Genichiro Tenryu
| Genichiro Tenryu | |
|---|---|
Genichiro Tenryu on the left
|
|
| Birth name | Genichiro Shimada |
| Born |
February 2, 1950 Katsuyama, Fukui |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Genichiro Tenryu Tenryu Hayabusa Hustle General Big Hayabusa |
| Billed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Billed weight | 124 kg (273 lb) |
| Trained by |
Dory Funk, Jr. Terry Funk Giant Baba |
| Debut | November 13, 1976 |
| Retired | November 15, 2015 |
| Tenryū Genichiro | |
|---|---|
| 天龍 源一郎 | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 112 kg (247 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Nishonoseki |
| Record | 393-355-0 |
| Debut | January, 1964 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 1 (January, 1974) |
| Retired | September, 1976 |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) |
| * Up to date as of Sep. 2012. | |
Genichiro Shimada (嶋田 源一郎 Shimada Gen'ichirō?, born February 2, 1950), better known as Genichiro Tenryu (天龍 源一郎 Tenryū Gen'ichirō?) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his shikona.
As a sumo wrestler, Tenryu was ranked as a sekitori for 27 tournaments, 16 of them in the top makuuchi division. His highest rank was maegashira 1. Upon the death of his stablemaster at Nishonoseki stable he wanted to join former stablemate Daikirin's newly established Oshiogawa stable, which had just broken off from Nishonoseki, but the Japan Sumo Association insisted he stay at Nishonoseki whose new stablemaster, Kongō, he did not get along with. He finished one more tournament, and even though his career still showed promise, he decided to leave the sumo world at the young age of 26 in September 1976.
Scouted by Giant Baba, the All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) owner, Tenryu was sent to Amarillo, Texas to be trained by Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, and debuted in Texas in 1976, against Ted DiBiase. After returning to Japan, he stayed in the undercard until about 1982 when he began to get a slight push in that year's Champion Carnival tournament. In 1983, following a brief stint in Jim Crockett Promotions, his push began in earnest when Jumbo Tsuruta pursued the NWA International heavyweight title, now the main title in the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.
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