The Strong Machines (ストロクマシン軍団 Sutorongu Mashin-gundan, lit. "Strong Machine Corps") is a professional wrestling stable, in the Dragon Gate (DG) promotion. It was formed by Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F, and Strong Machine G as the reincarnation of the Super Strong Machine gimmick used in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), with Strong Machine J being the son of the portrayer of the Super Strong Machine gimmick Junji Hirata. Four months after making their debuts in Dragon Gate the Strong Machines won the Open The Triangle Gate Championship at Dragon Gate's most important event the Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival. In December 2019, the stable was temporarily suspended, after Strong Machine J entered the Dragon Gate stable against Toryumon and R.E.D in a "Generation War". Following the "Generation War", the stable reunited in September 2021, following the inclusion of a new member Strong Machine K.
History[]
On March 7, 2019, during a press conference, Dragon Gate announced the debut of the Strong Machines composing of Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F, and Strong Machine G, being the reincarnation of the Super Strong Machine gimmick used in New Japan Pro Wrestling, portrayed by Junji Hirata, which is the father of Strong Machine J. His father retired on June 19, 2018. It was also announced that Strong Machines would make their in-ring debut on April 10. Later that night, Strong Machines made their official debut alongside their manager Shogun KY Wakamatsu, the manager who managed the original Strong Machines in NJPW during the 80's, with Wakamatsu stating that the Strong Machine was on the Heisei era and would reactivate during the Riewa era, while also challenging former Open The Triangle Gate Champions Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi, and Susumu Yokosuka) to a match. On April 10, Strong Machines defeated Natural Vibes in their debut match. Afterwards, the Strong Machines began a winning streak, which on June 6, Strong Machines began indicating they wanted a title match for the Open The Triangle Gate Championship. Strong Machines began attacking the reigning Open The Triangle Gate Champions R.E.D (Kazma Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshida and Yasushi Kanda), mostly Kanda after their matches. On June 23, Strong Machines attacked Kanda again after his match, indicating they wanted a title match. Yoshida came out and accepted their challenge, leading General Manager Takayuki Yagi to announce the title match for the event. On July 21 at Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival, Strong Machines defeated R.E.D to win the Open The Triangle Gate Championship for the first time. They lost the titles to R.E.D (Takashi Yoshida, H.Y.O, and Diamante) in their third title defense on December 15 at Final Gate, ending their eight months winning streak. On December 18, the stable was temporarily suspended, after Strong Machine J entered the Dragon Gate stable in order to unite all Dragon Gate generation of wrestlers against Toryumon and R.E.D in a "Generation War".
On September 9, 2020, it was teased a revival of the stable, with Strong Machine J activating the other Machines from their hibernation. Following public accusations of Don Fujii being Strong Machine F, Fujii refuted it and announced himself as the manager of the Strong Machines, before temporarily renaming himself to Don "King" Fujii. Tne following year, on September 8, Strong Machine J announced the return of the Strong Machines following the reativation of Strong Machine K and Strong Machine G, as previously teased by Machine J. Afterwards, the Strong Machines defeated Natural Vibes (Genki Horiguchi, King Shimizu and Susumu Yokosuka) in a match. Following the match, Machine J challenged Shimizu and Yokosuka to a title match for the Open The Twin Gate Championship at Dangerous Gate, which Dragon Gate's General Manager Ryo Saito accepted. On September 20, Machine J and Machine K unsuccessfully challenged Shimizu and Yokosuka for the Open The Twin Gate Championship.
In February 2023, the Strong Machines briefly reunited, with Machine J and Machine F taking part in the 2023 Rey de Parejas, finishing the tournament with a record of two wins, one draw, and two losses, failing to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
In wrestling[]
- Managers
- Shogun KY Wakamatsu
- Don "King" Fujii
Championships and Accomplishments[]
- Dragon Gate
- Open The Triangle Gate Championship (1 time) – Machine J, Machine F and Machine G
- Tokyo Sports
- Newcomer Award (2019) – Machine J
Gallery[]
