Ishin Iihashi

Ishin Iihashi
Born (1997-10-27) October 27, 1997 (age 27)[1]
Musashino, Japan
Family
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Ishin
Ishin Iihashi
Masked Z
Billed height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Billed weight78 kg (172 lb)
Trained byDragongate dojo
Debut2021

Ishin Iihashi (飯橋 偉進, Iihashi Ishin) mononymously known by his ring name Ishin (stylized as ISHIN) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the Japanese promotion Dragongate where he is a former Open the Triangle and Open the Brave Gate Champion.[3][4]

Professional wrestling career

Dragongate (2021–present)

Iihashi made his professional wrestling debut in Dragongate at DG Dangerous Gate 2021 from September 20, where he teamed up with his brother Riki Iihashi in a losing effort against Don Fujii and Yasushi Kanda as a result of a tag team match.[5] During his time in the company, he joined the unit of M3K which he has later defected by turning heel and joining the villanous stable of Z-Brats.[2] He also chased for various titles such as the Open the Triangle Gate Championship which he has won on two separate occasions, both times alongside Z-Brats stablemates. First at the 2022 Gate of Destiny on November 6 with Kai and Shun Skywalker,[6] and secondly at Final Gate 2023 on December 24 alongside Kai and Yoshiki Kato by defeating Dragon Kid, Punch Tominaga and Yamato.[7] He first won the Open the Brave Gate Championship at Kobe Festival 2023 on July 2 by defeating Jason Lee.[8] He has held the title on one more separate occasion, winning it on the seventh night of the Gate Of Victory 2023 from October 14, where he defeated Kzy.[9] He also competed for the Open the Twin Gate Championship at DG Dead Or Alive 2023 on May 5 against Kongo's Shuji Kondo and Kenoh by teaming up with stablemate Kai but came out unsuccessful.[10]

Iihashi competed in various signature events promoted by the company. In the King of Gate tournament which is Dragongate's biggest yearly competition, he made his first appearance at the 2022 edition where he went into a time-limit draw against Takuma Fujiwara in the first rounds. He then unsuccessfully participated in a resurrection battle royal for a second chance inside the tournament won by Kota Minoura and also involving many other opponents such as Ben-K, BxB Hulk, Diamante, Dragon Dia, Kaito Ishida, Takashi Yoshida, Naruki Doi, Yosuke Santa Maria, Madoka Kikuta and many others.[11] At the 2023 edition, he defeated Minorita in the first rounds but fell short to Shuji Kondo in the second ones.[12]

As for the Gate of Destiny event, the event's biggest yearly pay-per-view which takes place at the beginning of November, Iihashi made his first appearance at the 2021 editionby teaming up with his brother Riki and Último Dragón in a losing effort against Masaaki Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda and Takumi Hayakawa.[13] One year later at the 2022 edition, he teamed up with his Z-Brats stablemates Kai and Shun Skywalker to defeat M3K (Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki and Mochizuki Junior) for the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.[6] At the 2023 edition of the event, Iihashi defeated Ryoya Tanaka to successfully defend the Open the Brave Gate Championship.[14]

Japanese independent circuit (2022)

Iihashi briefly competed in several of the Japanese independent scene promotions as a developmental talent sent by Dragongate. At Tenryu Project Wrestle And Romance Vol. 7 on October 6, 2022, he teamed up with Kotaro Nasu to defeat Mizuki Watase and Naoki Tanizaki.[15] He took part in a cross-over event promoted by them alongside Pro Wrestling Noah on November 11, 2022, the NOAH Global Dream where he teamed up with Manabu Soya to win a five-way tag team match also involving Gold Class (Ben-K and Minorita), Los Perros del Mal de Japón (Eita and Super Crazy), M3K (Susumu Mochizuki and Yasushi Kanda), and Big Boss Shimizu and Mohammed Yone.[16]

Personal life

Ishin's older brother Riki Iihashi is a former fellow professional wrestler. They are the sons of sumo wrestler Ishinriki Kōji and former professional wrestler Utako Hozumi.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ Saalbach, Axel. "ISHIN • General Information". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ISHIN/Career Data". cagematch.de (in German). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Internet Wrestling Database (IWD). "Ishin Iihashi Profile & Match Listing". profightdb.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ DRAGONGATE：ドラゴンゲート公式サイト ISHIN. Dragon Gate (in Japanese). Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Williams, Xavier (September 19, 2021). "Preview: Dragon Gate – Dangerous Gate 2021 (09/20/21)". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lowe, Case (November 7, 2022). "DRAGONGATE GATE OF DESTINY (NOVEMBER 7) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Daly, Wayne (December 26, 2023). "Dragon Gate Results: The Final Gate 2023 – Fukuoka, Japan (12/24)". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Lowe, Case (July 5, 2023). "DRAGONGATE KOBE WORLD PRO-WRESTLING FESTIVAL 2023 (JULY 2) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  9. ^ Black, Ethan (October 14, 2023). "Dragon Gate The Gate Of Victory Night 7 Results – October 14, 2023". pwmania.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Lowe, Case (May 9, 2023). "DRAGONGATE DEAD OR ALIVE 2023 (MAY 5) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  11. ^ Lowe, Case (June 3, 2022). "DRAGONGATE KING OF GATE FINALS (JUNE 2) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Dark Angelita (June 18, 2023). "Dragon Gate: Se anuncia el "King of Gate 2023"". superluchas.com (in Spanish). Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Lowe, Case (November 4, 2021). "DRAGONGATE GATE OF DESTINY 2021 (NOVEMBER 3) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Lowe, Case (November 7, 2023). "DRAGONGATE GATE OF DESTINY (NOVEMBER 5) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Daly, Wayne (October 26, 2022). "Tenryu Project Results: Wrestle And Romance Vol. 7 – Tokyo, Japan (10/26)". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Gerard, Di Trolio (November 14, 2022). "NOAH/DRAGONGATE GLOBAL DREAM (NOVEMBER 11) RESULTS & REVIEW". voicesofwrestling.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Pratt, Emily (July 13, 2023). "The Iihashi Brothers, The New Dragon Gate Tag Team With Two Wrestler Parents: A Review". fanbyte.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Wrestling Titles. "Open the Brave Gate Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  19. ^ Wrestling Titles. "Open the Triangle Gate Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  20. ^ Ross, Patrick (September 10, 2024). "Full 2024 PWI 500 list revealed". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.