Masahiro Chono (蝶野 正洋, Chōno Masahiro^?), (born September 17, 1963) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a former NWA World Champion and IWGP Heavyweight Champion. For those less familiar with wrestling, he has become well known for his appearances on the news year's specials of Downtown's Gaki no Tsukai No-Laughing batsu games. His ritual appearance always involves slapping Hosei Yamasaki in the face.

Chōno debuted in 1984 against Keiji Mutoh at a New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) event in Saitama, Japan. In 1987, he defeated Shinya Hashimoto to win the Young Lions Cup. After winning the tournament, he went on an excursion that started in Germany.

After a while in Germany, Chono went on an excursion to North America, starting in the United States, where he wrestled in NWA territories in the Kansas City and Alabama areas. He would also later wrestle in the Canadian Maritimes and in Puerto Rico, where he, Hashimoto, and Mutoh formed The Three Musketeers.

Keiji Mutoh (武藤 敬司, Mutō Keiji^?, born December 23, 1962) is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan. He is a former President of All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as being a full-time wrestler for the promotion since 2002. Mutoh is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, both in Japan and America.^{[citation needed]}

Mutoh is credited as one of the first Japanese wrestlers to achieve a fan base outside of his native Japan in the United States. The Great Muta gimmick is one of the most influential gimmicks in puroresu, having been emulated by many wrestlers including Satoshi Kojima (The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (The Great Kazushi) and Atsushi Onita (The Great Nita). In addition, countless independent wrestlers have paid tribute to Muta through emulation and imitation.

Mitsuharu Misawa (三沢 光晴, Misawa Mitsuharu^?, June 18, 1962 - June 13, 2009) was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as All Japan Pro Wrestling had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Following the death of AJPW head booker Giant Baba in 1999, Misawa inherited the position of AJPW president. After being removed as president by a board of executives, Misawa left AJPW in May 2000 to form Pro Wrestling Noah. In 2006, Misawa founded and served as the chairman of the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA).

Considered one of the best wrestlers in professional wrestling history, Misawa was a five-time AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Heavyweight Champion (as well as the inaugural champion) and was named Wrestler of the Year by Wrestling Observer Newsletter on three occasions.

Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), known professionally as Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, musician, media personality, actor, author and businessman. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its Raw brand in addition to being the lead singer of heavy metal band Fozzy. He is also well known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and internationally in Canadian, Mexican and Japanese promotions.

Jericho has won 30 championships between WWF/E, WCW, and ECW - the three most prominent American promotions in the 1990s and early 2000s. He is credited as being the first Undisputed WWF Champion, having unified the WWE Championship and World Championship (formerly the WCW Championship) in 2001.

In WWE Jericho is a six-time world champion, having won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice and the World Heavyweight Championship thrice. He is also a record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, and the fourth WWE Grand Slam Champion.

Not to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi (known as KENTA)

Kenta Kobashi (小橋建太, Kobashi Kenta, born March 27, 1967^?) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars.

Kobashi practiced judo and rugby union during high school in Fukuchiyama. He practised body building after his graduation while working "regular" jobs. He applied and was accepted to All Japan Pro Wrestling's dojo on June 20, 1987. He was trained there by Giant Baba, Dory Funk, Jr., Masanobu Fuchi, and Kazuharu Sonoda. Kobashi debuted as a professional wrestler in Ryuo, Shiga on February 26, 1988. He was booked by Shohei "Giant" Baba to lose his first 63 matches (all singles bouts). It was all part of Baba's master plan: even in defeat, the fiery, charismatic Kobashi shined, and his gutsy, never-say-die efforts earned him the Rookie of the Year award from the Japanese press. Kobashi won his first match in May 1989 (against Jim Crockett Promotions jobber Mitch Snow). During 1989, when the Road Warriors were in AJPW, they taught Kobashi the "Road Warrior Workout". He first gained some prominence as member of Mitsuharu Misawa's faction during Misawa's feud with Jumbo Tsuruta.