Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki (鈴木 実, Suzuki Minoru, ring name: 鈴木 みのる) (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, he has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice holding the NEVER Openweight Championship.
| Minoru Suzuki | |
|---|---|
Suzuki, with Chris Jericho, at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door in 2022 | |
| Born | June 17, 1968 Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 102 kg (225 lb) |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Team | Pancrase Mission |
| Teacher(s) | Karl Gotch Kotetsu Yamamoto NJPW Dojo Yoshiaki Fujiwara |
| Years active | 1988–1993, 2003–present (professional wrestling) 1993–2003, 2013 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 50 |
| Wins | 30 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 22 |
| By decision | 4 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 20 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Website | Official blog |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: December 23, 2012 | |
Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s, he was widely considered one of the best fighters in the world and was the second King of Pancrase world champion. Suzuki returned to puroresu in 2003, when he has become a perennial top contender for all major Japanese heavyweight championships. He is also known for his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and a former GHC Tag Team Champion along with Naomichi Marufuji.
A mixed martial arts pioneer, Suzuki is well noted for his excellence in catch wrestling, and has been praised many times by elite fighters such as Josh Barnett, Bas Rutten, and Ken Shamrock for his outstanding grappling and submission skills.