With this years' G1 Climax almost upon us, thought it was a good time to give people an introduction to the two "guests" in the tourney. First up, Jake Lee of Pro-Wrestling NOAH.
Career Overview: Born Jae Kyung Lee (Â Zainichi-Korean), Lee debuted in 2011 under the name Lee Che Gyong in All Japan Pro-Wrestling, being trained by Keiji Mutoh & Atsushi Aoki (RIP). After sustaining an injury, Lee retired from pro-wrestling after just 10 matches (Lee has attributed a sort of depression for his then-early retirement), and eventually found his way into MMA for a period. Lee would return to wrestling in 2015 (as Jake Lee) under the guidance of Jun Akiyama, then president of AJPW (who Lee has considered a father-figure). Jake would soon align with Kento Miyahara, the young "Ace" of the promotion, and they would eventually form the stable NEXTREAM, alongside Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi (these four were seen as the young faces of the company, even being dubbed the new "Four Pillars").
In 2018, Lee would leave NEXTREAM, wishing to prove himself the strongest of the four (especially against Miyahara). To this end, Lee formed his own stable, SWEEPER (joined by Dylan James, Keiichi Sato, Koji Iwamoto & Ryoji Sai). Eventually, Lee would align with his former NEXTREAM stablemate Naoya Nomura (they would battle Miyahara & Aoyagi for dominance over All Japan) and would dissolve SWEEPER. In 2021, Lee would announce a new faction, TOTAL ECLIPSE, turning heel as a result for the first time in his career. It's with this new heel edge that Lee finally defeated Miyahara, in the 2021 CHAMPION CARNIVAL FINAL. Lee would go on to win his first Triple Crown championship, after defeating both Miyahara & Aoyagi back-to-back on the same night (Jake would have to shortly vacate the belt due to injury). Lee won his second Triple Crown after defeating Miyahara on June 19, 2022. Jake would leave AJPW at the end of 2022, after his contract expired.
Lee would officially join Pro-Wrestling NOAH on Jan. 1, 2023. Lee would form the stable "Good Looking Guys", alongside Jack Morris, Anthony Greene, Tadasuke, Yo-Hey & LJ Cleary. Lee would capture the GHC Heavyweight Championship on Feb. 12, defeating Kaito Kiyomiya. Lee would go on to have a run with the belt for the majority of the year, participating in the N-1, before losing the belt to Kenoh in October. Lee's first appearance in NJPW came on April 17, 2024, attacking Tetsuya Naito and helping Bullet Club War Dogs. This would lead to Jake taking on Naito in the main event of ALL TOGETHER IN SAPPORO, in a losing effort. Lee would announce that GLG would officially disband on the July 13th DESTINATION show, just as he was announced to be a part of this year's G1; Lee would officially join BC War Dogs after turning on and choke-slamming his stablemate Jack Morris.
Match Recommendations (would always recommend people to search out more matches for themselves):
Lee vs Kento Miyahara – AJPW Champion Carnival 2019 – Tag 18 – https://youtu.be/B2wzq8Id8O4
Lee & Nomura vs Miyahara & Aoyagi – AJPW Real World Tag League 2019 – Tag 19 – https://youtu.be/JLmZ-5KysHg?si=t3SwFuo9wpyFqiDL
Lee vs Miyahara vs Aoyagi – AJPW Champions Night ~ From The Land Of The Triple Crown Unification Flight To The 50th Anniversary – https://youtu.be/6Iyw7ax6iNc?si=H5IOU9DO96I6W_3q
Lee vs Miyahara – AJPW Champions Night 4 ~ 50th Anniversary Tour – https://youtu.be/50IAZKQQ3rE?si=lahj-Qtt4xnshSkR
Lee vs Naomichi Marufuji – NOAH Majestic 2023 – https://youtu.be/XMR6RXP0S6k
by MrPuroresu42
