Fans watching modern pro wrestling have likely seen the Michinoku Driver being executed on television countless times, and identified as such by commentators. Those fans who were around for the Attitude Era of WWE know it’s in reference to Japanese star TAKA Michinoku, who wrestled for the company from 1997 to 2001.
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Despite a lengthy stint in WWE and being a staple of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, there are likely many fans who don’t know much about TAKA Michinoku. Let’s take a look at Michinoku’s entire career and what fans should know about him, including his time in Japan and his most infamous storyline in WWE.
10 Trained By The Great Sasuke
As one might expect, TAKA Michinoku got his start wrestling in Japan, where he was trained by innovative high-flyers the Great Sasuke and Gran Hamada. Both veterans founded the promotion Michinoku Pro Wrestling, which would later enter a working relationship with WWE and featured a hybrid of Japanese wrestling and lucha libre style, so TAKA decided to honor his mentors by adopting the name of the promotion as his own surname.
He proved to be successful in the Japanese scene, capturing Michinoku Pro’s Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship as well as two runs with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling’s Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
9 Made An Impression In ECW
For many Western wrestling fans in the 1990s, however, TAKA Michinoku made his first impression in ECW. He made his debut in February 1997 teaming with fellow members of MPW’s Kaientai faction, Terry Boy (a.k.a. MEN's Teioh) and Dick Togo, against Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Gran Naniwa.
But two months later would bring ECW’s first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, where Michinoku and his partners would put on a mindblowing six-man tag with Sasuke, Hamada, and Masato Yakushiji, full of impressive athleticism and a breakneck pace.
8 A Regular In NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight Division
TAKA Michinoku made his in-ring debut in 1992, and after two years would start showing up in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he’d take part in several tournaments in 1994. In addition to taking part in the Super J Cup — his NJPW debut — Michinoku would also compete in Best of the Super Juniors tournament as well as the Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League.
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In the 21st century, TAKA Michinoku would become a regular part of NJPW’s tag team division, taking part in several BOSJ tournaments and enjoying two runs with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
7 The First WWE Light Heavyweight Champion
The summer of 1997 brought TAKA Michinoku’s debut for WWE, taking on Great Sasuke in a near-show-stealer at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede. The fall would bring a tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Light Heavyweight Champion, which Michinoku would win by defeating Brian Christopher in the final round.
TAKA Michinoku’s reign with the Light Heavyweight belt would last 315 days and 11 successful televised title defenses before ending at the hands of Christian in his first televised match for WWE.
6 Feuded With WWE’s Kai En Tai
While TAKA Michinoku is known for being a part of Kai En Tai in both Japan and the US, he initially was not a member of the group in WWE. Initially Michinoku was targeted by the nationalist Kai En Tai for becoming too Westernized and hanging out with Bradshaw.
Michinoku would clash with his former partners on numerous occasions, including tagging with Bradshaw in a solid two-on-three handicap match at Over the Edge: In Your House and a six-man tag where TAKA was joined by The Headbangers.
5 Member of WWE’s Kai En Tai
Soon Kai En Tai would begin to feud with Val Venis over Venis’ romancing of the wife of Kai En Tai’s manager, Mr. Yamaguchi. TAKA Michinoku would team with Val Venis in opposing the group, but surprisingly turned heel on Venis and joined the group, revealing that Yamaguchi’s wife was Michinoku’s sister.
This led to one of the most infamous moments of the Attitude Era and Michinoku’s WWE run, where Kai En Tai attempted to sever Val Venis’ genitals with a samurai sword.
4 Tag Team With Funaki
After the Val Venis feud ended and the group moved on to a regrettable rivalry with The Oddities, Kai En Tai was whittled down to two men, TAKA Michinoku and Funaki. No longer a midcard nationalist stable, Michinoku and Funaki became a comedic tag team, incapable of winning a match and having their promos dubbed over, Godzilla style.
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Despite having jobber status, TAKA Michinoku had a few shots at some titles, including challenging Triple H for the WWE Championship and numerous opportunities to recapture the Light Heavyweight Championship.
3 Founder Of Kaientai Dojo
After leaving WWE in late 2001, TAKA Michinoku established his own wrestling school and promotion in Japan in 2002, Kaientai Dojo, sometimes referred to as K-DOJO. With a hybrid style resulting from Michinoku’s experience working in Japan and internationally, Kaientai Dojo has worked with more established promotions including Michinoku Pro and All Japan Pro-Wrestling.
In 2018, however, Michinoku was embroiled in an infidelity scandal, resulting in his departure from Kaientai Dojo, which has since rebranded as 2AW, short for Active Advance Pro Wrestling.
2 Member Of Suzuki-gun
Upon becoming an active part in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the early 2010s, TAKA Michinoku became a founding member of the stable Kojima-gun, alongside Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, and Nosawa Rongai. However, after Satoshi Kojima suffered a series of major losses, Michinoku and Taichi turned on him, aligning with Minoru Suzuki and reinventing Kojima-gun as Suzuki-gun.
In 2015, TAKA Michinoku joined his Suzuki-gun compatriots in staging a two-year-long invasion of another company, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and continued to be part of the group after it returned to NJPW, serving as manager of stablemate Zack Sabre Jr.
1 Started Just Tap Out
While TAKA Michinoku continues to show up in New Japan, in the summer of 2019 he debuted a new promotion/school called Professional Wrestling Just Tap Out, or simply Just Tap Out. With a focus on a similar hybrid ring style that Kaientai Dojo had, JTO further distinguishes itself from other promotions by determining its top champions via a ranking system, though it does have some traditional championships like Michinoku’s old Independent Junior Heavyweight Title.
So far, the most significant performer to come out of JTO is Maika, who’s already a decorated champion in Stardom and a member of the faction Donna del Mundo.
