Real Name: Katsuyoshi Hoshino
Wrestler's Name: Yoshi Hoshino
Wrestler's Nickname: The Hunter
Wrestler's Height: 6'
Wrestler's Weight: 219 lbs.
Wrestler's Hometown: Niigata, Japan
Wrestler's Birthdate: May 26th, 1976
Wrestler's Alignment: Face
Wrestling Style: Technical
Entrance Theme: "Yagyu-Gaiden" by MUSASHI
Entrance: Energetic but focused, as if he knows what he's going to do in the ring and can't wait to do it. Wears a towel around his neck.
Appearance/attire: A well-toned but not overly muscled body indicative of high conditioning imparted by catch wrestling and bodyweight training. Black hair, slightly longer than shoulder length, sometimes tied back, sometimes not. White or red knee length wrestling shorts, black knee pads and boots. White wrist tape.
Moveset:
Basics
Any number of basic wrestling holds and grips, such as the half nelson, front chancery, toe hold and waist lock, used to control his opponent on the mat. Other basics include the arm drag, hip toss, scoop slam, arm wringer, single and double leg takedown, etc.
Strikes
Open handed slap: A hard strike with an open hand to the face.
Kesagiri: A heavy, downward chop to either side of the collarbone/base of the neck. They can be done rolling-style where Yoshi spins around and chops backhanded, which hits much harder.
Front kick: A straight kick; the knee is brought up, then the foot is snapped forward, striking with the heel. Particularly nasty if his opponent is sitting or kneeling.
Abisegiri: Yoshi rolls forward, sometimes from a running start, striking with the heels as he goes over.
Enzuigiri/ganmengiri: A jumping kick to the back of the head (enzui) or the face (ganmen).
Suplexes/slams/drivers
Backdrop suplex: A high angle back suplex with his opponent dropped high on their shoulders, either released or held for a pin.
Double arm suplex: A high speed double underhook suplex, released or finished with a bridge for a pin.
Dragon backbreaker: His opponent is lifted as for a back suplex, but then dropped across Yoshi’s opposite knee.
Suisha otoshi: A "water wheel drop"; Facing his opponent, Yoshi lifts them onto his shoulder with his head under their arm. Holding on to that arm, he throws them over onto their back and falls backward on top of them.
Half-hatch suplex: A suplex with a single underhook, released or bridged.
Holds/submissions
Rolling double leg clutch: With his opponent face down, Yoshi places his feet under their arms and turns them over so his feet pin their shoulders. Yoshi then bridges backward, folding them in half and pinning them.
Achilles lock: A straight leg lock, the leg is scissored and his opponent’s foot is placed in his armpit. Yoshi flexes the foot downward and presses his forearm upward into the Achilles tendon.
Manjigatame: An octopus hold.
Cobra twist: An abdominal stretch. If applied to a seated opponent, this can be rolled over into a pin.
Rolling double wrist lock: Yoshi applies a standing double wrist lock (similar to a Kimura). He then pulls them over and down onto their back with a sort of arm drag, keeping the hold applied.
Top rope moves
Avalanche double arm suplex: A double underhook suplex from the top rope.
Missile kick: A front dropkick from the top rope.
Flying cross body: A high cross body from the second or top rope.
Setup move:
Gotch-style piledriver: A piledriver done in Karl Gotch’s cradle style.
Finishers:
Grounded headlock: Yoshi places his downed opponent in a side headlock (or he can apply the headlock to a standing opponent and bring them down in it) then arches his back, pushing up with his feet to wrench the head backward and to the side.
Diving knee drop: A knee drop from the top rope.
Atomic suplex: Karl Gotch's German suplex hold with a high bridge.
(Note: These moves are finishers insofar as they are more often used to finish a match. However, any move of Yoshi's with a pin or submission could potentially end a match just the same.)
Wrestler's Bio/Background:
Having gone through so many styles in his career, one eluded him for so long: wrestling. For the longest time he was never sure of what it was he wanted to be, but he finally figured out what it was: a wrestler. Now instead of crazy high-flying moves, dangerous head drops or martial arts, Yoshi has turned to time-tested wrestling techniques, ones used by champions from decades past. Thesz, Gotch, Robinson, Inoki. Men who knew how to wrestle, and men who knew how to win. Now it's Yoshi's turn.
This post has been edited by K-H on Jan 6 2011, 09:35 PM
