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 Title History:
IWGP Tag Team Title (2):
Tournament History: - G1 Tag League 2000: Takashi Iizuka & Yuji Nagata beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (19:09) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Tenzan.
Signature Moves:
- Blizzard suplex
Profile: Takayuki Iizuka joined New Japan in May, 1985, and would debut some 18 months later against future tag partner, Akira Nogami. An overseas expedition with Hiroshi Hase to the old Soviet Union in June, 1989, taught him vital knowledge of the sambo combat style, and a second overseas excursion, this one to Europe, from May, 1991, to March, 1992, furthered his progress as a wrestler. Before the second excursion, he became the youngest champion in New Japan history, when aged just 22, he teamed with Riki Choshu to win the IWGP Tag Team Title in July, 1989. In September, 1993, he formed a vibrant young tag team with Nogami named the J-J-JACKS, but the two struggled for any serious form and split up in March, 1996. A new tag team later that year with Kazuo Yamazaki gave his career a boost, the two enjoying a brief reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions. Despite a surprise win over Riki Choshu during Choshu's retirement road at the Tokyo Dome in January, 1998, Iizuka still found himself in the middle of shows, despite being such a good wrestler. 2000 would be a huge year for him though, starting when he teamed with Shinya Hashimoto to defend New Japan against UFO's Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murakami, Iizuka choking Murakami out on successive Tokyo Dome events. He shot up the card, defeating fighters that had long passed him on the ladder, such as Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Yuji Nagata. A gripping 20 minute IWGP Heavyweight Title shot against Kensuke Sasaki in July, and a G1 Tag League win with Nagata capped off a great year for Iizuka. During a New Japan vs. All Japan series at Tokyo Nippon Budokan in June, 2001, a hard kick to the face from Mitsuya Nagai gave Iizuka a very serious brain concussion, knocking him out instantly. It wouldn't be until October, 2002, that he returned to action, and even then he wasn't at 100% health. When Nagai entered New Japan under a mask as part of the Makai Club in January, 2003, a bitter grudge feud was born, but Iizuka heroically won their series. In mid-2008, Iizuka did what was considered the impossible, betraying Hiroyoshi Tenzan and becoming a heel for the first time in his career, shaving his head and joining GBH. Iizuka was nicknamed "Submission Master" because of his deep arsenal of submissions, including his deadly sleeper hold, but since his turn to the darkside, has relied on much on rough rulebreaking tactics.
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