Mitsuo Yoshida(吉田光雄), better known by his stage name Riki Choshu(長州力), is a Korean Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of the most influential wrestlers in Japan in the 80's and 90's and known as the first wrestler to popularize Sasori-gatame, better known in English as Scorpion Deathlock or Sharpshooter.

After Mitsuo left New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002, he formed Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling(WJ), which is now known as Riki Pro as he is the promoter of the promotion. In October 2005, he returned to New Japan as a site foreman, a booker, and a part-time wrestler.

Profile

• Height: 183 cm (6 ft)
• Weight:115 kg (254 lb)
• Birthday: December 3, 1951
• Hometown: Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, Japan
• Stage names: Riki Choshu
• Trained by: Masa Saito
• Debut: August 8, 1974 vs. El Greco

Finishing and signature moves

• Riki Lariat (Lariat)
• Sasori-gatame (In English: Scorpion Hold) (Sharpshooter)
• Backdrop (High angle Saito suplex)
• Running powerslam

Championships and accomplishments

• New Japan Pro Wrestling

• 3-Time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion

• 3-Time IWGP World Tag Team Champion, with Masa Saito once, Takashi Iizuka once, and Kensuke Sasaki once
• 1990 Greatest 18 Club Winner
• 1989 World Cup Tournament Winner
• 1992 SG Tag League Winner
• G-1 Climax Winner

• Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling

• 1-Time WMG Tag Team Champion, with Genichiro Tenryu

• Universal Wrestling Association (Mexico)

• 1-Time UWA World Heavyweight Champion

• 1-Time UWA World Tag Team Champion with Gran Hamada

• World Wrestling Federation

• 1-Time WWF International Heavyweight Champion

• National Wrestling Alliance

• 1-Time NWA International Tag Team Champion with Yoshiaki Yatsu

• 1-Time NWA North American Tag Team Champion with Seiji Sakaguchi

• All Japan Pro Wrestling

• 1-Time PWF Heavyweight Champion

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996)

• 1987 Wrestler of the Year
• 1992 Best Booker
• 1995 Promoter of the Year
• 1996 Promoter of the Year
• 1997 Promoter of the Year

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him #30 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

Trivia

• He is of Korean descent, and participated in the 1972 Summer Olympics as a South Korean wrestling representative. His Korean name is Kwak Kwang-ung.
• The name "Riki Choshu" means "Strength of Choshu", the Edo Period name for Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• Choshu was the first "traitor heel" in a Japanese promotion. In 1983, upset at not being selected for the inaugural tournament for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, he turned on Tatsumi Fujinami during a match and formed his own stable, Kakumeigun (Revolutionary Army), which was the core for the later Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion that "invaded" All Japan Pro Wrestling.
• In recent, a comedian and Choshu mimic Koriki Choshu appeared and became popular in Japan. Since many young people, especially, don't know Riki Choshu, he became famous again by appearance of Koriki. A DDT (Dramatic Dream Team) wrestler called Riki Sensyu also mimics Choshu.

References

• Profile at bodyslamming.com

1951 births | Living people | Japanese professional wrestlers | professional wrestling executives | Zainichi Koreans | Olympic athletes who wrestled professionally

長州力