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born September 4, 1953 is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Kimura Kengo and for his many years working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan.
In the mid-1980s Kimura began teaming with Tatsumi Fujinami on a regular basis. The team won the revived WWF International Tag Team Championship in 1985 when they defeated Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis. The title was vacated a few months later when NJPW decided to create their own Tag Team title, the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Kimura and Fujinami won the tournament to crown the first ever IWGP Tag Team title defeating Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi in the finals of the tournament, with Fujinami upsetting Inoki by pinning him with his trademark Dragon Suplex. On August 5, 1986 Kimura and Fujinami were defeated by Akira Maeda and Osamu Kido to win the title. The duo regained the title only 49 days later, but vacated the belts in February, 1987 when the team split up.
In December 1986, Kimura graduated to the heavyweight division. Fujinami focused on winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship while Kimura teamed with various partners in unsuccessful attempts at winning the tag team titles back. On January 18, 1988 Kimura and Fujinami reunited to win the IWGP Tag Team titles from Kazuo Yamazaki and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. The team's third reign ended on June 10, 1988 at the hands of Riki Choshu and Masa Saito, with the two not winning the title again until approximately nine years later when they defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono on January 4, 1997. Later that year Kimura teamed up with Takashi Ishikawa to capture Big Japan Pro Wrestling's inaugural BJW Tag Team Championship.
In the 1990s, he was part of Shiro Koshinaka's Heisei Ishingun faction, alongside Kuniaki Kobayashi, Akitoshi Saito, Tatsutoshi Goto, Akira Nogami, and Michiyoshi Ohara.
In early 2003 Kengo Kimura announced that he would retire at the end of the "Kengo Kimura Inazuma Countdown Tour". Kimura's retirement match took place on March 23, 2003 where he wrestled Osamu Nishimura to a time limit draw. Since his official retirement Kimura has only made one or two "special appearances" in the wrestling ring.
Championships and accomplishments
Lucha de Apuesta record
External links
Categories: 1953 Births, Japanese Male Professional Wrestlers, Japanese Sportsperson-politicians, Living People, Iwgp Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Nwa World Light Heavyweight Champions, 20th-century Male Professional Wrestlers, 20th-century Japanese Professional Wrestlers, 21st-century Male Professional Wrestlers, 21st-century Japanese Professional Wrestlers, Nwa International Junior Heavyweight Champions, Wwc Puerto Rico Champions, Bjw Tag Team Champions, Nwa Americas Tag Team Champions, World Tag League Winners, Wwf International Tag Team Champions, 20th-century Japanese Sportsmen, Wwc World Tag Team Champions
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