View source for Ricky Fuji

{{Short description|Japanese professional wrestler}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name=Ricky Fuji
|image=Ricky Fuji.JPG
|caption=Fuji in 2010
|names='''Ricky Fuji'''<ref name=FMW>{{cite web|url=http://fmwwrestling.us/Profiles.html|title=FMW profile}}</ref><ref name=Cage>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=4081|title=Cagematch profile}}</ref><br>Black Tomcat<br>Calgary Tiger
|height={{convert|1.73|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<!-- In Japan they measure height in meters so that should be first --><ref name=FMW/><ref name=Cage/>
|birth_name = Masanori Morimura
|weight={{convert|96|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<!--In Japan they measure weight in kilograms so that should be first --><ref name=FMW/>
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|9|27}}<ref name=FMW/><ref name=Cage/><ref name=PuroCentral>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresucentral.com/rfuji.html|title=Puroresu Central profile}}</ref>
|death_date=
|birth_place=[[Chiba, Chiba|Chiba]], [[Japan]]<ref name=FMW/><ref name=Cage/>
|billed= [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]
|trainer=[[NJPW Dojo]]<ref name=Cage/><br />[[Mr. Hito]]<ref name=Cage/><br />[[Stu Hart]]<ref name=PuroCentral/>
|debut=June 28, 1988<ref name=FMW/><ref name=Cage/><ref name=PuroCentral/>
|retired=
}}
{{nihongo|'''Masanori Morimura'''|森村 方則|Morimura Masanori|}}<ref name=FMW/><ref name=Cage/> (born September 27, 1965) better known under his [[ring name]] {{nihongo|'''Ricky Fuji'''|リッキー・フジ|Rikkī Fuji}} is a Japanese [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] currently signed to [[Action Advance Pro Wrestling]], where he also runs the day-to-day operations. He is perhaps best known for his time with [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]] (FMW), where he wrestled between the [[professional wrestling promotion|promotion]]'s early days in 1990 until the promotion's closure in 2002, making him the longest-tenured wrestler in the company's history.

Fuji initially joined FMW as a mid-carder, who initially teamed and feuded with the promotion's founder [[Atsushi Onita]] on several occasions. He was a part of many groups including Team Canada and Lethal Weapon during the mid-1990s while also achieving success in the company's [[Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|junior heavyweight division]], winning the [[AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship]] and the [[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]] once each.

==Professional wrestling career==
===Early career===
Masanori Morimura started training in the [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling|NJPW Dojo]] in 1984, but left the dojo because he was "young and dumb".<ref name=PuroCentral/> While at the NJPW Dojo, he wanted to be a [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan)|UWF]] fighter instead. When he failed to join UWF, he realized he ruined his chances at beginning his career in Japan. He then left Japan in January 1987 for a training expedition in [[Canada]], where he was trained in the [[Hart House (Alberta)#The Dungeon|Dungeon]] by [[Stu Hart]] and his right-hand man, [[Mr. Hito]]. During his time training in Calgary, he suffered a couple major injuries, including a [[cerebral hemorrhage|brain hemorrhage]], which he fully recovered from. During his training, he would befriend other Japanese stars like [[Hiroshi Hase]] and his former NJPW Dojo mates [[Jushin Thunder Liger|Keiichi Yamada]] and [[Shinya Hashimoto]].<ref name=Canada>{{cite web|url=http://www.ringo.sakura.ne.jp/~chu-chu/r/ca/ca1.html|title=Ricky Fuji's Canadian Years (in Japanese)|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111185951/http://www.ringo.sakura.ne.jp/~chu-chu/r/ca/ca1.html|archivedate=2013-11-11}}</ref>

===Canada (1988–1990)===
On June 28, 1988, Morimura made his professional wrestling debut in [[Stampede Wrestling]] against Hart's son, [[Ross Hart|Ross]], under the name Tiger Mask (not the same as [[Satoru Sayama]]), at a show in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.<ref name=FMW/><ref name=PuroCentral/> After a couple of matches, he evolved into Black Tomcat. In August 1988, Black Tomcat was one of many wrestlers cut from Stampede, and joined the North Western Wrestling Federation and later won the promotion's Junior Heavyweight Championship, his first title, after defeating Steve Gillespie.<ref name=Canada/>

In March 1989, Black Tomcat left the NWWF for the Canadian Independent Wrestling Federation, ran by [[Les Thornton]]. After losing a loser leaves town match to Kid Chaos in June 1989, he unmasked and started wrestling under the [[ring name]] Ricky Fuji and adopted a [[Celebrity|rock star]] [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#G|gimmick]]. During his time in the CIWF, he was scouted by the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] after [[Bruce Hart (wrestler)|Bruce Hart]] introduced him to his brother [[Bret Hart|Bret]], but no deal was ever finalized, as they didn't know how to bring him in.<ref name=FMWHistory>{{cite web|url=http://fmwwrestling.us/FMWHistory.html|title=FMW History}}</ref> Later that year, he would become the promotion's final Junior Heavyweight Champion, before the promotion folded by the end of 1989. In January 1990, Fuji returned to Japan and trained with former NJPW star Masanobu Kurisu and was offered a spot in the upstart promotion [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]] by [[Atsushi Onita]], which he accepted.<ref name=PuroCentral/><ref name=Canada/>

===Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling===
====Debut (1990)====
Upon debuting for FMW in May 1990, Fuji quickly became [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Over|over]] with the fans, particularly among female fans, due to his [[Shawn Michaels]]-inspired gimmick and [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#P|promo]] skills.<ref name=PuroCentral/> He debuted for FMW by defeating The Shooter on May 12, 1990. He quickly established himself as an arrogant [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]] and entered a [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalry]] with FMW owner [[Atsushi Onita]], as Fuji and Masanobu Kurisu lost to the team of Onita and [[Tarzan Goto]] in a match, a day later on May 13, marking Fuji competing in a FMW [[Card (sports)#Main event|main event]], just in his second match with the company. On June 2, Fuji competed in his first [[hardcore wrestling|deathmatch]], a [[Professional wrestling match types#Stretcher match|stretcher]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|street fight]] against Tarzan Goto, which Fuji lost. On June 6, Fuji received his first title shot in FMW as he unsuccessfully challenged Lee Gak Soo for the [[AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship]]. Tarzan Goto would soon enter a feud with Onita and Fuji formed an alliance with Onita's rivals Tarzan Goto and [[Mr. Pogo]] in the summer of 1990. On July 22, Fuji participated in a thirteen-man [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)|battle royal]], which took place in a ring placed in the [[Miyazaki, Miyazaki|Miyazaki Nichinan Sea]]. Fuji went on to win the battle royal by last eliminating Kim Hyun Hwan.

At [[Summer Spectacular (1990)|Summer Spectacular]], Fuji was paired with Mr. Pogo and [[Katsuji Ueda]] as the trio defeated Kim Hyun Han, Lee Gak Soo and Sambo Asako in a [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Multiple man teamed matches|six-man tag team match]]. Fuji received another shot against Lee Gak Soo for the World Light Heavyweight Championship on August 18 but failed to win the title. On August 20, Fuji and Pogo lost a street fight to Atsushi Onita and Sambo Asako, after which Fuji [[Turn (professional wrestling)|turn]]ed into a [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorite]] for the first time in his career as he teamed with Onita on the following day against Pogo and Gran Mendoza in a losing effort. In September, Fuji entered a [[FMW tournaments#AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament|tournament]] for the vacant World Light Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jang Yong Wow in the quarter-final before losing to eventual winner Katsuji Ueda in the semi-final. On October 26, Fuji participated in Japan's first [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Intergender tag team matches|intergender tag team match]], teaming with [[Megumi Kudo]] in a loss to Tarzan Goto and his wife [[Despina Montagas]]. At the promotion's [[FMW 1st Anniversary Show|1st Anniversary Show]] in November, Fuji teamed with Akihito Ichihara against The Shooter and Billy Mack in a losing effort.

====World Light Heavyweight Champion and teaming with Sambo Asako (1991&ndash;1992)====
In January 1991, Fuji teamed with [[Tarzan Goto]] to participate in a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Tag Team Tournament|tag team tournament]], in which the team qualified for the [[single-elimination tournament|knockout stage]] by scoring three points in the [[round-robin tournament|round-robin stage]]. They were eliminated from the knockout stage by losing to [[Atsushi Onita]] and Sambo Asako in the quarter-final on January 15. He continued to team with Goto and Onita to wrestle [[Mr. Pogo]] and his allies in several matches. On May 29, Fuji was [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#B|book]]ed to win his first [[Professional wrestling championship|title]] in FMW by defeating [[Jimmy Del Ray|Jimmy Backlund]] to capture the [[AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|World Light Heavyweight Championship]]. He began feuding with [[Mark Starr]] after successfully defending the title against Starr in his first title defense on June 21. On August 17, Fuji entered the [[FMW tournaments#Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament|Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament]], in which he defeated Starr in the quarter-final round before losing to eventual winner Atsushi Onita via forfeit in the semi-final. Fuji [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#D|drop]]ped the World Light Heavyweight Championship to Starr on August 24.

At the [[FMW 2nd Anniversary Show|2nd Anniversary Show]] in September, Fuji was paired with Sambo Asako against [[Rick Bognar|Big Titan]] and [[Mike Awesome|The Gladiator]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|street fight]], which Fuji's team lost. In the fall of 1991, Fuji and Asako participated in the [[FMW tournaments#World's Strongest Tag Team Tournament|World's Strongest Tag Team Tournament]] for the newly created [[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|WWA World Martial Arts Tag Team Champions]]hip. They qualified for the play-off by scoring seven points in the round-robin stage and lost to the eventual winners Atsushi Onita and [[Tarzan Goto]] in the play-off. At [[FMW 3rd Anniversary Show|3rd Anniversary Show]], Fuji teamed with Sambo Asako and The Great Punk against Big Titan, The Gladiator and [[Horace Hogan|Horace Boulder]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Stretcher match|stretcher]] street fight in a losing effort.

====Team Canada (1993&ndash;1994)====
On January 12, 1993, Ricky Fuji [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#T|turn]]ed on his teammates The Great Punk, [[Mr. Gannosuke]] and [[Tarzan Goto]] in an [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Elimination tag team matches|elimination tag team match]] against the team of [[Rick Bognar|Big Titan]], [[Dr. Luther]], [[Mike Awesome|The Gladiator]] and [[Ed Farhat|The Sheik]], which led to Fuji turning into a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]]. He formed a [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable|faction]] with Titan, Luther and Gladiator called Team Canada, based on Fuji's own time in Canada in the past. Sheik would eventually depart the group to form an alliance with [[Atsushi Onita]]. Team Canada quickly became FMW's top villainous group and feuded with the likes of Onita, Tarzan Goto, [[Mr. Gannosuke]], The Sheik and [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]] among others.

At [[FMW 4th Anniversary Show|4th Anniversary Show]], Fuji teamed with his Team Canada stablemates Big Titan and The Gladiator, defeating [[Katsuji Ueda]], The Great Punk and Tarzan Goto in a Captain's Fall [[Professional wrestling match types#Loser Leaves Town match|Losing Captain Leaves Town]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Barbed Wire Massacre|No Rope Barbed Wire Tornado Street Fight Deathmatch]]. Fuji then defeated Mercurio in his next major match at [[Summer Spectacular (1993)|Summer Spectacular]]. In September, Fuji entered a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament|tournament]] for the new [[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]], in which he lost to Atsushi Onita, Jr. in the opening round. At [[Year End Spectacular (1993)|Year End Spectacular]], the team of Fuji, Titan and Gladiator defeated Sambo Asako, Katsuji Ueda and [[Grigory Verichev]] in a street fight.

In early 1994, Fuji participated in a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship Tournament (1994)|tournament]] for the new [[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship]], in which he was paired with Terry Simms, losing to [[Jinsei Shinzaki]] and Masaru Toi in a barbed wire street fight in the first round, leading to Fuji and Simms being demoted to Loser's Block B, where they ended up losing to [[Hideki Hosaka]] and [[Hisakatsu Oya]] in a barbed wire deathmatch. In April, Fuji entered the [[Super J-Cup (1994)|inaugural Super J-Cup]] tournament, where he defeated [[Negro Casas]] in the first round, but lost to [[Jushin Liger|Jushin Thunder Liger]] in the quarter-final round. The following month, in May, Fuji teamed with his Team Canada stablemates Big Titan and The Gladiator to take on [[WAR (wrestling promotion)|WAR]]'s [[Fuyuki-Gun]] ([[Hiromichi Fuyuki]], [[Jado]] and [[Gedo (wrestler)|Gedo]]) in an interpromotional [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Multiple man teamed matches|six-man tag team match]] at [[FMW 5th Anniversary Show|5th Anniversary Show]]. During the match, a miscommunication took place between Titan and Gladiator. Gladiator won the match for his team but then abandoned Fuji and Titan after the match.

Fuji toured a few events for [[Michinoku Pro Wrestling]] (MPW) in June, where he won the vacant Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling's (CRMW) North American Mid-Heavyweight Championship by defeating [[Men's Teioh|Terry Boy]] on June 16. Fuji then returned to FMW, defeating Mach Hayato at [[Summer Spectacular (1994)|Summer Spectacular]]. Shortly after, Team Canada disbanded after the departure of Big Titan from FMW in December.

====Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champion and Lethal Weapon (1994&ndash;1996)====
On December 20, 1994, Fuji defeated [[The Great Sasuke]] to win the [[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]]. He successfully defended the title against Battle Ranger Z in his first title defense on January 6, 1995. He lost the title to [[Hideki Hosaka]] in his second title defense on February 6.<ref name=CageTitle>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=4081&view=erfolge#erfolge|title=Cagematch title listings}}</ref> Soon after the title loss, Fuji formed a new [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable|faction]] called [[Lethal Weapon (professional wrestling)|Lethal Weapon]] with [[Tarzan Goto]] and [[Hisakatsu Oya]], although Goto would soon after leave FMW in April 1995.

At [[FMW 6th Anniversary Show|6th Anniversary Show]], Fuji and Oya defeated [[Mr. Pogo]] and [[Kouhiro Kanemura|Yukihiro Kanemura]] of the [[W*ING Alliance]] to capture the [[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship]] and their tag team was named Love Guns, Lethal Weapon's resident tag team. Following the departure of Tarzan Goto, Fuji and Oya would later recruit [[Mike Awesome|The Gladiator]], [[Mr. Pogo]] and [[Horace Hogan|Horace Boulder]] into Lethal Weapon. The group would briefly takeover W*ING Alliance as the top villainous faction in FMW. Fuji and Oya lost the Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship four months later to [[Daisuke Ikeda]] and [[Yoshiaki Fujiwara]] on September 5.<ref name=CageTitle/> During the fall of 1995, Lethal Weapon began transitioning into [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorites]] after W*ING Alliance betrayed both FMW and Lethal Weapon during a tag team match. Lethal Weapon would then side with FMW to feud with W*ING. Fuji headlined December's [[Year End Spectacular (1995)|Year End Spectacular]] [[List of FMW supercards and pay-per-view events|event]] by teaming with [[Super Delfin]] and [[Taka Michinoku]] against the team of [[Hayabusa (wrestler)|Hayabusa]], The Great Sasuke and [[Koji Nakagawa]] in a losing effort.

Fuji participated in the first [[WarGames match]] in FMW history on February 23, 1996, by teaming with [[Masato Tanaka]] and [[Tetsuhiro Kuroda]] to defeat W*ING Alliance members [[Hido (wrestler)|Hido]], W*ING Kanemura and [[Mitsuhiro Matsunaga]], thus ending the feud of FMW and Lethal Weapon against W*ING. The match was followed by the debut of the new group Puerto Rican Army, which took over as FMW's new villainous group by luring away several key members of W*ING and Lethal Weapon. At [[FMW 7th Anniversary Show|7th Anniversary Show]], Fuji teamed with [[The Rock 'n' Roll Express]] ([[Ricky Morton]] and [[Robert Gibson (wrestler)|Robert Gibson]]) to defeat the team of Crypt Keeper, Boogie Man and Freddy Krueger. On July 31, Fuji, Oya and Gladiator unsuccessfully challenged Koji Nakagawa, Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda for the [[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship|World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship]]. On September 15, Fuji's tag team partners Horace Boulder and The Gladiator turned on Fuji after the trio lost a match to Hideki Hosaka, Hido and Taka Michinoku. The entire Lethal Weapon group turned on Fuji to join Puerto Rican Army, thus forcing Lethal Weapon to disband.

====Various rivalries (1997&ndash;2002)====
Following Lethal Weapon's disbandment, Fuji aligned himself with [[Hayabusa (wrestler)|Hayabusa]] and began competing as a mid-card wrestler on the FMW side, often assisting him in his rivalries with [[Mr. Gannosuke]] and [[Hiromichi Fuyuki|Kodo Fuyuki]]. Fuji competed in the opening match of the [[FMW 8th Anniversary Show|8th Anniversary Show]], teaming with [[Ricky Morton]] to defeat [[Hido (wrestler)|Hido]] and [[Magnitude Kishiwada|Dragon Winger]]. At [[Shiodome Legend (1997)|Shiodome Legend]], Fuji successfully defended the CRMW North American Middleweight Championship against Hayato Nanjyo. He lost the title to [[Gedo (wrestler)|Gedo]] on August 31. At [[Fall Spectacular (1997)|Fall Spectacular]], Fuji participated in a twelve-man [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)#Royal Rumble|Royal Rumble match]], where he lasted until the final two when he was eliminated by [[Tetsuhiro Kuroda]]. His success dwindled in FMW and was relegated to mid-card matches. He balanced competing in singles, tag team, and six-man tag team matches.

On January 7, 1998, Fuji wrestled a special match under the [[ring name]] Morimura on a [[ZEN (professional wrestling)|ZEN]]-produced show, defeating Sunao Gosaku and El Pandita in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches|three-way dance]]. Fuji competed at FMW's first [[pay-per-view]] event [[FMW 9th Anniversary Show|9th Anniversary Show]], where he teamed with [[John Kronus]] in a loss to [[Jado & Gedo|Jado and Gedo]] on April 30. On August 15, he resurrected his masked Black Tomcat persona from his days in Canada, for one night only on a [[Michinoku Pro Wrestling]] card, in which he lost to [[Super Delfin]]. Later that year, he joined Hayabusa's Team Phoenix to feud with [[Team No Respect]]. In the fall of 1998, Fuji participated in an [[FMW tournaments#Over the Top Tournament|Over the Top Tournament]] to determine the #1 contender for the FMW Double Championship (the [[Championship unification|unified]] [[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship|Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship]] and the [[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship|Independent Heavyweight Championship]]), where he lost to [[Masao Orihara]] in the opening round at [[ECW/FMW Supershow#ECW/FMW Supershow I|ECW/FMW Supershow I]].

On May 5, 1999, Fuji took on [[Minoru Tanaka (wrestler)|Minoru Tanaka]] in a match for the vacant [[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]], which Tanaka won. In the summer of 1999, Fuji began feuding with the FMW President [[Shoichi Arai]] after Arai turned on FMW to join Team No Respect, leading to a match between the two at [[Goodbye Hayabusa II: Haunted House|Haunted House]], which Arai won after Giant Steele made his FMW debut and attacked Fuji. Fuji would eventually gain revenge by teaming with [[Masato Tanaka]] to defeat Kodo Fuyuki and Shoichi Arai at [[Goodbye Hayabusa II: Hayabusa Graduation Ceremony|Hayabusa Graduation Ceremony]] on August 23. At the [[Goodbye Hayabusa II: Last Match|Last Match]] pay-per-view on August 25, Fuji teamed with Naohiko Yamazaki in a loss to [[Corporal Kirchner|Super Leather]] and [[Chris Youngblood]].

At [[FMW 10th Anniversary Show|10th Anniversary Show]] on November 23, Fuji teamed with [[Chocoball Mukai]] and Flying Kid Ichihara to defeat Team No Respect members [[Koji Nakagawa]], [[Jado & Gedo|Jado and Gedo]] in a [[ladder match]] to win the vacant [[WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship]]. They lost the title to Nakagawa, Jado and Gedo on December 11, ending their reign at eighteen days. In April 2000, Fuji entered the [[Super J-Cup (2000)|2000 Super J-Cup]], where he defeated [[Masao Orihara|Sasuke the Great]] in the first round, but lost to [[Gran Hamada]] in the quarterfinals. The following month, Fuji defeated [[Crazy Boy]] in the opening match of the [[FMW 11th Anniversary Show|11th Anniversary Show]]. Later that year, Fuji gained a victory over former tag team partner Chocoball Mukai in the opening match of the [[FMW Deep Throat|Deep Throat]] pay-per-view.

At [[FMW 12th Anniversary Show|12th Anniversary Show]], Fuji teamed with Makita to defeat Morita and Yoshihito Sasaki in a tag team match. On May 22, 2001, Fuji reunited with former Lethal Weapon member [[Hisakatsu Oya]] and Flying Kid Ichihara to defeat Azusa Kudo, Shinjuku Shark and Naohiko Yamazaki for the vacant WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship, winning the title for a second time. They held the title for two months until losing to Kodo Fuyuki, Mr. Gannosuke and [[Kouhiro Kanemura|Kintaro Kanemura]] on July 30. On February 3, 2002, Fuji wrestled his last FMW match, in which he teamed with Shinjuku Shark against [[Koji Nakagawa|GOEMON]] and Hisakatsu Oya in a losing effort. A day later, on February 4, FMW held its last event and Shoichi Arai closed the company due to [[bankruptcy]] on February 15.

===Freelance (2002–2012)===
Since FMW's closing, Fuji has been wrestling as a [[freelance]]r for various Japanese [[Independent circuit|independent promotions]], including Wrestling Marvelous Future, [[Apache Pro-Wrestling]], and [[Pro Wrestling Freedoms|FREEDOMS]].<ref name=PuroCentral/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=4081&view=matches&gimmick=&jahr=&liga=&region=&art=&artmatches=&gegner=Gegner&partner=Partner&suchbegriff=Suchbegriff&Start=101#matches|title=Cagematch match listing, page 20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=4081&view=matches&gimmick=&jahr=&liga=&region=&land=&art=&artmatches=&gegner=&partner=&suchbegriff=&Start=51#matches|title=Cagematch match listing, page 21}}</ref><ref name=CageMatches22>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=4081&view=matches&gimmick=&jahr=&liga=&region=&land=&art=&artmatches=&gegner=&partner=&suchbegriff=&Start=1#matches|title=Cagematch match listing, page 22}}</ref>

On September 17, 2011, Fuji teamed with Bambi and [[Yuji Hino]] to win the Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship after defeating Little Galaxy ([[Hiro Tonai]], [[Shiori Asahi]] and Yuki Sato).<ref name=CageMatches22/> The championship is Fuji's first in a major promotion since May 2001. On October 2, Fuji, Bambi and Hino were successful in their first title defense after defeating Daigoro Kashiwa, [[Psycho (wrestler)|Marines Mask II]] and [[Tigers Mask]].<ref name=CageMatches22/>

===Kaientai Dojo/Action Advance Pro Wrestling (2012–present)===
On January 4, 2012, [[Kaientai Dojo]] confirmed that they signed Ricky Fuji for one year; he has remained with the promotion ever since.

On February 5, 2012, Fuji had a chance to win the Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship at a Freedoms show against [[Hiroki (wrestler)|Hiroki]], but failed. After the match, he got on the microphone and announced his goal of winning the belt by the end of the year, after looking at the "FMW" letters still engraved on the belt.

On January 26, 2013, after nearly a year after his announced his intentions, Fuji finally won the Independent World Junior Heavyweight title from Hiroki, ending his nearly 15-month reign. He would hold onto the title for nearly four months, before losing the title to Nanjyo Hayato. On June 16, Fuji and [[Daigoro Kashiwa]] defeated Hiroki and Yuji Hino to win the vacant [[Strongest-K Tag Team Championship]]. They lost the title to [[Kazma (wrestler)|Kazma Sakamoto]] and [[Kengo Mashimo]] on September 16.

Upon Taka Michinoku's departure and the renaming of the company to Action-Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW) in 2019, Fuji was chosen to run the day-to-day operations, as well as being in the active roster. In January 2020, Fuji announced that 2AW is now the Japanese affiliate for Allied Independent Wrestling Federations.

===Return to FMW (2015–present)===
On March 4, 2015, it was confirmed by Flying Kid Ichihara and Choden Senshi Battle Ranger that Ricky Fuji is confirmed as one of the seven FMW originals to rejoin FMW. On April 21, 2015, Fuji defeated Battle Ranger in the opening match of the promotion's first show in 13 years.

==Personal life==
Outside of wrestling, Fuji runs his own gym in Chiba called Endo's Gym, and also plays in two rock bands, Crazy Crew (which includes [[The Great Sasuke]] and [[Kenichi Sakai|Ken45°]]) and The Heavyweighters.

On September 7, 2022, Fuji collapsed at his home in Chiba. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where it was revealed that he had suffered a stroke. He underwent a successful cerebral angiography, placing a cerebrovascular catheter in his brain. Fuji's condition is stable, but the left side of his body is currently paralyzed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=脳梗塞でリッキー・フジが緊急搬送！手術は成功も左半身麻痺に |url=http://battle-news.com/?p=88386 |website=バトル・ニュース |access-date=2022-09-08 |date=2022-09-08}}</ref> He has since made a speedy recovery and was released from the hospital on November 29.

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''Canadian Independent Wrestling Federation'''
:*CIWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time, last champion)<ref name="Wrestling Marvelous Future roster"/>
*'''Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling'''
:*CRMW North American Mid-Heavyweight Championship (2 times)<ref name="Wrestling Marvelous Future roster">{{cite web|url=http://www.brianrich.net/japan.html|title=Wrestling Marvelous Future roster}}</ref>
*'''[[DDT Pro-Wrestling]]'''
:*[[Greater China Unified Zhongyuan Tag Team Championship]] ([[Greater China Unified Zhongyuan Tag Team Championship#Reigns|1 time]]) – with [[The Great Sasuke]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://extremeparty.heteml.net/2011/union110703-6.htm|script-title=ja:ユニオンプロレス “七夕、４日前でも願いは叶う2011” 7/3 1st RING大会その６|access-date=September 26, 2021|publisher=Extreme Party|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ddtpro.com/results/8293|script-title=ja:七夕、4日前でも願いは叶う！2011|date=July 3, 2011|access-date=September 26, 2021|author=DDT Pro-Wrestling|title=DDT ProWrestling |author-link=DDT Pro-Wrestling|language=ja}}</ref>
*'''[[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling / World Entertainment Wrestling]]'''
:*[[AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship]] ([[AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-lh.html|title=AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship history}}</ref>
:*[[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship]] ([[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship#Title History|1 time]]) – with Hisakatsu Oya<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/fmw-t.html|title=FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship history}}</ref>
:*[[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship|FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]] ([[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history|2 times]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/ind-j.html|title=Independent Junior Heavyweight Championship history}}</ref>
:*[[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship|WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship]] ([[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship#Title History|2 times]]) – with Flying Kid Ichihara and [[Chocoball Mukai]] (1) and Flying Kid Ichihara and Hisakatsu Oya<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/wew6manttfmw.html|title=FMW/WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship history}}</ref>
*'''[[Kaientai Dojo]]'''
:*Chiba Six Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bambi and [[Yuji Hino]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=5&nr=1573|title=Chiba Six-Man Tax Team Championship history}}</ref>
:*[[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship]] ([[Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])
:*[[Strongest-K Tag Team Championship]] ([[Strongest-K Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) - with [[Daigoro Kashiwa]]
:*[[FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship|WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship]] ([[FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) - with Nasu Banderas
*'''NMC Pro/Pro Wrestling Nightmare'''
:*NMC Wrestle Brain Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)<ref name="Wrestling Marvelous Future roster"/>
*'''North Western Wrestling Federation'''
:*NWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)<ref name="Wrestling Marvelous Future roster"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes|
|list1=
{{AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship}}
{{FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship}}
{{Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship}}
{{Strongest-K Tag Team Championship}}
{{WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuji, Ricky}}
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