This past Saturday, All Elite Wrestling held its Full Gear pay-per-view and the evening wasn’t short on surprises. From the announcement of Jay Lethal signing with the company to Hangman Page concluding his 2-year-plus odyssey with a world title victory, there was news aplenty. One of the other noteworthy news items was the impending debut of a New Japan Pro-Wrestling stalwart and wrestling veteran. This Wednesday, on AEW Dynamite, NJPW star Tomohiro Ishii makes his All Elite debut as he teams with Orange Cassidy to battle The Butcher & The Blade. Prior to this contest, here is what viewers should know about “The Stone Pitbull.”
Tomohiro Ishii Comes to AEW – What to Know
In the Beginning
Tomohiro Ishii began his professional wrestling career in 1996, training under Riki Chosou and Genichiro Tenryu. Ishii first worked for Tenryu’s Wrestle Association R promotion, battling the likes of Ryo Miyake, Ni Hao, and Yuji Yasuraoka. In fact, it was alongside the latter that Ishii won his first title, the duo claiming the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships on 2 occasions. In the years that followed, Ishii found himself working for other promotions, including Onita Pro and DDT Pro-Wrestling. However, starting in 2004, he began appearing for NJPW, the promotion he would go on to call home.
Ishii made sporadic NJPW appearances in 2004 and 2005, wrestling in tag team matches. However, it was in 2006 when he became a more consistent fixture in the company. Ishii joined forces with Great Bash Heel, a villainous stable that would be led by Togi Makabe, in October 2006. In 2009, however, Ishii and multiple G.B.H. members broke away from the group and formed CHAOS. This would become of the promotion’s defining factions, attracting such members as Rocky Romero, Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, and AEW’s own Best Friends. The move to CHAOS benefited Ishii in the long term, too. While he was largely a background player in G.B.H., his stock started to rise after CHAOS took form.
The Stone Pitbull’s Reputation
In the years that followed, Ishii became well-regarded for his in-ring acumen. Standing at 5’7”, Ishii makes up for what he lacks in height with punishing offense and unyielding determination. It also doesn’t hurt that maneuvers such as his signature headbutts and brainbusters became some of the most devastating maneuvers in the company. Whether in the New Japan Cup, G1 Climax, or World Tag League, among other tournaments, these are the environments where NJPW’s “Stone Pitbull” shines. Despite never winning the aforementioned tournaments, Ishii’s contests have been highly regarded by fans and critics alike. In the eyes of many, he has a reputation for being one of the company’s underrated workhorses.
When it comes to awards given by critics, “The Stone Pitbull” hasn’t failed to become recognized. Case and point, in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he was the recipient of the Bruiser Brody Memorial Award, given to the best brawler of the calendar year, every year from 2014 to 2019. Throw in seemingly countless nominations for Most Outstanding Wrestler, Match of the Year, and other such accolades, and it’s easy to see that his work has been just as revered by peers as it’s been by viewers around the world.
Draped in Gold
Ishii’s blood, sweat, and fortitude haven’t been without in-ring accomplishments, either. In NJPW alone, he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and 2x NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. More importantly, Ishii has the distinction of holding the company’s NEVER Openweight Championship on 6 occasions; not only did he recently regain the title, as of this writing, but he holds the record for most title reigns, beating not only his own 5-reign record but the very same that he shared with Goto. The NEVER Openweight title was originally designed with up-and-coming stars and freelance wrestlers, in particular, in mind. Since then, it became a dedicated tertiary title of sorts in NJPW.
This doesn’t even begin to touch on his accomplishments in other promotions. Due to NJPW’s relationships with various international promotions, Ishii was not only able to wrestle for said promotions but stake claim to their titles. Case and point, in February 2016, he defeated Roderick Strong for Ring of Honor’s World Television Championship, holding the title for 79 days. He also won Revolution Pro Wrestling’s British Heavyweight Championship twice, holding it for a collective 168 days.
Already announced for Wednesday's #AEWDynamite LIVE on TNT from Norfolk, VA:
–@orangecassidy & #NJPW's Tomohiro Ishii v #TheButcher & @BladeofBuffalo
-TBS Title Tournament: @NylaRoseBeast v @shidahikaru
–#TheAcclaimed v @lucha_angel1/@TheLionelGreen
🎟 – https://t.co/UN1cNj1kQq pic.twitter.com/m6t9qubkLa— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 14, 2021
Tomohiro Ishii Prepares for AEW Arrival
When Rocky Romero made his recent All Elite Wrestling debut earlier this month, he extended an olive branch to Best Friends, inviting them to join CHAOS. Now that the team of Kris Statlander, Wheeler Yuta, Trent, Chuck Taylor, and Orange Cassidy are officially part of the group, its numbers quickly increased. Additionally, this afforded Best Friends with a new crop of allies, which is how the unlikely duo of Cassidy and Ishii took shape. On paper, “Freshly Squeezed” isn’t the most logical partner for the stoic, punishing Ishii, so it will be interesting to see how their personalities gel. Will this match lead to future AEW appearances for Tomohiro Ishii? Only time will tell, but if this proves to be the case, his opponents would be wise to watch their backs, as well as their heads, moving forward.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
