Coming to the ring like a wildman in a denim vest and holding a chain, Sidney Shota Stephens is an American who was raised in Japan and has been wrestling in Japan for the past five years.
“I always swing my 1/2 inch thick chain around and sometimes, I hit the ring or the venue with it. Needless to say, that chain has gotten me into more trouble than I’d like to admit.”
As you may have guessed, Sidney Shota Stephens is a heel. And that’s how he prefers it. “As cliche as it is,” Stephens said, “heels appeal to me the most. More freedom to do what you’d like and I like making people mad.”
Sidney Shota Stephens became involved with the pro-wrestling industry in 2017, after attending a pro-wrestling show. “I entered the industry because I was a depressed 360-pound kid with no dreams or aspirations at the time.” he explained. “My father took me to see a wrestling show in Hiroshima to cheer me up. After I saw Atsushi Onita in the ring, I decided to start training to be a wrestler.”
Sidney Shota Stephens began taking classes at Yamaguchi-based MMA gym Mouri Dojo under former Japanese Tag Team Champion Michiko Omukai and Hiroshima-based MMA gym T. K. Esperanza under Tsuyoshi Okada, who has made appearances in DDT.
Although Sidney Shota Stephens has jiu-jitsu skills, thus far he has used a brawler/semi-powerhouse style in his matches. “I haven’t gotten a chance to use my jiujitsu skills in wrestling yet.” Stephens said. “If anything it’s more the opposite, I ended up incorporating some pro-wrestling moves into jiu-jitsu. During a tournament in Iwakuni last year, I had ten seconds on the clock and was barely ahead on points. I panicked and hooked my opponent’s leg and went for a pinfall to stop him from sweeping me. I was amazed it worked.”
Sidney Shota Stephens’ finishing move is the, “Psychopath Chokeslam”, as well as the Musou, which is a variant of the side slam.
Sidney Shota Stephens’ home promotion is Iwakuni Pro Wrestling WinDom, a local promotion based in Yamaguchi Prefecture. In April 2017, they ran the first pro-wrestling show in Iwakuna City in over ten years. Stephens has been wrestling on Iwakuni Pro Wrestling WinDom shows since day one. “I still remember back before 2020, we would practice at a basketball court with a ‘ring’ made up of cones, black and yellow construction rope, and a small thick mat in the corner in front of a step ladder. During that time, we’d only ran a show once a year during the Yancha Festival in Iwakuni since we had to borrow a ring from Matsue Dan Dan Pro Wrestling. Now we are running more shows a year at Drokee’s Yanai Ring and we practice there as well.”
