Keiji Takayama

Keiji Takayama (born February 20, 1969) better known as Gedo, is a long time professional wrestler. He formed a long-lasting tag team with fellow wrestler Shoji Akiyoshi, better known as Jado. Due to his physique and charisma, he was called by some in the United States the Dusty Rhodes of Japan.

Career

Gedo debuted on March 19, 1989, in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in the parody of WWF's "Rock 'n Wrestling", "Takeshi Puroresu Gundan" (TPG). His debut match was against Hiroto Wakita, who would later be known as Super Delfin, on March 19, 1989. After TPG died out, Gedo, Wakita, and TPG comrade Jado left NJPW. Jado and Gedo went on to become one of the premiere tag teams in Japan.

Jado and Gedo headed to the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) in Mexico as Punish (Jado) and Crush (Gedo), and defeated Silver King and El Texano for the Intercontinental Tag Team titles on November 8, 1991. They would win these belts on two more occasions in 1992. This lead to their many tours with WING and were apart of the incident where Kanemura was burnt. Jado and Gedo headed to WAR in 1994 and became one of the top tag teams there, winning the WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Kodo Fuyuki, defeating Tenryu, Animal Hamaguchi and Koki Kitahara on June 6, 1994. Gedo would win this belt four more times throughout 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Gedo, with the addition of being a great tag team wrestler, was also one of the top junior heavyweights in Japan. Gedo reached the semi finals of the 1994 Super J Cup where he would lose to Wild Pegasus. Gedo was in the 1995 Super J Cup and reached the finals, losing to Jushin Liger in his fourth match of the night. Gedo won his first singles title when he defeated Lionheart for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship on March 26, 1995. Gedo would win this belt again later down the year, defeating Último Dragón for it.

Jado and Gedo left WAR, which was declining, and headed to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), one of Japan's top independent promotions. Gedo, with Jado and Kodo Fuyuki, won the FMW World Street Fight 6 Man Tag Team Championship, defeating the Headhunters and Hisakatsu Oya on March 21, 1997. It was also in 1997 that Gedo toured North America, appearing in WCW Halloween Havoc wrestling Chris Jericho, and winning the Rocky Mountain North American Mid-Heavyweight Championship defeating Ricky Fuji on August 31, 1997. During the Halloween Havoc show, Mike Tenay called Gedo the Dusty Rhodes of Japan. He further said that Gedo was a fan of 1970s U.S. Southern style brawling.

Gedo won the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship not with Jado but with Koji Nakagawa when they defeated Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda on June 13, 1999. Shortly after, Gedo left the declining FMW and wrestled in independent promotion World Entertainment Wrestling (WEW) where he would win their 6 man tag team titles once with Fuyuki and Nakagawa and again with Jado and Nakagawa, both in 1999. Gedo had many tag team title reigns in WEW before he headed back to NJPW in 2001 and won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Jado when they defeated Jushin Liger and El Samurai on July 20, 2001. Gedo had a fierce rivalry with Liger after Jado and Gedo made a surprise appearance in NJPW when both unmasked Liger. Jado and Gedo won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight belts for a fourth time in 2003 after again defeating Liger and Samurai.

Over the years, Gedo has had many look changes. He originally wore a pair of pants with a baggy shirt with alternating hairstyles, but slowly made his attire the more orthodox black trunks.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves:*"Complete Shot" – Innovated:*"Gedo Clutch" – Innovated:*Frog splash:*Grounded double chickenwing:*Multiple suplex variations::*German::*Belly to belly::*Northern lights:*Diving headbutt:*Spinning side slam:*Frankensteiner:*Figure four leglock:*Seated chinlock:*Diving leg drop:*Mounted crossface blows:*Superkick

Championships and accomplishments

*Big Japan Pro Wrestling:*BJW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jado
*Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling:*FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Koji Nakagawa:*FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hiromichi Fuyuki and Jado
*New Japan Pro Wrestling:*IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Jado
*Universal Wrestling Association:*UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Punish (2), Pat Tanaka (1) and Dick Togo (1)
*WAR:*WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times) (First):*WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Lionheart (First):*WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Hiromichi Fuyuki and Jado (First)
*World Entertainment Wrestling:*WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jado:*WEW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kodo Fuyuki and Koji Nakagawa (1) and Koji Nakagawa and Jado (1):*WEW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Koji Nakagawa (1), Kodo Fuyuki (1) and Masato Tanaka (1)
*Other titles:*Rocky Mountain North American Mid–Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

External links

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