Ryusuke Taguchi

Ryusuke Taguchi (April 12, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion in his fourth reign.

Pursuing several sports in high school, Taguchi competed in 170 lbs (76 kg) class amateur wrestling in college before entering the NJPW dojo in March 2002 and debuting in November of that year at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, wrestling in New Japan's famous junior heavyweight division.

Taguchi's gimmick is akin to a disco dancer, often sporting a short afro and colorful, flamboyant attire and celebrating victories with a post-match dance, encouraging his partners to join in during tag team matches. This has earned Taguchi the nickname "Funky Weapon".

In wrestling

 * Finishing moves
 * Dodon (Chickenwing facebuster)
 * Enban Chuudoku (180° frog splash)
 * Milano–saku Dodon's Throne (Elevated double chickenwing dropped into a double knee gutbuster)
 * Shika Koroshi (Back to back double underhook piledriver)


 * Signature moves
 * Front dropkick, sometimes while diving off of the top rope or while springboarding off the ropes
 * Multiple suplex variations
 * bridging German
 * Fisherman
 * Snap
 * Sitout inverted
 * X
 * Slingshot crossbody


 * With Prince Devitt
 * Finishing moves
 * Apollo 55 (Powerbomb (Taguchi) / double knee backbreaker (Devitt) combination)
 * Blackhole Vacation (Elevated double chickenwing by Taguchi dropped into a double knee gutbuster by Devitt)
 * Black Sunday (Chickenwing facebuster (Taguchi) / Single underhook DDT (Devitt) combination)

Championships and accomplishments

 * Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
 * CMLL World Welterweight Championship (1 time)


 * New Japan Pro Wrestling
 * IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (4 times, current) - with El Samurai (1) and Prince Devitt (3, current)
 * Young Lion Cup (2004)
 * Young Lion Toukon Tournament (2004)
 * J Sports Crown 6 Man Openweight Tag Team Tournament (2010, 2011) - with Prince Devitt and Hirooki Goto


 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * PWI ranked him #215 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010


 * Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
 * Best Bout (2010) with Prince Devitt vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi (NJPW, October 11)


 * Toryumon Mexico
 * Yamaha Cup (2005) - with Hiromi Horiguchi