Ishikawa spent the early years of his career in both PWFG and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he took part in the 1995 Young Lions Cup but failed to win.

Battlarts quickly gained notoriety for its violent matches, often ending with Ishikawa either breaking his nose or having blood coming out of his mouth.

In 1998, Ishikawa entered the Young Generation Battle, where he would go on to win the tournament by defeating Victor Krüger in the final.

[3] Ikeda eventually left Battlarts for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in March 2000, and the promotion ceased running regular shows and events in 2001 due to "management aggravation".

Battlarts eventually began to run monthly shows mainly in Tokyo, Saitama, and Shizuoka Prefecture, often co-promoting with other promotions such as Kiyoshi Tamura's Style-E and Satoru Sayama's Real Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW).

On April 24, 2005, Ishikawa took part in an infamous match with Daisuke Ikeda in his Futen promotion, where the two willingly shot on each other, punching and kicking themselves for real.