Kintaro Kanemura

Yukihiro Kanemura (金村 珩皓), born Kim Hyeong-ho (김행호) is a Zainichi Korean retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kintaro Kanemura (金村 キンタロー).

He is also known as W*ING Kanemura or Wing Kanemura (ウイング金村).

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.

Yukihiro Kanemura made his debut in December 1990 for Pioneer Senshi, against Akitoshi Saito, who also debuted.

Within months, Pioneer Senshi folded.

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 Kevin 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.

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 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.

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.

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.