Ryuji Ito

Ryuji Ito (伊東 竜二, Itō Ryūji) (born April 8, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing in Big Japan Pro Wrestling. He is well known for his death match style of wrestling.

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (1999-present)

Ito, whose gimmick is reminiscent of the Mortal Kombat icon Liu Kang, has been known for competing in many deathmatches over the span of his career, including a Cage match variation which saw him defeat Kintaro Kanemura. Ito is perhaps most famous for participating in an infamous "Lightube Lightsaber match" in which he fought and defeated Abdullah Kobayashi. The match has since become a hit video among hardcore wrestling fans on the website YouTube.

In 2008, Ito competed at IWA East Coast's Masters of Pain, where he lost to Thumbtack Jack in the finals after defeating Drake Younger and Danny Havoc. He also wrestled in Chikara at The Global Gauntlet the same year.

In addition to his gruesome matches, Ito has accumulated several championships over his career while working for both Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Dramatic Dream Team and has also feuded with both Shadow WX and Men's Teioh over his titles, making him a main eventer within both promotions.

He appeared in the video game Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood.

Ito in a steel cage deathmatch with 200 fluorescent light tubes (with Yuko Miyamoto) at BJW 15th Anniversary Show on May 4, 2010.

Ito performing the Dragon Splash.

• Finishing moves

• Argentine Coaster (Backbreaker rack dropped into a sitout facebuster)
• Dragon Splash (Frog splash, often onto light tubes)

• Signature moves

• 450° splash
• Axe or scissors kick, sometime with light tubes on the opponent's back
• Dragon Kick (Shining wizard)
• Lariat
• Moonsault
• Multiple suplex variations

• Dragon
• German
• Half nelson
• Northern Lights

• Rope hung Boston crab
• Roundhouse kick, sometimes with light tubes on the opponent's face
• Sitout scoop slam piledriver
• Spear

• Nicknames

• "The Death Match Dragon"

• Entrance themes

• "Halcyon + On + On" by Orbital (IWA MS)
• "Dragon Road" by Eigenkreation (BJW)

• CAGEMATCH : BJW 15th Anniversary Show ~Death & Crazy That's The Way Of The BJ-World~ (German)
• CAGEMATCH : Ryuji Ito (German)

• Big Japan Pro Wrestling

• BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
• BJW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with BADBOY Hido
• WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Daisaku Shimoda
• Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kankuro Guy and Tiger Ten (1), and Daisuke Sekimoto and Jaki Numazawa (1)

• Combat Zone Wrestling

• Triangle of Ultraviolence (2011)

• Dramatic Dream Team

• DDT KO-D Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sanshiro Takagi

• Japan Indie Awards

• Best Bout Award (2016) vs. Kankuro Hoshino on July 24

• 「年越しプロレス2016～年忘れ！五団体シャッフル・タッグトーナメント～」. Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. December 31, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2017.