 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | (1940-07-23)23 July 1940 Itoigawa, Japan |
| Died | 22 November 2002(2002-11-22) (aged 62) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wrestling |
Tsuneharu Sugiyama (杉山 恒治,Sugiyama Tsuneharu; 23 July 1940 – 22 November 2002) was a Japaneseamateur andprofessional wrestler. He competed in themen's Greco-Roman light heavyweight at the1964 Summer Olympics.[1] After his competitive career, he worked inInternational Wrestling Enterprise,All Japan Pro Wrestling andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name ofThunder Sugiyama, later becoming an actor andtarento until his death.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tsuneharu Sugiyama (1940-07-23)July 23, 1940 Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan[3] |
| Died | November 22, 2002(2002-11-22) (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 teammateMasa Saito, who had competed in the freestyle tournament in 1964, they joined theJapan 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 andHiro Matsuda in forming a new promotion,International Wrestling Enterprise.[4]
Sugiyama was the second man to portray the "Tokyo Joe" character in North America afterMr. Hito and before fellow IWE wrestler Tetsunosuke Daigo, who debuted a few months after him inTokyo Pro Wrestling.
In 1972 Sugiyama left IWE and went over to helpGiant Baba formAll Japan Pro Wrestling, where he competed until 1976. During 1977 he briefly returned to IWE, and in 1978 he moved toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he stayed asheel until 1980 when he retired.[4]
Sugiyama died on 22 November 2002 of a heart attack.[4]
| 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) |
,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |