Line #10 Wrestling/MasatoTanaka


1	[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/masatotanaka_3108.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:226:As [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-h.html ECW World Heavyweight Champion]]]]
3
4	Masato Tanaka (born February 28, 1973) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl\|ing}}er trained by Atsushi Onita and Tarzan Goto. Tanaka is best known for his work in Wrestling/{{FMW}} and, by extension, on-and-off in the U.S. in Wrestling/{{ECW}} from 1998-2000. He debuted in 1993 and quickly adapted to the promotion's [[GarbageWrestler hardcore]] style, getting CoveredWithScars as a result. He made his U.S. debut with ECW in 1998 and quickly became very popular, as ECW brought his long-running feud with Wrestling/MikeAwesome (known in FMW as the Gladiator) to American audiences and great acclaim. He made his [=PPV=] debut with a win over Doug Furnas at ''ECW Living Dangerously 98''. Following the demises of FMW and ECW, Tanaka would compete for Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance (particularly Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1), Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, Wrestling/DragonGate, Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE, Wrestling/{{MLW}}, Wrestling/RingOfHonor, Jersey All Pro Wrestling and many other promotions in Japan and the U.S. and even had one last battle with Awesome at Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s ''ECW One Night Stand'' [=PPV=] on June 12, 2005. Among his in-ring achievements, he is a former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, a former 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-t.html ECW World Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts 1x w[=/=]Wrestling/BallsMahoney and 1x w[=/=]Wrestling/TommyDreamer, a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/zero1/01-world-h.html Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE World Heavyweight Champion]], a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/fmw-bk.html FMW World Brass Knuckles Champion]], the second-ever [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-ic.html IWGP Intercontinental Champion]], and the inaugural [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/never-op.html NEVER Openweight Champion]].
5	----
6	!!Tropes:
7	* ArchEnemy: Mike Awesome
8	* BashBrothers: With Balls Mahoney in ECW, with Hayabusa and Wrestling/ShinjiroOtani in Japan.
9	* BloodKnight: Even though they were partners, he and Balls Mahoney would fight each other just to fight.
10	* CaptainErsatz: Semi recurring in ''Videogame/FireProWrestling''.
11	%%* ChairmanOfTheBrawl.
12	* CoolSword: Carries one in ZERO-One.
13	* CoolTeacher: He gave further training to [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson American Dragon]], who was initially trained by Wrestling/ShawnMichaels.
14	* CoveredInScars: His face remained in good shape but the rest of his body gradually accumulated scars as his FMW career proceeded. He had noticeable forehead scars in the 2010s too.
15	* {{Crossover}}: A regular fixture of Pro Wrestling SUN whenever it did shows alongside Zero 1(SUN was otherwise supposed to be an all women's promotion).
16	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was the first to kick out of the Dudley Boyz' 3D finisher.
17	* {{Determinator}}: Tanaka was known for his ability to absorb punishment. He no-sold chair shots and was the first ECW wrestler to kick out of the Dudley Boys' 3D.
18	* FinishingMove: Rolling/Roaring Elbow [[note]]rolling elbow is correct; 'roaring elbow' came from Paul Heyman mishearing the move's name due to the R and L problems in the Japanese language, then keeping it because Roaring Elbow sounded cool[[/note]], Tornado DDT, Diamond Dust (Top-rope rolling Stunner), Sliding D.
19	* GarbageWrestler: He certainly worked that style in FMW and ECW, and was ''really'' good at it, but he is also excellent at regular wrestling as well.
20	* HardHead: Cracking him on the bonce with a chair doesn't seem to faze him.
21	* HowMuchMoreCanHeTake: Especially against Mike Awesome, as they would constantly have to raise the bar for the finishes. At ''MLW Revolutions,'' May 9, 2003, Awesome beat Tanaka by countout after hitting an Awesome Bomb through a table on the floor. In their match at ''ECW One Night Stand'', Awesome put Tanaka through a table on the floor and splashed and pinned him on the floor.
22	* HumiliatingWager: He and Hayabusa defeated Kodo Fuyuki and Bad Boy Hido in a mask versus hair match involving the FMW Brass knuckles tag team titles. That being Hayabusa's mask versus Hido's hair.
23	* LoserLeavesTown
24	** One sided example. Once Kodo Fuyuki became the FMW commissioner, he promised to fire Tanaka as soon as he lost a match in any way shape or form.
25	** At FMW's 10th Anniversary show called ''Judgment Day'', which was held on November 11th, 1999 as their November [=PPV=], [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/fmw-wew-s.html FMW WEW Singles Champion]] Masato Tanaka d. Kodo Fuyuki in a "Loser Leaves FMW Electrical Thunderbolt Cage Death Match."
26	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: He was the first guy to kick out of Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys' 3D finisher, doing the deed during the match where he and Balls Mahoney defeated the Dudleys for the ECW World Tag Team Titles at ''ECW November to Remember 98,'' November 1, 1998.
27	* NoSell: Or rather, delayed sell. He rolled right back up after a release German suplex from Kodo Fuyuki during their Judgment day match and floored him with an elbow...and then hit the floor himself.
28	* PowerStable:
29	** (in FMW): Team Phoenix
30	** (in AJPW, FMW, MPW and NJPW) The Complete Players
31	** ECW Japan (no actual connection to ECW)
32	** (in HUSTLE): HUSTLE Army
33	** (in ZERO-ONE MAX): Sword Army
34	** (in Zero 1 and NOAH): Dangan Yankees
35	** (in New Japan): CHAOS
36	* RedBaron: ''Dangan'' (Japanese for "Bullet"), FMW's Number One Son.
37	* TheRival: Mike Awesome, Daisuke Sekimoto
38	* ScreamingWarrior: In his ECW matches, often his opponent would hit him over the head with a chair and he would NoSell it while screaming.
39	* TagTeam: Emblem, with Shinjiro Otani
40	* TraumaticHaircut: Attempted in 2010 when he jumped restrained Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi for Toru Yano but Yano only took some of Tanahashi's hair.

Context Wrestling / MasatoTanaka