Puroresu Central

Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Birthdate: September 23rd, 1976
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 187 lbs.
Debut: July 6th, 1996
Background: Baseball
Promotion History: All Japan (1996 to 2000) and NOAH (2000 to present)
Alliances: Teams with Sugiura
Ring Attire: Long tights, usually black or white
Card Position: Mid-Card
Major Tournaments Won: Asunaro Cup (2000)
Championship History: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship, GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, and the WEW Tag Team Championship
Current Title Held: GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Biggest Matches:
- January 22nd, 2000 vs. Naomichi Marufuji (tournament win)
- June 24th, 2001 vs. Juventud Guerrera (title win)
- August 29th, 2002 with Kikuchi vs. Jushin Liger and Minoru Tanaka (title win)
- July 1st, 2004 vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (title win)
- June 5th, 2005 with Takashi Sugiura vs. Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA (title win)

Pictures:
- Kanemaru with a dropkick in the corner
- Brainbuster by Kanemaru

Signature Moves:
- Deep Impact
- Hollywood Star Press
- Moonsault
- Touch Out (HQ)

Super Signature Moves:
- Deep Impact to the Outside

Moves No Longer Used:
- Arabian Press

2005 Recap:
A very successful Jr. Heavyweight, in 2005 Kanemaru held both the major Jr. Heavyweight titles. He entered the year as the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship, but lost the belt to KENTA at the July Tokyo Dome Show. Kanemaru still had the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship though, which he had won from KENTA and Marufuji on June 5th. He and Sugiura would remain the champions through the rest of the year. Still under 30, Kanemaru will likely be a fixture in the NOAH Jr. Heavyweight division for many years to come.

2006 Recap:
Kanemaru and Sugiura would lose the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita on March 5th, but they won the titles back on August 13th. He wrestled in the Jr. Battle Royal on June 3rd, but his tag team partner Sugiura won the battle royal. Kanemaru did not have any other title shots, but he is one of the leading wrestlers in SEM and is still a very respected veteran.

2007 Recap:
Kanemaru lost his GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship as soon as 2007 started, as on January 7th he and Sugiura lost to the Briscoe Brothers. Kanemaru mostly wrestled in tag matches with the younger wrestlers for the rest of the year, but in the fall he made a push for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship. He finally got a chance to win the belt on October 27th from Mushiking Terry, and he would come out the victor, winning the title for the first time in over two years. He defended the title once in 2007, defeating Ricky Marvin on November 19th with the Touch Out.

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