Jumbo Tsuruta

Tomomi Tsuruta (March 25, 1951 - May 13, 2000), better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career.

Career

He was very athletic, participating in swimming, basketball, and sumo while in high school. While at Chuo University, he began an amateur wrestling career. He won the All Japan Amateur Wrestling Championship in freestyle and Greco-Roman as a superheavyweight (at the time, an unlimited class for those weighing over 100 kilograms) in the years 1971 and 1972. He also competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Scouted by AJPW promoter Giant Baba, he was sent to the local Amarillo, Texas promotion in the U. S. to train as a pro under Dory Funk Jr. The name "Jumbo" was given to him by a fan contest in Japan to replace his given name, which was seen as too feminine.

Throughout his 26 year career, he has fought in 3,329 matches. He had legendary feuds with Stan Hansen, The Destroyer, Bruiser Brody, Genichiro Tenryu, Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., and Mitsuharu Misawa. He fought such world-renowned champions such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Jack Brisco, Ric Flair, Nick Bockwinkel (from whom he won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 9, 1982), and Rick Martel. Tsuruta was the first AJPW Triple Crown World Heavyweight Championship (unifying the Pacific Wrestling Federation, All Japan United National, and All Japan International titles), defeating Stan Hansen on April 19, 1989 in Tokyo.

Tsuruta is considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation, as he possessed an amazing mind for wrestling and psychology, with incredible facials, timing and an aura like few others. This allowed him to continue as a top line worker into his fourties, well past his athletic prime. Jumbo adapted to the business faster than perhaps anyone in the history of wrestling, having classic matches in the first few years of his career, at a point when many young wrestlers are still learning the basics. His level of work while still an active, full-time wrestler never declined and if anything, his highest rated work came in the last five years of his career, in his seminal feuds with Genichiro Tenryu and Mitsuharu Misawa. In the wake of his death, the press called him the strongest wrestler in the history of Japanese wrestling.

Illness, life after wrestling and death

In the summer of 1992, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis B and never fully recovered, completing the "OCTOBER GIANT SERIES" before disappearing from the company for almost a year. For the rest of his career, he participated mostly in comedic matches because his health prevented him from working a full physically demanding schedule. He announced his retirement on February 20, 1999 and held a ceremony on March 6, 1999, after being forced out of his front-office position by Motoko Baba in the aftermath of her husband's death.

Four days later, he and his family moved to the United States so that he could take an Assistant Professor position at the University of Portland in Oregon. Tsuruta had degree in law and earned his teaching credential in 1994, later becoming a professor at his old University.

His health deteriorated, however, as he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, which eventually spread to his liver, and by the end of the year he was back in Japan. In April he left for Australia, where he had an operation to remove the cancer, while there a kidney donor was found in Manila. Tsuruta died in the National Hospital in the Philippines on 13 May, 2000, from complications of the kidney transplant. He was 49 and was survived by his wife and three sons.

Finishing and signature moves

Belly to back suplex
Bridging belly to back suplex
Double overhead chop to the back of the opponent's neck
Gutwrench suplex
Coconut Crush (Side headlock facebreaker knee smash)
High knee
Lou Thesz press
Diving knee drop
Lariat
Double underhook suplex
Bridging German suplex
Spinning toe hold
Front missile dropkick

Championships and accomplishments

5-time NWA United National Champion
8-time NWA International Tag Team Champion (six times with Giant Baba and twice with Genichiro Tenryu)
1-time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Detroit version) with Giant Baba
3-time NWA International Heavyweight Champion
1-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion
2-time PWF Tag Team Champion (once with Tiger Mask Mitsuharu Misawa and once with Yoshiaki Yatsu)
7-time AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Champion (five times with Yoshiaki Yatsu, once with the Great Kabuki and once with Akira Taue)
3-time AJPW Triple Crown Champion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996)
1990 Feud of the Year (vs Mitsuharu Misawa)
1991 Wrestler of the Year
1991 Feud of the Year (vs Mitsuharu Misawa)

Miscellaneous

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him #28 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

References

May 22, 2000 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter