Report Last Updated - 12/07 (Winter)
Real Name - Jun Akiyama
Birthdate - 10/9/69
5'11" 225 lbs. - Hiroshima, Japan

Aliases - none

Athletic background - Freestyle Wrestling (Senshu University), Swimming (High School)

Professional background - All Japan(`92-`00), NOAH(`00-), New Japan(`02)

Groups - BURNING, STERNNESS

Career Highlights -
- Makes it to the Grand Final of the Champion Carnival `98, but loses to Mitsuharu Misawa
- Teams with Kenta Kobashi to win the first of two consecutive Real World Tag League(`98 and `99)
- Defeats Misawa at the Nippon Budokan show of the 2000 Excite Tour
- Becomes the second GHC title holder by defeating Misawa
- Defeats Akira Taue to win the GHC title for a second time

Finisher(s) -
- Sternness Dust (Wrist-clutch Fisherman Buster)
- Exploder `98 (Wristlock High-Angle Exploder)
- Super Exploder
x King Crab Lock (Guillotine Choke with Body Scissors)
x Blue Thunder
x Cradled Tombstone

Favorites -
- Exploder
- Piledriver
- Running Knee to sitting opponent
- Jumping Knee
- Elbow

Ringwork Rating -
move set - 10
science - 5
aerial - 2
power - 9
strikes - 9

Intangible Rating -
entertainment - 9
selling - 10
bumping - 8
heat - 8
carrying - 9
push - 8
potential - 5

Outlook - Jun Akiyama is and has been one of the top workers in Japan for over a decade now. He was pushed into Jumbo Tsuruta’s spot in All Japan and became very good, very fast. The jump to NOAH in 2000 saw him get some opportunities to become a top star, but things never worked perfectly. He was definitely positioned opposite long-time partner Kenta Kobashi, however Kobashi went out and Akiyama was never able to make it to that megastar level. The absence of Kobashi, the aging of Misawa and Taue and the lack of other heavyweights allowed Akiyama to become a permanent fixture on top. Rotating between GHC Heavyweight title reigns, GHC Tag Team titles runs and inter-promotional programs, Akiyama became the real workhorse for NOAH. While he is still not the superstar NOAH needs, Akiyama has a certain stature that he is using to help get over up-and-coming stars. Nearing forty, Jun Akiyama’s time as a top worker may be winding down, but he probably has quite some time left if his body holds up. In recent years he has helped booking and has proven to have some the strangest ideas that a major Japanese company has ever used. One of his creations, the Global Hardcore Crown, has been the most enduring as a running semi-official title with odd rules and an unusual history. As the first decade of the millennium comes to a close, Jun Akiyama’s accomplishments should be looked upon favorably as he has been one of the most consistent and most impressive stars in the pro-wrestling world. Akiyama still has the physical capacity and at times the desire to be one of the very best pro-wrestlers on the planet, however both of those qualities cannot last forever.