Akira Raijin

Quick Facts

Full Name	Akira Raijin
Occupation	Amateur Wrestler
Date Of Birth	Jul 17, 1978(1978-07-17)
Age	46
Birthplace	TakarazUnited Kingdoma
Country	Japan
Birth City	TakarazUnited Kingdoma
Horoscope	Cancer

Akira Raijin Biography

Akira Raijin is one of the most popular and richest Amateur Wrestler who was born on July 17, 1978 in TakarazUnited Kingdoma, TakarazUnited Kingdoma, Japan. Akira Kawabata (川畑 顕 , Kawabata Akira) (born July 17, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working under the ring name Sushi (SUSHI) . He is a two-time holder of the Gaora TV Championship. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name Akira Raijin (雷陣 明 , Raijin Akira) and is also known for working in North America for the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion under the ring names Kiyoshi and Suicide.

In the later half of 2008, Kawabata signed a two-year deal with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling after an appearance on Border City Wrestling’s (BCW) 15th anniversary show. He was given a heel gimmick, Kiyoshi, which resembled his mentor Great Muta, together with similar face paint and mannerisms. In his debut match on December 18, 2008, he defeated Consequences Creed with a moonsault to advance to the semifinals in a tournament for the vacant TNA X Division Championship. On December 25, he lost to Chris Sabin, failing to advance into the finals of the tournament.

On the March 5, 2009 episode of TNA Impact!, Kiyoshi, accompanied by the tag team No Limit (Yujiro and Naito), was unable to defeat the TNA X Division Champion Alex Shelley in a match for the title. On the March 14 edition of TNA Xplosion, Kiyoshi defeated Shark Boy with his signature Lightning Flash. On the March 26, 2009 episode of Impact!, Kiyoshi, accompanied by the tag team of No Limit, unsuccessfully challenged Suicide for the TNA X Division Championship. Kiyoshi and No Limit then aligned themselves with Sheik Abdul Bashir.

On September 13, 2009, Raijin made a one-night return to All Japan, teaming up with Great Muta in a winning effort against Suwama and Shuji Kondo.

Raijin left Japan to live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada with Scott D’Amore to gain “learning experience” in North America. Raijin would go on to work for various promotions within Canada and eventually branched off into the United States. Raijin wrestled for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, teaming with Brute Issei and losing to Havok and Martyr in a tryout dark match on July 15, 2007, prior to the Victory Road pay-per-view. On August 12, 2007, Raijin appeared at Juggalo Championship Wrestling’s premier show, Bloodymania. He teamed with Brute Issei in the 8 Team Tag Team Elimination match for the JCW Tag Team Championship, becoming the fifth team eliminated in the match. On August 18, at Chikara, Raijin took on Mike Quackenbush in a losing effort for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. On April 23, 2008, Raijin took part in JCW’s “Slam TV Tour 2008”. He debuted as Kowabata, being managed by “The Guidance Counselor” Scott D’Amore. After a series of singles victories, Kowabata was put into a stable alongside Scott D’Amore and Conrad “Lights Out” Kennedy. D’Amore proclaimed that the team of Kowabata and Kennedy would reform JCW. At the following show, Kowabata and Kennedy defeated fan favorites The Ring Rydas. Raijin took part in two BSE Pro tournaments which included Adrenaline Cup and the Sudbury Scramble Cup, both of which he did not win. Kowabata was set to appear at the 2008 Hallowicked After Party, but was signed to TNA weeks prior to the event, resulting in him having to cancel the appearance.

Akira Raijin Net Worth

Akira Raijin is one of the richest Amateur Wrestler from Japan. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Akira Raijin 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Trained by former junior heavyweight contender Masanobu Kurisu, Kawabata made his debut in 1998, using the ring name Akira Raijin, working primarily on the Japanese independent circuit.

On August 28, 2004, Raijin debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling losing to Ryuji Hijikata. His early years with All Japan would be mostly uneventful which is normal for a new wrestler in a Japanese promotion. On June 17, 2005, Raijin teamed with Nobukazu Hirai in a tournament to determine the number one conders for the All Asia Tag Team Championship but lost to Katsuhiko Nakajima and Tomoaki Honma. In November, Raijin and Kohei Suwama participated in the 2005 Real World Tag League but would not pass the round robin stage. On January 4, 2007, Raijin along with Kikutaro and Nobutaka Araya took on, and lost to, El Samurai, Masanobu Fuchi and Ryusuke Taguchi at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome. On May 13, All Japan said farewell to Raijin along with Brute Issei, who both went on overseas training excursions.

Raijin returned to All Japan on June 22, 2008, but just three months later it was announced that he would be travelling back to North America, to work for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), who had signed him to a contract. On October 11 Raijin lost to Suwama in his All Japan farewell match.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Akira Raijin height 6 ft 0 in Akira weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Akira Raijin Dating?

According to our records, Akira Raijin is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Akira Raijin’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Akira Raijin. You may help us to build the dating records for Akira Raijin!

On March 21, 2010, Raijin made another return to All Japan, now using his TNA ring name Kiyoshi, he teamed up with Bushi to defeat the tag team of Chessman and Dark Ozz. On April 3 Kiyoshi entered All Japan’s 2010 Champion Carnival. He defeated René Duprée and Suwama, but lost to Taiyō Kea and Masakatsu Funaki in the round robin stage of the tournament, finished third in his block and did not advance to the semifinals. On April 11, the final night of the tournament, Kiyoshi teamed with Satoshi Kojima to defeat Gurentai (Nosawa Rongai and Taiyō Kea) in a tag team match.

Facts & Trivia

Akira Ranked on the list of most popular Amateur Wrestler. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Japan. Akira Raijin celebrates birthday on July 17 of every year.

Afterwards, Sushi began petitioning for All Japan to restore the Gaora TV Championship, which had been quietly sidelined earlier in the year. After its restoration, Sushi entered a four-man tournament for the vacant title, defeating Hikaru Sato in his semifinal match on November 21. Three days later, Sushi defeated Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) representative Keisuke Ishii in the finals to win the tournament and become the third Gaora TV Champion. Sushi made his first successful title defense on January 3, 2014, against another DDT representative, Soma Takao. On February 23, Sushi, alongside Menso～re Oyaji, received his first shot at the All Asia Tag Team Championship. The two were, however, defeated by the defending champions, Burning (Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru). On May 17, Sushi lost the Gaora TV Championship to Kotaro Suzuki in his second defense. On December 14, Sushi put his mask on the line in a tag team match, where he and “Mr. Christmas” faced Último Dragón and Masked Burning #2. Though Sushi was pinned for the win by Dragón and was per stipulation supposed to unmask himself, Mr. Christmas instead offered to unmask in his place, revealing himself as Jun Akiyama. On June 4, 2015, Sushi defeated Kenso to win the Gaora TV Championship for the second time. On August 15, Sushi fractured his jaw in a match, which sidelined him indefinitely and forced him to forfeit the Gaora TV Championship. He made his return to in-ring action on November 1. On January 15, 2017, AJPW announced that Sushi would be leaving the promotion at the end of the month and becoming a freelancer. On January 28, Sushi was defeated by Jun Akiyama in his final AJPW match.