Tatsumi Fujinami
| Tatsumi Fujinami | |
|---|---|
Fujinami in 2020 | |
| Born | December 28, 1953 Kunisaki, Ōita, Japan |
| Spouse | Kaori Fujinami |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Billed height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Billed weight | 103 kg (227 lb) |
| Trained by | Karl Gotch Antonio Inoki Roy Wood |
| Debut | May 9, 1971 |
Tatsumi Fujinami (藤波 辰巳, Fujinami Tatsumi, ring name: 藤波 辰爾) (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a legends contract. Fujinami is best known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Known for his fluid catch wrestling submission style, he was famously nicknamed "The Dragon", and is credited with inventing the dragon sleeper and the dragon suplex.
He is also the owner and founder of the Dradition wrestling promotion. In 2015, Fujinami was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, while also becoming an ambassador for the company. Bret Hart said of Fujinami: "I always wanted to be the great wrestler that Tatsumi Fujinami was". He is a nine-time World Champion, winning world titles in NJPW, NWA, UWA and WCWA.