History was made on April 17 at a Niigata Pro Wrestling event, when Michinoku Pro Wrestling star GAINA won the Niigata Openweight Championship. Other great talents who are a part of the Niigata Openweight Championship lineage include BJW star Abdullah Kobayashi, former BJW star Ryuichi Kawakami, legend Great Kojika, the late Hideki Hosaka, and the person who GAINA defeated for the championship, five-time champion Shigeno Shima.
GAINA also holds the Tohoku Tag Team Championship, the UWA Tag Team Championship, the Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship, and the Kyushu Pro Tag Team Championship, making him a 5-Crown Champion.
GAINA also has the distinction of being the current and first Tohoku, UWA World, Kyushu Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Tag Champion in pro-wrestling history (with Taro Nohashi), which he gained last month.
GAINA has a very busy schedule coming up, as Michinoku Pro’s Golden Week series will kick off next month.
On May 3 in Fukushima City, GAINA and Taro Nohashi will face New Generation members Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion MUSASHI & Koji Kawamura.
On May 4 in Akita City, GAINA will compete with the legendary Great Sasuke and the versatile Ken45 in a “Michinoku 3Way” match.
On May 5 in Aomori City, GAINA will see tag action again, this time teaming with the longest-reigning Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion in history Rui Hyugaji to go against New Generation members former Tohoku Tag Team Champion and former UWA World Tag Team Champion Ayumu Gunji and Koji Kawamura.
On May 6 in Hachinohe City, GAINA will compete in another, “Michinoku 3Way” match, this time with former two-time Tohoku Tag Team Champion Rasse and Ayumu Gunji. An interesting aspect of this match is that it is singles match involving three wrestlers who have seen their greatest successes as tag team wrestlers.
On May 7 in Sendai City, GAINA and Taro Nohashi will team again, facing Yasutaka Oosera and Aisawa No. 1.
And on May 8 in Takizawa City, GAINA will team with The Great Sasuke to go against 4-time Tohoku Tag Team Champions Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei.
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