Tsuneharu Sugiyama
Tsuneharu Sugiyama (杉山 恒治, Sugiyama Tsuneharu, 23 July 1940 – 22 November 2002) was a Japanese amateur and professional wrestler. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight at the 1964 Summer Olympics.[1] After his competitive career, he worked in International Wrestling Enterprise, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name of Thunder Sugiyama, later becoming an actor and tarento until his death.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | 23 July 1940 Itoigawa, Japan |
| Died | 22 November 2002 (aged 62) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wrestling |
Professional wrestling career
| Tsuneharu Sugiyama | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tsuneharu Sugiyama |
| Born | July 23, 1940 Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan[3] |
| Died | November 22, 2002 (aged 62) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Koji Sugiyama[3] Thunder Sugiyama[3] Tokyo Joe[3] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[3] |
| Debut | 1965[3] |
| Retired | 1981[3] |
Along with teammate Masa Saito, who had competed in the freestyle tournament in 1964, they joined the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance dojo. Sugiyama was given the nickname "Thunder", which he used in his debut on 4 March 1966, against Kazuo Honma. Later in the year, however, he joined Isao Yoshiwara and Hiro Matsuda in forming a new promotion, International Wrestling Enterprise.[4]
Sugiyama was the second man to portray the "Tokyo Joe" character in North America after Mr. Hito and before fellow IWE wrestler Tetsunosuke Daigo, who debuted a few months after him in Tokyo Pro Wrestling.
In 1972 Sugiyama left IWE and went over to help Giant Baba form All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he competed until 1976. During 1977 he briefly returned to IWE, and in 1978 he moved to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he stayed as heel until 1980 when he retired.[4]
Sugiyama died on 22 November 2002 of a heart attack.[4]
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling Enterprise
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Great Kusatsu and Rusher Kimura
- TWWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Toyonobori and Rusher Kimura[4]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Kigeki ekimae daigaku | ||
| 1976 | Sister Street Fighter – Fifth Level Fist | Nick | |
| 1978 | Message from Space | Big Sam | |
| 1983 | Ryôshoku | Kurokawa | |
| 1984 | Aces Go Places Part III : Our Man from Bond Street | Oddjob | |
| 1985 | Kids | ||
| 1989 | Harimao | Yasufumi Yamashita | |
| 1994 | Iruka wa umi ni kaeru | ||
| 2000 | Seigi no tatsujin: Nyotai tsubo saguri | ||
| 2001 | Hitozuma-tachi no seihakusho: AV ni shutsuen shita wake | ||
| 2003 | Nôsatsu tenshi: Sûi tsukushite | Kageyama | |
| 2004 | Ryôjoku no tsumeato: Sakareta shitagi | Kaneda | (final film role) |
References
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tsuneharu Sugiyama Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- Forgotten International Wrestling, 2014, Baseball Magazine. ISBN 9784583620800
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Thunder Sugiyama". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- Harris M. Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-07-864175-4-4.
External links
- Tsuneharu Sugiyama's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- Tsuneharu Sugiyama at IMDb