| Sakoda |
| Sakoda Height: 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Weight: 240 lb (109 kg) Real name: Ryan Sakoda Hometown: Tokyo, Japan Pro debut: 1998 Finishing move: Roaring Elbow (Discus elbow smash), Sakoda Slice (Diving forward somersault stunner/cutter) Other aliases: Keiji Sakoda Career highlights: EWF Heavyweight Champion, NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion (w/Samoa Joe) Trained by: Jesse Hernadez Ryan Sakoda (born December 31, 1974) is a Japanese American professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment and currently working for UPW as a full-time trainer for the UPW wrestlers. Before coming to WWE, Sakoda had a successful stint in the NWA Zero-One promotion in Japan, stemming from his appearances for Ultimate Pro Wrestling. During this time Sakoda often filled in as an instructor at UPW's Ultimate University, while wrestling as part of the professional wrestling stable Team Emblem with Japanese superstars Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani. In September 2003, Ryan "Keiji" Sakoda was signed to a development contract, it wouldn't be long before Sakoda was brought up to SmackDown!'s main roster. He along with Akio made their WWE debuts on October 19, 2003 at WWE No Mercy. Sakoda aligned himself with Akio, forming the heel tag team Kyo Dai, the Yakuza-style henchmen of Tajiri. In August 2004 Sakoda was released from his WWE contract. Sakoda returned to UPW in March 2005 as a full-time trainer. |
 |