Akira Tozawa is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE and performs on the Raw brand. He was born on July 22, 1985. Tozawa is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and has also held the WWE 24/7 Championship a record 16 times.
Before joining WWE, Tozawa spent twelve years wrestling for Dragon Gate, where he achieved several titles, including Open the Brave Gate, Open the Twin Gate, Open the Triangle Gate, and Open the Owarai Gate championships. He also won the 2011 and 2012 Summer Adventure Tag League. Tozawa is well-known for his year-long stint in the United States, where he wrestled for various promotions, including Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Discover the life and career of WWE wrestler Akira Tozawa, including his personal life, height, net worth, and relationships. Explore his matches, finisher, action figure, and social media presence, and learn more about his connection with Tamina Snuka.
Bio/Wiki Table
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Akira Tozawa |
| Birthdate | July 22, 1985 |
| Birthplace | Japan |
| Profession | Professional Wrestler |
| Current Employer | WWE |
| Brand | Raw |
| Championships |
|
| Previous Employer | Dragon Gate |
| Nationality | Japanese |
Age, Height & Weight
Tozawa was born on July 22, 1985, which would make him 38 years old in 2023. His height is listed as 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) and his weight is listed as 157 pounds (71 kg).
Professional Wrestling Career
Dragon Gate (2005–2010)
Akira Tozawa was the third graduate of the Dragon Gate dojo to debut. However, after losing all 10 matches in his trial series, he was sent back to the dojo. He returned to the ring in October 2005 and formed a stable called Tozawa-juku after defeating Naruki Doi during the Brave Gate League.
Despite the stable bearing his name, Tozawa was not the leader due to his backstage reputation as a troublemaker. He and fellow wrestler Yuki Ono formed the Metabolic Brothers tag team within Tozawa-juku, but injuries prevented them from achieving significant success. Tozawa began bulking up when Ono gained weight and the duo wore silver tights and boots instead of the traditional gakuran pants.
On July 11, 2008, Tozawa went on a diet after announcing it on a show and challenged Open the Triangle Gate Champions to a title match against him, Iwasa, and Arai. However, his team lost the match, leading to the disbandment of Tozawa-juku, and he and his stablemates were given a graduation ceremony.
He then formed a new unit with Iwasa and Shingo Takagi called Kamikaze, with Dragon Kid joining soon after. Tozawa made it to the finals of the Battle of Tokyo Tournament and challenged Cima for the Open the Brave Gate Championship in 2009. He also lost a “Loser is Banished to Dark Matches” match against Cyber Kong, a fellow member of Kamikaze, on May 5, 2010. In May 2010, he embarked on an extended tour of the United States, leaving Japan behind.
American exploits (2010–2016)
Akira Tozawa joined Kamikaze USA in May 2010 and made his debut for Dragon Gate USA, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Chikara’s Young Lions Cup VIII. He had a successful run in PWG, defeating Scott Lost and Chris Sabin, and entered the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating El Generico before being eliminated by Chris Hero. Tozawa caught the attention of Dragon Gate office and returned to PWG on December 11, 2010, but lost to Kevin Steen.
In January 2011, Akira Tozawa won a match for Dragon Gate USA but was kicked out of Kamikaze USA due to disagreements with his stablemates. He challenged unsuccessfully for the Open the Freedom Gate Championship and the Open the Brave Gate Championship.
In March 2011, he formed a team with Kevin Steen called the Nightmare Violence Connection and entered PWG’s DDT4 tournament. Tozawa also competed in Chikara’s King of Trios tournament and Evolve, capturing the Anarchy Championship Wrestling U-30 Young Gun Championship in May. He had his final weekend with PWG in May 2011, returning in 2015 and 2016, but losing in his matches.
Return to Dragon Gate (2011–2016)
In 2011, Akira Tozawa returned to Dragon Gate and joined the stable Blood Warriors. He won several matches and championships, including the 2011 Summer Adventure Tag League and Open the Twin Gate Championship with BxB Hulk. In 2012, he turned on Blood Warriors leader Cima and renamed the stable Mad Blankey. Tozawa won the 2012 Summer Adventure Tag League and Open the Triangle Gate Championship with Hulk and Naoki Tanisaki. He also unsuccessfully challenged for the Open the Dream Gate Championship in 2012. The stable lost the Open the Triangle Gate Championship in October.
In May 2013, Tozawa lost another shot at the Open the Dream Gate Championship to Cima. He regained the Open the Twin Gate Championship in June but lost it in July. Mad Blankey turned on Tozawa in August, kicking him out of the group. On August 30, Tozawa formed a new stable with Uhaa Nation and Shingo Takagi, named Monster Express. In February 2015, Tozawa won his first singles title in Dragon Gate, the Open the Brave Gate Championship, and also won the Open the Owarai Gate Championship in March. He left Dragon Gate in November 2016 to work for WWE, losing his farewell match.
WWE
Cruiserweight Champion (2016–2018)
Tozawa participated in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. He joined WWE’s cruiserweight division and later won the Cruiserweight Championship, but lost it to Neville after a short reign. Tozawa was attacked by Drew Gulak, which started a rivalry. He then formed a tag team with Hideo Itami, but their partnership ended after miscommunications during matches.
24/7 Champion (2019–2022)
In 2019, Tozawa qualified for a fatal four-way match for the Cruiserweight Championship, but was defeated by Buddy Murphy. He later became the number one contender for the championship but was again defeated by Murphy. Tozawa was drafted to Raw and made his debut on the brand in November, where he was defeated by Murphy again. He later won the 24/7 Championship but lost it to Santa Claus. In 2020, he participated in the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, winning two matches but failing to advance to the finals.
Akira Tozawa turned heel and joined a group of ninjas at Backlash. He won the 24/7 Championship for the second, third, fourth, and fifth time, losing and regaining it multiple times to R-Truth and Reggie. He briefly held the title after pinning Tamina during their kayfabe wedding ceremony but lost it back to Dana Brooke. Tamina filed for divorce, and Tozawa later pinned her to win the title again.
Feud with Baron Corbin (2022–present)
Tozawa turned face on the November 17th, 2022 episode of Raw after winning a game of cards against Baron Corbin and JBL. He returned to wearing traditional ring gear instead of his ninja gi.
Akira Tozawa Wife & Baby
Professional wrestler Akira Tozawa and his wife have welcomed a baby girl into their family. The news was recently reported, but no further details were given about the baby or the couple’s family life. Tozawa has not made any public statements about the birth of his child, and it is unclear if he will take any time off from his wrestling career to spend time with his family.
Akira Tozawa Net Worth
Akira Tozawa is a successful professional wrestler who has competed in Dragon Gate and WWE. He earns an annual salary of approximately $100,000 from WWE, where he wrestles for the RAW brand. In addition to his salary, he has other sources of income, including brand endorsements and features in popular video games like the WWE 2K series. His net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $2 million. Tozawa has won the WWE 24/7 Championship 16 times and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship once.
Akira Tozawa Dragon Gate
Akira Tozawa began his professional wrestling career with Dragon Gate in Japan, but his debut was unsuccessful, losing all the matches in his trial series. He returned to Dragon Gate in 2005 and teamed up with Yuki Ono and Vangelis. He declined an offer from the M2K stable and opened his own stable, which he had to disband after losing a match.
Tozawa went to the United States and debuted for Dragon Gate USA. He was trained by Kenichiro Arai and Masaaki Mochizuki, both successful Japanese professional wrestlers who played for Dragon Gate and won several championships.
Akira Tozawa WWE 2K
Akira Tozawa, a Japanese professional wrestler who currently performs for WWE, has been featured in several editions of the WWE 2K video game series, including WWE 2K18, WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20, and WWE 2K22.
His inclusion in these games has helped to increase his popularity among gamers and wrestling fans, and has also added to his net worth through licensing and endorsement deals. Tozawa has won the WWE 24/7 Championship 16 times and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship once during his time in WWE.
WWE RAW
Akira Tozawa is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently performs on the Raw brand of WWE. He made his debut on the brand in 2019 as part of the WWE draft. Tozawa has primarily been featured as a mid-card talent and has competed in various matches and storylines throughout his time on Raw.
Tozawa has also won the 24/7 Championship several times, a title that can be defended at any time, anywhere. He has also participated in Survivor Series representing Raw and competed for the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. In a recent episode of Raw, Tozawa turned face after winning a game of cards against Baron Corbin and JBL.
Akira Tozawa FAQs
What is Akira Tozawa real name?
The World Wrestling Entertainment promotions RAW brand wrestler Akira Tozawa is a Japanese professional wrestler. His real name is Akira Tozawa, the same as his ring name. He made his debut with Dragon Gate in Japan in 2005.
How old is Akira Tozawa?
Akira Tozawa was born on 22 July 1985. He is currently 37 years.
How tall is Tozawa?
WWE professional wrestler Akira Tozawa is 1.7 metres tall. That is about 5.58 feet high.
Who is Tamina married to?
WWE RAW professional wrestler Tamina Snuka married her first husband Brandon Polamalu in 1995. They separated in 2003. Then, in March 2022, she married the Japanese professional wrestler Akira Tozawa. She later filed a divorce because Akira could not help her win the title she wanted.
How many kids does Tamina Snuka have?
WWE wrestler Tamina Snuka has two daughters. Their names are Maleata and Milaneta. Maleata is 19 years old while Milaneta is 17 years old.
What does Akira Tozawa weigh?
Akira Tozawa weighs 71 kg. He is a professional wrestler from Japan. He is currently with WWE and plays under its RAW brand.
How much does Tamina Snuka make a year?
WWE professional wrestler Tamina Snuka makes about $200000 per year. Her net worth is approximately $1 million. She plays in the RAW brand of WWE.
Is WWE all scripted?
WWE, contrary to popular beliefs, is fully scripted. The wrestlers know what they are going to do in the ring and the dialogues they are going to say. Experts choreograph the matches very carefully. Wrestlers perform all their moves, even the life-threatening ones, under complete supervision and direction. WWE shows are not legitimate contests. They are entertainment-based performance theatres. That the matches in WWE are scripted was accepted by Vince McMahon, the owner of WWE, in 1989. He did so to avoid taxes from the athletic commission.
