Akira Taue

Birthdate:  May 8th, 1951
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 242 lbs.
Debut:  January 2nd, 1988
Background:  Trained by Giant Baba
Promotion History: All Japan (1988 to 2000) and NOAH (2000 to present)
Alliances:  None
Ring Attire:  Red trunks
Card Position:  Mid-Card
Major Tournaments Won: Champion Carnival (1996) and the Real World Tag League with Kawada (1996 and 1997)
Current Title Held:  None

Championship History

GHC Heavyweight Championship:
- Defeated Takeshi Rikio on 11/5/05 and lost to Jun Akiyama on 1/22/06

All Japan Triple Crown:
- Defeated Mitsuharu Misawa on 5/24/96 and lost to Kenta Kobashi on 7/24/96

All Japan United World Tag Team Championship with Toshiaki Kawada:
- Defeated Gordy and Williams on 5/20/93 and lost to Ted DiBiase and Hansen on 9/3/93
- Defeated Kobashi and Misawa on 6/9/95 and lost to Albright and Hansen on 1/24/96
- Defeated Albright and Hansen on 2/20/96 and Akiyama and Misawa on 5/23/96
- Defeated Ace and Williams on 1/17/97 and lost to Ace and Kobashi on 5/27/97
- Defeated Ace and Kobashi on 1/25/98 and lost to Akiyama and Kobashi on 1/7/99
- Defeated Omori and Takayama on 6/9/00 and Vacated on 6/16/00

All Japan United World Tag Team Championship with Jumbo Tsuruta:
- Defeated Gordy and Williams on 3/4/92 and Vacated on 11/13/92

All Asia Tag Team Championship with Shinichi Nakano:
- Defeated Davey Boy Smith and Johnny Smith on 6/5/09 and Vacated in 7/90

Biggest Matches:
- March 4, 1992 with Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Terry Gordy and Steve Williams (title win)
- April 20th, 1996 vs. Steve Williams (tournament win)
- May 24th, 1996 vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (title win)
- December 6th, 1996 with Kawada vs. Misawa and Jun Akiyama (tournament win)
- November 5th, 2005 vs. Takeshi Rikio (title win)

Pictures:
- Taue with the big boot
- Taue with a chokeslam
- Another big boot by Taue
- With the GHC Heavyweight Championship
- Taue hits the Nodowa Otoshi

Signature Moves:
- Dynamic Bomb
- German Suplex
- Ore Ga Taue
- Nodowa Otoshi
- Tope Suicida

2005 Recap:
Akira Taue is a unique wrestler, but one with a great fan following.  Under normal NOAH format, Taue wrestled in mid-card to upper mid-card tag matches for much of the year, rarely getting pinned.  After getting a key pinfall victory over Akiyama on September 18th, Taue was set to face Rikio for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.  To the shock of many, he won the belt on November 5th, winning with the Ore Ga Taue.  Taue successfully defended the title a month later against Morishima, and ended 2005 as the top man in NOAH.

2006 Recap:
Taue would lose the GHC Heavyweight Championship to Jun Akiyama in January, having only successfully defended the title once. In March, he would lose to Marufuji, a huge upset as Marufuji was still regarded as a Jr. Heavyweight by most (although by the end of the year Marufuji had grown quite a bit). Taue mostly wrestles in tag matches but in general he fairs well as he wasn't pinned after his defeat to Marufuji. In the Tag Team Tournament held in the fall, Taue teamed with SUWA. They reached the semi-finals, but lost to Yoshihiro Takayama and Takuma Sano.

2007 Recap:
One of the most popular wrestlers in NOAH, Taue continued to have success in 2007. He pinned Makoto Hashi at the first Budokan event in January, starting the year off well. On July 15th he got another chance to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Misawa, but Misawa would come out the victor. The only other times in 2007 he was pinned was twice by Sano. In the GHC Tag Team Title League he teamed with Shiosaki, but the pair wouldn't pick up any victories.

2009 Recap:
Taue continued winding down his career in 2009 but stayed relevant in the promotion and was very rarely pinned. He did not challenge for any titles during the year and in the G1 Tag League his team with Inoue came in last place (although Taue was never pinned). On September 27th he teamed with Mutoh to take on Kobashi and Takayama, but Taue would fall to Kobashi. On the last Budokan event of the year he wrestled in a multi-man match towards the beginning of the card, as at almost 50 years old he prepares for the twilight of his career.


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