Jun Akiyama

For information about the Japanese videogame programmer, please see Jun Akiyama (videogame programmer).

Jun Akiyama (秋山準 Akiyama Jun) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion.

Career

In junior high school Akiyama practised swimming and in senior high school he did freestyle amateur wrestling and judo. After high school he went to Senshu University in Tokyo. There he joined an amateur wrestling team that produced other professional wrestlers Riki Choshu, Hiroshi Hase and Manabu Nakanishi. He had great success as an amateur wrestler and so was scouted by All Japan Pro Wrestling scouts. He made his professional wrestling debut in september of 1992 against Kenta Kobashi. He gradually rose in rank, getting a trial series in January 1993 and eventually becoming Mitsuharu Misawa's tag team partner after he split with Kenta Kobashi at the end of 1995. He was closing in on the Triple Crown, getting his first shot in September 1997 and steadily rising in rank over the coming years before he left AJPW for Mitsuharu Misawa's newly created Pro Wrestling NOAH in mid-2000. He was quickly established as a top star of the company, becoming the second GHC Heavyweight Champion but failed to shine in the position with NOAH eventually being forced to abandon his push, using Yoshinari Ogawa to transition the title back to Misawa. In April 2004 he created the GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship Title. Late 2004 and much of 2005 were highlighted by his feud with protégé Makoto Hashi where Akiyama used "tough love" to toughen up young Hashi. On January 22, 2006, Akiyama defeated Akira Taue to become the GHC Heavyweight Champion for the second time, defending the title against Minoru Suzuki on March 5 and Masao Inoue on April 24. He's rumoured to be facing old BURNING stablemate and rival Kenta Kobashi on NOAH's July 16 Nippon Budokan show, which would likely be the biggest match in the company this year.