History Wrestling / JumboTsuruta

* {{Expy}}: Stylistically in the 1970s he was, essentially, a Japanese version of his trainer Wrestling/DoryFunkJr, with perhaps some Jack Brisco sprinkled in.

That is, until Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa publicly unmasked and challenged him. After one of the most legendary matches in wrestling history, in which Misawa did the unthinkable and pulled out a surprise win, Jumbo went ''nuclear''. The ensuing feud between Misawa's Super Generation Army faction, and Jumbo's Tsuruta-gun stable, battled for supremacy in a two-year turf war that made AJPW the most acclaimed wrestling promotion in the world, while establishing young stars such as Wrestling/ToshiakiKawada, Wrestling/KentaKobashi, and Akira Taue.

* TagTeam: With multiple partners throughout his career. These can roughly be divided into four eras, though they overlap slightly. From 1973-1984, he teamed regularly with Giant Baba. Genichiro Tenryu finally transitioned into being his primary partner afterward, and this lasted until spring 1987. After a transitional period throughout the rest of the year, Jumbo then teamed up with former tag rival Yoshiaki Yatsu, becoming the Olympians (Yatsu had competed in Montreal in 1976). After Yatsu left the company as part of the SWS exodus in 1990, Jumbo would strike an alliance with his last partner, Akira Taue. (As Taue was an {{Expy}} of Baba, as well as an ex-sumo like Tenryu, one could say that Jumbo came full circle in this regard.)

After becoming the first signing of AJPW, he debuted as Tommy Tsuruta in 1973, in the Funk family's promotion in Amarillo, Texas. Here, he was among the first Japanese wrestlers to get over as a face in the United States. He returned to debut for AJPW that autumn. Shortly afterward, he was rechristened Jumbo, and the rest was history. On one hand, Jumbo Tsuruta was one of the most prodigious talents in pro wrestling history. He was such a natural that trainer and then-NWA champion Wrestling/DoryFunkJr gave him a shot at his title ''eight weeks'' after his debut match. Jumbo was instantly made AJPW's #2 wrestler upon his return, a position which he would hold for nearly a decade. On the other hand, though, there eventually came a point where Jumbo's reputation began to suffer for this. Jumbo was consistently given shots at an NWA title he would never be politically favored enough to receive; one could say that, after the exceptionalist narratives that Wrestling/{{Rikidozan}}, Giant Baba, and Wrestling/AntonioInoki had upheld, Jumbo was the first Japanese wrestler whose image became tied to his failure. While he would finally be allowed to close this arc of his career by winning the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] title in 1984, this was partially responsible for how slow the transition from Baba to Jumbo as company ace wound up being. However, due to a pair of upheavals in the mid-to-late 1980s, Jumbo would radically reinvent himself, and create perhaps his true legend in the process.

After becoming the first signing of AJPW, he debuted as Tommy Tsuruta in 1973, in the Funk family's promotion in Amarillo, Texas. Here, he was among the first Japanese wrestlers to get over as a face in the United States. He returned to debut for AJPW that autumn. Shortly afterward, he was rechristened Jumbo, and the rest was history.
On one hand, Jumbo Tsuruta was one of the most prodigious talents in pro wrestling history. He was such a natural that trainer and then-NWA champion Wrestling/DoryFunkJr gave him a shot at his title ''eight weeks'' after his debut match. Jumbo was instantly made AJPW's #2 wrestler upon his return, a position which he would hold for nearly a decade. On the other hand, though, there eventually came a point where Jumbo's reputation began to suffer for this. Jumbo was consistently given shots at an NWA title he would never be politically favored enough to receive; one could say that, after the exceptionalist narratives that Wrestling/{{Rikidozan}}, Giant Baba, and Wrestling/AntonioInoki had upheld, Jumbo was the first Japanese wrestler whose image became tied to his failure. While he would finally be allowed to close this arc of his career by winning the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] title in 1984, this was partially responsible for how slow the transition from Baba to Jumbo as company ace wound up being. However, due to a pair of upheavals in the mid-to-late 1980s, Jumbo would radically reinvent himself, and create perhaps his true legend in the process.

Among his in-ring achievements, he was the inaugural and 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/tc-h.html All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion]], a 7x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-t.html All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Champion]], and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996.

The result was one of the greatest [[FaceHeelTurn heel turns]] in puroresu history. Jumbo's character had been an aggressive one during the Ishingun era, and there had been glimpses of his mean streak earlier on, but Tenryu's challenge to his dominance turned Jumbo into, by the standards of AJPW, TheBully. Through a three-year storyline which gradually but masterfully established Tenryu as his equal, and possibly his successor, Jumbo ended the decade as one of the most acclaimed wrestlers in the world.

On one hand, Jumbo Tsuruta was one of the most prodigious talents in pro wrestling history. He was such a natural that trainer and then-NWA champion Wrestling/DoryFunkJr gave him a shot at his title ''eight weeks'' after his debut match. Jumbo was instantly made AJPW's #2 wrestler upon his return, a position which he would hold for nearly a decade. On the other hand, though, there eventually came a point where Jumbo's reputation began to suffer for this. Jumbo was consistently given shots at an NWA title he would never be politically favored enough to receive; one could say that, after the exceptionalist narratives that Wrestling/{{Rikidozan}}, Giant Baba, and Wrestling/AntonioInoki had upheld, Jumbo was the first Japanese wrestler whose image became tied to his failure. While he would finally be allowed to close this arc of his career by winning the [[American Wrestling Association AWA]] title in 1984, this was partially responsible for how slow the transition from Baba to Jumbo as company ace wound up being. However, due to a pair of upheavals in the mid-to-late 1980s, Jumbo would radically reinvent himself, and create perhaps his true legend in the process.

On one hand, Jumbo Tsuruta was one of the most prodigious talents in pro wrestling history. He was such a natural that trainer and then-NWA champion Wrestling/DoryFunkJr gave him a shot at his title ''eight weeks'' after his debut match. Jumbo was instantly made AJPW's #2 wrestler upon his return, a position which he would hold for nearly a decade. On the other hand, though, there eventually came a point where Jumbo's reputation began to suffer for this. Jumbo was consistently given shots at an NWA title he would never be politically favored enough to receive; one could say that, after the exceptionalist narratives that Wrestling/Rikidozan, Giant Baba, and Wrestling/AntonioInoki had upheld, Jumbo was the first Japanese wrestler whose image became tied to his failure. While he would finally be allowed to close this arc of his career by winning the [[American Wrestling Association AWA]] title in 1984, this was partially responsible for how slow the transition from Baba to Jumbo as company ace wound up being. However, due to a pair of upheavals in the mid-to-late 1980s, Jumbo would radically reinvent himself, and create perhaps his true legend in the process.

Tomomi Tsuruta (March 25, 1951 – May 13, 2000) was a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er who competed from 1973-1999 as '''Jumbo Tsuruta.''' After dominating the collegiate wrestling circuit and making the Olympics, Tsuruta decided to go professional, and was promptly the first signing of Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling. He debuted in the Funk family's promotion in Amarillo, Texas, where he was among the first Japanese wrestlers to get over as a face in the United States. After returning to debut for AJPW in autumn 1973, he spent the rest of his career there, although he made appearances in a variety of Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance territories. Among his in-ring achievements, he was the inaugural and 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/tc-h.html All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion]], a 7x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-t.html All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Champion]], and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996.

* Expy: Stylistically in the 1970s he was, essentially, a Japanese version of his trainer Wrestling/DoryFunkJr, with perhaps some Jack Brisco sprinkled in.

* Expy: Stylistically in the 1970s he was, essentially, a Japanese version of his trainer Wrestling/DoryFunkJr, with perhaps some Wrestling/JackBrisco sprinkled in.

Tomomi Tsuruta (March 25, 1951 – May 13, 2000) was a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er who competed from 1973-1999 as '''Jumbo Tsuruta.''' He got his start in the Funk family's promotion in Amarillo, Texas, where he was the first Japanese wrestler to get over as a face in the U.S. He competed primarily for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, though he made appearances in a variety of Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance territories. Among his in-ring achievements, he was the inaugural and 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/tc-h.html All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion]], a 7x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-t.html All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Champion]], and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jumbotsuruta_8839.jpg]]

** As far as gaijins went, Wrestling/BruiserBrody might qualify.

* TagTeam: With multiple partners throughout his career. These can roughly be divided into four eras, though they overlap slightly. From 1973-1984, he teamed regularly with Giant Baba. Genichiro Tenryu finally transitioned into being his primary partner afterward, and this lasted until spring 1987. After a transitional period throughout the rest of the year, Jumbo then teamed up with former tag rival Yoshiaki Yatsu, becoming the Olympians (Yatsu had competed in Montreal in 1976). After Yatsu left the company as part of the SWS exodus in 1990, Jumbo would strike an alliance with his last partner, Akira Taue. (As he was an [[Expy]] of Baba, as well as an ex-sumo like Tenryu, one could say that Jumbo came full circle in this regard.)

* TagTeam: With multiple partners throughout his career. These can roughly be divided into four eras, though they overlap slightly. From 1973-1984, he teamed regularly with Giant Baba. Genichiro Tenryu finally transitioned into being his primary partner afterward, and this lasted until spring 1987. After a transitional period throughout the rest of the year, Jumbo then teamed up with former tag rival Yoshiaki Yatsu, becoming the Olympians (Yatsu had competed in Montreal in 1976). After Yatsu left the company as part of the SWS exodus in 1990, Jumbo would strike an alliance with his last partner, Akira Taue. (As he was an Expy of Baba, as well as an ex-sumo like Tenryu, one could say that Jumbo came full circle in this regard.)

* TagTeam: With multiple partners throughout his career. The major ones were Giant Baba, Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshiaki Yatsu, and Akira Taue.

* RedBaron: ''Waka Daisho'' ("young boss"), ''Kaibutsu'' ("monster")

* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu and Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa.

* TagTeam: With multiple partnersthroughout his career. The major ones were Giant Baba, Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshiaki Yatsu, and Akira Taue.

** This would finally be somewhat [[AvertedTrope Averted]] when, in February 1984, Jumbo won the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] World Heavyweight Championship from Wrestling/NickBockwinkel, after having previously lost three title matches against him (albeit in indecisive circumstances). While not as prestigious as the NWA title, it was a well-respected belt to the Japanese audience. Unlike Baba, whose NWA reigns had him win the belt from the current champion and then drop it back the next week, Jumbo also held the title for three months, and even held numerous successful defenses in America before dropping the belt to Wrestling/RickMartel.

** However, this didn't sustain through his entire career, as there is tape of numerous American matches in the 1980s where the crowd is clearly against Jumbo. (Most notably his AWA title run, but there's also a 1982 [[Wrestling/WCW Mid-Atlantic]] match against Tommy Rich where one can see this.)

** This would finally be somewhat [[AvertedTrope Averted]] when, in February 1984, Jumbo won the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] World Heavyweight Championship from Wrestling/NickBockwinkel, after having previously lost three title matches against him (albeit in indecisive circumstances). While not as prestigious as the NWA title, it was a well-respected belt to the Japanese audience. Unlike Baba, whose NWA reigns had him win the belt from the current champion and then drop it back the next week, Jumbo also held the title for three months, even defending it in America.