Akira Maeda

Akira Maeda (born in 1959 as Go Il-myeong) is a former Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, and promoter, best known as one of the pioneers of shoot-style wrestling, which aimed to bring a more realistic and combat-oriented approach to pro wrestling in Japan. He began his career with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 1978 after gaining attention in karate. He wrestled in the UK under the name Kwik-kik-Lee and had a short stint in WWF in 1984, where he won an international title. That same year, he co-founded the first UWF, but left due to creative conflicts with Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask). After returning to NJPW, he was involved in controversial incidents, including a real-life altercation with André the Giant and a kick that seriously injured Riki Choshu, which led to his departure from the company. In 1988, he founded Newborn UWF, which was initially very successful but eventually dissolved due to internal disagreements. In 1991, he established Fighting Network RINGS, ...