Wrestlers - T

Tamio Takeshita (竹下民夫) Profession: Wrestler, Referee, Announcer Real name: Tamio Takeshita Professional names: Iwao Takeshita, Tamio Takeshita Life: 12/29/1938-unknown Born: Fusamoto (now Otaki), Chiba, Japan Career: 1960-1961, 1966-1977 Height/Weight: 175cm/85kg (5’9”/187lbs.) Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, Tokyo Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise Puroresu’s first pro-baseball transplant, Tamio Takeshita had a far humbler career than the man he encouraged to do the same. Born in the Chiba village of Fusamoto—which became part of modern-day Otaki when he was fifteen—Tamio Takeshita played baseball in upper elementary a…

Takao Kaneko (金子武雄) Profession: Wrestler, Referee Real name: Takao Kaneko Professional names: not applicable Life: 1/15/1930-unknown Born: Kanagawa, Japan Career: 1954-1961, 1968 (as referee) Height/Weight: 172cm/100kg (5’8”/220lbs.) Signature moves: unknown Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: none Puroresu’s first “macho wrestler”, Takao Kaneko worked for the JWA throughout the 1950s before opening his own gym. The first generation of puroresu was made up of various sportsmen who transferred their skills into pro wrestling. Takao Kaneko was unique among these in that he did not compete in a …

Takao Maemizo (前溝隆男) Profession: Referee Real name: Takao Maemizo Professional names: not applicable Life: 8/??/1937- Born: Tonga Career: 197?-1979 Height/Weight: unknown Signature moves: unknown Promotions: International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: none After an athletic career across multiple sports, Takao Maemizo worked as a referee for the IWE. Maemizo during his second middleweight title reign, circa spring 1964. Takao Maemizo was the illegitimate child of a Japanese businessman, born to a Tongan mother while his father was posted there for his trading company. He returned to Japan with his father and was raised as part of his f…

Thunder Sugiyama (サンダー杉山) Real name: Tsuneharu Sugiyama (杉山恒治) Professional names: Tsuneharu Sugiyama, Tokyo Joe, Thunder Sugiyama Life: 7/23/1940-11/22/2002 Born: Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan Career: 1966-1980 Height/Weight: 178cm/125kg (5’10”/275 lbs.) Signature moves: Raizen drop (hip drop), German suplex hold, savate kick Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, International Wrestling Enterprise, All Japan Pro Wrestling Titles: TWWA World Tag Team (2x; 1x w/Toyonobori, 1x w/Rusher Kimura); IWA World Tag Team [IWE] (3x; 2x w/Great Kusatsu, 1x w/Rusher Kimura); European Tag Team [IWE] (1x, with Great Kusatsu), IWA World Heavyweight [IWE] (1x) …

Toshio Yamaguchi (山口利夫) Profession: Wrestler, Promoter Real name: Toshio Yamaguchi Professional names: unknown Life: 7/28/1914-4/1/1986 Born: Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan Career: 1951-1958 Height/Weight: 180cm/115kg (5’11”/254lbs.) Signature moves: tackle Promotions: All Japan Pro Wrestling Association/Yamaguchi Dojo Titles: none Now too often forgotten, Toshio Yamaguchi was a puroresu pioneer whose All Japan Pro Wrestling Association was a significant regional promotion. Yamaguchi (right) in Hawaii in 1951. Masahiko Kimura is right next to him. (Image credit: Facebook user Ryosuke Ratel Nasa) Before the war, Toshio Yamaguchi made his na…

Toshio Komatsu (小松敏男) Profession: Referee, Announcer, Executive (Sales) Real name: Toshio Komatsu Professional names: not applicable Life: 3/3/1925-unknown Born: Kochi, Shikoku, Japan Career: 1954-1966 Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, Tokyo Pro Wrestling, All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling (as executive) One of the JWA’s first referees, Toshio Komatsu transitioned into announcing in the early sixties before retiring to become a promoter. The fourth of eight children born to a Kochi realtor, Toshio Sento took the family name Komatsu when he entered school. Like just about all of his family, Toshio was a sumo fan, and competed in local tourna…

Tetsunosuke Daigo (大剛鉄之助)/Joe Daigo (ジョー大剛) Profession: Wrestler, Trainer, Booker Real name: Yukihiro Sakeda (栄田幸弘) Professional names: Tsuyoshi Sendai, Tetsunosuke Daigo, Tokyo Joe, Joe Daigo Life: 3/10/1942-11/4/2017 Born: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Career: 1966-1974 Height/Weight: 174cm/95kg (5’9”/209 lbs.) Signature moves: Diving body press Promotions: Tokyo Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: none Tetsunosuke Daigo’s career was taken from him in an accident, but he remained involved in the business for decades as Calgary-based booker and trainer Joe Daigo. Yukihiro Sakeda entered the Nisshonoseki sumo stable and…

Tadaharu Tanaka (田中忠治) Profession: Wrestler, Trainer Real name: Masakatsu Tanaka (田中政克) Professional names: Masakatsu Tanaka, Tadaharu Tanaka Life: 1/26/1942- (presumed alive) Born: Hofu, Yamaguchi, Japan Career: 1958-1977 Height/Weight: 176cm/105kg (5’9”/231 lbs.) Signature moves: Sunset flip Promotions: Japan Pro Wrestling/JWA, Tokyo Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: IWA World Mid-Heavyweight [IWE] (1x) Tadaharu Tanaka was one of the JWA’s first proper trainees, most notable for his close association with Toyonobori and for establishing the IWE’s “middleweight” division at the end of the sixties. Masakatsu Tanaka…

Takeshi Ōiso (大磯武) Profession: Wrestler, Promoter, Trainer Real name: Takeji Suruzaki (摺崎武二) Professional names: Takeshi Ōiso, Takashi Surazaki Life: 4/8/1944- Born: Shinimato, Toyama, Japan Career: 1966-1974 (in Japan; range of years during Filipino phase unknown) Height/Weight: 181cm/117kg (5’11”/257 lbs.) Signature moves: Headbutt Promotions: Tokyo Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: none Takeshi Ōiso was a sumo-to-puroresu transplant who wrestled for eight years, joining Tokyo Pro Wrestling and then being subsumed into the IWE. However, he is most notable for his second life as a pioneering promoter of Filipino pro …

Tenshin Yonemura (米村天心) Real name: Tsutomu Yonemura (米村勉) Professional names: Tsutomu Yonemura, Tenshin Yonemura Life: 12/16/1946-6/20/2016 Born: Kasumi District, Akita, Japan Career: 1972-1996 Height/Weight: 179cm/110kg (5'10";242 lbs.) Signature moves: Bear hug Promotions: International Wrestling Enterprise Titles: none Tenshin Yonemura was an undercarder for the IWE who remained in the business afterward through shows in his city. Tsutomu Yonemura wrestled for the Takeshima sumo stable, debuting in September 1962. He eventually reached makushita under the shikona of Takanobori, but he struggled to perform well and retired after the fir…

Toyonobori (豊登) Real name: Michiharu Sadano (定野道春) Professional names: Toyonobori Life: 3/21/1931-7/1/1998 Born: Kanada (now Fukuchi), Fukuoka, Japan Career: 1954-1973 Height/Weight: 174cm/114kg (5’9”/251 lbs.) Signature moves: Bearhug, boston crab, Argentine and Canadian backbreakers Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, Tokyo Pro Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise, New Japan Pro-Wrestling Titles: All Asia Tag Team [JWA] (7x; 4x w/Rikidozan, 1x w/Michiaki Yoshimura, 2x w/Giant Baba), WWA World Heavyweight [WWA (Los Angeles)] (1x), IWA World Tag Team [IWE] (2x, 1x w/Thunder Sugiyama, 1x w/Strong Kobayashi) Tournament victories…

Takao Kuramochi (倉持隆夫) Profession: Commentator (PBP) Real name: Takao Kuramochi Professional name: not applicable Life: 1/2/1941- Born: Mitaki, Tokyo, Japan Career: 1972-1990 Promotions: All Japan Pro Wrestling Takao Kuramochi called All Japan Pro Wrestling for almost twenty years and remains one of puroresu’s best remembered play-by-play men. A graduate of Waseda University’s law department, Takao Kuramochi joined Nippon Television as an announcer in 1964. When NTV began airing AJPW eight years later, he was recommended as an announcer by Kazuo Tokumitsu. Kuramochi gradually took over lead broadcast duties from Tokumitsu and Ichiro Shimizu. By …

Takashi Yamada (山田隆) Profession: Commentator (Color), Reporter Real name: Takashi Yamada Professional name: not applicable Life: 5/24/1933-9/8/1998 Born: Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan Career:1967-1989? (as commentator) Promotions: Japan Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling Takashi Yamada was one of puroresu’s most reliable commentators in a two-decade career for Nippon Television. Takashi Yamada was an eight-year veteran of Tokyo Sports when he debuted as a commentator in November 1967. Yamada would spend the next two decades working as an assigned reporter and color commentator. Yamada was not the first wrestling reporter to moonlight as…

Also wrestled under his real name, Maunukea Mossman Former AJPW Triple Crown Champion Former AJPW Junior Heavyweight Champion 7x AJPW World Tag Team Champion with 7 different partners Won 2 Champion Carnivals Won 3 World's Strongest Determination Tag Leagues Former IWGP Tag Team Champion

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