Changes: Super Shisa

Super Shisa
Birth name	Yoshiyuki Saito
Born	April 9, 1970 (age 54)
	Naha-shi, Okinawa, Japan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Saito; Yoshiyuki Saito; Super Shisa
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
Trained By	Último Dragón; Dos Caras
Debut	June 30, 1996

Latest revision as of 08:15, 2 August 2017

General

Image gallery

Yoshiyuki Saito (born in Naha-shi, Okinawa) is a Japanese professional wrestler best known by his ring name Super Shisa, currently wrestling for Dragon Gate. His gimmick is inspired by the Ryukyuan Shisa. He claimed to be a student of Toryumon alumni Saito, but was outed as being Saito himself in 2007.

Career

As SAITO

Saito got his start in wrestling with Último Dragón's upstart promotion toryumon. He trained in Mexico with the rest of the Último Dragón students, and briefly used the Super Shisa gimmick while there. He wrestled January 31, 1999, on Toryumon's debut show. Wrestling under his real name, he teamed with Magnum Tokyo and Dragon Kid to take on Shima Nobunaga, Sumo Fuji and Judo Suwa in an elimination match on the main event of the card. Saito would be eliminated second following a Nodowa Elbow from Fuji, but his team would go on to win the match.>

He would continue to be a top line player in early Toryumon, and would rename to Saito. In the spring of 2000, he and fellow Toryumon participant Chocoball KOBE would wrestle in Pro Wrestling Kageki. Saito would win the Hakata City Jr Heavyweight Title in a tournament, defeating Daiyu Kawuchi in the final round.

He abruptly announced his retirement in late 2001, and stated that his first student, Super Shisa, would take his place. Saito would be given a "Sayonara Saito" series of matches by Toryumon. His record in the series was 0-5-1, the draw being a double countout against Yasushi Kanda. His final match as Saito would be a loss to Shuji Kondo on 10/28/2001.

As Super Shisa

Super Shisa would debut on 11/8/2001, wrestling a 10-minute draw with Kenichiro Arai.

Shisa has spent most of his career in both Toryumon and Dragon Gate near the bottom of the card, rarely joining units. He was a member of a short lived unit called Waku Waku Fuji Land, led by Don Fujii. Waku Waku Fuji Land was designed to bridge the gap between Crazy Max and the soon-to-form Blood Generation. As Blood Generation was based on a clean face (no masks or face paint) concept, Fuji gave Shisa an ultimatum: unmask or you may not join Blood Generation. The ultimatum prompted the fans to begin chanting Saito's name, but Shisa quickly opted to leave rather than unmask.

Shisa then aligned with Magnum Tokyo's PosHearts unit. PosHearts would go on hiatus due to an injury to Tokyo, and Shisa spent the latter part of 2005 and much of 2006 teaming with King Shisa, and occasionally with Dragon Gate dojo student Shisa Boy. The team broke up when King Shisa was outed as being Mexican heel Pentagon Black, and reverted to that gimmick.

Towards the end of 2006, PosHearts would reunite, and Shisa would win his first title in Toryumon / Dragon Gate, winning the Open the Triangle Gate titles with stablemates BxB Hulk and Anthony W. Mori. The success was short lived, as PosHearts lost the titles to the Muscle Outlaw'z, and then lost a follow up match forcing them to disband as a stable. It was during this match that Shisa was outed as being Saito; damage to the mask and blood loss forced him to voluntarily demask.

Since the dissolution of PosHearts, Shisa has remained unaligned and wrestling low on the card. He is a trainer in the Dragon Gate dojo, and focuses primarily on those duties. While wrestling on the main roster, Shisa aligns with the "Mushozoku" Unit, a group of older wrestlers including Masaaki Mochizuki, K-ness and Magnitude Kishiwada. Aside from Dragon Gate, Shisa spends time in various smaller Japanese independent promotions.

On February 27, 2010, his ranking in the promotion improved significantly when he defeated K-ness to become the Open the Brave Gate Champion. He held the title for just under two months before losing it to Tigers Mask of Osaka Pro Wrestling.

On April 15, 2011, Shisa represented Team Dragon Gate in the 2011 King of Trios tournament along with Akira Tozawa and Kagetora. In the first round of the tournament, Team Dragon Gate defeated the Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare). The following day, Team Dragon Gate was eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-final stage by The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Hieracon and Ophidian). On April 17, the final day of the tournament, Shisa and KAGETORA took part in a gauntlet tag match and were the final team to enter, but they were defeated by Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada.

The Shisa Lineage

Other wrestlers with a Shisa gimmick have appeared in Dragon Gate, aligned with Super Shisa. One of the current dojo students is Shisa Boy. Mexican wrestler Pentagon Black spent several months in Dragon Gate as King Shisa. Introduced as the leader of the Shisa clan, King Shisa was pushed further than Super Shisa ever was, even going so far as to get a Dream Gate title shot. He was eventually outed as being Pentagon Black by the Muscle Outlaw'z, and joined them.

Factions

Waku Waku Fuji Land (2004)
Pos.Hearts (2005–2007)
Junction Three (2011–2012)
MadoGiwa Windows (2012–2013)
Oretachi Veteran-gun (2013–2014)

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Shisa Clutch (Handstand taunt transitioned into a modified arm trap somersault cradle)
Yoshi Tonic (Leg trap sunset flip powerbomb) – Innovated

Signature moves

Alejandro Lock (Cross-legged STF)
Doshanko Tiara (Rope aided backflip transitioned into a headscissors takedown to an opponent outside the ring)
European uppercut
Face the Mountain (Bridging straight jacket choke)
Hasaaku Clutch (Scissored armbar)
Manji Cobra Twist (Simultaneous octopus hold and abdominal stretch to two opponents)
Saito Special (Handstand crossface)
Saito Special II (Handstand figure four leglock)
Saito Special III (Handstand inverted Gannosuke clutch)
Saito Special IV (Handstand mule kick)
Saito Special V (Handstand sunset flip)
Saito Special VI (Handstand inverted crossface]])
Turnbuckle headstand headscissors to an opponent on the top rope transitioned into a |frankensteiner
Yoshifuusha (Double underhook suplex floated over into a handstand pin)

Nicknames

"Lion of Ryukyu"

Entrance themes
- "Dosanko Shisa" by GLAY
- "Shisa Callin'" by Yoji Kubota

Championships and accomplishments

Dragon Gate
- Open the Triangle Gate Championship (1 time) – with BxB Hulk and Anthony W. Mori
- Open the Brave Gate Championship – (1 time)
Pro-Wrestling Kageki
- Hakata City Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

v • d • e Dragon Gate
Wrestlers		Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! · Jimmy Kagetora · Jimmy Kanda · Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. · Jimmy Susumu · Ryo "Jimmy" Saito
		Ben-K · Big R Shimizu · Kotoka · Masato Yoshino · Naruki Doi
		CIMA · Dragon Kid · Eita · Gamma · Kaito Ishida · Mondai Ryu · Takehiro Yamamura
		BxB Hulk · Flamita · Kzy · YAMATO · Yosuke♥Santa Maria
		"brother" YASSHI · El Lindaman · Punch Tominaga · Shingo Takagi · T-Hawk · Takashi Yoshida
	Sekigun	Don Fujii · "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa · Hyou Watanabe · Katsumi Takashima · Keni'chiro Arai · Masaaki Mochizuki · Shachihoko BOY · Shun Skywalker · Super Shisa · U-T · Yuki Yoshioka
Championships	Active	Open the Dream Gate · Open the Brave Gate · Open the Twin Gate · Open the Triangle Gate · Open the Owarai Gate
Championships	Inactive	Open the Freedom Gate · Open the United Gate · Open the Owarai Twin Gate · Ultimo Dragon Gym Championship · UWA World Trios Championship · NWA World Welterweight Championship · NWA International Light Heavyweight Championship · British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments	On-going	King of Gate · Summer Adventure Tag League
Tournaments	Cancelled	El Numero Uno · King of Chop · Young Dragons Cup · Rey De Parejas · T2P Strongest Merit Assessment League
Events	Champion Gate · Memorial Gate in Wakayama · Dead or Alive · Kobe World Pro-Wrestling Festival · Scandal Gate · Dangerous Gate · Gate of Destiny · Final Gate

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Tabs
-{{Infobox wrestler
+|backcolor=#FFE93E
-|name= Super Shisa
+|altbackcolor=#FFFFFF
-|image= Super Shisa.jpg
+|bordercolor=silver
-|real= Yoshiyuki Saito
+|borderradius=6
-|born= April 9, 1970<br />Naha-shi, Okinawa, Japan
-|height= 1.78 m (5 ft. 10 in.)
+|height=2.2
+|maxwidth=20
-|weight= 77 kilograms (170 lbs.)
+|tab1=General
-|status= Active in [[Dragon Gate]]
+|tab2=Image gallery
-|trained= [[Ultimo Dragon]]
+}}
-|debut= June 30, 1996
+{{Infobox Wrestler
-|billed=
+|name=Super Shisa
-|other= SAITO<br />Yoshiyuki Saito
+|image=SuperShisa.jpg
-}}'''Yoshiyuki Saito''', better known as '''Super Shisa''', is a [[Toryumon Japan|1st Term graduate of the Ultimo Dragon Gym]].  He actively wrestles in [[Dragon Gate|Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling]].
+|caption=
+|names=Saito<br>Yoshiyuki Saito<br>'''Super Shisa'''
+|birth_name=Yoshiyuki Saito
+|height=1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
+|weight=77 kg (170 lb)
+|birth_date ={{birth date and age|1970|4|9}}
+|death_date =
+|birth_place =Naha-shi, Okinawa, Japan
+|death_place=
+|resides=
+|billed=
+|trainer=[[Último Dragón]]<br />[[Dos Caras]]
+|debut=June 30, 1996
+|retired=
+|}}
+'''Yoshiyuki Saito''' (born in Naha-shi, Okinawa) is a Japanese professional wrestler best known by his ring name '''Super Shisa''', currently wrestling for [[Dragon Gate]]. His gimmick is inspired by the Ryukyuan Shisa. He claimed to be a student of Toryumon alumni Saito, but was outed as being Saito himself in 2007.
 ==Career==
-===SAITO===
+===As SAITO===
-Saito was the first student of the Ultimo Dragon Gym to wrestle, making his debut on June 30, 1996.  He officially graduated the following year and, competing as simply SAITO, would become an integral part in the development of Toryumon.  He was a top line player through the early years of the promotion, culminating in a trip to Pro Wrestling Kageki in 2000 along with Chocoball KOBE.  During the trip, SAITO would enter a tournament for the Hakata City Junior Heavyweight Championship, which he would win after defeating Daiyu Kawuchi in the final round.
-SAITO is recognized as being the innovator of the Yoshi Tonic finisher, which is better known to most wrestling fans as the Canadian Destroyer or simply the Flip Piledriver.  It is commonly believed that the Yoshi Tonic name was inspired from the Yoshi character in the Super Mario Bros. video games, though it could also be loosely taken from part of SAITO's real first name.
-In late 2001, SAITO made the sudden announcement that he was retiring.  He added that his place in Toryumon would be filled by his first student, Super Shisa.  Not commonly known is that he had tested the Super Shisa gimmick early in Mexico.  A Sayonara SAITO series of matches was held, during which he did not win a single match and ended up with five loses and a double countout against Yasushi Kanda.  He would compete in his last match as SAITO in a loss against Shuji Kondon on October 28, 2001.
-===Super Shisa===
-Super Shisa would make his debut on November 8, 2001 in a ten minute draw against Keni'chiro Arai.  For several months, fans would constantly harass him into admitting that he really was SAITO.  He steadfastly refused.  While the fans stopped their harassing him, they still believed he was SAITO, but accepted him as Super Shisa.
-Shisa would spend the majority of his career near the bottom of the card in Toryumon and then Dragon Gate.  At first, he had no intention of joining a unit until he hooked up with the short lived Waku Waku Fujii Land group led by Don Fujii.  The group would end up being designed to bridge the gap between Crazy MAX and the soon-to-form Blood Generation.  When Blood Generation came to be, the initial basis was for a clean face concept, meaning no masks.  Fujii gave Shisa the ultimatum of unmasking or leave the group.  Fans began chanting SAITO's name, but Shisa declined and left.
-Shisa would later hook up with the Magnum TOKYO developed PosHEARTS unit.  However, PosHEARTS would enter a hiatus due to TOKYO getting injured not long after it began and appointed leader Anthony W. Mori briefly joining Tozawajuku for polishing.  In the meantime, the Shisa lineage would be introduced as King Shisa and Shisa BOY appeared in 2006.  This group ended up being short lived when the Muscle Outlaw'z outed King Shisa as the devious Mexican heel Pentagon Black.  He would revert to the gimmick and join up with the heel group for the remainder of his stay.
-PosHEARTS would reunite shortly thereafter and end up winning the Open The Triangle Gate Championship, the first title Shisa held in the promotion dating back to its beginnings.  Their reign with the belts and their stay as a unit would not last.  Towards the end of 2006, they lost the titles to the Muscle Outlaw'z under an added stipulation that the group would disband if they lost.  During the match, Shisa took a great deal of damage to the head that it caused his mask to tear and left him bleeding.  With little choice, Shisa voluntarily unmasked in the middle of the match and outed himself as being SAITO, much to the delight of fans.  Nevertheless, he would continue being Super Shisa afterward.
-Following the dissolution of PosHEARTS, Shisa continued wrestling low on the card.  He has primarily focused on his duties as a trainer at the Dragon Gate dojo.  When on the main roster, he was generally aligned with the thirty-and-over group that included fellow veterans Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, K-ness, and Magnitude Kishiwada for a short time.  Shisa has also ventured into smaller Japanese independent promotions to compete and acting as an ambassador on behalf of Dragon Gate.
+Saito got his start in wrestling with [[Último Dragón]]'s upstart promotion [[Toryumon Japan|toryumon]]. He trained in Mexico with the rest of the Último Dragón students, and briefly used the Super Shisa gimmick while there. He wrestled January 31, 1999, on Toryumon's debut show. Wrestling under his real name, he teamed with [[Magnum Tokyo]] and [[Dragon Kid]] to take on Shima Nobunaga, [[Don Fujii|Sumo Fuji]] and Judo Suwa in an elimination match on the main event of the card. Saito would be eliminated second following a Nodowa Elbow from Fuji, but his team would go on to win the match.>
-On Februrary 27, 2010, Shisa stunned everyone by defeating K-ness for the Open The Brave Gate Championship.  It improved his rank slightly and he began to wrestle higher on the cards.  His reign lasted for just under two months before losing it to Tigers Mask of Osaka Pro Wrestling as part of a storyline feud between the two promotions.  Once again, Shisa would fall back into his previous position on the card.
+He would continue to be a top line player in early Toryumon, and would rename to Saito. In the spring of 2000, he and fellow Toryumon participant Chocoball KOBE would wrestle in Pro Wrestling Kageki. Saito would win the Hakata City Jr Heavyweight Title in a tournament, defeating Daiyu Kawuchi in the final round.
-In April 2011, Shisa made a rare United States appearance, participating in the CHIKARA King of Trios Tournament with Akira Tozawa and KAGETORA as Team Dragon Gate.  They defeated The Spectral Envoy (Frightmare, Hallowicked, and UltraMantis Black) in the first round on April 15, but lost to The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Hieracon, and Ophidian) in the second round on April 16.  On April 17, Shisa and KAGETORA were the last entrants in a Tag Team Gauntlet of teams that had been eliminated from the tournament.  They lost to Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada, who were representing Osaka Pro Wrestling.
+He abruptly announced his retirement in late 2001, and stated that his first student, Super Shisa, would take his place. Saito would be given a "Sayonara Saito" series of matches by Toryumon. His record in the series was 0-5-1, the draw being a double countout against Yasushi Kanda. His final match as Saito would be a loss to Shuji Kondo on 10/28/2001.
-Shisa was recently part of the Blood WARRIORS-Junction Three war, accepting Mochizuki's invitation to join JIII on May 14, 2011.  Nevertheless, he was still generally found on the undercard.  This has remained the case even after the group was forced to disband on February 9, 2012.
-==Unit History==
+===As Super Shisa===
+Super Shisa would debut on 11/8/2001, wrestling a 10-minute draw with [[Kenichiro Arai]].
-* Waku Waku Fujii Land (2004-2005)
-* PosHEARTS (2005-2006)
-* Shisa Family (2006)
-* Junction Three (2011-2012)
+Shisa has spent most of his career in both Toryumon and Dragon Gate near the bottom of the card, rarely joining units. He was a member of a short lived unit called Waku Waku Fuji Land, led by [[Don Fujii]]. Waku Waku Fuji Land was designed to bridge the gap between Crazy Max and the soon-to-form Blood Generation. As Blood Generation was based on a clean face (no masks or face paint) concept, Fuji gave Shisa an ultimatum: unmask or you may not join Blood Generation. The ultimatum prompted the fans to begin chanting Saito's name, but Shisa quickly opted to leave rather than unmask.
-==Wrestling Moves==
+Shisa then aligned with [[Magnum Tokyo]]'s PosHearts unit. PosHearts would go on hiatus due to an injury to Tokyo, and Shisa spent the latter part of 2005 and much of 2006 teaming with King Shisa, and occasionally with Dragon Gate dojo student Shisa Boy. The team broke up when King Shisa was outed as being Mexican heel Pentagon Black, and reverted to that gimmick.
-* '''Finishers'''
-** ''Shisa Clutch'' (Handstand taunt transitioned into a modified arm trap somersault cradle)
-** ''Yoshi Tonic'' (Leg trap sunset flip powerbomb) - ''Innovated''
+Towards the end of 2006, PosHearts would reunite, and Shisa would win his first title in Toryumon / Dragon Gate, winning the [[Open the Triangle Gate Championship|Open the Triangle Gate]] titles with stablemates [[BxB Hulk]] and [[Anthony W. Mori]]. The success was short lived, as PosHearts lost the titles to the Muscle Outlaw'z, and then lost a follow up match forcing them to disband as a stable. It was during this match that Shisa was outed as being Saito; damage to the mask and blood loss forced him to voluntarily demask.
-* '''Signatures'''
-** ''Alejandro Lock'' (Cross-legged STF)
-** ''Doshanko Tiara'' (Baseball slide transitioned into a headscissors takedown to an opponent outside the ring)
+Since the dissolution of PosHearts, Shisa has remained unaligned and wrestling low on the card. He is a trainer in the Dragon Gate dojo, and focuses primarily on those duties. While wrestling on the main roster, Shisa aligns with the "Mushozoku" Unit, a group of older wrestlers including [[Masaaki Mochizuki]], [[K-ness]] and [[Magnitude Kishiwada]]. Aside from Dragon Gate, Shisa spends time in various smaller Japanese independent promotions.
-==Other Wrestling Information==
+On February 27, 2010, his ranking in the promotion improved significantly when he defeated K-ness to become the [[Open the Brave Gate Championship|Open the Brave Gate]] Champion. He held the title for just under two months before losing it to Tigers Mask of Osaka Pro Wrestling.
-* Entrance Themes
-** "Shisa Calling" by Youji Kubota
+On April 15, 2011, Shisa represented Team Dragon Gate in the 2011 King of Trios tournament along with [[Akira Tozawa]] and [[Kagetora]]. In the first round of the tournament, Team Dragon Gate defeated the Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare). The following day, Team Dragon Gate was eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-final stage by The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Hieracon and Ophidian). On April 17, the final day of the tournament, Shisa and KAGETORA took part in a gauntlet tag match and were the final team to enter, but they were defeated by Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada.
-==Championships and Accomplishments==
+===The Shisa Lineage===
-* '''[[Dragon Gate]]'''
-** Open The Triangle Gate Championship (1 Time) - with Anthony W. Mori and BxB Hulk
-** Open The Brave Gate Championship (1 Time)
+Other wrestlers with a Shisa gimmick have appeared in Dragon Gate, aligned with Super Shisa. One of the current dojo students is Shisa Boy. Mexican wrestler Pentagon Black spent several months in Dragon Gate as King Shisa. Introduced as the leader of the Shisa clan, King Shisa was pushed further than Super Shisa ever was, even going so far as to get a [[Open the Dream Gate Championship|Dream Gate]] title shot. He was eventually outed as being Pentagon Black by the Muscle Outlaw'z, and joined them.
-* '''Other Titles'''
-** Hakata City Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
+==Factions==
+*Waku Waku Fuji Land (2004)
+*Pos.Hearts (2005–2007)
+*Junction Three (2011–2012)
+*MadoGiwa Windows (2012–2013)
+*Oretachi Veteran-gun (2013–2014)
+==In wrestling==
+*'''Finishing moves'''
+:*''Shisa Clutch'' (Handstand taunt transitioned into a modified arm trap somersault cradle)
+:*''Yoshi Tonic'' (Leg trap sunset flip powerbomb) &ndash; Innovated
+*'''Signature moves'''
+:*''Alejandro Lock'' (Cross-legged STF)
+:*''Doshanko Tiara'' (Rope aided backflip transitioned into a headscissors takedown to an opponent outside the ring)
+:*European uppercut
+:*''Face the Mountain'' (Bridging straight jacket choke)
+:*''Hasaaku Clutch'' (Scissored armbar)
+:*''Manji Cobra Twist'' (Simultaneous octopus hold and abdominal stretch to two opponents)
+:*''Saito Special'' (Handstand crossface)
+:*''Saito Special II'' (Handstand figure four leglock)
+:*''Saito Special III'' (Handstand inverted Gannosuke clutch)
+:*''Saito Special IV'' (Handstand mule kick)
+:*''Saito Special V'' (Handstand sunset flip)
+:*''Saito Special VI'' (Handstand inverted crossface]])
+:*Turnbuckle headstand headscissors to an opponent on the top rope transitioned into a |frankensteiner
+:*''Yoshifuusha'' (Double underhook suplex floated over into a handstand pin)
+*'''Nicknames'''
+:*'''"Lion of Ryukyu"'''
+*'''Entrance themes'''
+**"Dosanko Shisa" by GLAY
+**'''"Shisa Callin'"''' by Yoji Kubota
+==Championships and accomplishments==
-__NOTOC__
+*'''[[Dragon Gate]]'''
+**[[Open the Triangle Gate Championship]] ([[Open the Triangle Gate Championship#Title history|1 time]]) &ndash; with [[BxB Hulk]] and [[Anthony W. Mori]]
+**[[Open the Brave Gate Championship]] &ndash; (1 time)
+*'''Pro-Wrestling Kageki'''
+**Hakata City Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
+{{DragonGate}}
 [[Category:Wrestlers]]
-[[Category:Toryumon Japan]]
+[[Category:Trainers]]
+[[Category:Ultimo Dragon Gym 1st Class]]
+[[Category:Dragon Gate Roster]]
+[[Category:We Are Team Veteran]]
+[[Category:Windows]]
+[[Category:Junction Three]]
+[[Category:Pos.HEARTS]]
+[[Category:Waku Waku Fuji Land]]