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Masato Tanaka (born February 23, 1973 in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Japan with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling and in America with Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Career

Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling

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 "Awesome" Mike Awesome. His feud with Awesome would eventually span ten years and on two continents.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

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 Heatwave 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 rivarly 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 Championships on February 26, 2000, but lost them to Awesome and Raven on March 4, 2000. 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, costing him the tag 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 in April 2000. He remained with ECW until mid-2000 before returning to Japan.

Japan

Tanaka continued to wrestle with FMW, feuding 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. After departing FMW, Tanaka formed the Complete Players stable with former Fuyuki proteges Gedo and Jado, as well as real-life sweetheart Kaori Nakayama. They worked 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 Ohtani, 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.

United States

On November 9, 2002 Tanaka wrestled at Ring of Honor's All Star Extravangaza show, teaming with Shinjiro Ohtani 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.

Dave Meltzer reported that Tanaka has been offered a contract by WWE to wrestle for ECW full-time. Lately, Tanaka has stated that he is interested in working for ECW again full time. In the meantime, Tanaka was defeated by Balls Mahoney at ECW One Night Stand 2006.

Finishing and signature moves

Championships and accomplishments

  • 2-time FMW Independent World Heavyweight Champion
  • 1-time FMW World Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion
  • 2-time FMW World Brass Knuckles Tag Team Champion (1-time with Hayabusa, 1-time with Tetsuhiro Kuroda)
  • 3-time FMW World Street Fight Six-Man Tag Team Champion
  • 1-time with Hayabusa and Hisakatsu Ōya
  • 1-time with Hayabusa and Kōji Nakagawa
  • 1-time with Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Kōji Nakagawa
    • 1-time FMW WEW World Heavyweight Single Champion
  • 1-time FMW WEW World Tag Team Champion (with Gedō)
  • 1-time FMW WEW Six Man Tag Team Champion (with Gedō and Jadō)

  • Premier Wrestling Federation
  • 1-time PWF Universal Tag Team Champion (with Shinjiro Ohtani)

  • Pro Wrestling World-One
  • 1-time PWW-1 Heavyweight Champion

References

External links

Japanese professional wrestlers | 1973 births | Living people | ECW alumni | People from Wakayama Prefecture

田中将斗

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Masato Tanaka".

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