Ryoji Sai[1] (崔領二, Sai Ryōji, 최영이) (born Choi Young-ii June 3, 1980) is a Korean professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and promoter who currently owns and operates Pro Wrestling Land's End, where he is a former All Asia Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for working for Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion.
| Ryoji Sai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Choi Young-ii (최영이) |
| Born | June 3, 1980[1] Osaka, Japan[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ryoji Sai[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 231 lb (105 kg) [1] |
| Trained by | Gerard Gordeau Zero1 Dojo |
| Debut | September 1, 2001[3] |
He is the older brother of mixed martial artist Young Choi.
Career
editRyoji Sai is a 3rd Generation Zainichi Korean that was born in Osaka, Japan. His parents own a restaurant near Tsuruhashi Station in Osaka. At 15 years old, Ryouji attended the Sidmouth International School in Sidmouth, England. He then attended Bloxham School in Oxfordshire between 1996 and 1999. While in Europe he studied martial arts under Gerard Gordeau in the Netherlands.
When he returned to Japan he joined Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, debuting on September 1, 2001 at the ZERO-ONE "FIRE FESTIVAL 2001" versus Igor Meindert. in a non-tournament match. From 2002 to 2004, he would be out of pro wrestling with an unknown ailment. Returning in 2004, he would begin to regularly team with Kohei Sato winning the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship in 2005 and 2006.
Ryoji twice finished as the runner-up in ZERO1 Fire Festival tournaments in both 2007 and 2006, losing to Masato Tanaka. He also regularly appeared for the HUSTLE wrestling promotion during Pro Wrestling ZERO1's working agreement with them. In late 2008 and early 2009, Sai took part on the popular Japan Fuji TV show Ainori (あいのり) under the name of "Wrestler" (レスラー).
Championships and accomplishments
edit- World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dylan James (1) & Zeus (1)
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Kohei Sato (2) and Osamu Namiguchi (1)[6]
- NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[8]
- Fire Festival (2009, 2014)[9]
- Passion Cup Tag Tournament (2008) – with Kohei Sato[9]
MMA record
edit| 4 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1-1-1 (1) | Kenichi Serizawa | TKO (Punches) | Titan Fighting Championship 2 | January 21, 2001 | 2 | 3:32 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1-0-1 (1) | Koichi Sato | TKO (Punches) | Titan Fighting Championship 2 | January 21, 2001 | 1 | 2:54 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| NC | 0-0-1 (1) | Koichi Sato | No contest (illegal knees) | Titan Fighting Championship 2 | January 21, 2001 | 1 | 0:26 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Draw | 0–0–1 | Masakazu Imanari | Technical Draw | Titan Fighting Championship 1 | September 29, 2000 | 1 | 1:29 | Tokyo, Japan |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "ZERO1-MAX fighters page". ZEROONEUSA.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "Ryouji Sai profile" (in Japanese). ZERO-ONE-MAX.com. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "ZERO-ONE Fire Festival 2001 tour results". Strong Style Spirit. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "Hustle Super Tag Team Championship history".
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2014". internet wrestling database. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship title history". ZEROONEUSA.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-14. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "NWA United National Heavyweight Championship title history". ZEROONEUSA.com. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "Zero1 World Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ a b "Tournaments".
External links
edit