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Gran Akuma

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For the luchador, see Akuma (luchador).

Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma at a Chikara show in 2008
Born (1974-12-20) December 20, 1974 (age 49)[1]
Boyertown, Pennsylvania,
U.S.[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Gran Akuma
Akuma
Billed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Billed weight188 lb (85 kg)[2]
Billed fromAfar[1]
Trained byMike Quackenbush[3]
Reckless Youth
Chris Hero
Skayde
DebutOctober 12, 2002[3]
RetiredFebruary 16, 2018 [4]

Gran Akuma (born December 20, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in Chikara. He has also worked for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA and Full Impact Pro (FIP).[5] In Chikara, he was a member of The Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with Icarus and Chuck Taylor. On November 17, 2006, Akuma and Icarus defeated Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli to capture the Campeonatos de Parejas.

Career

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Chikara (2002–2010)

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Gran Akuma debuted as a masked wrestler at a Chikara show on October 12, 2002, in Allentown, Pennsylvania[6] and went on to take part in the inaugural Young Lions Cup later that year.[7]

In 2003 Akuma found a tag team partner in Icarus, and they formed the babyface Team F.I.S.T. (Friends In Similar Tights).[8] The team competed in the 2003 Tag World Grand Prix but were defeated in the semi-finals by The Night Shift (Blind Rage and Hallowicked).[9] Team F.I.S.T then went on to feud with The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston and Blackjack Marciano), leading to an 'Ultimate Jeopardy' match at the 2004 Anniversario show. This match consisted of Team F.I.S.T and Mike Quackenbush vs The Toxic Trio (The Wildcards and Jigsaw) with various stipulations attached. As a result of these stipulations, after Akuma forced Kingston to submit, The Wildcards were shaved bald.[10]

F.I.S.T. competed in the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix, but were eliminated after a second round loss to Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon.[11] In May 2005, the team turned heel for the first when they attacked Men@Work (Mister ZERO and Shane Storm) after losing a match against them. They then joined up with the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon). This led to a vicious feud between Akuma and Storm, culminating in a "Mascara contra Mascara" match at "Running in the Red" in November which Akuma lost, forcing him to remove his mask.[12]

Team F.I.S.T. (from left to right: Chuck Taylor, Icarus, and Gran Akuma in May 2008

On November 17, 2006, at Brick, Team F.I.S.T. defeated their stablemates Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli for the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas.[13] Team F.I.S.T. held the titles until October 26, 2007, when they were defeated by Incoherence (Delirious and Hallowicked) at Chikara's "Bruised" event.[14] Gran Akuma was injured and had to watch from ringside as his Team F.I.S.T. stablemate Chuck Taylor wrestled in his place.[3]

Gran Akuma won the 2009 King of Trios tournament with his two partners Icarus and Chuck Taylor when they beat "Team Uppercut" (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Dave Taylor) in the final during the "Night 3" of the event in March 2009.

On April 23, 2010, F.I.S.T. entered the 2010 King of Trios tournament, attempting to become the first two-time King of Trios winners. After defeating The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield, Sugar Dunkerton and Matt Classic) in the first round, F.I.S.T. was eliminated in the second round by Team Osaka Pro (Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke).[15] During the tournament F.I.S.T. was observed by Johnny Gargano, a self admitted fan of the team, who managed to stir up problems between its members by suggesting that the team had a weak link, which led to Taylor, who had been pinned in the match against Osaka Pro, pointing out Akuma and Akuma retaliating by claiming that Icarus was and always had been the weak link.[16][17][18] Taylor caused even more dissension in F.I.S.T. by offering himself to Dragon Gate USA's World–1 stable, a competitor of Kamikaze USA, Gran Akuma's stable in the company.[19] On July 26 at Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show F.I.S.T. was defeated in a six-man tag team match by Cima, Masaaki Mochizuki and Super Shenglong, when Cima pinned Akuma. After the match Icarus and Taylor turned on Akuma, kicked him out of both F.I.S.T. and Chikara and gave his spot in the stable to Johnny Gargano.[20]

Dragon Gate USA (2009–2010)

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On July 25, 2009, Akuma appeared on Dragon Gate USA's first pay-per-view Enter the Dragon in an eight-man tag team Chikara showcase match, where he, Icarus, Amasis and Hallowicked were defeated by Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant. After the match Akuma turned on his fellow Chikara wrestlers Quackenbush and Jigsaw and joined Yamato's Kamikaze USA stable.[21] On September 6 at the second PPV titled Untouchable Akuma and Yamato were defeated in a tag team match by Quackenbush and Jigsaw.[22] On November 28 at the third PPV Freedom Fight Akuma entered the tournament to crown the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion and made it all the way to the finals, before losing the four-way match to BxB Hulk.[23] Kamikaze USA continued its feud with Quackenbush and the Chikara Sekigun and on July 24 at the tapings of the Enter the Dragon 2010 pay–per–view, Kamikaze USA members Akuma, Yamato, Jon Moxley and Akira Tozawa were defeated in an eight-man elimination tag team match by Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Hallowicked and Masato Yoshino.[24]

Combat Zone Wrestling (2010–2011)

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After making several sporadic appearances for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) from 2004 to 2006, Gran Akuma returned to the promotion as a regular on November 13, 2010, at Night of Infamy 9: Betrayal, where he, billed simply as Akuma (stylized in all capital letters) defeated Kit Osbourne.[25] On December 11 at Cage of Death XII Akuma defeated Alex Colon, Jonathan Gresham, Rich Swann, Ruckus and Ryan McBride in a six-way match to qualify for the Best of the Best X tournament.[26] On April 9, Akuma was eliminated from the Best of the Best tournament in the first round by Zack Sabre Jr., ending his undefeated streak in CZW.[27] He left CZW shortly thereafter.

Return to Chikara (2011–2013)

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On November 12, 2011, Akuma made his return to Chikara, chasing former tag team partner Icarus from the ring as he was attacking Steve "The Turtle" Weiner.[28] The following day at Chikara's first internet pay-per-view, High Noon, Akuma again tried to attack Icarus, after he had defeated Gregory Iron, but accidentally hit Iron instead.[29] On January 28, 2012, Akuma and Icarus had their first match against each other, which ended in a double countout.[30] Akuma was then put in a trial series to earn his way back to Chikara's roster, which built to a three-on-one handicap match on April 28, where Akuma defeated all three members of F.I.S.T.[15] On June 2 at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur, Akuma defeated Icarus in a ladder match to earn a Chikara contract.[31] Afterwards, Akuma began regularly teaming with Scott Parker and Shane Matthews.[32] On September 14, the three entered the 2012 King of Trios tournament, but were eliminated in their first round match by The Batiri (Kobald, Kodama and Obariyon).[15][33]

He also made an appearance for Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling on September 14, 2013, with a win over Eric Alverado.

Championships and accomplishments

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Luchas de Apuestas record

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See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Gran Akuma (hair) BlackJack Marciano and Eddie Kingston (hair) Emmaus, Pennsylvania Chikara Aniversario 3: Dodging the Sophomore Jinx May 22, 2004 [40]
Shane Storm (mask) Gran Akuma (mask) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Running in Red November 13, 2005 [41]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Gran Akuma". cagematch.de. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "CZW profile". Combat Zone Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Gran Akuma". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Gran Akuma on Twitter". twitter.com.
  5. ^ "Gran Akuma". fullimpactpro.com. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  6. ^ ""Chikara Live" - 10/12/2002". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  7. ^ ""Young Lions Cup: Night One" - 11/9/2002". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Babinsack, Joe. "Joe Babinsack looks at Manami Toyota in Chikara". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 2, 2010. We can talk BDK (Bruderschaft Des Kreuzes), we can talk F.I.S.T. (Friends in Similar Tights), we can talk Da Soul Touchaz, or we can just roll into the matches.)
  9. ^ ""Tag World Grand Prix" - 7/5/2003". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  10. ^ ""Aniversario 3: Dodging the Sophomore Jinx" - 5/22/2004". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  11. ^ ""Tag World Grand Prix 2005: Night One" - 2/18/2005". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  12. ^ ""Running in the Red" - 11/13/2005". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  13. ^ ""Brick" - 11/17/2006". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  14. ^ ""Bruised" - 10/26/2007". Chikarafans.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c "Chikara - Official results". Chikara. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  16. ^ Ford, Kevin (June 20, 2010). "The CHIKARA Special 6.20.10: Needs More Vuvuzela". 411Mania. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  17. ^ "Blog #124 – Chuck Taylor". Chikara. June 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  18. ^ "Blog #125 – Gran Akuma". Chikara. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  19. ^ Ford, Kevin (July 11, 2010). "The CHIKARA Special 7.11.10: The Animal Kingdom". 411Mania. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  20. ^ Lansdell, Chris (July 25, 2010). "Chikarasaurus Rex Results". 411Mania. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  21. ^ Radican, Sean (August 31, 2009). "Radican's DGUSA 9/4 Enter The Dragon PPV Review (Yamato-Hulk, Young Bucks-Cima & Yokosuka)". PW Torch. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  22. ^ Radican, Sean (December 17, 2009). "Ongoing DGUSA "Open The Untouchable Gate" PPV Taping Results (Jacobs debuts)". PWTorch. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  23. ^ Bryant, Travis (November 29, 2009). "11/28 DGUSA "Open The Freedom Gate" results - Yamato vs. Richards, first champion crowned". PWtorch. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  24. ^ Johnson, Mike (July 25, 2010). "Dragon Gate USA Enter the Dragon II PPV taping live report from Philadelphia, PA: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo in a must see match, BxB Hulk vs. Mochizuki, Kamikaze USA vs. Chikara and much more from best DGUSA show ever held". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  25. ^ "'Night of Infamy 9: Betrayal'". Combat Zone Wrestling. November 13, 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  26. ^ "'Cage Of Death XII'". Combat Zone Wrestling. December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  27. ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 10, 2011). "Sun. update: GSP vs. Shields, Hall, Stratus movie premiere, Rima Fakih, Memphis Heat, PWG, CZW". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  28. ^ Csonka, Larry (November 12, 2011). "Chikara Cibernetico Results 11.12.11". 411Mania. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  29. ^ Radican, Sean (November 13, 2011). "Radican's Chikara "High Noon" iPPV coverage 11/13 -Quackenbush vs. Kingston, Young Bucks vs. The Colony". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  30. ^ Boutwell, Josh (February 4, 2012). "Viva La Raza! Lucha Weekly". WrestleView. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  31. ^ Radican, Sean (June 2, 2012). "Radican's Chikara "Chikarasaurus Rex" iPPV review 6/2 - live coverage of event from Philaldephia". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  32. ^ "Wink Vavasseur blog". Chikara. June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  33. ^ Namako, Jason (September 15, 2012). "9/14 Chikara "King of Trios: Night 1" Results: Easton, PA". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  34. ^ "Chikara Title Histories". titlehistories.com. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  35. ^ Gee Schoon Tong, Chris (August 10, 2013). "Show results - 8/9 FIP Heatstroke iPPV: Baretta wins FIP Title, mixed tag TLC match, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  36. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "HWA « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.de.
  37. ^ "Independent Wrestling Results - April 2005". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  38. ^ "Independent Wrestling Results - July 2005". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  39. ^ ""PWI 500": 201–300". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  40. ^ Six man tag team match, where Akuma, Icarus and Mike Quackenbush faced The Toxic Trio (Marciano, Kingston and Jigsaw) with Akuma's and Jigsaw's masks, Icarus', Kingston's and Marciano's hairs and Quackenbush's six championship belts on the line.Kevin Ford (May 22, 2004). "CHIKARA Aniversario 3: Dodging the Sophomore Jinx". The CHIKARA Special. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  41. ^ Kevin Ford (November 13, 2005). "CHIKARA Running in the Red". The CHIKARA Special. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
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