Shinya Hashimoto

One of the Three Musketeers who dominated New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the 1990s.

Shinya Hashimoto was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s. He is one of three wrestlers (the others being Keiji Mutoh and Satoshi Kojima) that have held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and is an overall five-time world champion.

Quick Facts

Ring names

Hashif Khan
Shinya Hashimoto
Shogun

Height

1.80 m / 5 ft 11 in

Weight

130 kg / 287 lb

Born

3 July 1965

Birthplace

Toki City, Gifu, Japan

Died

11 July 2005

Place of death

Yokohama, Japan

Cause of death

Brain hemorrhage

Lore & Background

Hashimoto grew up in Toki City in Gifu and began training in judo and karate in his late teens. He joined the NJPW Dojo in April 1984 and made his debut in September 1984 at age 19, wrestling Tatsutoshi Goto. He traveled to the United States (Continental Wrestling Association), Canada (Stampede Wrestling), and Puerto Rico (World Wrestling Council) for seasoning. In Puerto Rico in 1988, he formed The Three Musketeers with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh. Upon returning to NJPW in July 1988, he adopted a martial artist gimmick with a hachimaki and a style based on shoot kicks, karate strikes, and submissions. He won the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Masa Saito in September 1989, and later won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from the Great Muta in September 1993. He held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship three times, with a record-breaking 489-day reign ending on August 31, 1997. He also won the G1 Climax in 1998. After a rivalry with Naoya Ogawa, Hashimoto left NJPW in 2000. He founded Pro Wrestling Zero-One in 2001, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in December 2001 and the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in February 2003. He died of a brain aneurysm on July 11, 2005.

Reader's Guide

Hashimoto's career is marked by his status as one of NJPW's "Three Musketeers" and his dominance in the 1990s. He held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship three times, not four.