Nobutaka Araya

Birthdate:  March 7th, 1968
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 265 lbs.
Debut:  July 26th, 1992
Retirement: July 26th, 2009
Background:  Sumo Wrestling and W*ING
Promotion History: Oriental Professional Wrestling (1992), IWA Japan (1993 to 1995), WAR (1995 to 2000), and All Japan (2000 to 2009)
Ring Attire:  Black tights
Major Tournaments Won: None

Championship History:

WAR Six Man Tag Team Championship (with Kouki Kitahara and Arashi):
- Defeated Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado on 10/4/95 and lost to Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado on 3/22/94

WAR Six Man Tag Team Championship (with Ultimo Dragon and Genichiro Tenryu):
- Defeated Fuyuki, Yoji Anjo, and Bam Bam Bigelow on 10/28/96 and Vacated in 1997

WAR Six Man Tag Team Championship (with Lance Storm and Kouki Kitahara):
- Defeated Kitao, Hirai, and Dreamer on 7/6/97 and lost to Kitao, Hirai, and Mochizuki on 10/27/97

All Asia Tag Team Championship (with Arashi):
- Defeated Mitsuya Nagai and Shigeo Okumura on 4/13/02 and Vacated in June 2003

Biggest Matches:
- October 4th, 1995 with Kitahara and Arashi vs. Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado (title win)
- January 14th, 1998 vs. Genichiro Tenryu (tournament finals)
- October 28th, 2000 with Shiro Koshinaka vs. Mike Barton and George Hines
- April 13th, 2002 with Arashi vs. Mitsuya Nagai and Shigeo Okumura (title win)
- April 13th, 2004 vs. Satoshi Kojima

Pictures:
- A Moonsault by Araya

Signature Moves:
- Brainbuster
- Moonsault
- Short Lariat

2005 Recap:
Like Hirai, Araya in 2005 did not play an important part in the promotion and mainly wrestled in tag matches to open shows.  He did not participate in the Champions Carnival nor took part in the Real World Tag League.  No longer a young wrestler, it is doubtful that Araya will ever ascend high up the rankings, although he does have the ability to make a surprise pin from time to time.

2006 Recap:
Araya had a pretty uneventful year in 2006, as even though he stayed an active part of the roster he did not have any title shots nor any major victories. He did not wrestle in the Champion Carnival and on the August Sumo Hall Event he was on the losing team in the second match. Teaming with Hirai on most cards, Araya seems content to be a JTTS and battle in comedy matches against Kikutaro.

2007 Recap:
More of the same for old Araya in 2007, as at his age it is doubtful that a serious push is in his future. He wrestled a steady schedule but stayed in the opening matches of the card. During the summer he briefly joined the Mexico Amigos and wrestled as El Hijo de Arayada Segundo and El Gran ARAYADA, but soon he was back to opening cards. He did not participate in the Champion Carnival, but did wrestle in the Real World Tag League. In the tournament he teamed with Toru Owashi, but their only victory was over TARU and Zodiac when Zodiac was disqualified.

2008 Recap:
Another quiet year for Araya as he continued opening matches for the promotion. He did not take part in the Champion Carnival or the Real World Tag League and generally stayed out of any major storylines. At the Sumo Hall event on August 31st, he opened the event and lost to Masanobu Fuchi in under two minutes. He did slightly better at the November 3rd Sumo Hall event, this time getting pinned by Fuchi in the opener in around six minutes. Expect more of the same from Araya in 2009 as he hasn't shown any signs of moving up the card.


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