Akira Maeda

Visual EffectsActor Jan 24 (age 67) Osaka, Japan 1973–2022 (49 year career)

6.6 avg rating

Biography

Akira Maeda (born in 1959 as Go Il-myeong) is a former Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, and promoter, best known as one of the pioneers of shoot-style wrestling, which aimed to bring a more realistic and combat-oriented approach to pro wrestling in Japan. He began his career with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 1978 after gaining attention in karate. He wrestled in the UK under the name Kwik-kik-Lee and had a short stint in WWF in 1984, where he won an international title. That…