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Jumbo Tsuruta


Last updated by Sean Sweeny on April 28, 2014

Title History

 

  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Terry & Dory Funk Jr. (February 5, 1975);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Jack Brisco for vacant title (August 28, 1976);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Kim Duk & Kintaro Ohki (December 9, 1976);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Billy Robinson (March 23, 1977);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Kim Duk & Kintaro Ohki (May 11, 1978);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Ray Candy & Abdullah the Butcher (October 19, 1979);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Dick Murdoch (March 5, 1980);
  • NWA (Detroit) World Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Randy Scott & John Bonello (June 28, 1980);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Abdullah the Butcher (January 22, 1981);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Harley Race (October 24, 1982);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Ron Bass & Stan Hanson (April 17, 1983);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Giant Baba defeating Umanosuke Ueda & Tiger Jeet Singh (August 1, 1983);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Heavyweight title defeating Bruiser Brody (August 31, 1983);
  • AWA World Heavyweight title defeating Nick Bockwinkel (February 22, 1984);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Genichiro Tenryu defeating Crusher Blackwell & Bruiser Brody for vacant titles (September 3, 1984);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Heavyweight title defeating Stan Hanson (October 21, 1986);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Genichiro Tenryu defeating Yoshiaki Yatsu & Riki Choshu (February 5, 1987);
  • PWF (Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Tiger Mask defeating Ted DiBiase & Stan Hanson (July 3, 1987);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Heavyweight title defeating Bruiser Brody (April 19, 1988);
  • PWF (Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Ashura Hara & Genichiro Tenryu (June 4, 1988);
  • NWA (All Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Road Warriors (June 10, 1988);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Terry Gordy & Stan Hanson (July 31, 1988);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Ashura Hara & Genichiro Tenryu (August 30, 1988);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Terry Gordy & Stan Hanson (February 2, 1989);
  • NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Stan Hanson (April 18, 1989);
  • PWF (Japan) Heavyweight title defeating Stan Hanson (April 18, 1989);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Yoshiaki Yatsu defeating Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hanson (July 22, 1989);
  • AJPW (All Japan) Unified Triple Crown Heavyweight title defeating Genichiro Tenryu (October 11, 1989);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Great Kabuki defeating Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (July 19, 1990);
  • AJPW (All Japan) Unified Triple Crown Heavyweight title defeating Stan Hanson (January 19, 1991);
  • AJPW (All Japan) World Tag Team titles w/Akira Taue defeating Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (March 4, 1992);

 

Career Highlights

 

  • 1971-1972: In college, he won the All Japanese Championships in 100kg in both freestyle and greco-roman in just his first 2 years..
  • Tomoni Tsuruta represented Japan at the 1972 Olympics in Munich placing 7th in Greco-Roman Wrestling..
  • Tomoni Tsuruta was recruited into pro wrestling like a number one draft pick..
  • October 31, 1972: Tomoni Tsuruta signed with Giant Baba and All Japan just ten days after the promotion was formed..
  • October 1973: Jumbo Tsuruta debuted in the Funks’ NWA Amarillo Texas promotion..
  • November 1973: Jumbo Tsuruta had several matched with Dory Funk Jr. for the NWA World title..
  • September 28, 1985 – AWA SuperClash: Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba & Genichiro Tenryu defeated Harley Race & Bill & Scott Irwin..
  • Jumbo Tsuruta got the NWA International, PWF, & United National titles unified into the Triple Crown..
  • Jumbo Tsuruta also got the NWA International and PWF Tag Team titles unified into the World Tag Team titles..
  • Jumbo Tsuruta was the first Japanese wrestler to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title, first Triple Crown champion..
  • WWF/AJPW World Tour 1990: Jumbo Tsuruta & Haku defeated Mr. Perfect & Rick Martel..
  • June 8, 1990: Jumbo Tsuruta faced Mitsuharu Misawa in the main event..
  • Summer 1992: Jumbo Tsuruta got struck with Hepatitis B, and was never the same physically..
  • 1993-98: Jumbo Tsuruta wrestled mostly in comedy matches on the big shows, because of his illness..
  • September 11, 1998: Jumbo Tsuruta had his last match..
  • February 20, 1999: Jumbo Tsuruta officially retired from wrestling..
  • March 6, 1999: Jumbo Tsuruta was honored with a retirement ceremony was held in Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan..
  • May 13, 2000: Jumbo Tsuruta died due to the cancer spread to his liver and during kidney transplant..