Super Strong Machine

Real Name: Junji Hirata
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 254 lbs.
Date of Birth: December 20, 1956
Hometown: Hiratsuka, Kanagawa (Japan)
Pro Debut: August 26, 1978
Retired: June 19, 2018
Trained By: New Japan Dojo
Finishing Move: Devil Windmill Suplex

Biography

– Hirata began working in the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in May 1978
– Hirata won his first match on October 20 of that year, teaming with Kuniaki Kobayashi to defeat George Takano & Makoto Arakawa
– Hirata was sent to Mexico’s UWA promotion to begin a learning excursion in late 1982
– After a year in Mexico, Hirata moved to Canada, competing for Stampede Wrestling under the name ‘Sonny Two Rivers’
– On November 18, 1983, Two Rivers defeated Cobra to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title
– On November 25, Two Rivers defeated Cobra to retain the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title
– On February 16, 1984, Two Rivers defeated Ron Starr to retain the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title
– In September 1984, Hirata returned to New Japan under a mask, working as ‘Super Strong Machine’ and also teamed with Yang Seung-Hi as ‘The Strong Machines’
– On July 19, 1985, Super Strong Machine fought WWF International Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami to a no-contest
– In October 1985, Hirata returned to Stampede under the name ‘Strong Machine #1’
– Upon his return to Japan a month later, Super Strong Machine jumped to All Japan
– On October 30, 1986, Super Strong Machine & Ashura Hara defeated Takashi Ishikawa & Mighty Inoue to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Titles
– Super Strong Machine jumped back to New Japan in mid-1987
– On March 16, 1989, Super Strong Machine & George Takano defeated Riki Choshu & Masa Saito to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On May 25, Super Strong Machine & Takano defeated Osamu Kido & Kengo Kimura to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On December 26, 1990, Super Strong Machine & Hiro Saito defeated Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase to regain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On February 5, 1991, Super Strong Machine & Saito defeated Sasaki & Hase to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles, but would lose them back in March
– In April 1993, Super Strong Machine began competing for WAR alongside his NJPW duties
– In late 1994, Hirata returned to competing under his real name
– On July 13, 1995, Hirata & Shinya Hashimoto defeated Scott Norton & Mike Enos to win the vacant IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On July 18, Hirata & Hashimoto defeated Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On September 20, Hirata & Hashimoto defeated The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior & Power Warrior) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On September 23, Hirata & Hashimoto defeated Ookami Gundan (Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– At the WCW World In Japan show in November 1995, Hirata defeated Booker T
– On December 11, Hirata & Shinya Hashimoto defeated Ookami Gundan (Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On February 25, Hirata & Hashimoto defeated Golden Cups (Yoshihiro Takayama & Yoji Anjo) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– At the 2000 Rikidozan Memorial Show, Hirata & Ryuma Go defeated Osamu Kido & Tadao Yasuda
– At the Riki Choshi Revival event, Hirata defeated Kenzo Suzuki
– In 2002, Hirata donned the mask once more, joining Makai Club as ‘Makai #1’
– At Wrestling World 2003, Makai #1 & Dai Majin defeated Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto by DQ
– At King Of Sports 2004, Makai Club (Makai #1, Mitsuya Nagai, Ryushi Yanagisawa & Katsuyori Shibata) defeated Shinya Makabe, Yutaka Yoshie, Toru Yano & Blue Wolf
– Hirata made a brief return to All Japan in late 2004, working as ‘Super Love Machine’, a member of the Love Machines stable
– In December 2004, Hirata was back in New Japan, working as ‘Black Strong Machine’, a member of Masahiro Chono’s Black New Japan stable
– By the mid-2000s, Hirata had stepped back from full-time ring work to focus on working as a trainer in the New Japan dojo
– At Wrestle Kingdom IV, Seigigun (Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa) defeated Jushin Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada
– At Invasion Attack 2013, Super Strong Machine, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi & Akebono defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Takashi Iizuka, YOSHI-HASHI & Bob Sapp)
– Hirata wrestled his final match at Wataru Inoue’s Retirement Show on April 2, 2014, teaming with Yuji Nagata & Captain New Japan to defeat Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
– Following this match, Hirata became a full-time trainer at the New Japan Dojo