Real Name - Shinya HashimotoLifespan - 7/3/65 - 7/11/05
5'11" 287 lbs. - Toki City, Gifu, Japan
Athletic Background - Judo (High School)
Teacher(s) - Antonio Inoki; Stu Hart, Mr. Hito (Tokyo Joe)
Professional Background - New Japan(`84-`00), Stampede(`87), Memphis(`89), Zero-One(`00-`04), HUSTLE(`04-`05)
Aliases - Hashif Khan, Shogun Hashimoto, Shogun, Masamuni Shogun
Groups - none
Peak Years - `92-`00
Finisher(s) -
- Dangerous Brainbuster
- Triangle Hold
- Jumping DDT
- Cross Armbreaker
Favorites -
- Overhead Chop
- Spin Wheel Kick
- "Posing" Front Kick
- Shoulder Throw
- Senton
- Spinning Chop
Ringwork Rating -
| Move Set | 9 |
| Science | 5 |
| Aerial | 2 |
| Power | 7 |
| Strikes | 10 |
Intangibles Rating -
| Entertainment | 8 |
| Selling | 8 |
| Bumping | 6 |
| Carrying | 7 |
| Heat | 8 |
| Legacy | 8 |
Place in History - Shinya Hashimoto will perhaps be immortalized as the greatest New Japan champion when that company was at its peak. He began his rise in the late 1980s teaming with an aging Masa Saito and a past-his-prime Riki Choshu. He aligned himself with rivals Keiji Muto and Masa Chono as the "Three Muskateers" and that trio finally took over the Inoki legacy that men like Akira Maeda, Tatsumi Fujinami, Choshu and others were never completely able to in the 1980s. Hashimoto became notable for his "different style fights," which were mixed matches comprable to those Inoki himself did in the 1970s. He fought and won and emerged as a champion of pro-wrestling as a martial arts discipline in a way that seems foreign elsewhere in world. This approach led to Shinya Hashimoto becoming the most dominant IWGP Champion of the era having three lengthy reigns totaling thirty-three months as champion over a four year period. This is a particularly amazing feat considering the level of talent and competition at the time. Hashimoto's career did not dwindle in the late 1990s, in fact his fame rose during the feud of his career with Naoya Ogawa. The former judo medalist beat Hashimoto several times, the last time being in a retirement match. He left and formed Zero-One, which emerged as almost a super-independent in the final years of puroresu's hottest period. Hashimoto even brought in Ogawa and formed a team, OH Gun, which kept him going as his body began breaking down. Zero-One struggled without him, but a new company, HUSTLE, was born through the alliance of Hashimoto and Ogawa and their connection to Dream Stage Entertainment. Hashimoto was building to a return in New Japan when a brain hemorrhage suddenly took his life at forty. His death was a huge media story in Japan as he had been a tremendous star and will always be remembered for his many noteworthy contributions to the sport.
