Takao Ōmori

Infobox Wrestler


name=Takao Ōmori
names="The Wild Heart" Takao Ōmori
height=190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
weight=110 kg (243 lb)
birth_date=Birth date and age|1969|10|16|mf=y
birth_place=Tokyo, Japan
death_date=
death_place=
resides=
billed=
trainer=Animal Hamaguchi
debut=October 16, 1992
death_date =
retired=|

Takao Ōmori (大森隆男; Ōmori Takao, born October 16 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing for Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX, where he is a 3-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion. He has formerly competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Career

After being trained by Animal Hamaguchi, Ōmori debuted in All Japan Pro Wrestling, initially languishing in the mid-card and only able to get some recognition in 1995, when he and Jun Akiyama captured the Asian tag team titles. His first American venture was in the World Wrestling Federation, where he competed in the 1996 Royal Rumble. In 1998, he and newcomer Yoshihiro Takayama formed the NO FEAR tag team. The team soon won both the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship and the AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Championship, becoming the first team to win both titles at the same time. When Mitsuharu Misawa formed Pro Wrestling NOAH, they followed him and dyed their hair blond to match the change of environment.

For an undisclosed reason, Omori called for an early ending to his singles bout with Shinya Hashimoto in the middle of their singles match at NOAH's Great Voyage 2000 event, which was the company's most important event up to that point. Because of this, Omori was immediately in Misawa's doghouse, and after the NO FEAR team broke up (so Takayama could pursue mixed martial arts matches) Ōmori was sent abroad to Harley Race's World League Wrestling promotion in the American Midwest, where he won the company's heavyweight title. During his excursion, Misawa continued to deny that Ōmori had been sent abroad by NOAH, and Ōmori was not welcomed back to NOAH when he returned from the excursion. As a result, Ōmori joined World Japan, where he feuded with Riki Chōshū, Genichiro Tenryu and Kensuke Sasaki.

In 2004, he joined Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX, where he remains one of the strong native competitors along with (fellow Hamaguchi Dojo classmate) Shinjiro Otani. He has feuded with old team mate Yoshihiro Takayama, resulting in many bloody battles and disqualifications. On March 8, 2007, he and Manabu Nakanishi lost the ZERO1-MAX Intercontinental Tag Team Championship to Yoshihiro Takayama and Kohei Sato. On March 31, 2007, he defeated Steve Corino for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, becoming a three-time champion. Nearly seven months to the day Takao won the AWA World Heavyweight championship,he would lose the title to Masato Tanaka.

On august 16, 2008 Omori announced that he was leaving ZERO1-MAX and taking a break from pro wrestling.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves
**"Axe Bomber" (Crooked arm lariat)
**"Axe Guillotine Driver" (Kneeling back to belly piledriver) – Innovated
**Diving elbow drop – 1992–1994
**European uppercut
**Dragon suplex, sometimes done in a trifecta
**Diving knee drop
**Running arched big boot
**Neckbreaker slam
**Full nelson slam
**Front powerslam
**Frankensteiner
**Superkick
**Running dropkick
**Suicide dive

Championships and accomplishments

*All Japan Pro Wrestling
**AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jun Akiyama (1) and Yoshihiro Takayama (1)
**AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yoshihiro Takayama
*New Japan Pro Wrestling
**IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Manabu Nakanishi
*Pro Wrestling NOAH
**GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yoshihiro Takayama
*Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX
**AWA Superstars World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
**NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times)¹ – with Shiro Koshinaka (1), Shinjiro Otani (1), and Manabu Nakanishi (1)
**NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)²
*World League Wrestling
**WLW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

¹Although the title still uses the NWA initials, it is not recognized or sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance since the promotion withdrew from the NWA in 2004.
²This title shouldn't be confused with the NWA United National Championship, a defunct NWA singles championship that is currently one of the three championships used to comprise the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.