Shigehiro Irie

2.1. Childhood and Initial Training

Irie was born in Osaka, Japan. At the age of 15, in 2002, he began his initial professional wrestling training by enrolling in the professional wrestling school run by Osaka Pro Wrestling (OPW). During this period, he trained alongside future wrestlers such as Atsushi Kotoge and Kazuaki Mihara. His coaches included notable figures like Kengo Takai, Billyken Kid, and Super Demekin. While still in high school, Irie concurrently pursued training in mixed martial arts (MMA) under Masanori Ishikura. He participated in several amateur MMA fights, including some in Pancrase.

2.2. Professional Debut and Early Activities

In 2007, Irie resumed his professional wrestling training, joining Dera Nagoya Pro Wrestling. He made his official debut on April 30, 2008, at an event titled "Wakamusha" held at Shinkiba 1stRING, where he competed against Shota Takanashi. His early activities with Dera Nagoya Pro Wrestling included a main event match at the promotion's inaugural show on June 7, where he teamed with Sanshiro Takagi to face Kenoh Makabe and Taishi Takizawa. In April 2009, Dera Nagoya Pro Wrestling suspended its operations due to issues involving its representative. Following this, Irie continued his professional wrestling activities as a member of "Team Dera."

3.1. DDT Pro-Wrestling (2008-2018)

Irie began making sporadic appearances for DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) in May 2008, initially often teaming with other rookies against more established wrestlers. In August 2010, he won a special one-day tournament by defeating Soma Takao, a performance that impressed DDT owner Sanshiro Takagi, leading to more regular bookings for Irie with the promotion.

In March 2010, Irie officially joined DDT as a "study abroad" participant, making DDT his primary wrestling base while also continuing to participate regularly in shows in Nagoya. From December of the same year, he became a regular participant in Union Pro Wrestling as a member of TKG48, a unit produced by Sanshiro Takagi. Representing DDT, Irie debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 2011, teaming with fellow DDT rookie Keisuke Ishii in a losing effort against NJPW's Tomoaki Honma and freelancer Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.

Irie's success began to grow significantly in 2011. On May 8, at the "Ai Pro Wrestling Expo 2011" event, he achieved a notable victory over his former coach Kengo Takai in a tag team match, where Irie's partner was Kazuaki Mihara. Later that month, on May 21, he scored a major upset in the 2011 King of DDT tournament by defeating established DDT veteran Kota Ibushi, eliminating him from the competition. The following month, in June, Irie formed a tag team with Munenori Sawa and together they captured the KO-D Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Gentaro and Yasu Urano, marking Irie's first professional wrestling title. However, they lost the titles just days later to Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa. The subsequent month, Irie participated in a falls count anywhere match, teaming with Takagi and SeXXXy Eddy in a loss to Omega, Ibushi, and Nakazawa. On October 10, Irie reclaimed the KO-D Tag Team Championship, this time with Keisuke Ishii as his partner, by defeating Makoto Oishi and Danshoku Dino. Their reign ended on December 31 when they lost the championship to Urano and Yuji Hino, and they were unsuccessful in a rematch on February 11.

On April 1, 2012, Irie unsuccessfully challenged All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) competitor Kenny Omega for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Irie delivered a strong performance, even showcasing a firebird splash, but ultimately fell to Omega's One-Winged Angel. On May 4, at a Union Pro Wrestling event, Irie teamed with Shuji Ishikawa as "BIG'G'BANG" to capture the BJW Tag Team Championship, defeating Shinobu and Yoshihito Sasaki. They held the titles until July 15, when they lost to Shinobu and Yuji Okabayashi.

In the autumn of 2012, Irie formed the stable "Team Dream Futures" with Keisuke Ishii and Soma Takao. In 2013, Irie became a formally contracted wrestler with DDT. Team Dream Futures quickly achieved success, capturing the inaugural KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship on January 12 by defeating Oishi, Akito, and Takagi in the tournament final. The trio lost the championship to Monster Army (Yuji Hino, Antonio Honda, and Daisuke Sasaki) on January 27. On February 24, Irie earned the right to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Championship, and on March 20, he defeated Kenny Omega to win the championship for the first time. He successfully defended the title eight times, setting a new record for most defenses of the KO-D Openweight Championship at the time. His reign concluded on August 18 when he lost the championship to Harashima at the "Ryogoku Peter Pan 2013" event. Irie unsuccessfully challenged Harashima for the championship in a rematch on January 26, 2014.

Team Dream Futures continued to be a dominant force in the tag team scene, recapturing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship in February 2014 by defeating Aja Kong, Danshoku Dino, and Makoto Oishi, but lost them to Ibushi, Omega, and Sasaki in April. In August 2014, Irie, Ishii, and Takao again captured the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, defeating Shuten-dōji (Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi, and Kudo).

They dropped the championship to T2Hii (Takagi, Toru Owashi, and Kazuki Hirata) on September 28. On March 1, 2015, Team Dream Futures defeated Shuten-dōji once more to become KO-D 6-Man Champions, but lost the championship back to them in their first defense. Team Dream Futures regained the championship from Shuten-dōji on April 11 and successfully defended them until September, when they lost to #OhkaTeikoku (Ken Ohka, Danshoku Dino, and Super Sasadango Machine). Team Dream Futures secured the KO-D 6-Man Championship again in May 2016, defeating Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki, and Shunma Katsumata.

In his farewell match for DDT, Irie teamed with Yukio Sakaguchi to defeat Harashima and Keisuke Ishii.

In April 2018, Irie defeated Konosuke Takeshita to once again become KO-D Openweight Champion. On August 1, 2018, Irie lost the championship to Sami Callihan in a three-way match that also involved Trey Miguel. However, he quickly regained the belt by defeating Sami Callihan in a singles match on August 8. His reign was short-lived, as he lost the title days later on August 14 at a "DDT LIVE! Maji Manji" event in Shinkiba 1stRING to Danshoku Dino, who cashed in an "anytime, anywhere challenge" right immediately after Irie's match. On September 25, 2018, Irie announced his departure from DDT, stating his intention to primarily focus on activities with international promotions.

3.2. International and Independent Promotions (2016-present)

Irie began an indefinite overseas tour to the United States on July 17, 2016. He debuted in the U.S. on July 24 for GALLI Lucha Libre (GALLI), where he unsuccessfully challenged Marshe Rockett for the GALLI Junior Heavyweight Championship. He competed for GALLI again on July 29, teaming with Gringo Loco and Skayde Jr. to defeat Zema Ion, GPA, and Matt Knicks. Irie debuted for Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA Mid-South) on August 4, losing to Reed Bentley. Two days later, he debuted for Hoosier Pro Wrestling (HPW), defeating JKO. On September 6, he wrestled his final match before returning to Japan for IWA Mid-South, losing to Chris Hero in a triple threat match that also featured Kongo Kong. During this tour, he also competed in various other American independent promotions, including WCWO, AAW, Pro Wrestling Blitz, Freelance Wrestling, Resistance Pro Wrestling, MIAW, UPW, AIW, Global Force Wrestling, AWS, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. On September 6, he defeated Silas Young in Milwaukee to become the new MIAW Heavyweight Champion, marking his first championship win outside Japan. On October 5, 2016, he won the WCWO Young Guns Tournament in Indianapolis, a 12-person one-day tournament for top prospects in the Midwest area.

Irie returned to the West on January 10, 2017, debuting for Canada-based Canadian Wrestling's Elite (CWE) by defeating Jacob Creed. He participated in CWE's winter tour, competing in 12 events from January 10 to 21. On January 28, in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he won a 25-man time-difference battle royal to secure the vacant MIAW Heavyweight Championship, successfully defending it against Rough Crossing in the main event. Another overseas tour was announced on August 23, 2017, planned to begin after a Nagoya event on September 19, with his return expected by the end of the year. On September 25, at a show in Shinjuku FACE, Irie defeated Kazusada Higuchi in a hard-hitting contest, featuring a top-rope Cannonball Drop, which was agreed upon after Danshoku Dino suggested a match to resolve Irie's concerns about the unannounced overseas tour.

Following his departure from DDT, Irie focused on international activities. From October 30 to November 21, 2018, he participated in 23 events during the Canadian promotion CWE's fall tour, alongside fellow Japanese wrestlers Rekka and Naoki Yoshimura.

On December 8, 2018, Irie made his United Kingdom debut for Progress at a show in Sheffield, where he challenged Walter for the Progress World Championship. Walter, who was in his ninth defense, had openly sought the "strongest challenger," and Irie was selected from global applicants. On March 3, 2019, Irie defeated Rob Lynch in St. Neots to win SOUTHSIDE WRESTLING's World Heavyweight Championship, making him a heavyweight champion in three different countries (Japan, U.S., U.K.).

On March 9, 2019, Irie participated in wXw's "Ambition 10" tournament in Oberhausen, Germany. This 8-man tournament, with no three-count falls, saw Irie defeat Laurance Roman in the first round, Chris Ridgeway in the semi-final, and Rico Bushido in the final, winning the tournament in his debut appearance. Notable past winners of Ambition include Bryan Danielson (2010), Zack Sabre Jr. (2013), and Matt Riddle (2017). Between December 2018 and March 2019, Irie competed for numerous major promotions across the UK and Germany, including PCW UK, Revolution Pro (where he challenged Zack Sabre Jr. for the British Heavyweight Championship), Frontline Pro, Fight Club Pro, Kamikaze Pro, All Star, and Attack (all in England), Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) in Scotland (where he challenged Lionheart for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship), OTT in Ireland, Bodyslam in Denmark, and EWP in Germany. He was featured in main event title matches in ICW and EWP on his debut appearances.

During WrestleMania Week in New York from April 4-6, 2019, Irie participated in five shows, the highest number for any Japanese wrestler. He was also the only Japanese wrestler to main event a non-Japanese promotion's show during that week (at a wXw event on April 4). Although he had further bookings in the UK for the summer of 2019, his first match back in Japan was announced for a DDT Osaka show on May 26. On June 20, 2019, it was announced that Shigehiro Irie would be joining STRONGHEARTS, a faction. Currently, he is primarily active as a freelancer, with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) serving as his main field of activity. He participated in AJPW's "World's Strongest Tag Determination League" in 2015, teaming with Yutaka Yoshie. In 2016, he became "AJ Ranger Green" at the request of AJPW president Jun Akiyama.

In 2023, at the WXW 16 Carat Gold finals, Irie defeated Axel Tischer to become the wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion.