Gran Hamada

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Japanese professional wrestler (1950–2025)

title: "Gran Hamada" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1950-births", "2025-deaths", "hamada-family", "japanese-male-professional-wrestlers", "people-from-maebashi", "japanese-professional-wrestling-trainers", "20th-century-male-professional-wrestlers", "20th-century-japanese-professional-wrestlers", "nwa-world-middleweight-champions", "uwa-world-tag-team-champions", "21st-century-male-professional-wrestlers", "21st-century-japanese-professional-wrestlers", "uwa-world-junior-light-heavyweight-champions", "uwa-world-middleweight-champions", "uwa-world-light-heavyweight-champions", "nwa-americas-heavyweight-champions", "wwf-light-heavyweight-champions", "20th-century-japanese-sportsmen"] description: "Japanese professional wrestler (1950–2025)" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Hamada" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Japanese professional wrestler (1950–2025) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox professional wrestler"]

FieldValue
nameGran Hamada
birth_nameHiroaki Hamada
namesEl Gran Hamada
Gran Hamada
Hiroaki Hamada
Little Hamada
Makai Masked Hurricane
Mini Love Machine
height1.68 m
weight92 kg
birth_date
birth_placeMaebashi, Gunma, Japan
death_date
death_placeSan Luis Potosí, Mexico
debut
retired
children
relatives
::

|name = Gran Hamada |image = |alt = |caption = |birth_name = Hiroaki Hamada |names = El Gran Hamada Gran Hamada Hiroaki Hamada Little Hamada Makai Masked Hurricane Mini Love Machine |height = 1.68 m |weight = 92 kg |birth_date = |birth_place = Maebashi, Gunma, Japan |death_date = |death_place = San Luis Potosí, Mexico |resides = |billed = |trainer = |debut = |retired = |children = |relatives =

Hiroaki Hamada, better known by his ring name Gran Hamada, was a Japanese professional wrestler, the first to adopt the high-flying Mexican lucha libre style. He wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Universal Wrestling Federation, Michinoku Pro, and All Japan Pro Wrestling and was the founder of Universal Lucha Libre. He also had stints with the World Wrestling Federation and Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States. His daughters Xóchitl Hamada and Ayako Hamada are professional Japanese-Mexican wrestlers.

Professional wrestling career

Hamada was one of the first dojo trainees at New Japan Pro-Wrestling, being known as Little Hamada in the beginning. He was sent to Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association because of his lack of size and he found a lot of success there - so much so that Mexican fans and promoters began calling him Gran Hamada (Great Hamada). He also competed in Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, which added El (The) to the front of his name: El Gran Hamada.

In 1984, he became a member of the initial roster of the original Japanese UWF, but found that his flamboyantly acrobatic style clashed with the martial arts-inspired style and focus on realism of the UWF and soon left for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He eventually broke off from AJPW to form his own promotion in 1990: Universal Lucha Libre.

In 2001, he began competing for All Japan again, this time as a free agent. He briefly was part of the "Love Machines" stable under a mask as "Mini Love Machine" with "Super Love Machine" (Junji Hirata of New Japan, reprising his old role as "Super Strong Machine") and "Love Machine Storm" (Arashi, whose stage name literally means "storm"). They used Morning Musume's hit song "Love Machine" as their entrance theme. He would also briefly work for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Land brand as Makai Masked Hurricane but only wrestled two shows under that name.

Personal life and death

Hamada died on February 15, 2025, at the age of 74.

His daughters, Xochitl and Ayako, are also professional wrestlers.

Championships and accomplishments

Luchas de Apuestas record

::data[format=table]

Winner (wager)Loser (wager)LocationEventDateNotes
El Texano (hair)Gran Hamada (hair)N/ALive eventN/A
Gran Hamada (hair)El Coloso (hair)N/ALive eventN/A
Gran Hamada (hair)Astro Rey (hair)Naucalpan, State of MexicoLive eventN/A
Gran Hamada (hair)Flama Azul (hair)Naucalpan, State of MexicoLive eventN/A
Gran Hamada (hair)César Valentino (hair)Naucalpan, State of MexicoLive eventN/A
Gran Hamada (hair)René Guajardo (hair)Naucalpan, State of MexicoLive eventN/A
El Signo (hair)Gran Hamada (hair)Naucalpan, State of MexicoLive eventtitle=Enciclopedia de las Mascaras
Aníbal (mask)Gran Hamada (hair)Nezahualcoyotl, State of MexicoLive eventauthor = Enciclopedia staff
Gran Hamada, Enrique Vera and Kobayashi (hair)Los Misioneros de la Muerte (hair)
(El Signo, El Texano and Negro Navarro)Mexico CityLive event
Gran Hamada (hair)Black Power (mask)Tokyo, JapanLive event
Gran Hamada (hair)El Engendro (hair)Cuernavaca, MorelosLive event
::

Footnotes

References

References

  1. "Gran Hamada". Online World of Wrestling.
  2. Madigan, Dan. (2007). "Mondo Lucha a Go Go: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling". HarperCollins Publishers.
  3. Madigan, Dan. (2007). "Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling". HarperCollins Publishers.
  4. Johnson, Mike. (April 13, 2022). "4/13 This Day In History: ECW Debuts On PPV With 'Barely Legal'". PWInsider.
  5. (15 February 2025). "Former WWF Star Gran Hamada Passes Away at 74". Ringside News.
  6. "AJPW Junior Tag League 1984". Pro Wrestling history.
  7. "B.J.W. Heavyweight Title". wrestling-titles.com.
  8. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2006). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  9. "Tiger Mask IV's Purolove profile". Purolove.
  10. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2006). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  11. "One Night Eight Man Tag Team Tournament". Cagematch.net.
  12. (May 21, 2003). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 of the PWI Years: 87 Gran Hamada". Sports and Entertainment publications LLC.
  13. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  14. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  15. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  16. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  17. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  18. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  19. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2006). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
  20. Hoops, Brian. (April 17, 2020). "Daily pro wrestling (04/17): WCW Spring Stampede 1994". [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]].
  21. "WWF Intercontinental Tag Team Title history". Solie.org.
  22. L.L. Staff. (2008). "Lucha Libre: Conoce la historia de las leyendas de cuadrilátero". Rene Guajardo (1933 - 1992).
  23. (September 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Signo.
  24. Enciclopedia staff. (August 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Aníbal.
  25. Centella, Teddy. (June 6, 2015). "En un día como hoy… 1981: Promociones Mora llega a la Arena México, Los Misioneros, pelones… Black Shadow se despide de Pantitlán". [[Súper Luchas]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1950-births2025-deathshamada-familyjapanese-male-professional-wrestlerspeople-from-maebashijapanese-professional-wrestling-trainers20th-century-male-professional-wrestlers20th-century-japanese-professional-wrestlersnwa-world-middleweight-championsuwa-world-tag-team-champions21st-century-male-professional-wrestlers21st-century-japanese-professional-wrestlersuwa-world-junior-light-heavyweight-championsuwa-world-middleweight-championsuwa-world-light-heavyweight-championsnwa-americas-heavyweight-championswwf-light-heavyweight-champions20th-century-japanese-sportsmen