spirit ~ Keeping the Spirit Alive".
  2. ↑ "All Japan results for November 21, 2013".
  3. ↑ "Real World Tag League 2013 (30.11.2013 bis 08.12.2013)" (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  4. ↑ "AJPW [first show of 2014 - World Jr: Ultimo Dragon vs Atsushi Aoki] results for January 2, 2014".
  5. ↑ "AJPW [Asia Tag: Kotaro/Aoki vs Akiyama/Kanemaru] results for January 26, 2014".
  6. ↑ "AJPW [Jr BATTLE OF GLORY Day 1] results for February 5, 2014".
  7. ↑ "All Japan Pro-Wrestling Results: 2014" (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  8. ↑ "Puroresu Spirit ~ Keeping the Spirit Alive".
  9. 1 2 【5.6】 2015 スーパーパワーシリーズ 開幕戦・後楽園大会. All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  10. ↑ 【5.21】 2015 スーパーパワーシリーズ 最終戦・後楽園大会. All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 2015-05-21. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
  11. ↑ "【8.16】 2015サマーエクスプロージョン 神戸大会". All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  12. ↑ 潮崎、全日本退団を電撃表明 世界タッグは返上. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
  13. ↑ 全日退団 潮﨑狙うはＩＷＧＰ. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  14. ↑ 鈴木鼓太郎選手退団について. All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.