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Funaki Bio
The Japanese born Shoichi Funaki, born August 24, 1968 is a Japanese American professional wrestler working with World Wrestling Entertainment. Funaki is wrestling on SmackDown! Brand. Funaki is amazingly fluent in Spanish and in Japanese. Funaki is happily married and has a son. Funaki is close to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Lita in real life. Funaki lives in Texas. Career Funaki Funaki started his wrestling career as shoot style wrestler in Yoshiaki Fujiwara's Fujiwara Gumi promotion. Subsequently Funaki moved to its successor promoters, BattlARTS. Funaki moved again to the Great Sasuke's promotion, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Funaki made this move when he came to know that he liked the lucha libre style. In the lucha libre style, he was joined with TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Mens Teioh and Shiryu in the Kai En Tai stable. Funaki won his first title in, at the Universal Wrestling Association, a match against Pantera on March 19, 1197 in Japan. World Wrestling Federation Funaki Funaki along with Teog and Togo, joined the World Wrestling Federation, in 1998. Initially they feuded with Taka Michinoku, until they turned heel and joined the group. This turned into a Tag Team in 1999 and Teioh and Togo were given their releases. Often, Michinoku and Funaki were used as comedians, often having their pre-match promos dubbed- while Michinoku would "deliver" the majority of dialogue for the duo, Funaki would "respond" strongly with a simple "INDEED". Michinoku left the WWF, Funaki began his downfall and found himself as lower card wrestler. Funaki went on, and adopted the the gimmick of "SmackDown!'s number one announcer", performing backstage interviews between matches, while competing in the WWE's cruiserweight division. WWE Funaki SmackDown! Funaki won the #1 Contendership for the Cruiserweight Championship, by winning the cruiserweight Over the Top Rope Battle Royal in 2004. Industry heavyweight talents like Rey Mysterio, Spike Dudley, and Scotty 2 Hotty had participated in the Battle Royal. WWE’s Funaki won his first Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Armageddon 2004, by defeating Spike Dudley. WWE’s Funaki lost the title, a little later at No Way Out 2005. Funaki since then, has just been a jobber to new and returning talent. WWE’s Funaki was given a brainbster on the interview platform by Kid Kash, on an episode of SmackDown! During an interview with Kash. Funaki, given the chance to reclaim the Cruiserweight Championship, at Royal Rumble 2006 pay per view, lost the match along with 4 other former cruiserweight champions, including Kid Kash, to Gregory Helms who won the match title by pinning Funaki. Funaki, since then started teaming up with Scotty 2 Hotty, during the episodes of WWE Velocity and WWE SmackDown!. Funaki, during Velocity suffered a 2nd Grade concussion and would return later that year to form a tag team of sort with Scotty 2 Hotty. The tag team was mainly used to put over debuting wrestlers of tag teams. Shoichi Funaki made a one off appearance at the Puroresu King Indy Summit, on December 31, 2006, reuniting with Kai En Tai DX in what was being billed as a Kai En Tai DX Revival Ten-Man Tag Match February 16, 2007 SmackDown! witnessed the return of Funaki to WWE TV in a clash that involved Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms and other SmackDown! cruiserweights. WWE’s Funaki was made short work of by recently returned superstar Mark Henry on the May 18, 2007 edition of SmackDown! WWE’s Funaki’s wallpaper’s, logos and other WWE fanfiction is available on WWE’s website.
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