Naomichi Marufuji

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Naomichi Marufuji


Statistics
Ring name(s)	Naomichi Marufuji
Billed height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Billed weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Born	September 26, 1979 (1979-09-26) (age 28) Kitaadachi District, Saitama, Japan
Billed from	Kitaadachi District, Saitama, Japan (ROH)
Debut	August 28, 1998

Naomichi Marufuji (丸藤正道, Marufuji Naomichi^?) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling NOAH and the US based independent wrestling promotion, Ring of Honor. Marufuji is the only grand slam winner in Pro Wrestling NOAH.

1 Career
2 Wrestling facts
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 External links

[edit] Career

Marufuji pursued amateur wrestling during his high school days before joining All Japan Pro Wrestling, apparently inventing the shiranui finisher. For the first two years of his career, under Giant Baba and Mitsuharu Misawa's isolationist policy, he was a jobber; one of the few rare interpromotional matches he worked in Michinoku Pro Wrestling in 1999, a six-man tag lucha libre match, gave him a chance to shine. After the NOAH secession, he joined the upstart promotion and became an integral part of its Junior Heavyweight division, impressing many with his high-flying style. He would go on to form a successful tag team with KENTA, as well as win the 2004 Super J-Cup. Marufuji is expected to be one of NOAH's future aces.

As part of his foreign excursion to the US along with Kenta Kobashi and KENTA, Marufuji challenged Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship on December 17, 2005, in Edison, New Jersey. Danielson retained his title, but the crowd gave Marufuji a loud ovation after the match.

On March 5, 2006, Marufuji scored the biggest victory in his career to that date, pinning former AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and former GHC Heavyweight Champion Akira Taue.

Marufuji returned to the United States to wrestle for Ring of Honor on the main event of the "Best in the World" on March 25, 2006 show in New York City, teaming with KENTA for the first time in the United States against the team of Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson; the team of Marufuji and KENTA won after KENTA pinned Danielson, but after Marufuji tried and failed to lift Joe.

On September 9, 2006, Naomichi defeated Jun Akiyama for the GHC Heavyweight Championship at the 27:29 mark at the Budokan Hall, utilizing the Perfect Inside Cradle. In doing so he has become the first wrestler to 'sweep' all five GHC titles in NOAH. To date, he is the youngest and the smallest GHC Heavyweight Champion of all time (aged 26 and weighing around 185 lbs).

Marufuji returned to Ring of Honor for a third tour, along with KENTA, when he debuted in East Windsor, Connecticut. Marufuji and KENTA started off the tour with a win, teaming up to defeat the Briscoes at Glory By Honor V: Night 1. The following night at Glory By Honor v: Night 2, he successfully defended the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Nigel McGuinness.

Marifuji's second defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship was against tag team partner KENTA on October 29, 2006 and won in what the Tokyo Sports Grand Prix later called the "Best Bout of 2006".

On December 10, 2006, Marufuji lost the GHC Heavyweight Championship to Mitsuharu Misawa in his third defense.

On May 11, 2007, Marufuji once again returned to Ring of Honor in Hartford, Connecticut where he defeated Matt Sydal. On May 12, 2007, which was taped to be on Ring of Honor's first Pay Per View Respect Is Earned, Marifuji defeated Rocky Romero at 16:04 with the Shiranui.

Marufuji is also known for his unique ring gear wear he wears a colorful hooded jacket and mask to ring that he takes off only after being introduced before a match, since his move to the heavyweight division however, he has dropped the mask and trademark black ring gear in favor of a new gold and red attire. He used to enter the ring by jumping on the top turnbuckle then performing a backflip but has also dropped this in favor of a high angle jump over the top rope. In 2008 he changed his look again, he switched his colors to red, black, & white and in Mid-May cut his hair and dyed it red. He has greatly improved his move repertoire and put on 10 pounds of muscle. Making him a very formidible opponent now that he is able to lift wrestlers twice his size and still keep up with other Jr. Heavyweights.

[edit] Wrestling facts

Finishing and signature moves
- Shiranui – Innovated
- Shiranui Kai (Moonsault side slam)
- Perfect Cradle (Armlock inside cradle)
- Pole Shift (Wrist-clutch fisherman driver)
- Australian Suplex (Non-lifting tiger suplex)
- Sitout double underhook powerbomb into a cross armbreaker
- Superkick
- Corner-to-corner missile dropkick
- Asai moonsault
- Capture suplex
- Headscissors twisted into a DDT
- Stunner, as a vertical suplex counter
- Dragon screw with an armlock
- Facebuster onto the ringpost to an opponent standing on the second rope
- German suplex
- Spin-out powerbomb
- Springboard dropkick
- Slingshot elbow drop
- Sneak Attack Lariat
- Shooting star press

Theme music
- In NOAH, Marufuji uses a NOAH produced theme song titled Hysteric, a song that is molded after the popular "trance" version of techno music in Japan. In ROH, he (like Morishima) uses an unnamed techno theme produced in-house by ROH, which has also been used on the English release of NOAH DVDs.