The Biography

Manabu Nakanishi (中西 学, Nakanishi Manabu) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. Nakanishi has always stayed based in Japan, but has wrestled for various other promotions including World Championship Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1. Nakanishi's career slowly declined after a spinal injury in 2011, but he continued to wrestle for a further nine years, before retiring on February 22, 2020. In 1992, Nakanishi won bronze in freestyle wrestling at the Asian Championships. Later that year, he competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and placed eleventh.