Seiya Sanada is a Japanese professional wrestler from Niigata. At the time of writing, he is a freelance wrestler for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW); wrestling for them under the ring name SANADA.

Previously, Seiya Sanada worked with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Japanese Wrestle-1 (W-1) and American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotions.

He is famous for becoming the first Gaora TV Champion, and his resume also includes two All Asia Tag Team Championship wins, one World Tag Team Championship win, one TNA X Division Championship win (from Kaisen: Outbreak) and winning the 2011 World’s Strongest Tag Determination League tournament – just to mentioned a few highlights.

Background and early career

Sanada tried to earn a training spot at the NJPW dojo in 2005 but failed the introductory test. He then started looking at other promotions, and was eventually accepted byKeiji Mutoh’s AJPW-affiliated Mutohjuku school.

Sanada made his professional wrestling debut on 13 March, 2007, in a match where he teamed up with Ryuji Hijikata against Katsuhiko Nakajima and T28 and lost.

Sanada won his first honor a few months into his professional career, byt winning the Samurai! TV Triple Arrow Tournament in May 2007, as a part of a team consiting of him, Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki.

Short facts about Seiya Sanada

Japanese name 真田 聖也
Transcribed name Sanada Seiya
English name Seiya Sanada
Born 28 January, 1988, in Niigata, Japan
Trained by Kaz Hayashi
Keiji Mutoh
Osamu Nishimura
Satoshi Kojima
Kohei Suwama
Professional wrestling debut 13 March, 2007
Manager James Storm
Ring names The Great Sanada

Kiyonari Sanada

SANADA

Seiya Sanada

Nicknames Saint Seniya

Shining Star

Seishun Hurricane (Seishun means youth in Japanense)

Cold Skull

Billed height 1.82 metres
Billed weight 100 kg
Entrance themes “Seishun no Arashi (Hurricane)” by Hiroyuki Sanada

“Probability” by All Japan Pro Wrestling

“Japan Rising Sun” by Dale Oliver (TNA)

“Cold Skeleton” by Yonosuke Kitamura

Notable moves

Finishing moves

Seiya Sanada

  • Bridging tiger suplex
  • Moonsault Press / Rounding Body Press (Moonsault)
  • Skull End / This Is It (Dragon sleeper with bodyscissors)
  • Superkick to a kneeling opponent

Signature moves

  • Backslide
  • Bridging dragon suplex
  • German suplex
  • Green mist
  • Japanese leg roll clutch
  • Missile dropkick, sometimes while springboarding
  • Paradise Lock (Over-rotated)
  • Delfin Clutch
  • Piledriver
  • Standing moonsault

Double-team finishing moves (with EVIL)

Magic Killer (Aided snap swinging neckbreaker)[91][92]

Championship wins, awards and other accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)

  • All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Manabu Soya
  • Gaora TV Championship (1 time)
  • World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joe Doering
  • Gaora TV Championship Tournament (2012)
  • Samurai! TV Cup Triple Arrow Tournament (2007) – with Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
  • World’s Strongest Tag Determination League (2011) – with Kai

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)

  • IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bushi and EVIL
  • World Tag League (2017) – with EVIL

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

  • TNA X Division Championship (1 time)
  • Global Impact Tournament (2015) – with Team International (Angelina Love, Bram, Drew Galloway, The Great Muta, Khoya, Magnus, Rockstar Spud, Sonjay Dutt and Tigre Uno)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Ranked #66 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the 2014 PWI 500

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Best Gimmick (2017) as part of Los Ingobernables de Japon