NJPW: 10 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time
By Tim Sherry
8. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Well, it’s all said and done, nobody is ever going to accuse Kyoto’s Tenzan of being the greatest technical wrestler of all time. But what “Mogyu” will be remembered for 2 things. Being an in-ring innovator and having a tremendous knack for winning. Tenzan has been with NJPW for nearly a quarter of a decade and in that time he’s proven himself to be a tough, durable, and powerful presence. At over 250 pounds, the now 46-year-old warrior is credited as the innovator of the Anaconda Vice submission that he varies into cobra clutch and straight jacket choke submissions, as well as being the record holder for the most tag team championships with 12.
So as decorated as he is as a tag team worker, Tenzan has some serious singles credibility as well. He’s a 4-time IWGP Heavyweight champion and although these title reigns were all relatively short, his wins were all against legends. His title victories were over Yoshihiro Takayama, Genichiro Tenryu, Kensuke Sasaki, and Satoshi Kojima. Some serious heavy hitters. And with over 1500 wins under the NJPW banner, 3 G1 Climax wins, and the 1993 Lions Cup under his belt, Tenzan has etched his place among the greats.
As great as Tenzan performed as a singles wrestler, he will most likely go down as the best tag team wrestler in NJPW history. His aforementioned 12 tag title wins is a staggering amount considering the second place person only has just 7. Those 12 title reigns spanned nearly a 2,000 combined days and with 3 different partners, which proves that Tenzan can get the job done in any situation. Truly a pioneer of a hybrid wrestler, Tenzan is still going strong in the company and it should be a blast watching him grapple out his final years as a pro.