 Iizuka made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in November 1986, wrestling against Akira Nogami in a losing effort.From 1986 to 1988, he would only be used as a pre-show attraction, wrestling other young lions such as Kensuke Sasaki, Kenichi Oya, Osamu Matsuda, Shigeo Miyato and Minoru Suzuki, with this latter wrestling Iizuka in his debut match in June 1988.In June 1989, Iizuka and Hiroshi Hase went to the Soviet Union to be trained in sambo, where he would learn his signature maneuver, the Blizzard Suplex.