Taiji Ishimori (石森 太二 Ishimori Taiji, born February 10, 1983) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs as part of the Bullet Club stable.
Ishimori is best known for his 12 year stint with Pro-Wrestling NOAH, where he became one of the most decorated junior heavyweights in the promotion's history, holding the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, while also setting the record for the longest reign with the championship at 405 days during his first reign. Ishimori also held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship a record six times, and won the promotion's Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League a record four times. He is also known for his work in IMPACT Wrestling, where he is a one-time IMPACT X Division Champion. In NJPW, Ishimori was a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship with Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- 450° splash
- Bloody Cross (Lifting single underhook double knee gutbuster)
- Hermosillo (Double chickenwing piledriver)
- Revolución (Pumphandle sitout side powerslam, sometimes preceded by a fireman's carry)
- Telaraña (Hammerlock cradle DDT)
- Signature moves
- Cobra clutch suplex
- Crucifix driver
- Death Valley driver
- Flip DDT
- Handspring enzuigiri
- High-angle senton bomb
- Mexican Roll (Scoop powerslam transitioned into a modified reverse rolling prawn hold)
- Missile dropkick
- Moonsault falling slam
- Running hurricanrana
- Sakauchi (Crucifix driver)
- Superstar Elbow (Handspring into a back flip elbow drop)
- Superstar 619 (Tiger feint hurricanrana)
- Superstar Quebrada (Springboard moonsault onto a standing opponent outside of the ring)
- Surfboard
- Tiger feint kick
- Tombstone double knee facebreaker
- Managers
- Tama Tonga
- Venezia
- Nicknames
- "Bone Soldier" (NJPW)
- "Superstar" (NOAH)
- Entrance themes
- Pro-Wrestling NOAH
- "Still My Heart" by Naoki Maeda
- "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)" by Safri Duo
- "Gangnam Style" by PSY
- "The Beginning" by ONE OK ROCK
- "Fight It Out" by MOTHBALL
- Ring of Honor
- "Black Scorpion" by Dean Barrett
- "Horn Explosion" by Kenny Pickett
- IMPACT Wrestling
- "Kiyoshi Theme" by Dale Oliver
- "Fight It Out" by MOTHBALL
- "Callous Rage" by Ryan Andrews
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- "The Beginning" by ONE OK ROCK
- "Born Soldier" by Yonosuke Kitamura
- "Shot'Em" by [Q]Brick (used as a member of Bullet Club)
- Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Championships and accomplishments[]
- IMPACT Wrestling
- IMPACT X Division Championship (1 time)
- Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
- AAA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Takeshi Morishima
- Best Wrestler of the Lucha Libre World Cup award (2017)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with El Phantasmo
- U-30 One Night Tag Tournament (2004) – with Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked #174 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2007
- Pro-Wrestling NOAH
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with KENTA (1), Ricky Marvin (1), Atsushi Kotoge (2) and Hi69 (2)
- Nippon TV/NTV G+ Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League (4 times, 2007 and 2008) – with KENTA, (2012) – with Atsushi Kotoge and (2016) – with ACH
- Super J-Cup Qualifying Tournament A (2016)
- Toryumon X
- UWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 5½ Star Match (2018) – vs. Hiromu Takahashi (June 4)