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 Title History:
WAR International Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title (1):
Tournament History: - WAR International Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title Tournament (1997): Hiroyoshi Kotsubo & Masakazu Fukuda beat Yuji Yasuraoka & Tomohiro Ishii
Profile: Masakazu Fukuda was absorbed in amaresu from his school days, taking part in a freestyle national meet in 1994. In June, 1995, he was initiated into Masayoshi Motegi's Wrestle Yume Factory, where he spent his first years as a wrestler, forming the Ashikaga Express with Kamikaze. He became a regular for Genichiro Tenryu's WAR promotion in 1997, teaming with Hiroyoshi Kotsubo to win the WAR International Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title. His first step towards New Japan was when he competed in Tatsumi Fujinami's Muga promotion, and in May, 1998, Jushin Thunder Liger invited him to take part in the Best of the Super Jr. tournament. Although he finished on the bottom of his group with just one win, he left an impression, his match with Shinjiro Otani standing out. From January, 1999, he was a New Japan wrestler, moving into the traditional young lion role and working his way up the card. His biggest chance to date came in early 2000, when he joined Manabu Nakanishi and Yutaka Yoshie in Yuji Nagata's Fighting Club G-EGGS group, a faction of wrestlers with sporting backgrounds. In April though, when he was competing in the 2000 Young Lion Cup, tragedy struck. During his match with Katsuyori Shibata on, he was hit by a flying elbow smash. His movement became sluggish, and he eventually collapsed on to the mat in a serious condition. He was rushed to Kessunuma General Hospital, where it was determined that he had internal bleeding of the brain. For days New Japan and it's fans prayed, with many wrestlers, including Shinya Hashimoto, travelling to the hospital to see him. On 4/19/00 at 3:28am, Masakazu Fukuda passed away, the official cause an acute hard membrane lower bloody tumor in his brain. He was 27 years of age, and was planning to announce his engagement in May. On 4/20/00, Hidekazu Tanaka wept as he announced to the fans that Fukuda had passed away, and Yoshie stood in the ring with a picture of him, while Nagata rang the bell ten times in his memory. On 4/21/00, six hundred people attended the funeral of Fukuda, which was funded by New Japan. Fukuda was laid to rest in his New Japan t-shirt, a lasting reminder of his love for wrestling. On 9/9/00, New Japan ran a tribute show for him in his home town of Kurobane. The semi final saw two of his G-EGGS friends, Nakanishi and Yoshie, wrestle each other, and in the main event, Kensuke Sasaki, Takashi Iizuka & G-EGGS leader Nagata defeated Team 2000's Masahiro Chono, Don Frye & Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Although he is no longer alive, New Japan continues to recognize Fukuda as an active roster member, insisting that his spirit remains with the company. A young man taken before his time, there is little doubt that Fukuda would one day have risen high in New Japan, and he is sorely missed. Related Information: Synopsis of Fighting Club G-EGGS
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