- Masato Tanaka
-
Masato Tanaka 
Ring name(s) Dangan (Bullet)
Masa Tanaka
Masato TanakaBilled height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Billed weight 95 kg (210 lb) Born February 28, 1973
Wakayama, WakayamaBilled from Tokyo Trained by Atsushi Onita Debut July 23, 1993 Masato Tanaka (born February 28, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in Japan and in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States where he was a one-time world champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once. He is currently splitting his time working for Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he is currently one half of the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions, and in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Contents
Career
Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (1993–1999)
Tanaka trained under Atsushi Onita, and debuted on July 23, 1993 in Saga City, facing Ricky Fuji. He quickly began working for FMW, widely regarded as the most hardcore professional wrestling promotion in Japan. Wrestling in matches featuring explosions and barbed wire, Tanaka earned a variety of scars, and the nickname "Dangan", which he would often shout during his matches. By 1996 he was one of the promotion's major stars, and had feuded with such luminaries as Mr. Pogo, Mr. Gannosuke, Terry Funk and Mike Awesome. His feud with Awesome would eventually span ten years and two continents. In December 1999, he left FMW for ECW, after he and Tetsuhiro Kuroda lost to H and Mr. Gannosuke.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1998–2000)
ECW owner Paul Heyman became interested in Tanaka, and eventually hired him. Tanaka debuted in ECW on March 1, 1998 at Living Dangerously, defeating Doug Furnas. In July 1998 he reprised his feud with Awesome, who he defeated at Heat Wave 1998.
Tanaka formed a short-lived tag team with Balls Mahoney, and at November to Remember on November 1, 1998 they defeated the Dudley Boyz to win the ECW World Tag Team Championships. The Dudley Boyz would regain the titles five days later, and Tanaka returned to Japan to attend the wedding of his friend Sabu in December.
Tanaka returned to ECW in 1999, this time vying for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. On September 19 at Anarchy Rulz, Taz, about to leave ECW for the WWF, defended the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Awesome and Tanaka in a three way dance. After just two minutes Taz was eliminated by a combined assault at the hands of his opponents. After a further eleven minutes of brawling, Awesome pinned Tanaka with a top-rope powerbomb to become the new ECW World Heavyweight Champion.
Tanaka faced Awesome for the title at November to Remember on November 7, but was defeated once more. He finally overcame Awesome on December 17, 1999 at a ECW on TNN TV Taping in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the first ECW World Heavyweight Champion not to be an American citizen. After the match, Awesome shook Tanaka's hand and fastened the belt around his waist in a show of respect, then attacked him as he left the ring and powerbombed him through a table. Awesome would regain the title at the next weeks TV Taping in White Plains, New York on December 23.
Continuing his rivalry with Awesome, Tanaka joined forces with Tommy Dreamer to face Raven and Awesome. Dreamer and Tanaka defeated the Impact Players for the ECW World Tag Team Championship on February 26, 2000 in Cincinnati, but lost them to Mike Awesome and Raven on March 4, 2000 at The ECW Arena. This led to a tag team three way dance at Living Dangerously on March 12, with Tanaka and Dreamer facing ECW World Tag Team Champions Mike Awesome and Raven and the Impact Players. Tanaka pinned Awesome, who had already defended his ECW World Heavyweight Title earlier that night beating Kid Kash, costing Awesome and Raven the tag team titles, but lost the match after Dreamer was pinned by the Impact Players.
Tanaka's feud with Awesome was brought to an abrupt end when Awesome left ECW for WCW in April 2000. He faced Balls Mahoney in a great match on ECW on TNN and at Hardcore Heaven 2000. He remained with ECW until mid-2000 before returning to Japan.
Return to Japan (2000–present)
Tanaka returned to FMW in 2000, briefly feuding with H, before joining forces with H (by now back under the Hayabusa persona) to feud with Team No Respect, until leaving in 2001, allegedly as a result of animosity between him and the owner of FMW, Shoichi Arai, mostly over Hiromichi Fuyuki's role as booker. Before departing FMW, Tanaka formed the "Complete Players" stable with former Fuyuki proteges Gedo and Jado, as well as real-life sweetheart Kaori Nakayama. They would work on the Japanese independent circuit, making appearances for Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE and All Japan Pro Wrestling. Tanaka wrestled Shinya Hashimoto on the March 2 ZERO-ONE anniversary show, impressing Z-1 officials and earning himself a job.
In January 2002 Tanaka formed a tag team named "Emblem" with Shinjiro Otani, with whom he twice won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championships. In February 2004, he turned heel and sided with the "Apache Army". In September 2004 he formed his own stable, "Team Erotics", continuing his feud with Otani. In late 2007, he was chosen to lead a new stable named "Sword Army", the name was chosen by fans in a contest. Takao Ōmori was also given a stable named "Axe Army" to compete against Tanaka.
In mid-2009 Tanaka returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling as an outsider. He reformed the Complete Players with Jado and Gedo, and he participated in the 2009 G1 Climax tournament, although he failed to advance past the block stages. In New Japan, he's an ally of the stable, CHAOS, especially Jado and Gedo. On October 10, 2011, Tanaka defeated MVP to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, becoming only the second champion in the title's history.[1] He would make his first successful title defense on November 12 against Hirooki Goto.[2]
Return to the United States (2002–present)
On November 9, 2002, Tanaka wrestled at Ring of Honor's All Star Extravaganza show, teaming with Shinjiro Otani to defeat Steve Corino and Low Ki.
On June 12. 2005 Tanaka revived his feud with Mike Awesome at the WWE produced ECW One Night Stand 2005 reunion PPV. He was defeated after Awesome delivered a running Awesome Bomb through a table outside the ring and followed up with an Awesome Splash. He returned to WWE one year later at ECW One Night Stand 2006, losing to Balls Mahoney. On October 26, 2007, Tanaka beat Takao Ōmori for the AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship.
On January 23, 2010, Tanaka made his debut for Jersey All Pro Wrestling at the promotion's 12th Anniversary Show, where he was defeated by Homicide.[3]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Complete Dust (Inverted sitout side powerslam)
- Dangan Bomb – innovated
- Diamond Dust – innovated
- Discus elbow smash
- Sliding D (Sliding forearm smash) – innovated
- Tornado DDT, sometimes from onto a chair or a table
- Signature moves
- Belly to back suplex
- Brainbuster
- Chair shot
- Dangan Elbow (Running elbow smash)
- German suplex
- Frog splash
- Lariat
- Modified surfboard
- Running Death Valley driver
- Running jumping chair shot
- Sitout powerbomb
- Shotgun Stunner (Vertical suplex stunner) – innovated
Championships and accomplishments
- Extreme Championship Wrestling
- ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Balls Mahoney (1) and Tommy Dreamer (1)
- Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling
- FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Hayabusa (1) and Tetsuhiro Kuroda (1)
- FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gedō
- FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- FMW/WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gedō and Jadō
- FMW Street Fight Six-Man Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hayabusa & Hisakatsu Ōya (1), Hayabusa & Kōji Nakagawa (1), and Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Kōji Nakagawa (1)
- FMW/WEW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)[1]
- Premier Wrestling Federation
- PWF Universal Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shinjiro Otani[4]
- Pro Wrestling WORLD-1
- WORLD-1 Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- Pro Wrestling Zero1
- AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (4 times, current) – with Shinjiro Otani (2), Wataru Sakata (1) and Zeus (1, current)
- NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1
- Zero1 World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Fire Festival (2006–2008)
1This title is not to be confused with the NWA United National Championship, an NWA singles title that has been integrated into and is now part of the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
Notes
- ^ a b "Destruction '11" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=412. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ^ "Power Struggle" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=469. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ Martin, Adam (2010-01-24). "Indy News #5: January 24 (JAPW)". WrestleView. http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1264357799.php?style=dark. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ "Independent Wrestling Results - November 2002". onlineworldofwrestling.com. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2002-11.html. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 2000". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50000.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 Heavyweight Championship". titlehistories.com. http://www.titlehistories.com/Pro_Wrestling_World_1.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
References
External links
ECW World Heavyweight Champions NWA ECW Shane Douglas · Sabu · Terry Funk · Mikey Whipwreck · Raven · Bam Bam Bigelow · Taz · Mike Awesome · Masato Tanaka · Tommy Dreamer · Justin Credible · Jerry Lynn · Steve Corino · RhinoWWE Rob Van Dam · Big Show · Bobby Lashley · Mr. McMahon · Johnny Nitro/John Morrison · CM Punk · Chavo Guerrero · Kane · Mark Henry · Matt Hardy · Jack Swagger · Christian · Tommy Dreamer · Ezekiel JacksonCategories:- 1973 births
- Japanese professional wrestlers
- Living people
- People from Wakayama (city)
- Finishing moves
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