Yuto-Ice
Yuto-Ice in 2026 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yuto Nakashima January 7, 1997[1][2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 105 kg (231 lb)[2] |
| Billed from | Ōgaki, Gifu, Japan[2] |
| Trained by | Bad Luck Fale NJPW Dojo |
| Debut | February 14, 2021[1][2] |
Yuto Nakashima (中島佑斗, Nakashima Yūto; born January 7, 1997)[1][2] is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs under the ring name Yuto-Ice. He is a member of the Unbound Co. stable. Alongside Oskar as the Knock Out Brothers he is one half of the current IWGP Tag Team Champions in their first reign.
Known for his martial arts background, he has competed internationally, including notable appearances in Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
Early life
Nakashima was born in Ōgaki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. He trained in judo from a young age, achieving black belt status before transitioning to mixed martial arts and then professional wrestling.[3]
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021–present)
Young Lion and foreign excursion (2021–2025)
Nakashima made his debut for NJPW on February 14, 2021, during the Road to Castle Attack event, facing Yuya Uemura. However, the match was stopped after Nakashima dislocated his elbow.[4] Following his recovery, Nakashima participated in NJPW's Young Lion matches, frequently competing against wrestlers like Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita. He achieved his first victory on April 20, 2022, defeating Oiwa.[5] In 2023, Nakashima formed a tag team with Oskar Leube, known as "Young Blood".[6]
In January 2024 at New Year Dash!!, Young Blood wrestled their final match as young lions before embarking on learning excursion (as is customary for NJPW Young Lions), losing to El Phantasmo and Hikuleo.[7]
Knock Out Brothers (2025–present)
On the final night of G1 Climax 35 on August 17, 2025, Bullet Club War Dogs leader David Finlay introduced Nakashima (now known as Yuto-Ice) and Leube (now known as Oskar) as the newest members of Bullet Club War Dogs as they attacked Satoshi Kojima, Taichi and Katsuya Murashima. Yuto and Oskar also changed their tag team name to "Knock Out Brothers".[8] At Destruction in Kobe, Yuto and Oskar defeated Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship, marking their first championship in NJPW.[9]
After Wrestle Kingdom 20, at New Year Dash!!, David Finlay and Yota Tsuji announced the dissolution of Bullet Club and Mushozoku, replacing the alliance with Unbound Co., which was a complete merger, also in the Main Event of the show they defeated Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. .[10]
European independent circuit (2024–2025)
In early 2024, Nakashima embarked on an excursion to Europe, wrestling for the likes of Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). At RevPro’s High Stakes 2024 event, Young Blood defeated Kieron Lacey and Mark Trew in a tag team match.[11] Young Blood also participated in a tag team match to defeat David Francisco and Goldenboy Santos in a street fight at a subsequent RevPro event.[12] In wXw, Young Blood won the wXw World Tag Team Championship at the World Tag Team Festival in October 2024, defeating KXS (Axel Tischer and Fast Time Moodo) in the finals.[13] In March 2025, they lost the titles to Big Bucks (Alex Duke and Norman Harras), ending their reign at 152 days.[14]
Personal life
Nakashima’s background in judo and MMA has heavily influenced his wrestling style. His in-ring persona is often described as stoic and disciplined, focusing on technical grappling.[15]
Championships and accomplishments
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Holland
- PWH Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Oskar Leube
- Westside Xtreme Wrestling
- wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Oskar Leube[16]
- wXw World Tag Team Festival (2024) — with Oskar Leube
References
- ^ a b c d e "Yuto－Ice". Weekly Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Baseball Magazine Sha.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c d e f g "Yuto-Ice". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "x.com".
- ^ "New Young Lion Yuto Nakashima Suffers Elbow Injury In First NJPW Match". Cultaholic Wrestling.
- ^ "NJPW Golden Fight Series Results (4/22): Eight-Man Elimination Match Headlines | Fightful News". www.fightful.com.
- ^ "Young Blood « Tag Teams Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ^ "NJPW New Year Dash !! 2024 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ^ Gronemann, Markus (August 17, 2025). "NJPW G1 Climax 35 finals results: Takeshita vs. EVIL". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
- ^ Michaels, Corey (September 27, 2025). "NJPW Destruction in Kobe live results: Sabre vs. Narita IWGP title match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
- ^ Ballantyne, Craig (January 5, 2026). "Yota Tsuji Announces New NJPW Faction; Seemingly Ends Bullet Club". slamwrestling.net. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ^ "RevPro Results: High Stakes 2024 ~ Oku vs. Ospreay – London, England (2/18)". www.wrestling-news.net. February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ backbodydrop.com/blog/reviews/revolution-pro-wrestling-raw-deal-2024-june-29-2024/
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 8, 2024). "WXW "World Tag Team Festival 2024, Night 3" results: Vetter's review of the tag team tournament three-way final".
- ^ "wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 Night One Results (3/7): 16 Carat Gold Tournament Begins | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Lemalu, Ite (November 22, 2023). "The Fighting Spirit of Yuto Nakashima".
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "wXw World Tag Team Titles @ Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com.