Dick Togo

Shigeki Sato (佐藤 茂樹, Satō Shigeki, born August 17, 1969), better known by his ring name Dick Togo (ディック東郷, Dikku Tōgō), is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture.

Dick Togo
Togo in March 2020
Birth nameShigeki Sato (佐藤 茂樹, Satō Shigeki)
Born (1969-08-17) August 17, 1969
Odate, Akita, Japan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Cancun[1]
Dickmoto[1]
Dick Sato[2]
Dick Togo[1]
Duke Togo[1]
Flash Dick[3]
Francesco Togo[1]
Francis Togo[1]
Gantetsu[1]
Gantetsu Sakigake[1]
Kintaro Inferno[1]
Ninja Warrior[1]
P. Togo[1]
Prince Togo[1]
Revolucion[1]
Rey Cubano[1]
Roshi Togo[1]
Sato[1]
The Suiter[1]
El Tigre de Tokyo[1]
Togo[2]
Billed height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Billed weight90 kg (200 lb)
Trained byGran Hamada[2]
DebutJune 5, 1991

Togo has spent the majority of his career as a freelancer, wrestling most notably for Michinoku Pro Wrestling and DDT Pro-Wrestling. Sato has wrestled under various ring names such as Francesco Togo, Rey Cubano and Prince Togo. Togo retired in September 2012, but returned to the ring in July 2016.

Togo has held the KO-D Openweight Championship four times, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship once with Taka Michinoku and the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship once.

Professional wrestling career

Sato has performed for numerous Japanese promotions as well as American promotions such as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Ring of Honor (ROH).

While in Michinoku Pro Wrestling,[4] he formed a stable called Kai En Tai DX with Taka Michinoku, Shoichi Funaki, Men's Teioh and Shiryu; Togo, along with some of his Kai En Tai teammates, was briefly a member of The Blue World Order in ECW. Throughout his career, Togo has been a part of several stables in the Japanese independent circuit: most famously the original Kai En Tai in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, but also the Legion of Violence (LOV) in Osaka Pro Wrestling, with Black Buffalo and Daioh Quallt, the Far East Connection with Gedo, Jado, Masao Orihara, and Ikuto Hidaka in various promotions; and most recently New Wrestling Aidoru (NωA) with Makoto Oishi, Mao and Shunma Katsumata in DDT.

In 2008, he debuted in the Argentinian promotion 100% Lucha, defeating Hip Hop Man. Then, he challenged Vicente Viloni for the 100% Lucha championship, winning the match. One week later, Viloni had a rematch and defeated Sato, retrieving the title [2]

Togo, The Great Sasuke and Jinsei Shinzaki at Chikara King of Trios in April 2011.

In early 2011, Togo announced the start of his retirement tour as part of which he returned to the United States in April to take part in Chikara's 2011 King of Trios tournament, where he would team with The Great Sasuke and Jinsei Shinzaki as Team Michinoku Pro. On April 15, Team Michinoku Pro defeated Team Minnesota (1-2-3 Kid, Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin) in their first round match and followed that up by defeating Jigsaw, Manami Toyota and Mike Quackenbush in the following day's quarterfinals.[5][6] On April 17, Team Michinoku Pro was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinal stage by F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor, Icarus and Johnny Gargano).[7]

DDT held the Dick Togo Japanese Retirement Show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on June 30, 2011. In the main event Togo defeated Gedo in his final match in Japan.[8] Afterwards he embarked on a retirement world tour, wrestling in countries such as Australia,[9] Finland (Fight Club Finland),[10] Germany,[11] Belgium,[12][13] England,[14] Spain,[15] and Italy.[16] On December 3, Togo returned to the United States for the final leg of his tour,[17] losing to Kudo in a three-way match, which also included Masahiro Takanashi at Combat Zone Wrestling's (CZW) Indie Summit event.[18] On December 10, Togo wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in Reseda, Los Angeles, losing to PWG World Champion El Generico in a non-title match.[19] On January 1, 2012, Togo returned to Mexico, wrestling at an independent event in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, where he, El Alebrije and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeated Golden Bull, Histeria II and Puma in a six-man tag team match.[20] The following July, Togo took his retirement tour to Bolivia.[21] While working in Bolivia, Togo found his way back into a DDT storyline, when Yuki Sato arrived in the country with the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, which he then proceeded to lose to Togo.[22] During the following week, Togo first lost the title to local wrestler Ajayu, before regaining it from a Bolivian child and then finally losing it back to Sato.[22] Togo finished his retirement tour on September 9, 2012, in La Paz, Bolivia. In the final match of his career, Togo teamed with Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki and Yasu Urano in an eight-man elimination tag team match, where they were defeated by Ajayu, Apocalipsis, Guerrero Ayar and Halcon Dorado, with Ajayu pinning Togo for the win.[23][24]

On May 29, 2015, Togo announced he was opening a wrestling school in Vietnam, named Vietnam Pro-Wrestling Academy. The school is affiliated with Vietnam's first professional wrestling promotion, New Vietnam Prowrestling (NVP), which held its first event in August 2015.[25]

On June 5, 2016, Togo announced he was coming out of retirement.[26] His return match took place at a DDT show on July 3.[27]

On December 10, 2016, Togo competed in the main event of Evolve Wrestling's Evolve 74 show, defeating Chris Hero.[28]

On July 12, 2020, at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall, Togo joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), aligning himself with Bullet Club, by helping Evil capture the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. He debuted eight days later in a 6-man tag team main event, as "The Spoiler". Togo, Evil and Taiji Ishimori defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón's Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Bushi.[29]

Championships and accomplishments
Togo in March 2020

References
  1. "Dick Togo". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  2. "Dick Togo "Wrestlers Database"". cagematch.net. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  3. "【試合結果】12･15 みちのくプロレス後楽園ホール大会 ザ・グレート・サスケ＆バラモンシュウ＆バラモンケイ＆フラッシュディック＆高橋奈七永 with ミニマスターvsレックスルーサー１号＆ステッペンウルフ２号＆ドクターポイズン３号＆ダークサイドGAINA＆火星ＯＫ号". Battle News (in Japanese). 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  4. "Val Venis talks wrestling again and politics". CANOE. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  5. Radican, Sean (2011-05-04). "Radican's Chikara KoT Night 1 DVD Review 4/15 - Team Michinoku Pro vs. Team 1-2-3 Kid, Quackenbush & Toyota & Jigsaw vs. SAT's". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  6. Radican, Sean (2011-05-13). "Radican's Chikara DVD review series - "King of Trios 2011 Night 2" 4/16: F.I.S.T. vs. Osaka Pro, RDV tournament, Quackenbush & Toyota & Jigsaw vs. Michinoku Pro". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  7. Radican, Sean (2011-06-05). "Radican's Chikara DVD review series: "KOT 2011: Night 3 4/17 - Kid vs. Generico, Toyota vs. Eagles, KOT tournament Finals". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  8. "Dick Togo retires against New Japan's Gedo". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  9. "Results for BBBII feat. Dick Togo (JPN) vs Robby Heart (AUS)". NWA Australia. 2011-08-22. Archived from the original on 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  10. "Kristian Kurki vastaan Dick Togo DOMination 3:ssa". Fight Club Finland (in Finnish). 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  11. "wXw & CZW & BJW in Deutschland - 30.9. - 3.10. - Results". Westside Xtreme Wrestling (in German). 2011-10-04. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  12. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Dick Togo in BCWF Wrestling". YouTube.
  13. Martin, Adam (2011-10-15). "Indy News #2: Dick Togo, NWA Smoky Mountain". WrestleView. Archived from the original on 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  14. "4FW Halloween Spectacular 2011". 4 Front Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  15. RealMiguel (2011-11-06). "Super Wrestling Alliance (6/11/2011) desde el City Hall de Barcelona. ¡Dick Togo se despide!". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  16. Milani, Emmanuele (2011-11-13). "ICW Pandemonium X: è già Leggenda! Tutti i risultati!". Italian Championship Wrestling (in Italian). Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  17. Wood, Darren (2011-11-04). "After 20 years, Dick Togo calling it quits". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  18. Magee, Bob (2011-12-05). "As I See It 12/5: Cage of Death 13 weekend". WrestleView. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  19. Massingham, Matt (2011-12-11). "12/10 PWG "Fear" results Reseda, Calif.: Hero surprise return, new PWG tag champs, Generico vs. Dick Togo, American Wolves". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  20. Lázaro Rodríguez, José (2012-01-02). "Oriental pierde la cabellera por el Tirantes". The Gladiatores (in Spanish). Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  21. "Dick Togo en Bolivia - 2012". Lucha Libre Boliviana (in Spanish). 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  22. "Ironman Heavymetalweight Title". Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  23. "Dick Togo se despidió de Bolivia con lágrimas en los ojos". Lucha Libre Boliviana (in Spanish). 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  24. ボリビアの地に沈む…ディック東郷引退試合興行詳報. Dramatic Dream Team (in Japanese). 2012-09-11. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  25. "DDT ProWrestling" 【記者会見】ベトナム初のプロレス団体「New Vietnam Prowrestling」設立、現地でディック東郷氏のプロレススクールも開校。「プロレス文化のない国でプロレスをやってみたい」（東郷）. Dramatic Dream Team (in Japanese). 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  26. 一年くらい前からもう一度リングに上がりたいと思い始めました (in Japanese). Twitter. 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  27. "DDT ProWrestling" DDTスーパースターレーン2016. Dramatic Dream Team (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  28. "EVOLVE 74 Results, Tonight's EVOLVE 75 Card, ROH Future Of Honor Match (Video)". Wrestling Inc. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  29. "Togo spoils LIJ's revenge at New Japan Road". Slam Wrestling. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  30. "【日本インディー大賞2011】" (in Japanese). 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  31. "PWI 500". profightdb.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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