New Champion Crowned in Michinoku Pro Wrestling

Two days after breaking the record as longest-reigning Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion in Michinoku Pro Wrestling history, Rui Hyugaji was defeated by MUSASHI on July 17 at a Michinoku Pro event in Takizawa City.

This is MUSASHI’s second reign as  Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion in Michinoku Pro Wrestling. He and Rui Hyugaji have been trading the title back and forth since 2019, with MUSASHI defeating Hyugaji for the title in May 2019, Hyugaji regaining it in January 2020, and it now being in MUSASHI’s grasp once again.

In recent months, MUSASHI has been a member of a group of young wrestlers collectively considering themselves to be the new generation of Michinoku Pro, with the goal of replacing  Rui Hyugaji at the top of the Michinoku Pro mountain. Their mission has now been accomplished.

The other members are Yasutaka Oosera, Koji Kawamura, Yasuyoshi Ogasawara, and Ayumi Gunji. In the past, Gunji has held the Tohoku Tag Team Championship on two occasions (one of the occasions while teaming with Rui Hyugaji), as well as the UWA World Tag Team Championship (also with Hyugaji).

MUSASHI has wrestled in other Japan-based companies, including DDT (where he defeated former DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Champion  Kazuki Hirata in 2011), NOAH, ZERO1 (where he wrestled Rui Hyugaji in 2016), and WAVE.

Another place where MUSASHI has wrestled is  Mexico, where he worked from April 2018 to February 2019. This is when he began wrestling as, “MUSASHI” (he originally wrestled as, “Daichi Sasaki”).

MUSASHI has put what he learned during his time in Mexico to good use in Japan, providing lucha classes to adults and children.

With MUSASHI now Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion, the MUSASHI era has returned. It’s a safe bet that Rui Hyugaji will want a rematch, and the Michinoku Pro roster includes veterans who have earned their positions in the company, so it will be interesting to see who will step up to challenge for the  Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship.