.jpg) Tenta in 1988 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Anthony Tenta Jr. (1963-06-22)June 22, 1963[4] Surrey, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | June 7, 2006(2006-06-07) (aged 42)[4] Sanford, Florida, United States |
| Cause of death | Bladder cancer |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Avalanche[1] The Canadian Earthquake[1] Earthquake[1] Earthquake Evans[2] The Gargoyle[3] Golga[4] John Tenta[4] Kototenta[4] (sumo) Kototenzan[4] (sumo) The Shark[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 468 lb (212 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Vancouver, British Columbia (as Earthquake)[1] Mount Everett,Washington (as Avalanche) Great Barrier Reef (as Shark) |
| Trained by | Giant Baba[4] Jumbo Tsuruta[4] Great Kabuki[4] Terry Gordy[4] |
| Debut | 1987[4] |
| Retired | 2004 |
| Kototenzan Toshimitsu | |
|---|---|
| 琴天山 俊光 | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft5+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) |
Last updated: May 2013 | |
John Anthony Tenta Jr. (June 22, 1963 – June 7, 2006)[4] was a Canadianprofessional wrestler andsumo wrestler (rikishi) best known for his work in theWorld Wrestling Federation asEarthquake.
After a promising start to his sumo career, using the nameKototenzan, Tenta switched to professional wrestling and became a high-profile star for the WWF, feuding withHulk Hogan and winning theWWF Tag Team Championship as a member ofThe Natural Disasters with personal friend,Typhoon.
His professional wrestling career also encompassed runs inWorld Championship Wrestling, where he was known asAvalanche andThe Shark,All Japan Pro Wrestling and a return to WWF asGolga. Tenta died in 2006 after a long battle withbladder cancer.
On April 19, 2025, Tenta, as Earthquake, was posthumously inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 alongsideTyphoon asThe Natural Disasters.[5][6]
John Tenta was born inSurrey, British Columbia. Named after his father, he was a large baby weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.[7] Inspired by professional wrestlersGene Kiniski andDon Leo Jonathan, Tenta decided to pursue wrestling at age 6. He learnedfreestyle wrestling atNorth Surrey Secondary, becoming a Canadian junior champion in 1981. Shortly after his 18th birthday, he finished sixth in the super-heavyweight category at the World Junior Wrestling Championships in Vancouver. Tenta won an athletic scholarship toLouisiana State University (LSU), where he competed inNCAA-levelcollegiate wrestling.[8] At LSU he was nicknamed "Big John" Tenta, lettering on the Tiger varsity wrestling team and participating on thefootball team. LSU dropped varsity wrestling to comply withTitle IX in 1985, forcing Tenta to choose a new sport. Tenta subsequently walked on to the LSU football team, where he participated as a defensive tackle in a few junior varsity contests. While working as a bouncer at The Bengal, a bar near the LSU campus, he was also referred to as a "silent giant." Tenta also playedrugby union for the LSU Rugby Club.
Tenta then moved to Japan to pursue a career insumo after being recruited by a formeryokozuna who met Tenta on a trip to Vancouver.[7] In October 1985, he joined a sumostable,Sadogatake, run by formeryokozunaKotozakura Masakatsu (his stable also producedōzekiKotoōshū Katsunori fromBulgaria). Following tradition, the youngsumōtori took theshikona name of Kototenta Toshikatsu (琴天太 俊克; Koto + Tenta), surname translated as Tenta the Harp.[9]
Beginning the sport at age 22, he entered nearly seven years later than many non-college aspirants. The combination of his size—he already weighed 423 pounds (192 kg) at a height of 6 ft 5.75 in (197.49 cm)[10]—and training as a wrestler were to his advantage in learning and advancing in the sport. The novice won all of his 24 bouts in his eight-month active career,[11] and was later renamed Kototenzan Toshimitsu (琴天山 俊光), surname meaning Heavenly Mountain Harp. The novelty of being a rare Westerner rikishi in the mid-1980s, and the third-everwhite man, garnered him press coverage, and he earned the additional nickname of the "Canadian Comet".[12]
Despite doing well as a newcomer he soon quit the sport due to the difficulty of the sumo lifestyle and the toll the hard ring surface was taking on his body.[13] Tenta commented, "Nothing I have ever done – not football, not college wrestling – compares with the kind of physical abuse you inflict on your body in sumo."[14] In addition, the sumo world frowned on the large tattoo of a tiger on his left biceps and, though he covered it during matches, would have required him to remove it via skin graft before moving up to the higher-level competitions. In Japan, tattoos are associated withgangsters, and public display is widely prohibited.[15] Tenta's decision to quit was criticized by his stablemaster, while the head of theJapan Sumo Association Kasugano (the formeryokozunaTochinishiki), said Tenta had become arrogant after his run of consecutive victories. "He thought it would be easy. But there is no job in this world that is harder. It is better for him to leave."[14] His promising but short-lived career as arikishi ended without a single professional loss, a highly unusual occurrence, and 21 consecutive wins from bottom division, arare feat still to this day.
| Year | January Hatsu basho,Tokyo | March Haru basho,Osaka | May Natsu basho,Tokyo | July Nagoya basho,Nagoya | September Aki basho,Tokyo | November Kyūshū basho,Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | x | x | x | x | x | (Maezumo) |
| 1986 | West Jonokuchi #40 7–0 Champion | East Jonidan #54 7–0–P Champion | West Sandanme #53 7–0 Champion | East Makushita #43 Retired – | x | x |
| Record given aswins–losses–absences Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key:F=Fighting spirit;O=Outstanding performance;T=Technique Also shown:★=Kinboshi;P=Playoff(s) | ||||||
After leaving sumo, he quickly signed up forpuroresu (Japanese pro wrestling) under the tutelage ofShohei "Giant" Baba.[15] He made his professional wrestling debut withAll Japan Pro Wrestling on May 1, 1987, teaming with Giant Baba and defeatingRusher Kimura and Goro Tsurumi.[7] Tenta had a solid 18-month career, teaming with Baba,Jumbo Tsuruta, andThe Great Kabuki, before getting the attention of American pro-wrestling promoters, as well as making tours in Vancouver forAl Tomko'sNWA All Star Wrestling where he first competed as ababyface, but later turnedheel when he began being managed by "Gentleman" Jonathan Sayers. Tenta left AJPW in September 1989.
After making twodark-match appearances under his real name in March 1989,[17] Tenta joined theWWF full-time in September 1989. In his first match after signing on, a dark match on September 21, 1989, he portrayed alumberjack character namedEarthquake Evans that was billed as being from the "NorthernYukon Territory" who was managed bySlick, and defeatedPaul Roma.[2] Tenta then made his WWF television debut on the November 11, 1989, edition ofWWF Superstars of Wrestling, where he was planted in the audience as a normal spectator at the taping held inWheeling, West Virginia. During an in-ring interview withGene Okerlund,Dino Bravo challengedThe Ultimate Warrior to a strength competition. In order to demonstrate, Bravo and managerJimmy Hart suggested that they pick a random audience member to come into the ring and sit on the backs of Bravo and the Ultimate Warrior as they did push-ups to see who could do the most. The Ultimate Warrior agreed, and Hart, after pretending to look around the audience, centered his attention on the very large Tenta who was sitting in the audience in casual clothing and appearing surprised. Tenta came down into the ring, identified himself as "John fromWest Virginia" and proceeded to sit on Bravo's back as he did a set of push-ups. During the Ultimate Warrior's set, however, Tenta leapt down onto the prone Ultimate Warrior using aseated senton that was adapted to be his signature move. Bravo and Tenta then beat and unleashed multiplebig splashes on the prone Warrior. Both then celebrated as Tenta was inaugurated into the WWF as aheel with Hart as his manager.[18] Tenta was pushed asThe Canadian Earthquake – and byWrestleMania VI, simplyEarthquake – an unstoppablemonsterheel who often sent his opponents out on a stretcher after repeatedly hitting them with his sitdown splash. In addition to wrestling, Earthquake also served as a bodyguard for Bravo.
Earthquake's first PPV appearance was when he replacedBarry Windham onRandy Savage's team at the1989 Survivor Series. Earthquake eliminated Hercules and survived the match, along with Savage and Dino Bravo.[19] He made hisWrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VI, defeatingHercules.[20] Tenta's career peaked when he entered a feud withHulk Hogan. The feud exploded in May 1990, when Earthquake sneaked up on Hogan from behind during a segment ofTheBrother Love Show (onWWF Superstars of Wrestling) and repeatedly crushed Hogan's ribs with his "Earthquake splash." It was reported that Earthquake had injured Hogan so severely that he may have to give up wrestling, Tugboat Thomas urged a letter writing campaign to fans to write to support Hogan while he recovered. Eventually, Hogan recovered and gained revenge on Earthquake and defeated him in a series of matches across the country, starting with Hogan's countout victory atSummerSlam 1990.[21] Hogan and Earthquake were the final two participants in the1991 Royal Rumble, with Hogan getting the victory.[22] After his stint with Hogan, Earthquake attained another WrestleMania victory, defeating former Hartstable mateGreg Valentine atWrestleMania VII.[23] On April 1, 1991, WWF held a joint show inKobe with Japanese promotionSuper World of Sports called SWS Wrestle Dream. Earthquake appeared to faceKōji Kitao, in a battle of two former sumo wrestlers. Kitao and Tenta brokekayfabe by being uncooperative with each other. Kitao didn'tsell Earthquake's attacks andshot on him. The match ended when Kitao was disqualified for kicking the referee. After the match, Kitao immediately grabbed a microphone and began telling the audience that wrestling is fake and that Tenta never could really beat him, as other Japanese wrestlers attempted to restrain him. The incident led to Kitao being fired from SWS.[24][25]
After WrestleMania VII, Earthquake instigated a feud withJake "the Snake" Roberts, when in their match that aired onWWF Superstars of Wrestling, he "squashed" Damien with his Earthquake splashes; Earthquake had tied up Roberts in the ropes before going on his rampage. In reality, Roberts' bag – one of two left at ringside for the match – containedpantyhose stuffed with hamburger, and a small motor to simulate a "live snake." When the match aired onWWF Superstars of Wrestling, footage of Earthquake landing on Damien was interrupted with cutaway shots to that show's "Events Center," although the incident aired uninterrupted and uncensored duringWWF Prime Time Wrestling the following week. Later, Earthquake participated in a skit onWWF Prime Time Wrestling where he cooked "Quakeburgers" on a grill and served them to co-hosts Vince McMahon, Bobby The Brain Heenan, andLord Alfred Hayes; later, Earthquake revealed that the meat was ground from Damien's carcass. Heenan had already eaten three or four of the Burgers and Hayes was curious about the meat. Earthquake mentioned the animal from which the meat was from rhymed with quake, and Hayes said they were snake burgers. Hayes got sick and nearly threw up. McMahon was angry over this and knocked the tray out of Earthquake's hands which knocked all the burgers onto the floor. Roberts and Earthquake feuded throughout most of late spring and into the summer.
Later in 1991, Earthquake formed a tag team with Typhoon (Tenta's friend,Fred Ottman, who had previously wrestled as Tugboat before turning heel) calledThe Natural Disasters, managed by Jimmy Hart. Initially a heel tag team, the duo feuded with theLegion of Doom over theWWF World Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. Later, the Disasters turnedface when Jimmy Hart betrayed them and joined forces withMoney Inc., a team composed ofIrwin R. Schyster andTed DiBiase; Money Inc. had just won the tag titles from the Legion of Doom, and atWrestleMania VIII, they defeated Money Inc. by count-out but did not win the titles. Although Earthquake and Typhoon eventually won the tag titles (and defeated theBeverly Brothers at the1992 SummerSlam pay-per-view to retain the titles), it wasn't long before Money Inc. regained the belts. Tenta left the WWF in January 1993 after losing via count-out toBam Bam Bigelow the night after the Royal Rumble for a spell in Japan forWAR. He also had a brief stint inCMLL in late 1993.
He returned to the WWF in January 1994 when he assistedBret Hart in a match withShawn Michaels by counteringDiesel's interference. He defeatedAdam Bomb in a quicksquash match atWrestleMania X.[26] He then engaged in a short feud withYokozuna, with whom he had a sumo match onRaw (the early days of Tenta's Sumo training were also revealed). Tenta won the sumo match. Earthquake was scheduled to faceOwen Hart in aKing of the Ring qualifying match. However, during a May 14, 1994 house show inSan Jose, California, Earthquake had been injured by Yokozuna andCrush. Footage of Yokozuna hitting a Banzai Drop at the show was televised before the qualifying match to explain his absence in whichDoink the Clown was his replacement. He again disappeared from WWF thereafter and returned to Japan for WAR.[27]
Personal financial difficulties led Tenta to contactWorld Championship Wrestling.Hulk Hogan, a longtime friend, lobbied to have Tenta come in, and so Tenta left the WWF to join WCW. Before joining WCW, Tenta worked a tour of Japan forUWF International, where he teamed up withSuper Vader. Tenta was introduced asAvalanche and was a member ofKevin Sullivan'sThe Three Faces of Fear, billed at 517lbs. He later aligned withBig Bubba Rogers and feuded withSting andRandy Savage. AtClash of the Champions XXIX, Avalanche,The Butcher andKevin Sullivan lost toHulk Hogan, Sting andDave Sullivan in a Six-Man Tag Team match withMr. T as the special referee. AtStarrcade, Avalanche lost to Sting by disqualification. AtSuperBrawl V, Avalanche and Big Bubba Rogers lost to Sting and Randy Savage when Sting pinned Avalanche. AtUncensored, Avalanche lost to Randy Savage by disqualification. AtClash of the Champions XXX, Avalanche lost to Sting withThe Guardian Angel as the special guest referee. The Avalanche name was dropped after WWF threatened legal action over similarities to the Earthquake character. Tenta returned under the ring nameThe Shark and joinedthe Dungeon of Doom faction. He believed this could be the beginning of a long term gimmick and even changed the tattoo on his arm of anLSU Tiger to that of a shark, a process that took 24 hours.[28] Rumors were that WCW management forced him to do that, but in reality, it was Tenta himself that brought the idea up. AtFall Brawl (1995), Tenta teamed with other members of The Dungeon of Doom (Kamala,The Zodiac andMeng withThe Taskmaster) to face The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage,Lex Luger and Sting) in aWarGames match where they lost. On the October 9, 1995, edition ofWCW Monday Nitro, Shark lost to Sting in a match for theWCW United States Heavyweight Championship. on the November 20 episode ofNitro, Shark lost toScott Norton. Shark competed in theWCW World War 3 (60 Man Battle Royal in Three Rings) for the vacantWCW World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Randy Savage.
He eventually left the Dungeon of Doom and wrestled under his real name after delivering apromo about the many other names andgimmicks he'd been forced into in the past, including the line "I'm not the Shark. I'm not a fish. I'm not an Avalanche. I'm a man".[7][29] On the May 27 episode ofNitro, Shark lost toThe Giant in a match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On the June 3 episode ofNitro, Tenta defeated Big Bubba by count-out. At the1996 Great American Bash, he defeated Big Bubba Rogers; after the match Tenta cut Rogers' goatee off with a pair of scissors. On the June 17 episode ofNitro, Tenta defeated Big Bubba. On the July 1, 1996 edition ofNitro, Tenta got another shot at theWCW World Heavyweight Championship against The Giant but failed to win the title. AtBash at the Beach 1996, Tenta defeated Big Bubba in a Carson City Silver Dollar match. During this time, Tenta began using "One Crazed Anarchist" as hisentrance theme, which would later be adopted byChris Jericho.
Following a match with the Dungeon of Doom's Giant, Big Bubba Rogers, who had just joined the Dungeon, shaved half of Tenta's head. Tenta said he wouldn't shave off the other half because he looked in the mirror and relived the embarrassment. He would go out to get the mail and his neighbors would laugh. The two went on to feud against one another, with Rogers shaving off Tenta's beard as well after Tenta lost another match to The Giant. On the September 9 episode ofNitro, Tenta defeated Randy Savage by count-out. On the March 3, 1997, edition ofNitro, Tenta joinedRoddy Piper as a member of his "family." The angle was quickly dropped and Piper instead joined forces with the Four Horsemen, dropping the members of his "family." Tenta left WCW in early 1997.
In 1999, Tenta returned to WCW for one night wrestling under his real name when he defeatedLash LeRoux onMonday Nitro in a dark match.
After his feud with Rogers, Tenta left WCW and resurfaced in the WWF on the May 25, 1998, episode ofRaw is War under the nameGolga. He wrestled under a gold mask as one of theOddities and the character had a fascination withEric Cartman from the TV seriesSouth Park. The gimmick was given to Tenta because he lost a considerable amount of weight, so much so that the WWF thought it wouldn't be believable for Tenta to reprise the Earthquake gimmick with the weight loss.
On the July 28 edition ofRaw is War, he defeatedMarc Mero. AtSummerSlam, The Oddities defeatedKaientai (Taka Michinoku,Dick Togo,Mens Teioh andSho Funaki) in a Handicap match. On the September 5 edition ofRaw Saturday Night Raw, The Oddities defeated theL.O.D andDroz in a six-man tag team match. On the September 12 edition ofRaw Saturday Night, The Oddities facedThe Disciples of Apocalypse which ended in a No Contest when the top ring rope fell off. On the October 4 edition ofHeat, The Oddities defeatedThe Headbangers. On the October 17 edition ofShotgun Saturday Night, Golga andKurrgan defeatedToo Much. On the October 18 edition ofHeat, The Oddities defeatedLos Boricuas (Jose Estrada,Miguel Pérez, Jr. andJesus Castillo). On the October 25 edition ofHeat, Golga lost toJeff Jarrett. On the October 26 edition ofRaw is War, The Oddities andInsane Clown Posse lost to Kaientai in an 8-man tag team match by DQ when ICP shoved the referee. On November 16 edition of Raw, The Oddities lost toD-Generation X (New Age Outlaws andX-Pac). On the November 23 edition ofRaw is War, The Oddities were defeated by The Headbangers when the Insane Clown Posse turned on them. AtRock Bottom: In Your House, which took place in Tenta's hometown ofVancouver, The Oddities (Golga and Kurrgan) lost to The Headbangers.
On the January 10, 1999 edition ofHeat The Oddities (Golga and Kurrgan) got their revenge and defeated The Headbangers. Throughout the rest of January and February, The Oddities would lose to Too Much andThe Disciples of Apocalypse onHeat andShotgun Saturday Night. At the1999 Royal Rumble, Golga competed in theRoyal Rumble match entering at number 3 and quickly eliminated bySteve Austin. The last appearance of The Oddities was on the February 28, 1999 edition ofHeat after theMinistry of Darkness beat them down when Kurrgan lost toThe Undertaker, with all Oddities members being released.
Tenta did, however, return to the WWF with the Earthquake gimmick for a pair of appearances in 2001. In April he competed in the 20 Man Gimmick Battle Royal match atWrestleMania X-Seven eliminated byKamala and won byThe Iron Sheik, while in December he defeated Tank Meloche in adark match prior to a taping ofSmackDown!.
After leaving WWF, Tenta wrestled on theindependent circuit, also working in England and Canada.
He returned toAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in November 2002 where he finished up his career in July 2003, being a part of the company'sPro Wrestling Love era. At this time, Tenta (dressed in his Earthquake singlet) became a top gaijin during the transition period of owner Mrs. Baba selling the company toKeiji Muto. Tenta rose up the card after"Dr. Death" Steve Williams left the company in January 2003, also the month Mrs. Baba permanently left and the new ownership fully in effect. Throughout 2003, Tenta had storyline feuds and matches againstKeiji Muto andMike Awesome, and Tenta would frequently team withGigantes (Jerry Tuite), who went to All Japan after hisindependent circuit run as Malice ended.[30] Tenta would also wrestle in hardcore matches during his second run in AJPW.
Tenta retired from wrestling in 2004 after it was revealed that he had developedbladder cancer and was given a 20% chance to live, assuming he continued with his chemotherapy treatments. During his November 18, 2005 interview onWrestleCrap Radio, Tenta announced that a recent radiation dosage did not go as planned, and had no effect on the tumor. He also announced that multiple tumors had spread to his lungs. On June 7, 2006, Tenta died of bladder cancer, just 15 days shy of his 43rd birthday. The first public notice of his death was posted on WWE.com on the same day. On the June 9, 2006, edition ofSmackDown!, and the June 12, 2006, edition ofRaw, WWE showed a bumper that read "RIP 'Earthquake' John Tenta" before each show began.
On March 6, 2025, it was announced that Tenta will be posthumously inducted into the2025 WWE Hall of Fame, alongside his friend and tag team partnerFred Ottman, under theirThe Natural Disasters gimmmick.[5] His daughter Joanna Tenta Sowards and son John Anthony Tenta III joined Ottman for their Hall of Fame induction.
Despite Tenta's angry behavior in the ring and being a brutal monster heel who sent wrestlers to the hospital, Bret "The Hitman" Hart stated that Tenta's persona was completely different from his in-ring persona. According to Hart, he was a very quiet man and extremely polite. In fact, he called wrestlers "sir" and "ma'am":
"For me, John Tenta - Earthquake. When he first came in, he was this massive 6’ 8’’ 450-pound guy yet he was this quiet, demure gentle giant who said please and thank you to everyone and called everyone 'sir.'
He came in and was pushed as this brutal monster heel, who sent everyone to the hospital and put Hogan down on television, which upset millions of kids. Yet backstage, John hated being a heel. He loved children and he loved playing with them and having them sit on his knee, yet when he would go to airports and have kids crying and running away from him, it actually really upset him!
When Quake turned face in 1992, the world saw the real John Tenta. The smile when he would come to the ring, the cheers he got from everyone and when the kids finally saw him as a good guy, it warmed his heart. When he won the tag titles, the look of elation on his face was so pure and genuine. When he finally got to be the good guy outside the ring, he really loved the reaction he got and backstage everyone in the back respected the hell out of John and we were all crushed when he passed away." - Bret Hart[31]
According to some sumo publications, former sumo wrestlers rejected what Kasugano said about Tenta. Many wrestlers stated that Kasugano pushed him over his limit and that he was always very friendly to those around him.
John Tenta's professional wrestling career garnered him appearances in severalvideo games. In 1991, Tenta as Earthquake was portrayed as a feature character inTechnos' popular arcadevideo gameWWF WrestleFest. He was also included in the 1992 home video gameWWF Super WrestleMania byLJN for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System (he wasn't in theSega Genesis version). In 2004, the Japanese video game developer Spike releasedKing of Colosseum II, apuroresu-wrestling game forPlayStation 2 that featured Tenta as a playable character; it was a Japan-only release. On April 14, 2009, Tenta was announced as downloadable content forWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 which was released April 16, 2009. On February 23, 2016, he along with Typhoon appeared as downloadable content forWWE 2K16. He also appeared inWWE 2K17 as well asWWE 2K18 along with Typhoon.
WWF @ Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Coliseum – September 21, 1989; Earthquake Evans (w/ Slick) defeated an unknown
WWA @ Lynn, MA – May 15, 1998; The Gargoyle (John Tenta) defeated Jim Cote
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
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