Tetsuya Bushi

Tetsuya Shimizu (清水 哲也), better known by the ring name Bushi (stylized as BUSHI), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

Prior to adopting his current persona, Shimizu worked under the ring names T28 (pronounced 'Tetsuya'), Tetsuya, and Tetsuya Bushi in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).

Shimizu, as T28 wrestled his first match on March 12, 2007, losing to Nobukazu Hirai in the opening match of an All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) show in Gunma, Japan.

Only two months after making his debut, T28 participated in the "Tag Team Samurai! TV Cup Triple Arrow Tournament", teaming up with veterans Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea.

In the first round they defeated a team known as Grappler, Susumu, and Hanzo, before losing to Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kensuke Sasaki and Sanada in the second round.

In February 2008, T28 teamed up with Kushida to participate in the U-30 Tag Team Tournament, a one night tournament that featured AJPW's top young wrestlers.

The team defeated CJ Otis and Mototsugu Shimizu in the first round, Kaji Yamato and Taishi Takizawa in the second round and the team of Daichi Kakimoto and Manabu Soya in the final to win the U30 Tag Team tournament.

The team would go on to compete in AJPW's 2008 Junior Tag League, the team ended up tied for last place with only four points for two victories and three losses.

He also competed in the 2008 AJPW Junior League, earning three points for one win and one time limit draw.

In late 2008 it was announced that T28 would undertake a "learning excursion" to Mexico to help him gain international experience, a tradition for many young Japanese wrestlers.

He wrestled his last match for AJPW on September 19 before travelling to Mexico.

In Mexico, Tetsuya Shimizu began learning the lucha libre style under Skayde.

Bushi spent 2009 working in Mexico for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), gaining international experience before returning to AJPW in 2010.

On January 29, 2009, he made his debut for the Naucalpan, State of Mexico based International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), working as a masked rudo (bad guy) character called Tetsuya.

In only his second match in IWRG he defeated reigning IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Champion Freelance, which earned him a chance at the title only 10 days after making his IWRG debut.

Tetsuya defeated Freelance to win the title, in a match that also included Dr. Cerebro.

His run with the title lasted for more than a month and did not feature any successful title defenses before he lost the belt to Zatura.

He spent the next several months teaming with other heels for random trios matches.

He participated in IWRG's 2009 Rey del Ring tournament but was eliminated as number 14 out of 30.

Over the summer of 2009 he began wrestling as Tetsuya Bushi, or at times just Bushi after the Japanese term Bushido, the Samurai code.

After losing a tag team match he was attacked by his partner Fantasma de la Opera and Tetsuya Bushi was turned technico (good guy).

On November 11, 2009, Tetsuya Bushi became a two time IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Champion as he defeated Avisman to win the title, becoming the only wrestler to hold the title two times up to that point.

After the success of the title victory Bushi tasted the sting of defeat as he was beaten by Oficial 911 in a Lucha de Apuesta, mask vs. mask match and had to unmask.

Traditionally foreign wrestlers who travel to Mexico to learn lose an Apuesta match and either unmask or have their hair shaved before their tour ends.

While in AJPW, together with Super Crazy, Bushi won the 2010 Junior Tag League and won the U-30 Tag Team Tournament in 2008 with Kushida.

Tetsuya Bushi's tour of Mexico ended in January 2010 when he lost the IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Championship to Dr. Cerebro.

After the match El Hijo del Diablo used a tombstone piledriver on Bushi, which in storyline terms injured Bushi, explaining his absence.

When Shimizu returned to All Japan, he used the name Bushi instead of T28 and resumed wearing the mask he had lost to Oficial 911, since Japan are not subject to the strict mask rules of Mexico.

After returning Bushi teamed with AJPW's top star Keiji Mutoh as well as luchador Super Crazy.

The team with Super Crazy became a semi-regular feature, at times even as a six-man team with Kiyoshi who himself had recently returned from his own "learning excursion".

On April 11, 2010, Bushi received his first shot at the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, but champion Kaz Hayashi successfully defended the title against Bushi in a very close match, a testament to the improvements he had made in Mexico He teamed up with Super Crazy to win the 2010 Junior Tag League, defeating Hiroshi Yamato and Shuji Kondo in the final.

In August 2011, All Japan introduced a new character named Black Bushi, portrayed by Canadian Adam Filangeri, who started a rivalry with the original Bushi, imitating the famous rivalry between the Tiger Mask and Black Tiger characters.

Having worked for AJPW for most of his career, Bushi transferred to NJPW in April 2012 initially temporarily, with the move becoming permanent in January 2013.

In NJPW, he is a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi and a record-tying four-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, holding the belt three times with Evil and Sanada and once with Evil & Takagi.

Through NJPW’s working relationship with the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, Bushi has held the CMLL World Welterweight Championship.

Tetsuya Shimizu trained in the AJPW Dojo under Animal Hamaguchi as well as receiving extra training by Kaz Hayashi and Keiji Muto for his professional wrestling debut.

Upon his debut he adopted the ring name T28, inspired by the Japanese manga Tetsujin 28-go.

On April 16, 2012, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced it had reached an agreement with AJPW, which would see Bushi switch promotions in what was referred to as a "one year rental transfer".

Bushi debuted as a NJPW wrestler in the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where he won three out of his eight round-robin stage matches and finished second to last in his block.

On October 21, Bushi and Mexican wrestler Negro Casas entered the 2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament as "Grupo Cibernetico".