John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta Jr. (June 22, 1963 – June 7, 2006) was a Canadian professional wrestler and sumo wrestler (rikishi) best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake, though initially known as Canadian Earthquake.
| John Tenta | |
|---|---|
Tenta in a WWF promotional image as Earthquake | |
| Birth name | John Anthony Tenta Jr. |
| Born | June 22, 1963 Surrey, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | June 7, 2006 (aged 42) Sanford, Florida, United States |
| Cause of death | Bladder cancer |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Avalanche The Canadian Earthquake Earthquake Evans The Gargoyle Golga John Tenta Kototenta (sumo) Kototenzan (sumo) The Shark |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) |
| Billed weight | 468 lb (212 kg) |
| Billed from | Vancouver, British Columbia (as Earthquake) Mount Everett, Washington (as Avalanche) Great Barrier Reef (as Shark) |
| Trained by | Giant Baba Jumbo Tsuruta Great Kabuki Terry Gordy |
| Debut | 1987 |
| Retired | 2004 |
| Kototenzan Toshimitsu | |
|---|---|
| 琴天山 俊光 | |
Tenta as Kototenzan in 1986 | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 192 kg (423 lb; 30.2 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Sadogatake |
| Record | 21-0-7 |
| Debut | November 1985 |
| Highest rank | Makushita 43 (July 1986) |
| Retired | July 1986 |
| Championships | 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| * Up to date as of May 2013. | |
After a promising start to his sumo career, using the name Kototenzan, Tenta switched to professional wrestling and became a high-profile star for the WWF, feuding with Hulk Hogan and winning the WWF Tag Team Championship as a member of The Natural Disasters with partner and personal friend, Typhoon.
His professional wrestling career also encompassed runs in World Championship Wrestling, where he was known as Avalanche and The Shark, All Japan Pro Wrestling and a return to WWF as Golga. Tenta died in 2006 after a long battle with bladder cancer.