Masaaki Mochizuki

Masaaki Mochizuki (望月 成晃) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah.

Mochizuki is a former FIP World Champion and three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion.

A former karateka and graduate of Koji Kitao's Bukō Dōjō, Masaaki spent the early part of his career wrestling for various promotions across Japan, namely WAR and BattlARTS.

Most notable was his appearance in the 1995 Super J-Cup, where he took on Shinjiro Otani of New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the first round.

Despite losing, Masaaki looked very competitive, using his sharp kicks and quick submission holds to pose a serious threat to the more experienced Otani.

In late 1999, Masaaki joined Toryumon, Último Dragón's upstart promotion, and quickly became recognized as one of the three "aces" of the company, alongside Cima, and Magnum Tokyo.

In April 2000, he formed the heel group M2K with Susumu Mochizuki (no relation), and Yasushi Kanda, the stable's name coming from their surnames.

Darkness Dragon and Chocoball KOBE would join later in the year as well.

The group wreaked havoc on Toryumon's initial El Numero Uno Tournament in 2001, forcing every group member's matches, except for Susumu's, to end in double-countouts.

However, Masaaki won a second-chance battle royal to get back into the tournament.

After defeating Cima via knockout in the semi-finals, he pinned Magnum Tokyo in the finals; his only pinfall victory of the whole tournament.

His issue with both, namely Cima and his Crazy Max stable, would continue through the end of the year; such was M2K's chicanery that Crazy Max, the original renegade group of Toryumon, was turned face by default.

After losing a hair vs. hair lumberjack match to Cima in December 2001, Mochizuki was humiliated into cleaning up M2K's act.

He returned in 2002, claiming to be a "good person", and made a conscious effort to rid M2K of its evil ways, something his stablemates would have none of; kicking him out of the group not long after.

He got one back on them on February 24, though, when he beat Susumu for the rights to the Mochizuki surname, forcing Susumu to take on "Yokosuka" as his new surname.

He would then go on to lead the Toryumon Army with Dragon Kid and Ryo Saito throughout 2002.

On January 23, 2003, he formed the much-maligned Shin M2K, and they lasted until December 16 when he lost to fellow member Kenichiro Arai in a match and was forced to disband the unit.

At the beginning of 2004, he turned heel again to become leader of the Aagan Iisou stable.

His time with them lasted a mere three months, when personality clashes between him and the other members resulted in him being kicked out.

He turned face again and repented for his heel turn, and then on July 4, he and former M2K members from both generations banded with him to form Final M2K as Toryumon became Dragon Gate.

In December, he celebrated 10 years in wrestling by defeating Cima for Dragon Gate's top prize, the Open the Dream Gate Championship.

He held the title for 11 months before losing it to Magnitude Kishiwada on November 4, 2005.

When 2006 rolled around, he began to distance himself from Final M2K a bit, giving the reins of leadership to Susumu and joining up with Magnum Tokyo in his short-lived Renaissance project.

He also returned to the old WAR promotion, reviving their International Junior Heavyweight Title, which he lost to Pentagon Black on July 27.

He won it back on November 23, but vacated it immediately after winning it.

He also teamed with fellow Renaissance member Don Fujii to win the revived WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles on August 6, 2006, beating Gamma & Dr. Muscle in a tournament final.

In December 2006, he won the 2nd King of Gate Tournament, beating last year's champion Ryo Saito in the finals.

He beat Gedo in a decision match on January 26, 2007, to determine the final champion and then retired the title.

They would hold the title until January 7, 2007, when they lost them to Jado and Gedo.

On January 14, 2007, the Final M2K stable came to an end, after he, Susumu & K-ness lost to Cima, Don Fujii and Matt Sydal of the also-ending Blood Generation.

He then decided that he would not become part of another unit, instead continuing his team with Don Fujii, who also refused to join another unit.

In 2007, he hosted his first self-produced show, Buyuden.

The show became a success, and it has since become a monthly show, with talent from different promotions in Japan participating.

He - along with Don Fujii - was made the company ambassador to promotions within Japan while Cima spearheaded the company's international expansion.

He also challenged for the Dream Gate Title twice, but when he failed to win it either time, he decided to continue to focus on outside efforts with Fujii.

Towards the end of the year, they united with K-ness to form Mushozoku, a team of wrestlers 35 years and older.

On September 9, they won the Open the Triangle Gate Titles, defeating Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Magnitude Kishiwada, and defended them right up until February 24, 2008, when they lost them to Shingo Takagi, BxB Hulk & Cyber Kong.

K-ness stepped into a background role, and soon, the newly-face Magnitude Kishiwada took his place, forming Zetsurins.

On September 28, the trio won the Open the Triangle Gate Titles from Yasushi Kanda, Yamato & Gamma.

They made a defense against Kenichiro Arai, Akira Tozawa & Taku Iwasa of Tozawa-juku on November 16, and Tozawa added the stipulation that if his team lost, then Tozawa-juku would disband.