Manabu NAKANISHI

Manabu Nakanishi was a top amateur wrestler for Japan. In addition to his 1992 Olympic appearance, he competed at the 1990 and 1991 World Championships, the 1987 and 1992 Asian Championships, and the 1990 Asian Games. His only international podium was a bronze medal at the 1992 Asian Championship in the 100 kg. freestyle. Shortly after the Barcelona Olympics, Nakanishi débuted as a professional with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). He later moved to North America with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), wrestling as Kurasawa, as part of the Stud Stable led by Colonel Robert Parker.

Nakanishi returned to Japan in 1996, and had moved up in class, but always seemed to lose the main event when he would wrestle for a singles title. He formed a popular tag team with Takao Omori called Wild Child, and together they won the International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) Tag Team title in late 2006. In May 2009 Nakanishi finally won a professional singles title, pinning Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but lost it a month later to Tanahashi. In 2011 Nakanishi sustained a spinal cord injury during a bout, resulting temporary paralysis, but he recovered and returned to wrestling in 2012.