(1972-07-21) July 21, 1972 (age 51) Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
Achichi Mr. Otani Shinjiro Otani
Billed height
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Billed weight
97 kg (214 lb)[1]
Trained by
Animal Hamaguchi Hiroshi Hase Kensuke Sasaki
Debut
June 25, 1992
Shinjiro Otani (大谷晋二郎, Ōtani Shinjirō, born July 21, 1972)[2] is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury sustained in April 2022. A product of the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo, Otani is best known for his longtime association with Zero1, a promotion he founded in 2001 along with Shinya Hashimoto.
Starting his career in NJPW as a junior heavyweight, Otani gained a reputation as a gutsy underdog and would go on to hold several championships during his nine-year run with the promotion, including the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the J-Crown, as well as forming a successful tag team with dojo classmate Tatsuhito Takaiwa, twice holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. After jumping to the heavyweight division in 2001, Otani would leave New Japan the same year, joining Shinya Hashimoto as one of the founders of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). Following the departure of Hashimoto in 2004, Otani was pushed as one of the promotions top stars, becoming a six time Intercontinental Tag Team Champion, a one time World Heavyweight Champion and a four-time winner of the Fire Festival. In addition to his role as a wrestler, Otani has also served as acting company president since 2007.
^ ab"Pro Wrestling illustrated 500 – 2004 :87 Shinjiro Ohtani". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. October 2004. p. 27. December 2004.
^"Profile at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
ShinjiroOtani (大谷晋二郎, ŌtaniShinjirō, born July 21, 1972) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling...
a job. In January 2002 Tanaka formed a tag team named "Emblem" with ShinjiroOtani, with whom he twice won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championships...
Samoa Joe Mike Rapada and Steve Corino ShinjiroOtani and Yuki Ishikawa Emblem (Masato Tanaka and ShinjiroOtani) Jon Heidenreich and Nathan Jones OH-gun...
wrestlers, who made up 40 different teams. The inaugural champions were ShinjiroOtani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa, who defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and Koji Kanemoto...
to Pro Wrestling Zero-One in January 2002, where Masato Tanaka and ShinjiroOtani defeated him and Tom Howard to win the vacant Intercontinental Tag Team...
as a tag team specialist, most notably in a successful tag team with ShinjiroOtani during the 1990s. The two won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship...
Samoa Joe Mike Rapada and Steve Corino ShinjiroOtani and Yuki Ishikawa Emblem (Masato Tanaka and ShinjiroOtani) Jon Heidenreich and Nathan Jones OH-gun...
by former New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) stars Shinya Hashimoto and ShinjiroOtani.[citation needed] In 2000, Hashimoto proposed an independent promotion...
Samoa Joe Mike Rapada and Steve Corino ShinjiroOtani and Yuki Ishikawa Emblem (Masato Tanaka and ShinjiroOtani) Jon Heidenreich and Nathan Jones OH-gun...
team titles to ShinjiroOtani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa on July 13. At Jingu Climax, Liger and El Samurai unsuccessfully challenged Otani and Takaiwa for...
critically acclaimed matches with luminaries like Jushin Thunder Liger, ShinjiroOtani, Black Tiger, and El Samurai in their junior heavyweight division.[citation...
his desire to become a professional wrestler and Masahiro Chono and ShinjiroOtani picked up on his desire and trained him for nearly a year and a half...
Perro Aguayo, who won the title in a tournament final in March 1981. ShinjiroOtani was the final champion recognized by the NJPW before the title was returned...
found a new partner in ShinjiroOtani to win the championship in August 2004. Going into 2005, Hashimoto left Zero-One and placed Otani in charge, citing financial...
the faction Team Emblem with Japanese superstars Masato Tanaka and ShinjiroOtani. On January 6, 2003, Sakoda made his first onscreen appearance for WWE...
singles match in which Flying Scorpio defeated ShinjiroOtani when the referee stopped the match due to Otani bleeding excessively from a broken nose. The...
happen mostly at NJPW-promoted events. The inaugural champions were ShinjiroOtani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa, who defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and Koji Kanemoto...
NJPW wrestler who had gone overseas for an extended period of time, ShinjiroOtani. The two returned to New Japan on January 4, 2001, at Wrestling World...
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