Oleg Boltin

2.1. Birth and Early Life

Oleg Igorevich Boltin was born on February 10, 1993, in Ridder, Kazakhstan, located in the East Kazakhstan Region. He is of Russian descent. At the age of 11, Boltin's height already reached 73 in ^{(185 cm)}. Due to concerns from his parents about his perceived frailty, he was encouraged to begin wrestling, marking the start of his athletic career.

2.2. Education and Early Training

Boltin began training in freestyle wrestling in Japan in the early 2010s. He demonstrated strong linguistic skills, becoming fluent in the Japanese language. In 2013, he enrolled at Yamanashi Gakuin University through a special connection. After graduating, with the introduction of his university coach, Yuji Takada, he joined the wrestling team "Bushiroad Club" (now known as "TEAM NEW JAPAN") on April 3, 2018, which was supervised by Yuji Nagata.

3.1. Early Training and University Achievements

While studying at Yamanashi Gakuin University from 2013, Boltin achieved remarkable success in various collegiate wrestling tournaments. He secured four consecutive championships in the freestyle 265 lb ^{(120 kg)} (later 276 lb ^{(125 kg)}) division at the All Japan University Wrestling Championships from 2013 to 2016. In addition to his freestyle achievements, he also excelled in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning the All Japan University Greco-Roman Style Championship in the 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} division in 2015. His success continued at the All Japan Student Wrestling Championships in 2016, where he won gold in both the freestyle 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} and Greco-Roman 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} categories. In 2017, he added two more gold medals to his collection at the All Japan Social Worker Wrestling Championships, winning in the freestyle 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} and Greco-Roman 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} divisions.

3.2. National and International Competitions

Boltin made a name for himself in major wrestling events. In 2019, he was selected to represent Kazakhstan at the World Wrestling Championships held in his home country. He further solidified his reputation by winning the gold medal at the Kazakhstani Wrestling Championships in the 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} category in 2020. His most significant international achievement came in 2021 when he won the gold medal at the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships in the 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} (275 lb ^{(275 lb)}) division. Later the same year, he competed at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships, finishing in fifth place in the 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} category.

3.3. Transition to Professional Wrestling

Boltin's long-term goal after his amateur career was to transition into professional wrestling. He had publicly stated his intention to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) even when he first joined the Bushiroad Club. After not being selected for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he concluded his amateur wrestling career following the 2022 World Wrestling Championships. In October 2022, he officially signed a contract with the Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling, marking his retirement from amateur wrestling.

4.1. Debut and Early Activities (2022-2023)

Oleg Boltin was formally introduced by Yuji Nagata as a future NJPW wrestler on October 10, 2022, during the Declaration of Power event. During this introduction, Boltin expressed his ambition to become as "strong and famous as possible," citing prominent figures like The Rock and Brock Lesnar as his role models. His first in-ring appearance took place on January 4, 2023, at Wrestle Kingdom 17, where he participated in a three-minute exhibition match against fellow Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa on the pre-show, which ended in a draw.

Boltin made his official in-ring debut on April 2, 2023, at night two of Road To Sakura Genesis. In his debut match, he teamed with Ryusuke Taguchi and Shota Umino, but they were defeated by TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie Eagles, and Kosei Fujita). His first professional wrestling victory came on May 28, during day 12 of the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, when he teamed with Togi Makabe to defeat Yuto Nakashima and Oskar Leube. On August 12, he competed in the "CS Tele-Asa Channel Presents Young Lion THREE CONSECUTIVE BATTLE" at Ryogoku Kokugikan, a five-minute knockout challenge where he successfully defeated Yuto Nakashima, Oskar Leube, and Ryohei Oiwa consecutively. This impressive performance earned him a challenge for the NJPW WORLD Television Championship held by Zack Sabre Jr.. The title match was initially scheduled for September 24 but was postponed to October 24, 2023, at a Korakuen Hall event, due to a left wrist injury he sustained. In the rescheduled match, Boltin tapped out to Sabre Jr. after 13 minutes and 38 seconds in his first career title challenge.

4.2. Championship Success and G1 Climax (2024)

The year 2024 marked significant milestones in Boltin's professional wrestling career. In March, he formed a new trio with veteran wrestlers Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano. This alliance proved successful as they defeated House of Torture (Evil, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) at a Wrestling World 2024 event in Taiwan on April 14, to win the vacant NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. This marked Boltin's first championship title in professional wrestling. The trio lost the titles to Yota Tsuji, Bushi, and Hiromu Takahashi at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall on June 9, but they quickly regained the championship the following week at New Japan Soul 2024, becoming two-time champions.

Boltin was also entered into the qualifying tournament for the G1 CLIMAX 34. He successfully won the B Block entry spot by defeating Toru Yano in the first round, Hiroshi Tanahashi in the second round, and Taichi in the final. For the main tournament, he debuted a new wrestling costume and entrance music. During the G1 Climax, he notably secured a victory over Konosuke Takeshita. Despite winning four matches and losing five in his block, he did not advance to the finals. By the end of 2024, in recognition of his impactful performances in title matches and the G1 Climax, Oleg Boltin was awarded the Newcomer Award at the annual Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards, marking him as the first NJPW wrestler to receive the award in 21 years, since Shinsuke Nakamura.

5.1. Finishing Moves

• Kamikaze: This is Boltin's primary match-ending maneuver. He lifts his opponent into a Fireman's carry position, then rotates forward, dropping the opponent head-first onto the mat.

5.2. Signature Moves

• Verdict: Boltin uses this move, which resembles an F5, typically as a setup or transitional move leading into his finishing maneuvers like the Kamikaze.
• Side Suplex: Boltin's variation of the Suplex involves two components:
  • Boltin Shake: When he clutches his opponent for the suplex, he swings them violently from side to side before the throw.
  • Boltin's Lift: This refers to the act of throwing the opponent backward with force after the "Boltin Shake".

6.1. Freestyle Wrestling Achievements

• Asian Wrestling Championships
  • 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships gold medalist (276 lb ^{(125 kg)})
• Kazakhstani Wrestling Championships
  • 2020 Kazakhstani Wrestling Championships gold medalist (276 lb ^{(125 kg)})
• All Japan University Wrestling Championships
  • Freestyle 265 lb ^{(120 kg)}/276 lb ^{(125 kg)} gold medalist (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• All Japan University Greco-Roman Style Wrestling Championships
  • Greco-Roman 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} gold medalist (2015)
• All Japan Student Wrestling Championships
  • Freestyle 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} gold medalist (2016)
  • Greco-Roman 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} gold medalist (2016)
• All Japan Social Worker Wrestling Championships
  • Freestyle 276 lb ^{(125 kg)} gold medalist (2017)
  • Greco-Roman 287 lb ^{(130 kg)} gold medalist (2017)

6.2. Professional Wrestling Achievements

• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Toru Yano and Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 357 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024
• Tokyo Sports
  • Newcomer Award (2024)