Taishi Takizawa

2.1. Background

Taishi Takizawa was born as Yuki Takizawa on September 3, 1985, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He is known to have O type blood.

2.2. Entry into Professional Wrestling

Takizawa entered the world of professional wrestling under the tutelage of veteran wrestler Taka Michinoku. He made his professional wrestling debut for Kaientai Dojo on January 7, 2006, in a six-man tag team match where he, alongside Hiro Tonai and Randy Takuya, was defeated by the team of Chushin Fujisawa, Kaji Yamato, and Taka Michinoku. A week later, he participated in the K-DOJO Tag League '07 GET Block, teaming with Apple Miyuki, but they were eliminated in the first round by Kunio Toshima and PSYCHO. Takizawa secured his first singles victory on January 21, defeating Tadanobu Fujisawa. The Japanese source indicates an alternative debut date of November 19, 2006, against Kunio Toshima at Chiba Blue Field.

3.1. Kaientai Dojo (2006-2011)

Following his debut, Takizawa continued to compete in Kaientai Dojo. In 2007, he participated in the K-Metal League, where he accumulated two points but did not advance. The year 2008 saw significant progress for Takizawa. He teamed with KAZMA in the KAIENTAI DOJO Tag League 2008 but lost in the first round. On April 14, he had his first championship opportunity, teaming with Kaji Yamato in a seven-team battle royal for the WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship, which was ultimately won by Apple Miyuki and YOSHIYA. That same year, he won the K-Metal League by defeating Hiro Tonai in the finals, marking his first significant accomplishment in professional wrestling. This victory elevated him to a solid mid-card position, cemented by his progression to the semi-finals of the STRONGEST-K Tournament 2008, where he was eliminated by Kengo Mashimo.

In 2009, Takizawa formed a notable tag team with Hiro Tonai. They unsuccessfully challenged Taka Michinoku and Handsome Joe for the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship. The duo then competed in the "Road to the Strongest Tag Five Match Series" against Kaientai's top tag teams, including Omega (Makoto Oishi and Shiori Asahi, and KAZMA and Yuji Hino) and Handsome (TAKA Michinoku and Handsome Joe). Their efforts culminated in winning the KAIENTAI DOJO Tag League 2009 by defeating Omega (Saburo Inematsu & Yuji Hino) in the finals. Despite this, they failed to capture the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship from Makoto Oishi and Shiori Asahi. Takizawa also reached the semi-finals of the STRONGEST-K Tournament 2009 before losing to Shiori Asahi. He and Tonai later challenged Brahman Kei and Brahman Shu for the WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship but were unsuccessful.

In 2010, Takizawa teamed with Taka Michinoku for KAIENTAI DOJO Tag League 2010, but they were eliminated in a finalist decision match by Daigoro Kashiwa and Kengo Mashimo. On May 5, 2010, he and Kaji Tomato defeated Yuji Hino and Saburo Inematsu to become the 14th Strongest-K Tag Team Champions. However, they lost the championship to Hiroki and Kengo Mashimo on August 15. Takizawa also unsuccessfully challenged KAZMA for the Strongest-K Championship and was eliminated in the semi-finals of the STRONGEST-K Tournament 2010 by Kengo Mashimo. A rematch for the tag titles on December 12, 2010, and a Strongest-K Championship match against Yuji Hino on Christmas Day both resulted in losses.

In 2011, Takizawa and Tomato reached the finals of the KAIENTAI DOJO Tag League before being eliminated by Kengo Mashimo and Ryuichi Sekine. They formed a stable called "Silence" with Daigoro Kashiwa and Marines Mask II. Takizawa and Tomato competed in a one-day tournament to determine the number one contenders for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, reaching the final but losing to Little Galaxy (Makoto Oishi and Shiori Asahi). Silence also lost to Little Galaxy (Hiro Tonai, Shiori Asahi, and Yuki Sato) in the Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship one-day first champion decision tournament. Takizawa was eliminated from the STRONGEST-K Tournament 2011 after gaining six points in Block A. His final match before his departure for WWE saw him team with Hiro Tonai to defeat KAZMA and Shiori Asahi.

3.2. WWE (2011-2012)

In October 2011, Takizawa, along with fellow Kaientai Dojo wrestler KAZMA SAKAMOTO, joined WWE's developmental system, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He signed a developmental contract with WWE on February 28, 2012, and began competing under the ring name Jiro. His FCW television debut was on December 5, 2011, where he and Sakamoto lost to Big E Langston and Nick Rogers. Jiro consistently lost his televised FCW matches. When FCW was rebranded as NXT Wrestling, Jiro made his NXT television debut on the June 27 episode of the rebooted NXT (taped at Full Sail University), losing to Seth Rollins. Takizawa's tenure with WWE concluded in June 2012, when he was released from his contract.

3.3. Return to Kaientai Dojo (2012-present)

After his release from WWE, Takizawa returned to Kaientai Dojo on August 5, 2012. He immediately entered the one-night Neptune Tournament, defeating Kaji Tomato in his first-round match. He continued his winning streak through the tournament, securing victories over Saburo Inematsu and Taka Michinoku, before ultimately defeating Hiro Tonai in the finals to win the tournament. His win streak continued until September 19, when he unsuccessfully challenged Daisuke Sekimoto for the Strongest-K Championship.

On February 24, 2013, Takizawa and Akito won the 2013 Bo-So Golden Tag Tournament, triumphing over the team of Kengo Mashimo and Ryuichi Sekine in the finals. This victory positioned Takizawa as the number one contender for Yuji Hino's Strongest-K Championship. On April 14, at evolution11, Kaientai Dojo's major annual event held at Korakuen Hall, Takizawa defeated Hino in the main event to capture the Strongest-K Championship for the first time in his career. He made his first successful title defense against Hiro Tonai on May 6. However, his reign was abruptly ended on July 2, when he was stripped of the title and removed from all upcoming events due to an arrest by Japanese authorities.

After being sidelined for nearly two years following the controversy, Takizawa's indefinite suspension was lifted on December 28, 2014, allowing him to resume backstage duties. He announced his return to in-ring competition on April 12, 2015, at Kaientai Dojo's 13th Anniversary show at Korakuen Hall. His official comeback match took place on May 2, 2015, at "GWSP in ITABASHI," where he lost to Taka Michinoku. On November 1, he and Kotaro Yoshino unsuccessfully challenged Kengo Mashimo and Yuki Sato of Kyougetsu for the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship.

On February 25, 2016, Takizawa again challenged Tank Nagai for the Strongest-K Championship but was unsuccessful. On March 13, he and Kotaro Yoshino defeated Nagai and Yuma to win the Bo-So Golden Tag Tournament, which led to them winning the Strongest-K Tag Team Championship on April 17.

3.4. Appearances in Other Promotions

Takizawa has made appearances in several other major Japanese professional wrestling promotions throughout his career. On November 24, 2007, he debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), teaming with KAZMA in a losing effort against Kuniyoshi Wada and Takashi Uwano. His singles debut for NJPW occurred on August 24, 2010, at NEVER.1, where he defeated King Fale. In November 2012, Takizawa participated in NJPW's tournament to crown the inaugural NEVER Openweight Champion. He defeated Captain New Japan in the first round but was eliminated by Masato Tanaka in the second round on November 19.

On February 15, 2008, Takizawa debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), participating in the U-30 Tag Team Tournament with Kaji Yamato. They were defeated by KUSHIDA and T28.

He also competed in Pro Wrestling Noah's 2011 NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League, partnering with Zack Sabre Jr.. The team secured two wins, earning four points, but it was not enough to advance in the tournament.

On February 11, 2013, Takizawa made a notable appearance for the Diamond Ring promotion. He teamed with Kento Miyahara, Mitsuhiro Kitamiya, and Satoshi Kajiwara to defeat the reformed Voodoo Murders faction, consisting of "brother" Yasshi, Kazunari Murakami, Kengo Nishimura, and Taru, in an eight-man tag team match. Following this match, Takizawa and Miyahara unexpectedly turned on their partners and joined the Voodoo Murders, a controversial stable.