This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2016) |
Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion and training facility originally owned and promoted by Taka Michinoku. The promotion places emphasis on a style of puroresu that combines high-flying, technical wrestling, and martial arts. The promotion was originally called Kaientai Dojo (or K-DOJO for short).
 | |
| Acronym | 2AW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Style | Puroresu |
| Headquarters | Chiba, Japan |
| Founder(s) | Taka Michinoku |
| Formerly | Kaientai Dojo (K-DOJO) |
This style was largely contributed to by Taka Michinoku and is gaining popularity in Japan and abroad. K-DOJO is also heavily influenced by American-style wrestling and places a large amount of importance on presentation. For instance, each Club-K 3000 show that K-DOJO runs is equipped with a large screen near the entrance gate, similar to the Titantron, where a short introductory vignette is played during each wrestler's entrance and where the crowd can follow the action on-screen.
They had a home building that doubles as their training facility, Chiba Blue Field, where all of their Club-K 3000 shows were held; in December 2011, the building was bought by the joshi pro-wrestling promotion Universal Woman's Pro Wrestling Reina, but K-Dojo continues to run shows from the renamed Reina Arena.[1] On April 1, 2013, the arena was again renamed Blue Field.
History
editKaientai Dojo originated in 2000 as a small wrestling school in Puerto Rico run by Taka Michinoku. After Taka returned to Japan in 2002, he established the Japanese branch of Kaientai Dojo, which would soon become a wrestling promotion. The small federation grew over the years and is now an independent league that runs as a promotion, wrestling school, and talent loan organization to various other leagues such as AJPW, Dragon Gate and Michinoku Pro.
Until recently, K-DOJO was separated into two distinct sides, GET and RAVE, which ran separate shows but often joined together during large shows and tours. GET was led by Taka Michinoku while RAVE's leader was Hi69. After Hi69's departure, Taka Michinoku became commissioner of RAVE, and 296 became commissioner of GET. On April 22, 2007, RAVE ran its last show; the two brands merged and now run joint shows.
A particular aspect of K-DOJO is that it is one of the few wrestling promotions to feature both men and women. Women can wrestle in the same ring as men, either during mixed tag matches or even singles matches. Also, they can challenge for championship belts, something that would be unheard of in most wrestling promotions.
In November 2018, it became known that Taka Michinoku had an eight-year-long extramarital relationship with a woman. After this scandal, the promotion fired him and sanctioned him for one year without payment.[2]
In April 2019, the promotion announced that they were rebranding as Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW for short). This came as the company attempted to rebrand itself after the Taka Michinoku scandal, also changing its colors to black & white. That same night, young wrestler Ayato Yoshida won the Strongest-K Championship, symbolically leading the company into the future.[3]
On January 10, 2020, it was announced that 2AW is now part of the Allied Independent Wrestling Federations as their Japanese affiliate.[4]
Roster
editChampionships
editCurrent
edit| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2AW Openweight Championship | 
|
Ayato Yoshida | 3 | August 25, 2024 | 21+ | Chiba, Japan | Defeated Taishi Takizawa at 2AW Grand Slam In TKP Garden City Chiba. |
| 2AW Tag Team Championship |  
|
Starlight Dreamers (Ayame Sasamura and Kotaro Yoshino) |
1 (1, 2) |
August 25, 2024 | 21+ | Chiba, Japan | Defeated Kengo Mashimo and Naka Shunma at 2AW Grand Slam In TKP Garden City Chiba. |
| Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship |   
|
Ayumu Honda, Kyu Mogami & Taishi Takizawa | 1 (3, 3, 1) |
January 10, 2020 | 1,710+ | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Ayato Yoshida, Kotaro Yoshino & Tank Nagai at GRAND SLAM In TKP Garden City Chiba. |
Formerly promoted
edit| Championship | Last champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIWF World Heavyweight Championship | Kevin Phoenix | 1 | August 24, 2019 | |
| Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship | Arata | 2 | January 15, 2021 | Tokyo, Japan |
| UWA World Middleweight Championship | Kyu Mogami | 1 | June 20, 2019 | Tokyo, Japan |
| UWA World Tag Team Championship | Jinsei Shinzaki & The Great Sasuke | 1 (1, 1) |
May 4, 2021 | Yahaba, Iwate, Japan |
| FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship | Kunio Toshima & Yuma Aoyagi | 1 (1, 1) |
April 17, 2016 | Tokyo, Japan |
Annual tournaments
edit| Tournament | Latest winner: | Date won: |
|---|---|---|
| Bo-so Golden Tag Tournament | Ayato Yoshida & Kyu Mogami | January 29, 2017 |
| K-Metal League | Marines Mask | May 6, 2018 |
| Kaio Tournament | Kengo Mashimo | August 26, 2018 |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "千葉BlueField名称変更のお知らせ". Kaientai Dojo (in Japanese). December 10, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ "K-Dojo despide de su administración a su fundador TAKA Michinoku". 9 November 2018.
- ^ "KAIENTAI DOJO 17周年記念大会 GRAND SLAM in 後楽園ホール | KAIENTAI DOJO". www.k-dojo.co.jp. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
- ^ "Welcome 2AW of Japan to AIWF Wrestling Family!". January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved January 10, 2020.