, better known by his ring name , is a Zainichi Korean retired professional wrestler. He also wrestled under the ring name (stylized as W*ING Kanemura). He is best known for his death matches in Apache Army, Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), International Wrestling Association (IWA) and Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING).
After beginning his career in the Japanese independent circuit in 1990, Kanemura joined W*ING in 1991 where he got his first mainstream exposure in professional wrestling and became skilled in deathmatch wrestling style as he participated in many notable deathmatches in the promotion, becoming one of the top stars of W*ING and became a one-time Caribbean Heavyweight Champion, one-time Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion and one-time World Tag Team Champion. He then worked briefly for IWA Japan after W*ING folded in 1994 before ultimately joining FMW. He made a name for himself in FMW by rising from a mid-carder to one of FMW's top main eventers as a member of W*ING Alliance and Team No Respect. He was the first title holder of the Independent Heavyweight Championship and the Hardcore Championship. He became a three-time world champion in FMW, winning the Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship once, the Independent Heavyweight Championship once and the WEW World Heavyweight Championship once. After FMW folded down, Kanemura became a freelancer in the independent circuit and founded his own promotion, Apache Army, an offshoot of FMW, which ended with Kanemura's retirement in 2016. Other major titles won by Kanemura were the BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship and the KO-D Openweight Championship.
Kanemura is of Korean descent. His Korean name is Kim Hyeong-ho (), but he has used a Japanese name in and outside of the ring. However, his best known pseudonym reflected his background, as the forename was a reference to South Korean professional wrestler Kintarō Ōki. He also had a short-lived marriage to Shiho Tsubaki of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), having first met each other when she was touring with W*ING.
Professional wrestling career Pioneer Senshi (1990–1991) Yukihiro Kanemura made his debut in December 1990 for Pioneer Senshi, against Akitoshi Saito, who also debuted. Within months, Pioneer Senshi folded.
Wrestling International New Generations (1991–1994) Kanemura made his debut for Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) on August 7, 1991, as a fan favorite underdog by teaming with Ryo Miyake against The Headhunters in a losing effort. Although he started in the undercard, he worked his way up the ladder in W*ING and quickly became one of the top stars of the company due to his willingness to take damage in deathmatches. On May 5, 1992, he defeated The Grappler in Osaka to lay claim to a version of the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship, whose championship belt was owned by Grappler (that title win, however, is not recognized as part of the official title history for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship, which was held at that point by C.W. Bergstrom and would be until Pacific Northwest Wrestling folded in July 1992 after Don Owen's retirement; however, W*ING recognized Kanemura as their Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion until the promotion's closure). On June 4, Kanemura teamed with Mitsuteru Tukoda against The Headhunters in a steel cage match, which Kanemura lost after suffering an injury which put him out of action for two months.
Kanemura returned to W*ING at One Night One Soul on August 2, where he teamed with Tokuda to defeat Super Invader and The Masked Inferno in a hair vs. mask barbed wire barricade match when Kanemura pinned Masked Inferno, forcing Inferno to take off his mask and begin competing as Rochester Roadblock. As a result, Kanemura began feuding with Roadblock and the two wrestled each other to a double disqualification on August 14. After coming up short in a title shot on September 27, Kanemura finally defeated Miguel Perez Jr. on December 18 to win the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship.
On March 1, 1993, Kanemura wrestled Kevin Sullivan at a television taping for Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) in the United States, which Kanemura won by disqualification after Sullivan bladed Kanemura's arm with a spike; the incident was censored on national television in America. The injury required Kanemura to get fifty-eight stitches. On April 3, he teamed up with Mitsuhiro Matsunaga to win the World Tag Team Championship, defeating Freddy Krueger and Leatherface. However, Matsunaga vacated the title only six days later to wrestle Leatherface. Kanemura continued his feud with Sullivan to avenge the attack in SMW and the two battled each other to no contest at Dog in the Box on May 27. The two had another rematch at Hollywood Nightmare, which again ended in a no contest. Kanemura became W*ING's top fan favorite after Mitsuhiro Matsunaga left the company to join Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW).
On September 26, Kanemura lost the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship to Jado. On October 19, Kanemura and Shoji Nakamaki lost to Jado and Gedo in a falls count anywhere match. At Odawara Brazing Night, Kanemura and Nakamaki lost to Jado and Gedo in a No Ropes Barbed Wire Scramble Fire Deathmatch, when Jado executed a Powerbomb on Kanemura into the fire with Hido's help, burning 75 percent of his skin tissue off his back and shoulder. As a result, Jado and Gedo were awarded the win by forfeit and Kanemura was taken to hospital on a stretcher. Kanemura returned to W*ING on November 20 to show his burns to the crowd and Gedo and Hido tried to confront him until he chased them away with his umbrella. He made his in-ring return to W*ING on February 15 by defeating Hido in a Loser Leaves W*ING Street Fight, forcing Hido to leave W*ING. On March 13, Kanemura headlined the show by teaming with Shoji Nakamaki against Kendo Nagasaki and Nobutaka Araya in a Ring Filled with Cream tornado tag team match, which Kanemura's team lost. This would turn out to be W*ING's last show as the promotion closed due to financial loss on March 21.
International Wrestling Association of Japan (1994) After W*ING folded, Kanemura joined the upstart International Wrestling Association of Japan (IWA), defeating The Winger in IWA Japan's debut show on May 21, 1994. While there, he feuded with Shoji Nakamaki in a series of chain matches, until a dispute with bookers caused Kanemura to quit on August 31, 1994.
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling W*ING Alliance (1994–1997)
Kanemura signed with FMW for a deal of a monthly salary of $10,000. He debuted in FMW on September 7, 1994, as a villain by attacking Atsushi Onita and joining Mr. Pogo's group. Mitsuhiro Matsunaga would join Kanemura after a falling out with Onita, which was the genesis of the W*ING Alliance. The aim of the group was to end FMW as they held Onita and FMW responsible for ending W*ING. On September 25, Kanemura made his in-ring debut for FMW by teaming with Matsunaga against Hisakatsu Oya and Tarzan Goto in an exploding barbed wire dynamite pool elimination match, which ended in a no contest after Oya turned on Goto to join W*ING Alliance. W*ING and FMW battled each other in many matches between late 1994 and early 1995 and W*ING established itself as the top villainous group. On March 7, 1995, Kanemura won his first title in FMW as he and Mr. Pogo defeated Atsushi Onita and Mr. Gannosuke to win the Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to Hisakatsu Oya and Ricky Fuji at the 6th Anniversary Show after a miscommunication took place between Kanemura and Pogo. This led Pogo to blow fire on Kanemura after the match to turn on W*ING and join Lethal Weapon.
On May 17, Kanemura changed his ring name to W*ING Kanemura as a homage to W*ING during his first match against Masato Tanaka, which Kanemura won. The following month, Kanemura took on Mr. Pogo in a Street Fight on June 25 to avenge the betrayal at 6th Anniversary Show, which he lost. In July, Kanemura participated in the Young Spirit Tournament, a tournament featuring the new generation of young wrestlers of FMW after the departure of Atsushi Onita. He made to the finals of the tournament, where he lost to Masato Tanaka on July 30, but reaching in the finals earned both men place in the Grand Slam Tournament for the vacant Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship. Kanemura was eliminated from the tournament and scored only two points as his only win in the tournament came against Masato Tanaka on September 5. W*ING briefly turned fan favorites by siding with FMW after Mitsuhiro Matsunaga showed respect to Hayabusa after Hayabusa defeated Matsunaga in a match. On October 28, Kanemura and Tanaka lost to Hayabusa and Matsunaga in a match and all four men formed an alliance to fight Lethal Weapon. Super Leather and Hido took exception to it and joined Lethal Weapon. However, it turned out to be a swerve as Matsunaga turned on Hayabusa during a match against Mr. Pogo and Super Leather of Lethal Weapon and then Super Leather and Hido turned on Lethal Weapon and W*ING Alliance reunited as a group and became a serious threat to FMW and Lethal Weapon.
At Year End Spectacular, the W*ING Alliance squared off against each other as the team of Super Leather, W*ING Kanemura and Hido lost to Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Jason the Terrible and Hideki Hosaka in a W*ING Caribbean Barbed Wire Double Hell Glass Deathmatch. On February 23, W*ING alliance lost to the FMW team of Koji Nakagawa, Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda in the first-ever WarGames match in FMW, which ended FMW's feud with W*ING as Víctor Quiñones returned to FMW and introduced Puerto Rican Army to attack FMW and W*ING. As a result, W*ING reverted to fan favorites. At 7th Anniversary Show, Kanemura replaced Mitsuhiro Matsunaga and challenged Cactus Jack for the IWA King of the Deathmatch Championship in a Caribbean Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Deathmatch, which Kanemura ended up losing. The match raised Kanemura's stock and enabled him to shine as W*ING's standout performer as Mitsuhiro Matsunaga would leave FMW after the event and Kanemura became the main focus of the group and began rising in popularity in FMW.
Kanemura participated in a tournament for the new Independent Heavyweight Championship, defeating Koji Nakagawa in the quarter-final and Super Leather in the semi-final, a Caribbean Barbed Wire Deathmatch to advance to the final round to determine the first champion at Summer Spectacular, where he defeated Masato Tanaka to win the tournament and become the inaugural Independent Heavyweight Champion. On September 1, the FMW team of Koji Nakagawa, Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda took on Kanemura, Hido and Hideki Hosaka in a no rope barbed wire double hell deathmatch, during which Kanemura injured his ear after Nakagawa threw him into the exploding barbed wire. Kanemura returned to FMW on October 12 by teaming with Jason the Terrible to defeat Hisakatsu Oya and The Gladiator. After the match, Kanemura was attacked by Gladiator, setting up a title unification match between the two at Year End Spectacular, where Gladiator's Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship would also be on the line. After successfully defending the Independent Heavyweight Championship against Hisakatsu Oya in his first title defense on October 26, Kanemura lost the title to Gladiator in the title unification match at Year End Spectacular. This led to the unification of the Independent Heavyweight Championship and the Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship which would be collectively defended as the FMW Double Championship.