| PAT TANAKA |
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| Height: 5'10 | |
| Weight: 225 lbs. | |
| Hometown: Tokyo, Japan | |
| Finisher: The Rolling Kick | |
| Birthdate: Aug 5, 1963 Debut: 1985 | |
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Pat Tanaka is a star who has seemingly been everywhere, when looking at the promotions that
he has worked for. When Kenny first read Tanaka's application for Camp Casanova,
he said that "it was like reading the who's who of wrestling promotions."
Pat's credentials include WWF, WCW, ECW, NWA, and The AWA! AWA Early on in his career, The team of Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond, known then as Badd Company, dominate the AWA tag team division. Several teams challenged Tanaka and Diamond for the AWA tag team titles, but whenever Tanaka or Diamond were in danger of losing a tag team title match, their manager, Diamond Dallas Page, would interfere allowing his team to retain their titles. Neither Pat nor Paul were very charismatic so Diamond Dallas Page did the majority of the talking for Badd Company, until he left to do his own thing. NWA With no mouthpiece, Badd Company moved in and out of wrestling promotions, most notably having quite an extensive feud with The Rockers in the NWA. WWF After the temporary retirement of Paul Diamond, Pat hit the big time in The WWF, teaming first with Aldo Sato at Wrestlemania 6. Pat Tanaka, now under the management of Mister Fugi, began to shake things up, when Sato had decided to call it quits. So with a call back to his old pal Paul Diamond, The Orient Express was repackaged. "Kato," Diamond under a mask, almost helped bring Pat to the WWF Tag Team Championship. But... Murphy's law kicked in and then things went bad. In a 1991 match with The Road Warriors, Tanaka broke his leg in 3 places. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and told not to wrestle. In desperation, hoping not to lose his spot, Tanaka cut off his cast the next afternoon and taped his leg up. He wrestled his last match that night, with nobody noticing a thing...that is until the next morning. The next morning, a bone in his leg had protruded from his skin and he awoke to the gagging sounds of Paul Diamond puking at the sight. Pat had been sleeping in a pool of blood. McMahon demanded that Tanaka take time off, but he did pay for everything. Pat says "vince couldn't have been more fair with me." However, during Pat's time off, The Orient Express was long forgotten. (But at least Paul Diamond became the oh-so-impressive Max Moon!) ECW After some well needed healing time, Pat Tanaka returned to wrestling, with his first big break came under the ECW banner. Pat Tanaka's grueling feud with The Hardcore Legend Terry Funk came to its highest level in the beginning of 1994, leaving both men with warwounds that they will never forget. But again, without a manager at his side, eventually social justice kicked Tanaka to the curb. Frustrated, Pat Tanaka returned to his homeland for some famous Japanese promotions until WCW grabbed him up, in their historic talent- drain campaign against The WWF. WCW |
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