Katsuhiko Nakajima
Katsuhiko Nakajima (中嶋 勝彦, Nakajima Katsuhiko, born March 11, 1988) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer, but predominantly works in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion.
| Katsuhiko Nakajima | |
|---|---|
Nakajima in January 2020 | |
| Born | March 11, 1988 Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Christmas Tree Katsuhiko Nakajima |
| Billed height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Billed weight | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| Trained by | Riki Choshu Kensuke Sasaki Masa Saito |
| Debut | January 5, 2004 |
Known as "The Mad Wolf" and "The Dark Assassin" (among other nicknames), he is best known for his time in Pro Wrestling Noah. He started his career in Riki Choshu's Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling (WJ) promotion before heading to Kensuke Sasaki's Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring dojo and promotion. In AJPW, he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion. An accomplished karateka, his style is based upon strong, fast kicks and strikes; his style has been dubbed by Nakajima as "Toukon Style" (闘魂 STYLE, Tōkon sutairu).
Nakajima made his professional debut aged 15 in a mixed martial arts contest, and immediately made a name for himself in puroresu, earning the nickname "Supernova" and facing Hall of Famers, such as Kenta Kobashi, Satoru Sayama, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Tatsumi Fujinami. He has competed in several notable Japanese promotions, including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Inoki Genome Federation, Pro Wrestling Zero1, Michinoku Pro, Dragon Gate, and Pro Wrestling Noah.
He set several age records throughout the first few years into his professional wrestling career, including being the youngest wrestler to compete in AJPW's Champion Carnival tournament, as well as the youngest to hold the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He won the Tokyo Sports "Rookie of the Year" award in 2004 and the "Fighting Spirit" award in 2005. Having worked for Noah for most of his career, both as a representative of Diamond Ring and as a freelancer, he officially signed with the promotion in December 2015. He is a two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion and a six-time GHC Tag Team Champion.