28 Facts About Yoshihiro Takayama

Yoshihiro Takayama is a former Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.

Yoshihiro Takayama is one of only five men to hold all three puroresu major heavyweight titles, the others being Kensuke Sasaki, Keiji Muto, Satoshi Kojima, and Yuji Nagata.

Yoshihiro Takayama first became known for his toughness after he began competing in mixed martial arts, when he took part in one of the most infamous fights in MMA history at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye.

Yoshihiro Takayama's career ended with a spinal cord injury in May 2017, which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Yoshihiro Takayama found continued success in Noah, winning the new GHC Tag Team Championship with Takao Omori, too.

Yoshihiro Takayama competed in memorable Noah matches during 2002, winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Yoshinari Ogawa on September 7 before losing it to Mitsuharu Misawa later that month.

In 2001, Yoshihiro Takayama declared free agency from Noah so he could pursue MMA, as well as matches in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he began challenging the top stars, such as Yuji Nagata, Masahiro Chono, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

The match was later changed due to Kobashi needing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, leading to Yoshihiro Takayama teaming with Kensuke Sasaki against Akiyama and Misawa.

Yoshihiro Takayama then started teaming with old UWFI comrade Takuma Sano in a tournament for the GHC Tag Team Championship vacated by Kenta Kobashi and Tamon Honda due to Kobashi's kidney tumor.

Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Great Muta on March 14,2009, at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol.

On January 4,2010, at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to retain his IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

From March 28 to May 2,2010, Yoshihiro Takayama competed in Pro-Wrestling Noah's 1st ever Global League.

In late 2011, Yoshihiro Takayama began making appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a member of Minoru Suzuki's Suzuki-gun, which built to a match on January 4,2012, at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, where he was defeated by Togi Makabe in a singles match.

In 2016, Yoshihiro Takayama began working primarily for DDT Pro-Wrestling, and in April 2017 won both the KO-D Tag Team Championship with Danshoku Dino and the Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere contract for the KO-D Openweight Championship.

Yoshihiro Takayama was injured at a DDT show on May 4,2017, when he landed on his head when attempting a sunset flip on Yasu Urano.

The match was ended immediately and Yoshihiro Takayama was rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a "cervical spinal cord injury due to degenerative cervical spondylosis".

Yoshihiro Takayama had his anticipated debut in MMA at the event PRIDE 14 against fellow professional wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita.

However, Yoshihiro Takayama would confirm the critics right at PRIDE 21 as a last time replacement.

Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama faced off in what many PRIDE fans consider to be a classic.

Yoshihiro Takayama managed to deliver a belly-to-belly suplex, and land a heavy knee, but Frye got up and both continued striking as previously.

Later, after two minutes more of punching, the American finally overpowered Yoshihiro Takayama and pounded him with hammerfists from the mount, leading the referee to stop the match.

At Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002, Yoshihiro Takayama fought the 350-pound Bob Sapp.

At U-Spirits Again 2013, Yoshihiro Takayama would have his last fight against Hikaru Sato, where he would win after delivering a suplex that knocked Sato out, giving Yoshihiro Takayama his first and only mixed martial arts win.

In 2009, Yoshihiro Takayama appeared with Riki Choshu in the music video of King RIKI's tenth anniversary version of "Love Machine", posing as HUSTLE wrestlers flanking RIKI.

Yoshihiro Takayama has acted in small parts in several films, beginning with Muscle Heat in 2002, and continuing with Cromartie High - The Movie and Nagurimono in 2005.

Yoshihiro Takayama appeared in 2004's The Calamari Wrestler, playing himself in a cameo role.

Yoshihiro Takayama voiced the character Canis Major Sirious in the Saint Seiya OVA trilogy The Hades Chapter.

Yoshihiro Takayama is credited as "Large Man" in Martin Scorsese's 2016 film Silence.