Satoshi Kojima
A powerhouse Japanese wrestler who boldly declared himself the 'King of Strong Style' and backed it up across two continents.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Japanese professional wrestler·Birthday: September 14·Generation X
Biography
Satoshi Kojima carries himself with the swagger of a man who knows he changed the game. Bursting onto the scene in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a young lion, he soon formed the formidable Tencozy tag team with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, dominating the division. But Kojima hungered for more. In a daring move, he took his talents to All Japan Pro Wrestling in the early 2000s, where he achieved the ultimate feat: simultaneously holding the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His declaration of being the 'King of Strong Style'—a term now synonymous with NJPW's hard-hitting philosophy—preceded his triumphant return to his home promotion. There, as a veteran, he continued to deliver brutally stiff lariats and main-event performances, inspiring a younger generation with his undiminished passion and physical, no-frills brand of wrestling.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Satoshi was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Satoshi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Satoshi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Held both the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship simultaneously in 2005.
- Formed one of Japan's most successful tag teams, Tencozy, with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, winning multiple IWGP Tag Team Championships.
- Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2010 upon his return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
- Is a two-time winner of New Japan's G1 Climax tournament (in 2010 and later in his career).
Did You Know?
His signature move is the "Koji Cutter," a variation of the Diamond Cutter/RKO.
He is known for his love of bread, often incorporating it into his entrances and persona.
He is the son-in-law of wrestling legend and All Japan founder Giant Baba.
He wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the late 1990s as part of their international talent exchange.
“I am the King of Strong Style!”
