George Takano - Career

Career

Takano debuted in 1977 and worked for Stampede Wrestling, winning its British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship in September 1983. A mere two months later, he defeated Davey Boy Smith for the vacated NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Still working under the ringname The Cobra, Takano performed in the World Wrestling Federation throughout the early and mid 1980s. In December 1984, he defeated Dynamite Kid for its Junior Heavyweight Championship. The following title loss to Hiro Saito was redeemed in July 1985, the same month that he lost and then won back the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title in the same night against the very same man, Saito. In October that year, his WWF title was vacated when New Japan Pro Wrestling separated from WWF. He would lose the number one contendership match for the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Shiro Koshinaka in June 1986. It was during 1986, he removed the mask and wrestled under his real name. However, Takano went on to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Super Strong Machine in March 1989.

He would then join the Super World of Sports in July 1990, which had a partnership contract with WWF. During their interpromotional events throughout 1991, he would face the likes Randy Savage, Rick Martel, Tito Santana, and Legion of Doom, and scored wins against WWF superstar Bret Hart and, with his brother Shunji, The Rockers and The Samoan Swat Team. His last major career highlight would come one year later when he won the SWS Tag Team titles with Shunji, only to lose them the very next night to The Natural Disasters of WWF fame. SWS folded in June 1992, with the Takano brothers venturing into Pro Wrestling Crusaders.

Takano maintains his place in professional wrestling today as runs his own promotion, Fighting Spirit wRestling (FSR), which is based in Hokkaidō.