Francesco Akira Begnini (born on November 12, 1999) is an Italian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Francesco Akira, who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, as part of the United Empire stable.
Akira was trained by ICW Academy Bergamo in Bergamo, Italy where he would make his professional wrestling debut. He would work extensively across Europe for promotions such as Italian Championship Wrestling, Milan Wrestling Federation, Union Of European Wrestling Alliances and Attack! Pro Wrestling. In 2019, he joined the All Japan Pro Wrestling dojo and signed for the promotion full-time, before becoming the first European wrestler to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the Jr. Battle of Glory at the beginning of the summer of 2021 before leaving the promotion in September of the same year.
Upon debuting in NJPW in April 2022, the year after, Akira repackaged as "Bruciare" ("Burning" in Italian), Akira joined the United Empire, where he would form a tag team with fellow stablemate TJP, as part of the junior heavyweight division, known as Catch 2/2. This led them to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships and hold them for 311 days, the second longest reign in the title history.
Professional wrestling career[]
Early Career (2015–2019)[]
On August 29, 2015, Akira made his debut in professional wrestling at the Italian Championship Wrestling when he was against Mr. Excellent. He later won the ICW Italian Tag Team Championship with Gravity on December 9, 2017, they lost the titles on April 14, 2018. He then competed in various independent promotions such as Milan Wrestling Federation, Union Of European Wrestling Alliances, Over the Top Wrestling, Rising Sun Wrestling Promotion and Attack! Pro Wrestling. On October 10, 2014, Akira won his first professional wrestling title the Rising Championship in a singles match after defeating Andy Manero. He would lose it to Ashley Dunn on June 10, 2017. Although he regained the title from Dunn on August 20, 2017. On March 10, 2018, Akira lost the Rising Championship to Nemesi. On September 16, 2017, Akira and Gravity won the ASCA Tag Team Championship before vacating it on January 2018.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2019–2021)[]
Akira made his debut in AJPW at AJPW Excite Series 2019 on February 7, where he teamed up with Black Menso～re, Kento Miyahara and Yoshitatsu in a losing effort to Evolution (Hikaru Sato, Suwama and Yusuke Okada). In the same month, Akira announced that he was going to continue in AJPW and afterwards announced that he was going to participate in the 2019 Jr. Battle of Glory, where he finished with two points with one victory and four losses. Following TAJIRI's recommendation to continue with the promotion, he would continue his tenure with the promotion by working for various events such as AJPW Chiba Extra Dream In Narita on July 15, 2019, where he teamed up with Hikaru Sato, Hokuto Omori and Yusuke Okada to defeat Atsushi Maruyama, Black Menso-re, Keiichi Sato and Koji Iwamoto in an eight-man tag team match. In mid 2019, Akira announced that he would take part in the 2019 Jr. Tag Battle of Glory, making his first tournament appearance where he was initially scheduled teamed up with Yusuke Okada. However, that would change after Atsushi Aoki died in a motorcycle accident and Okada was replaced by Hokuto Omori, where both finished with three points with three draws and two losses.
On February 11, 2020, Akira made his first challenge for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, where he unsucessfuly challenged Susumu Yokosuka for the title, following on April 30, 2020, Akira and Kento Miyahara unsuccesfully challenged Yankii Nichokenju (Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto) for the All Asia Tag Team Championships. On December 27, after the 2020 Jr. Tag Battle of Glory was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Akira would be one of the tournament participants alongside Takayuki Ueki. Afterwards Hikaru Sato announced that a self produced tournament in a one-day show, Akira and Ueki would be eliminated in the tournament after they were defeated by Jin (Koji Iwamoto and Fuminori Abe) in the first round. In June 2021, Akira entered the 2021 Jr. Battle of Glory tournament, defeating TAJIRI in his first round match. After defeating Tatsuhito Takaiwa in the second round on June 3, Akira first defeated SUGI in the semifinals and then El Lindaman in the finals to win the 2021 Jr. Battle of Glory and earn a shot at the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. On June 26 at AJPW Champions Night, Akira defeated Koji Iwamoto to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time, becoming the first Italian, first European and sixth gaijin wrestler to hold the title. On July 22, Akira lost the World Junior Heavyweight Championship to SUGI. In August 2021, Akira took part in the 2021 Ōdō tournament, losing in the second night to Shuji Ishikawa on August 24. On September 16, Akira made his last appearance in AJPW in a six-man tag team match, where he teamed with Atsuki Aoyagi and Rising Hayato in a winning effort against Black Menso~re, Dan Tamura and TAJIRI.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (2022–present)[]
See also: Catch 2/2
On March 28, 2022, in a pre-taped vignette, Will Ospreay teased a new member for the junior heavyweight division as his protègè under the mysterious person dubbed "Bruciare" (Italian for "Burning"). On April 9 at Hyper Battle, Akira made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling, being revealed as the mysterious Ospreay's protègè, "Bruciare", who had been teased for the past month, before announcing his participation in the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors. At the tournament, in May, Akira finished the tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failling to advance to the finals of the tournament. On June 3, Akira and United Empire stablemate TJP defeated reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Six or Nine (Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi) in a non-title match. Afterwards, both challenged Wato and Taguchi to a title match. In a rematch on June 20, Akira and TJP defeated Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. From November 21 until December 11, Akira and TJP took part in the 2022 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record six wins and three losses, but were left behind them in the final standings due to losing to Ace Austin and Chris Bey on the final day.
On April 2, in a pre-taped vingette, KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight challenged Akira and TJP for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Two days later, in a pre-taped vingette, Akira and TJP answered KUSHIDA and Knight's challenge by mocking the them, before accepting their challenge. On April 27, Akira and TJP lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight in their fifth title defense, ending their reign at 311 days. The following month, Akira took part in the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failling to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. During the tournament, Akira defeated Knight, while TJP defeated KUSHIDA in their head-to-head matches, leading them to get a rematch for the titles.
On June 4 at Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Akira and TJP defeated KUSHIDA and Knight in a rematch to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. After the match, they were confronted by Clark Connors, who teased a challenge alongside a mystery partner, before their United Empire stablemate, Dan Moloney, was revealed to be Connors' partner, after Moloney turned on them to join Bullet Club. On July 4 at NJPW Strong Independence Day, Akira and TJP lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney. From October 21 to November 2, Akira and TJP took part in the 2023 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record six wins and three losses, advancing to the finals. On November 4 at Power Struggle, Akira and TJP defeated Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the finals to win the 2023 Super Jr. Tag League.
On January 4, 2024, at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Akira and TJP defeated Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the third time, only to lose it back to them a month later. In May, Akira took part in the 2024 Best of the Super Juniors. On May 22, it was announced that Akira would be pulled out of the tournament, after suffering an injury on his left knee in a block match against Drilla Moloney. As a result, he finished the tournament with a record of two wins and three losses, with the remaining of his matches being forfeited. From October 24 to November 2, Akira and TJP took part in the 2024 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record three wins and two losses, advancing to the finals. On November 4 at Power Struggle, Akira and TJP were defeated by Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles in the finals of the 2024 Super Jr. Tag League.
Personal life[]
Begnini's middle name, Akira, was given to him by his mother, who has a love for Japanese manga and culture and experience in practicing Kendo. On June 9, 2020, AJPW launched a video documentary on All Japan Pro Wrestling TV named "This is ALL JAPAN DOJO", where it featured the daily routine of their dojo through close contact with Begnini and his personal life. Since then, Begnini has been living in Japan at All Japan Pro Wrestling's dojo, where he would work full-time for the promotion until September 2021.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Akira Sault (Shiranui)
- Fireball (High impact running double knee drop to the back of a kneeling opponent's head, with theatrics)
- Speedfire (Single underhook corkscrew somersault cutter)
- Yutaka (Springboard avalanche cutter) - AJPW, 2019-2021; used as a signature move thereafter
- Signature moves
- Crossface
- Enzuigiri
- F (Lifting sitout double underhook facebuster)
- Fire-plex (Double chickenwing lifted and dropped into a bridging German suplex)
- Fire Bomb '99 (Arm wrench jumping ranhei)
- Fisherman suplex
- Multiple frankensteiner variations
- Avalanche
- Reverse
- Multiple kick variations
- Brutta Faccia (Super to an opponent trapped on the turnbuckle)
- Drop
- Enzuigiri
- Super
- Zero-sen (Leg lariat)
- Multiple moonsault variations
- Asai
- Diving
- Spanish Fly (Side slam)
- Springboard
- Rolling DDT
- Sling Blade (Spinning sitout sleeper slam) - adopted from Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Slingshot corkscrew cutter
- Snap suplex
- Step-up diving crossbody to the outside
- Swinging fisherman neckbreaker
- Tope con hilo
- Tarantula (Rope-hung Boston crab) – adopted from TAJIRI
- Ultimo Giro (Double leg slam spun into a wheelbarrow facebuster)
- With TJP
- The Leaning Tower (Electric chair drop (TJP)/Springboard avalanche cutter (Akira) combination followed by an arm trap cross-legged STF (TJP))
- 2x2 (Running knee strike to an opponent's head from opposite directions)
- Nicknames
- "Il Ragazzo Prodigio" (Italian for "The Prodigy Boy")
- "Itaria no Bishōnen" (Japanese for "Italy's Pretty Boy")
- "Fireball"
- "Bruciare" (Italian for "Burning")
- "Nova Fireball"
- " Crown Of FIre"
- Entrance themes
- "Hikoutei" by Gnu
- "Firing Road" by Yonosuke Kitamura
Championships and accomplishments[]
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with TJP
- Super Jr. Tag League (2023) – with TJP
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #306 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021