Muhammad Yone

Muhammad Yone
Birth nameSatoshi Yoneyama
Born (1976-02-23) February 23, 1976 (age 48)[1]
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bichon Frise[2]
Captain Noah[3]
Muhammad Yone
Satoshi Yoneyama[3]
Billed height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Billed weight110 kg (243 lb)[1]
Trained byYoshiaki Fujiwara
Yuki Ishikawa
DebutAugust 18, 1995[1]

Satoshi Yoneyama (米山 聡, Yoneyama Satoshi, born February 23, 1976), better known by his ring name Muhammad Yone (モハメド・ヨネ, Mohamedo Yone), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a multi-time GHC Tag Team Champion, a one time GHC Openweight Hardcore Champion and winner of the Global Tag League in 2012 with Naomichi Marufuji. He is known for his trademark afro hairstyle, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Afro".

Professional wrestling career

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Yoneyama made his professional wrestling debut on August 18, 1995, wrestling under his real name Satoshi Yoneyama. Early in his career he would work for Japanese promotions such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Battlarts, Michinoku Pro, WAR and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. In 1999, he changed his ring name to Muhammad Yone (spelled "Mohammad Yone" in some sources). In 2000, Yone joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) working low card matches.

Pro Wrestling Noah (2001–present)

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In 2001, top AJPW wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa and a number of other AJPW wrestlers, including Yone, left the promotion to start their own wrestling promotion called Pro Wrestling Noah. On March 5, 2005, Yone defeated Naomichi Marufuji to win the GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship, a championship he would hold for 231 days until Scorpio won it on October 22, 2005.[1] During that time Yone began teaming regularly with Takeshi Morishima in the tag team division. On October 28, 2005 the duo defeated Marufuji and Minoru Suzuki to win the GHC Tag Team Championship.[4] They later lost the championship to Tamon Honda and Kenta Kobashi. In 2006, Yone and Morishima won the vacant tag team championship once more and held it until April 1, 2007, when they lost to Jun Akiyama and Takeshi Rikio.[5] In 2009, Yone helped create a group known as "Disobey" that included himself, Kenta, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Genba Hirayanagi, Takeshi Rikio and Kotaro Suzuki. Yone and Rikio defeated Morishima and Kensuke Sasaki to with the GHC Tag Team Championship on December 6, 2009, as part of the 2009 "Winter Navigation Tour". Their reign lasted until April 14, 2010, when they lost to Bison Smith and Keith Walker. In 2012, Yone became part of a stable known as "Brave" that also included Naomichi Marufuji, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, Atsushi Kotoge, Takeshi Morishima, Takashi Sugiura and Ricky Marvin. Marufuji and Yone went on to win the 2012 version of the Global Tag League, defeating Morishima and Katsuhiko Nakajima in the finals.[6] Yone unsuccessfully challenged Katsuhiko Nakajima for the GHC title in Korakuen Hall on June 4, 2017.

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "モハメド ヨネ (Muhammad Yone) (profile)" (in Japanese). Pro Wrestling Noah. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Noahful Gift 2017 ~ファン感謝祭~". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Mohammed Yone". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "NOAH Autumn Navigation tour results". Green Destiny. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "NOAH Winter Navigation tour results" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Global Tag Team League Tournament 2012". Pro Wrestling Noah USA. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  7. ^ "All Japan Pro Wrestling Tournaments". Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Mohammed Yone". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  9. ^ "Nikkan Sports Awards - 2006". wrestlingscout. February 23, 2016. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. ^ ""PWI 500": 1–100". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-07-31.