, better known as is a retired

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his '' shikona''. He had two stints with

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba ...

(AJPW), where he spent the majority of his career while also promoting Super World of Sports (SWS), Wrestle Association R (WAR) and Tenryu Project. At the time of his retirement, professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer wrote that "one could make a strong case hat Tenryu wasbetween the fourth and sixth biggest native star" in the history of Japanese professional wrestling.

Sumo wrestling career

As a sumo wrestler, Tenryu was ranked as a '' sekitori'' for 27 tournaments, 16 of them in the top '' makuuchi'' division. His highest rank was '' maegashira'' 1. Upon the death of his stablemaster at Nishonoseki stable he wanted to join former stablemate Daikirin's newly established Oshiogawa stable, which had just broken off from Nishonoseki, but the Japan Sumo Association insisted he stay at Nishonoseki whose new stablemaster, Kongō, he did not get along with. He finished one more tournament, and even though his career still showed promise, he decided to leave the sumo world at the young age of 26 in September 1976.

Professional wrestling career

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1976–1990)

Scouted by Giant Baba, the

(AJPW) owner, Tenryu was sent to Amarillo, Texas to be trained by Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and debuted in Texas in 1976, against Ted DiBiase. After returning to Japan, he stayed in the undercard until about 1982 when he began to get a slight push in that year's Champion Carnival tournament. In 1983, following a brief stint in

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

, his push began in earnest when

Jumbo Tsuruta , better known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heav ...

pursued the NWA International heavyweight title, now the main title in the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. 1984 saw Tenryu winning the NWA United National title, now also part of the Triple Crown, as well as the NWA International tag team title with Tsuruta. Their combination was called "Kakuryu" ( = ''kaku'' = ''tsuru'' (the "tsuru" in Tsuruta) + = ''ryū'' in Tenryū). The team feuded with

Riki Choshu , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestle ...

and Yoshiaki Yatsu, who were the leaders in an "invasion" angle by the

Japan Pro Wrestling The was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. History JWA under Rikidōzan (1953–1963) Rikidōzan, a former ''rikishi'' (sumo wrestling practitioner) who had debuted as a Western-st ...

promotion, an All Japan satellite made up of former

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority sha ...

talent. In 1987, following the departure of the Japan Pro talent, Kakuryu broke up after losing the tag team titles to The Road Warriors, which led to Tenryu forming his own stable, "

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

", with former International Pro Wrestling wrestlers Ashura Hara and Hiromichi Fuyuki, as well as All Japan rookies Toshiaki Kawada, and

Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting hi ...

; Tatsumi Kitahara would join the group upon his debut in 1988. Tenryu and Hara feuded with Tsuruta and his new partner Yatsu over the Pacific Wrestling Federation World tag team titles and later with their replacement, the World Tag Team Championship (a combination of the PWF World and NWA International tag belts). Hara was kicked out of the promotion in late 1988, and Tenryu replaced him with Stan Hansen, with whom he held the World Tag Team Championship as well. 1989 was Tenryu's banner year. Tsuruta became the first Triple Crown champion on April 18 of that year, and just two days later Tenryu became his first challenger. The Tsuruta-Tenryu series that ensued set the standard for all Triple Crown matches and feuds to follow. When Tenryu won the belts on June 5, the match was so spectacular it was deemed Match of the Year by major Japanese publications. The same year saw him finally pin his mentor Baba, albeit in a tag match - but still a major success for a Japanese wrestler. Only Mitsuharu Misawa would duplicate this feat. In addition, Tenryu was chosen to be one-third of the NWA World 6-Man Tag Team Champions with the Road Warriors after the Road Warriors turned

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exer ...

against their former co-holder of the title,

Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...

. However, the relationship between All Japan Pro Wrestling and the NWA was significantly strained when Tenryu and the Road Warriors were scheduled to compete in a match Baba had advertised to his Japanese audience, but American booking decisions prevented the match from taking place. This created an uncomfortable situation where Giant Baba had to apologize to his Japanese audience for a match he had promoted not taking place, and was a key factor in All Japan Pro Wrestling's ultimate withdrawal from the NWA. This also resulted in the six man championship being vacated and abandoned until 1991, when it was temporarily resurrected as a

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

championship. Tenryu's most high-profile North American match was for the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

in 1991 at WrestleMania VII, where he teamed with Koji Kitao to defeat Demolition. He also appeared in both the 1993 Royal Rumble and 1994 Royal Rumble; in the latter he made it to the final five but was eliminated by eventual co-winners

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

and

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

. An

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...

had he and The Great Kabuki hired as mercenaries by Yokozuna's manager, Mr. Fuji, to attack

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

and prevent him from winning.

Super World of Sports and WAR (1990–1999)

In April 1990, Tenryu left All Japan to form Super World of Sports (SWS). After its collapse in June 1992, Tenryu, aided by Masatomo Takei (brother of his wife Makiyo) formed Wrestling and Romance (WAR). WAR became his base from where he would take on top wrestlers from other promotions, such as Atsushi Onita, Nobuhiko Takada, The Great Muta, Shinya Hashimoto and Masahiro Chono, all of whom he defeated. He also traded victories with Tatsumi Fujinami and Antonio Inoki, thus becoming the only Japanese wrestler to defeat both Inoki and Baba by pinfall. In 1998, as WAR went into decline, Tenryu began an earnest comeback, this time in New Japan. He first joined

Heisei Ishingun Heisei Ishingun was a Japanese professional wrestling stable led by Shiro Koshinaka during the 1990s, primarily in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. History After an intense feud with each other early from 1988, Shiro Koshinaka and Kuniaki Kobayashi form ...

, allied with its leader Shiro Koshinaka, and they won the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Team Wolf, Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In December 1999, Tenryu made history as the first native to win the top two distinctions of professional wrestling in Japan (All Japan's Triple Crown and New Japan's IWGP Heavyweight title) by beating Mutoh for the IWGP title. (The first man to win both titles was

Big Van Vader Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrest ...

, an American.)

Return to AJPW (2000–2004)

In 2000, following the near-collapse of All Japan due to the

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left th ...

split, Tenryu closed WAR and rejoined All Japan, eager to test his mettle against the remaining ace, his former disciple Kawada. Tenryu beat Kawada in the subsequent tournament for the vacant Triple Crown, winning the belts for a second time. In his second stay in All Japan, he would capture the belts a third time and also the World Tag Team Championship with former WAR- UWFI feud rival Yoji Anjo.

Late career and retirement (2004–2015)

In 2003, he joined Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling for a few matches, but as it declined rapidly, he switched back and forth aimlessly between New Japan and All Japan. In 2005, he entered Noah, and began feuds with Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and other wrestlers he knew from his first All Japan stint, as well as new faces he's never met in the ring before, such as

Jun Akiyama is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, c ...

. Tenryu has also been with the HUSTLE promotion and was a part of the main heel group led by Generalissimo Takada. During this time, he teamed with Toshiaki Kawada mainly. At HUSTLE Aid 2007, however, Tenryu was defeated by Razor Ramon HG and joined the main face group led by Razor Ramon HG, HUSTLE Army. In December 2009, following the folding of Hustle, Tenryu began running his own Tenryu Project promotion. He continued to make forays into other promotions, remaining active even past age 60. On February 7, 2015, it was reported that Tenryu had decided to retire from professional wrestling with his final match scheduled to take place later in the year. Tenryu held a press conference two days later to confirm the report, announcing that his retirement event would be taking place in November and would feature participation from All Japan, New Japan and Noah. On August 16, Tenryu made a surprise return to New Japan, having a confrontation with Kazuchika Okada to set up his retirement match on November 15. In the meantime, he embarked on a multipromotional "Retirement Road" tour, including matches in Kyushu Pro Wrestling, DDT, BJW, Wrestle-1 and Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS. On November 15, Tenryu was defeated by Okada in his retirement match. '' Tokyo Sports'' named Tenryu's retirement match the 2015 Match of the Year.

Other media

Tenryu appears as a gang member in the 2017 video game '' Yakuza Kiwami 2'', alongside Keiji Mutoh, Masahiro Chono, Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami. Tenryu is also a regular guest on the annual 24-hour comedy special, Gaki no Tsukai - No Laughing Challenge, often appearing as a character who occasionally (and intentionally) speaks unintelligibly to cause the contestants to laugh.

Championships and accomplishments

** All Asia Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Masanobu Fuchi ** NWA International Tag Team Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with

** NWA United National Championship (

) **

PWF World Heavyweight Championship The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and one of the three titles that make up the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. It was created in 1973 by All Japan ...

( 1 time) **

PWF World Tag Team Championship The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling, created in 1984. It was unified with the NWA International Tag Team Championship in 1988, to create ...

( 1 time) – with Ashura Hara ** Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) ** World Tag Team Championship ( 5 times) – with Stan Hansen (3), Ashura Hara (1), and Yoji Anjo (1) ** Champion Carnival (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

) ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League ( 1984) – with Jumbo Tsuruta ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

) – with Jumbo Tsuruta ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

) – with Stan Hansen ** January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (1982) ** United National Title League (1986) ** Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2000) ** Champion's Carnival Technique Award (1982) ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1981) – with Ashura Hara ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award (1982) – with Ashura Hara ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Technique Award (1983) – with Jumbo Tsuruta ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Performance Award (1985) – with Jumbo Tsuruta ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Performance Award (1987) – with Ashura Hara ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Fighting Spirit Award (1987) – with Ashura Hara ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award (1988) – with Toshiaki Kawada ** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Best Player Award (1989) * Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling ** WMG Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

* HUSTLE **

Hustle Super Tag Team Championship was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion managed by Nobuhiko Takada. Hustle can be described as an industry experiment to market the sports entertainment style of professional wrestling in Japan. History Booked primarily by Nobuhiko Takad ...

( 1 time) – with Tadao Yasuda *

International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (IPWHF) is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum that is located in Albany, New York. The museum was founded by Seth Turner, Tony Vellano, the founder of Professional Wrestl ...

**Class of 2022 * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/

NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship was a tag team title defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coa ...

( 1 time) – with Mr. Fuji ** NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with The Road Warriors *

** IWGP Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** IWGP Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Shiro Koshinaka *'' Nikkan Sports'' **Match of the Year (1999) vs. Keiji Mutoh on May 3 * '' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' ** PWI ranked him #44 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 ** PWI ranked him #14 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Jumbo Tsuruta in 2003 * Super World of Sports ** SWS vs WWF Tournament (1990) ** One Night Tag Team Tournament (1990) – with Koji Kitao * Tenryu Project ** Tenryu Project World 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...

and Tomohiro Ishii ** Hidden Genius R League (2013) - with Ryuichi Kawakami * '' Tokyo Sports'' ** Best Tag Team Award (1983, 1985) ** Best Tag Team Award (1987) **

Fighting Spirit Award The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

(1983) ** Lifetime Achievement Award (2015) ** Match of the Year Award (1987) ** Match of the Year Award (1988) ** Match of the Year Award (1989) ** Match of the Year Award (1991) ** Match of the Year Award (1993) ** Match of the Year Award (1994) ** Match of the Year Award (1996) ** Match of the Year Award (1999) ** Match of the Year Award (2015) **

MVP Award In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(1986, 1987, 1988, 1993) ** Outstanding Performance Award (1981, 1984, 1996) ** Technique Award (1990) * Wrestle Association "R" ** J-1 Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (

) – with Koki Kitahara and Animal Hamaguchi (1), and Nobutaka Araya and Último Dragón (1) ** Six Man Tag Team Tournament (1994) - with Atsushi Onita and Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow ** One Night Tag Team Tournament (1995) - with Último Dragón ** J-1 Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1998) * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

'' ** Match of the Year (2001) ** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ( Class of 1996)

Sumo career record

Video games

* '' Tenryū Gen'ichirō no Puroresu Revolution'' * '' HammerLock Wrestling'' * '' Fire Pro Wrestling: Combination Tag'' * '' Fire Pro Wrestling 2nd Bout'' * '' Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Legend Bout'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling 2'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling III: Final Bout'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling III: Easy Type'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special'' * '' Super Fire Pro Wrestling X'' * ''

Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium The following is a list of all video games in the '' Fire Pro Wrestling'' series produced by either Human Entertainment or Spike starting in 1989. Most of the titles in the series were released exclusively in Japan. Human Entertainment Games Fire P ...

'' * ''Gekitou Burning Pro Wrestling'' * '' Fire Pro Wrestling Returns'' * '' Super Star Pro Wrestling'' * ''

Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 ''Virtual Pro Wrestling 64'' is a professional wrestling video game released in 1997 on the Nintendo 64 game console and the second game in the '' Virtual Pro Wrestling'' series. The game is a sequel to the original '' Virtual Pro Wrestling'' rel ...

'' * Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō * King of Colosseum: Red * King of Colosseum II *

Wrestle Kingdom The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every Janua ...

* Wrestle Kingdom 2

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tenryu, Genichiro 1950 births IWGP Heavyweight champions Japanese male professional wrestlers Japanese sumo wrestlers Living people Professional wrestling executives Sumo people from Fukui Prefecture 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions All Asia Tag Team Champions World Tag Team Champions (AJPW) Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions Tenryu Project WAR (wrestling promotion) Tenryu Project World 6-Man Tag Team Champions NWA International Tag Team Champions PWF World Heavyweight Champions PWF World Tag Team Champions