30 Facts About Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Hiroyoshi Tenzan is a four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a record twelve-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan is a former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan got his third chance for the IWGP Tag Team Titles in July 1998, after Chono's former tag-team partner Keiji Mutoh was injured.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan continued to feud with Tenryu and Koshinaka, eventually getting a new partner in Satoshi Kojima, thanks to Mutoh's leadership in nWo Japan.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Wild Pegasus at the Tokyo Dome in January 2000.

In July 2000, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, still teamed with Kojima, got the IWGP Tag Team Titles for the 5th time, winning over Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata.

On February 24,2002, Hiroyoshi Tenzan made a brief appearance at WWA The Revolution pay-per-view from Las Vegas, Nevada where he choked Disco Inferno.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan could be seen sitting right behind the announcer's table when Disco joined commentary.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan can be seen leaving the arena following Steiner's attack on Disco.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan won the IWGP Tag Team Titles in March 2002 with Masahiro Chono, and again in December 2003 with Osamu Nishimura.

In November 2003, Hiroyoshi Tenzan finally won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Yoshihiro Takayama.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan would go on to drop the title less than a month later to unlikely victor Shinsuke Nakamura, who, at the young age of 23, became the youngest world champion in company history.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan proceeded to win it three other times.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan lost the championship to AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Kojima in a cross-promotional champion vs champion match.

However, with just seconds before the match would be declared a time limit draw, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who was known to have a legitimate back injury, could not continue, resulting in Kojima being declared the winner and becoming the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kojima in a rematch three months later, bringing the championship back to NJPW.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan lost the championship to Kazuyuki Fujita on July 18,2005.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan competed in the 2005 G1 Tournament, and almost made it to the semi-finals.

Fifteen months later on November 18,2010, Hiroyoshi Tenzan returned to the ring, defeating Antonio Honda at New Japan's NEVER.

On January 4,2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Iizuka in a Deep Sleep to Lose match, a match that could only be won by choking the opponent unconscious.

On February 14,2015, at The New Beginning in Sendai, Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Rob Conway to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan was a former three-time G1 Climax winner and the holder of the record for most wins in G1 Climax matches, who had participated in every tournament since 1995 with the exception of the 2010 tournament, which he missed due to an injury.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan later confirmed that the 2016 G1 Climax would be his last.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan main evented the retirement show for Takashi Iizuka who had betrayed him in 2008.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan had been trying to convince Iizuka to team with him once more before his retirement, and after match the two embraced before Iizuka attacked and retired as a villain.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan competed in the newly expanded New Japan Cup in 2019, where he would lose in the Round of 32 to Ryusuke Taguchi, who was filling in for injured David Finlay.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan would compete in next year's tournament, losing in the same round to Yoshi-Hashi.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan had a brief tenure in World Championship Wrestling, most notably being defeated by "Macho Man" Randy Savage at Starrcade '95: World Cup of Wrestling; Hiroyoshi Tenzan would get a rematch with Savage at NJPW's Battle Formation show on April 29,1996, and again he lost.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan appears alongside Chono beating a few misconducted costumers.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan has appeared on the Japanese television show Sasuke.