lead=yes,
Higuchi is known for his work in the Wrestle-1 promotion, where he was a former Wrestle-1 Result Champion and Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champion before leaving the promotion in January 2019. He worked for WWE from 2020 until his release in 2023, performing for the NXT brand under the ring name Ikemen Jiro, where he notably formed a tag team with Kushida known as Jacket Time.
Higuchi portrays an character, reflected in his aliases, ring attire and mannerisms. Since his release from WWE in 2023, he has gone under the ring name Kuroshio Tokyo Japan, retaining his character in the process.
Early life
Higuchi was born in Adachi, Tokyo.
[ When he was young, he often attended professional wrestling events with his father, who was a fan. His father became friends with the elder brother of Yoshihiro Tajiri, which in turn led to a friendship with Tajiri himself. He started training with Tajiri's Hustle promotion when he was 14. However, without a definite plan towards making a professional debut plus other commitments beyond wrestling such as school, Higuchi's interest in wrestling waned and at one time he moved away from the sport. He eventually returned to wrestling by joining the Smash promotion's training camp.
]
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Using the ring name Jiro Kuroshio, Higuchi made his professional wrestling debut on December 30, 2011, against fellow camp attendee Koji Doi at the "Smash 24" event. He adopted the name "Kuroshio" from the name of the nabemono restaurant operated by his parents, "Nabeya Kuroshio ". The Smash promotion folded in March 2012 and on April 5, 2012, Kuroshio, along with Tajiri and all other wrestlers, referees and trainees, moved to the spin-off Wrestling New Classic promotion.
At WNC Before the Dawn, Kuroshio wrestled the very first match for Wrestling New Classic, losing to Josh O'Brien. At an event at Korakuen Hall on August 30, 2012, after defeating Koji Doi, Kuroshio announced he had become an apprentice of Hajime Ohara and joined Ohara's unit " DQN". On July 16, Kuroshio, Lin Byron and Tsubasa defeated The Bodyguard, Mio Shirai and Takuya Kito in the finals of a one night six person tournament to win the 2012 Kito Cup, with Byron pinning the tournament's creator Kito for the win.
Wrestle-1 (2014–2020)
Making his Wrestle-1 debut in April 2014, Kuroshio became an official member of the roster on July 1, when Kuroshio along with Tajiri, Akira Nogami, Yusuke Kodama, Koji Doi and Rionne Fujiwara left WNC.
Following the tournament, Kuroshio formed the stable Jackets with Yasufumi Nakanoue and Seiki Yoshioka. On October 9, the trio defeated New Wild Order (Akira, Jun Kasai and Kumaarashi) to win the vacant UWA World Trios Championship.
On November 27, 2016, Kuroshio defeated Yohei Nakajima for the Gaora TV Championship, his first singles title reign. On December 7 Kuroshio, Andy Wu, Daiki Inaba, Yusuke Kodama, Seiki Yoshioka, Koji Doi, Kumagoro and Kohei Fujimura formed a stable named New Era. Kuroshio suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury during a match against Shotaro Ashino on January 8, 2017,
On March 23, 2019, Kuroshio announced his departure from Wrestle-1, with his last match under contract scheduled to take place on April 3 in Korakuen Hall. Kuroshio made his American debut a month later on April 5, at an independent event in New York City, defeating Rich Swann. Kuroshio periodically returned to Wrestle-1 as a freelancer and participated in a battle royal on the promotion's last card on April 1, 2020.
WWE (2020–2023)
In December 2020, WWE announced Kuroshiro as a recruit to the WWE Performance Center.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2023–present)
On October 21, 2023, in the All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) 51st Anniversary Tour, Kuroshio was revealed as an entrant in the World's Strongest Tag League under the ring name 黒潮TOKYOジャパン, in a team with Seigo Tachibana.
DDT Pro-Wrestling (2023–present)
On October 22, 2023, Kuroshio appeared in DDT Pro-Wrestling at God Bless DDT 2023, making his return to the promotion since his last match in 2020. He challenged rookie Takeshi Masada to a singles bout at Ultimate Party 2023 after he had been recommended by Konosuke Takeshita over in America.
Championships and accomplishments
-
All Japan Pro Wrestling
-
Gaora TV Championship (2 times, current)
-
DDT Pro-Wrestling
-
DDT Extreme Championship (1 time)
-
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (1 time)
-
Gleat
-
G-Infinity Championship (2 times, current) – with Seigo Tachibana (1) and Cima (1)
-
Kuroshio Tokyo Japan Produce
-
Smash Championship (1 time)
-
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
-
Ranked No. 228 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2018
-
Strong Style Pro-Wrestling
-
Legend Championship (1 time, current)
-
Wrestle-1
-
UWA World Trios Championship (4 times) – with Yasufumi Nakanoue and Seiki Yoshioka (2), Jay Freddie and Kumaarashi (1), and Koji Doi and Kumagoro (1)
-
Wrestle-1 Result Championship (1 time)
-
Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Masato Tanaka
-
Wrestle-1 Grand Prix (2017)
-
Road To Keiji Mutoh Tournament (2015)
-
Wrestling New Classic
-
Kito Cup (2012) – with Lin Byron and Tsubasa
[
]
External links
