A man dressed in black trunks and a black towel on his head makes his way to the wrestling ring. Fans around him are vehemently clapping along to his theme music. They persist as the imposing figure makes his intimidating entrance. Music blaring, he proceeds to get up to the side of the ring and stare his opponent in his eyes. He turns and gestures for the fans to continue clapping. The music swells. The clapping gets faster and faster. The wrestler steps in the ring and the fans sing the chorus of his theme song, yelling out loud in unison "Kaze ni nare!" translated from Japanese as, "Become the wind!" The ring announcer then introduces the man in black, Minoru Suzuki.
From the school of legendary catch wrestler, Karl Gotch, comes one of the best practitioners of catch wrestling, one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet, and one of the founders of Pancrase, Minoru Suzuki. He is known as a legendary grappler and submission artist who is perfect at his craft. His piercing eyes can strike fear and admiration from opponents and fans alike. Once the towel comes off his head, you are presented a man with a Devil Fruit shaved into his hairline topped off with a mohawk on the back of his head. If looks could kill, you'd be dead when you lay your eyes upon Suzuki. His plain black trunks and his plain black boots may scream generic, but that should not fool anybody. A freestyle wrestling champion in Japan, an Olympic alternate for the national wrestling team, a former King of Pancrase, Most Valuable Player in 2006 (per the votes of Tokyo Sports), Minoru Suzuki is one of the baddest men on the planet and he has the credentials and ability to prove it.
His mentor, Karl Gotch, has gone on record with saying Suzuki is the toughest student that he has ever had. Gotch, known as the "God of Wrestling," praised the man in black as having "real guts" alongside a "killer instinct." Gotch's remarks is a testament to the hard-hitting, yet awe-inspiring skill set of the man with the worst personality in the world. When a god gives somebody compliments, you know it means something. You know it has be true. To put it straightforward, Minoru Suzuki proved himself to be a true badass.
Originally starting out training at the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo in 1988, Suzuki left the dojo to soon form his own organization based around shoot fighting. That came to be Pancrase, recognized as one of the first major mixed martial arts promotion and the base for MMA in Japan. In that company, many MMA legends have fought such as Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett, Masakatsu Funaki and Ken Shamrock. Suzuki made a name for himself by showcasing his catch wrestling and submissions. To his credit, he has wins over the likes of Ken Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Maurice Smith and 21 of his wins in Pancrase came by way of submission.
In 2003, Suzuki returned to the world of pro wrestling, working for companies like the aforementioned NJPW, Pro Wrestling NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). His impending presence from Pancrase did not stop and by 2010, he won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice during his tenure in AJPW. In 2012, he attained a coveted five star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for his match against Hiroshi Tanahashi in NJPW, a bout that received rave reviews from fans.
In 2010, Minoru Suzuki established his group of villain wrestlers known collectively as Suzuki-gun. As part of this new stable, he terrorized the NJPW roster, ruthlessly attacking many wrestlers after their matches and disrespecting many others along the way. In 2015, Suzuki garnered the hatred of fellow wrestler and MMA legend, Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba, a student of Billy Robinson, who is also a legend of catch wrestling like Karl Gotch, challenged Suzuki to a match at the biggest show for NJPW, Wrestle Kingdom. However, that match would be contested under UWFi rules. That means the bout could only stop by knockout, submission or referee stoppage, a ruleset both wrestlers are familiar with. In a brutal nine minute war that was the dream match for MMA fans, the two MMA icons showcased their grappling alongside stiff strikes. The match ended with a rear naked choke, leaving Minoru Suzuki standing tall.
In 2015, Suzuki and his Suzuki-gun teammates moved his primary attention towards NOAH once again and during his conquest to control the promotion, he attained the GHC Heavyweight Championship, capping off his invasion. At the ripe age of 47, Minoru Suzuki still wrestles as if he was in his prime. In fact, this current run could be considered as his prime. Tokyo Sports awarded the honor of Outstanding Performance to him in 2015. The Wrestling Observer awarded the honor of 2014 Match of the Year for his bout against the Phenomenal AJ Styles. He's been putting on stellar performances match after match, year after year and with that ability, he can still entertain numerous wrestling fans for the years to come.
If you're an MMA fan or a wrestling fan and you're not familiar with the legendary Minoru Suzuki, I suggest you seek out a few matches of his. I guarantee you that you'll be a fan of his even before he finishes his entrance. He is that good.
Until then, kaze ni nare!
