[10.0] "Jumbo Tsuruta was arguably one of the top five pro wrestlers in the world from the mid-seventies until the early nineties, having a string of classic matches against several generations of wrestlers. Tsuruta was a legit athlete prior to joining All Japan in the early seventies. Jumbo brought size, strength, agility, and a fluidity of movement to the ring while learning from the best workers of the era including the Funks, the Destroyer, Harley Race, and Billy Robinson. Jumbo went on to become one of the top performers of his own generation which included workers like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and Stan Hansen. Jumbo continued to have world class matches against the next generation of main eventers including Misawa, Kawada, and Kobashi. Until he was knocked out by hepatitis in late 1992, Jumbo was consistently one of the ten best workers in the world. Someone looking for highlights could start with Jumbo vs Terry Funk for the NWA title in 1976. There the still young Jumbo matches veteran champ and former tutor Funk hold for hold in arguably the best match of Terry's career on tape. The following year Jumbo had a memorable series with Billy Robinson along with classics against Harley Race and Mil Mascaras. Fast forwarding to the mid-eighties, Jumbo had classic world title matches with Ric Flair, Kerry Von Erich, and Rick Martel. From 1987-1990, Jumbo worked a series of memorable matches against Genichiro Tenryu that were the highlight of Tenryu's working career. In the nineties Jumbo put over a new generation of Japanese main eventers. He was pinned by Misawa in 1990, but he also made Kawada and Kobashi by making them look like credible threats even while defeating them. Jumbo also had a number of great tag matches, notably the feud where he and Tenryu teamed up against Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu from 1985-1987 which yielded several of the best tag matches of the decade. Jumbo's moveset changed and expanded with the times. He was known for the lariat, the jumping knee, and the backdrop suplex, but like Harley Race, Jumbo always had more than a dozen big spots he could draw from to fill any match. He was also willing to give his opponents plenty of opportunities to look good, bumping for and selling their spots. In March 1986, Jumbo had a match with Animal Hamaguchi that was the finest exhibition of Hamaguchi's career. Animal wasn't Jumbo's peer at the time, being a lesser member of Ishin Gundan, but Jumbo made him look like a main eventer. The one match where Jumbo was less than generous was his one hour draw with Riki Choshu from late-1985, where he never made it look like Choshu could actually beat him. One assumes Baba booked the match in that fashion as he didn't fully trust Choshu enough to elevate him as Jumbo's peer, instead feeding him Tenryu, Jumbo's junior partner. It's a shame because it was their only singles match and left to his own devices, Jumbo probably would have carried Choshu to the greatest match of his career, as he did with so many others. In terms of rating, Jumbo was arguably a 10 by 1976 when he was turning out match of the year candidates with multiple opponents and he maintained that quality level through 1992, though by the early nineties All Japan had become more insular and Jumbo's role had become more limited as the franchise champion without many peers."
[10.0] "The King of King's Road, the first ace of puroresu, Jumbo is the definition of a legend. The guy completely molded and solidified an entire style of wrestling, his contributions and importance to the sport are priceless. The man is incredibly gifted, has an amazing technique and knows how to tell a story in a match like few others. Amazing storyteller, brilliant seller, one of the best we ever had, the ultimate ace."
[10.0] "The man became an accomplishment himself, because someone who's compared to Jumbo is meant to be greatly talented and fully committed to this business. The first japanese wrestler to be appreciated by an American audience, Tsuruta was a gifted athlete since his childhood. The perfect ace, the perfect rival, the perfect wrestler, and perfect coach and father until the end. Godspeed Jumbo, your mission was perfectly executed."
[10.0] "He was the best young wrestler of the 1970's decade. He was arguably the best wrestler of the 1980's decade (in contention with Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat). IMO, he was the best wrestler in the world for the 1990's until he unfortunately became ill, then his rival Mitsuharu Misawa took over for that accolade. He was able to change & adapt to comfortably fit in with every decade that he performed in, based on his character presentation and the type of in-ring style that he worked. He went from Young Up & Comer (1970's), to ACE of AJPW (1980's), to the Final Boss (1990's). He was the one who got The Four Pillars of Heaven over as the future of AJPW by virtually trying to kill them all the time, LOL. He is one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. Konosuke Takeshita very much reminds me of him today. He should never be forgotten. His feuds with Genichiro Tenryu & Mitsuharu Misawa are also legendary. RIP to the legendary Jumbo Tsuruta."
[10.0] "Jumbo Tsuruta is the greatest professional wrestler I've ever seen. Nobody made me believe more that what was going on in the ring was a true struggle for everything he had. He was a truly believable ace and successor to the (Almost) impossible to follow Giant Baba in All Japan, but he was truly instrumental in the rise of the 4 Corners, leading all of them to their first great matches. He showed them how to build, how to tell a story and how to keep that story going across multiple matches, tours, months and years. It's the greatest shame in Japanese wrestling that the Jumbo vs. Misawa program never finished as it should have due to his illness. I think his greatest compliment came from his retirement ceremony: "It was Rikidozan who planted the tree, it was Giant Baba who made it grow, but it was Jumbo Tsuruta who allowed it to blossom""
[10.0] "If you told me Jumbo was the best wrestler ever, I probably wouldn't argue. His output was just phenomenal, 200 matches a year right up until his illness in 1992. He just had it all in the ring and it is kind of unheard of for such a big man to be one of the best sellers there's ever been. Had great offence and knew exactly how to properly build a match. The ultimate ace right through the duration of the 80's and even as the generation of the Four Pillars was starting to come in, he was still producing the best matches on the show. It's interesting to think how far into the 90's he could have gone had he not gotten sick because his output was still top drawer until he had to step away."
[10.0] "RIP to one of the greatest ever. Can be considered the perfect wrestler, the greatest ace in the history of aces (Sorry Tana). Had nothing but bangers and deserved the goddamn world."
[9.0] "Jumbo Tsuruta was the MVP of AJPW after Baba was too old to be the guy. Seeing Tsuruta's rise from the plucky underdog babyface fighting alongside Baba & saving AJPW from the gaijins into a grumpy old veteran is downright phenomenal. It's slow metamorphosis which happens in such a way that it catches up to you before you even know it. Watching his classics against Tenryu I wasn't aware that he's a heel but it's so obvious in the way he worked. Jumbo happens to be one of the best sellers in this industry & had the ability to throw the best suplexes bar none. No Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar can touch a Jumbo Tsuruta suplex. His work has not aged one bit and you can throw him into the modern japanese wrestling scene & he'll end up in the same exact place he was in AJPW. He looks like a 9 inch taller Tomohiro Ishii & if that isn't the Ace look then what is?"
[10.0] "One of my personal favorite wrestlers to watch. A phenominal seller, and a pristine big man who could also grapple and move with ease. An all-time great."
[10.0] "As time is going by as I'm watching more and more of Jumbo's career, I have to say he's the GOAT. Kenta Kobashi is my true favorite wrestler but Jumbo Tsuruta was the Ace of AJPW for nearly 20 years. An artist of that sport. Baba gave him the keys of his promotion and Jumbo had the time of his life against all the world best wrestlers and putting classics all the way. Whether we was that young trailblazer in his rise or that grumpy veteran as the time went by, the crowd loved him so much. A true GOAT. Can told an intense and emotionnal story as that was brutal. True fighting spirit. His tag work was excellent as his solo run by the way. To sum it up, Jumbo Tsuruta was the backstone of the best golden era in wrestling history as he was also the top one wrestler before it. He deserves every recognition possible."
[10.0] "10/10. Getting it out of the way as a premise. This man was the true successor of the legendary Giant Baba and could work a crowd like no other. Jumbo was an amazing worker, especially for someone his size, he hung around the best of the time and was still putting on timeless classics and clinics almost 20 years later, that is unreal. Tsuruta was instrumental in the rise of AJPW's 4 Pillars, especially Mitsuharu Misawa, but before them, he was the ace worker for the promotion for over a decade, always the one they could rely on, never failing to disappoint. It's seriously hard to express in words how good this guy was, I suggest everyone watch some of his matches, even in his late years before a premature death, Jumbo barely missed a beat in the ring. The crowd loved him, and I'm surprised to see that almost no one talks about him in the west, he deserves way more recognition and had no real flaws."
[10.0] "Jumbo is one of those guys that other wrestlers watch to learn from. A youtube video made a great point "It was only Tomomi Tsuruta's body that could topple Jumbo form his throne""
[10.0] "Assets: Was a mountain of a man by any definition. Was a perennial title contender in either a main event or tag capacity. Had the capability of working in grueling physical contests. - - - Flaws: Isn't nearly renown in North America as he is in Japan. As such, never proved his mettle as an entertainer as well as he could've. Health issues unfortunately shortened his in-ring career (and subsequently his life.) - - - Career Potential: Franchise major league main eventer."
[10.0] "Legendary, the Ace of AJPW who would put over the God Emerald Elbow Misawa. Sadly we were robbed of a finale to their series, as Jumbo's career and life were tragically cut short. His work as face or heel is fantastic and his matches with Tenryu are the stuff of gods."
[10.0] "Although we don't talk about him as much as we should, Jumbo Tsuruta should always be included when talking about who the best Japanese wrestler was in history. Without Tsuruta's decade of brilliance in AJPW, it's hard to fathom if guys like Misawa, Kawada, Taue, or Kobashi would've even entered the business."
[10.0] "One of the best storytellers, and over babyfaces at his peak. The man was simply just a phenom, a man who had carried the ace mantle for him to pass down to Misawa!"
[10.0] "He was AJPW's ace in the 80s for a good reason, in the 80s the only wrestler better was Flair, and not by much, Jumbo was elite and far ahead in the ring from what you'd expect from an 80s wrestler, storytelling master with a great big guy moveset, he set AJPW apart from every other company"
[10.0] "I can see the argument for not rating Jumbo a 10. In the 1970s, one could certainly see him less as one of the great workers of the decade and more a great dance partner who had the fortune of a platform that frequently put him against the best in the world (something of a 70s Japanese equivalent to the common narrative around mid-to-late 2000s John Cena). And the early 1980s were not a period of smooth transition for him; granted, one might rightfully point out that this was more a problem of All Japan's creative state as a whole than with Jumbo's inadequacy at his job, but a more critical observer could likewise ding him for failing to transcend more often than he did. At the end of the day, if one takes this view they will likely see Jumbo as having, at most, a great run from 1985-1992, which might not be enough for them. But while I can see this argument, I cannot agree with it. Jumbo Tsuruta played a vital role in some of the best wrestling of the 1970s. Despite being a victim of the NWA's unwillingness to give their top strap to a foreigner in the 1980s, which stunted Jumbo's growth by preventing him from resolving the first arc of his career (that is, the Japanese farm boy who could match the Americans at their own game), he still put out great matches as often as just about anybody in AJPW did at the time. And when Ishingun had their mid-80s incursion, Jumbo finally had a crop of opponents against which his mean streak could really manifest. When Choshu went crawling back to NJPW, he was able to build from what that feud had given him and create the best Jumbo: grumpy Jumbo. As far as I'm concerned, Jumbo is one of the great Japanese wrestlers, whose flaws in his case as a GOAT contender aren't really his fault, but those of the broader industry in his time. It's a testament to his greatness that, while I think the Four Pillars soared to greater heights when they built off of the SGA/Tsuruta-gun feud, I have an emotional attachment to Jumbo that I've never quite had for any of those who built upon his work. And it's one of the great shames of puroresu that the development of his hepatitis prevented Jumbo from really getting to close his career as a main-eventer on his own terms."
[9.0] "Massively overlooked if only for the Four Pillars coming right after him, Tsuruta was a megastar in Japan with his innovative moveset, natural charisma, and brilliant ring work. Ironically, his best years came after his physical peak in the 70's and early 80's (which were still good, but wasn't the most consistent quality wise) when he was facing off with some of All Japan's future superstars at the time. Despite being a relatively large wrestler in comparison to his peers (the only native guy who stood taller than him was Giant Baba) he wrestled like a man half his size and was easily one of the best in terms of getting the crowd invested in the match. This got much more improved in his later years when he couldn't leap around the ring and had to rely more on adapting to his opponent's style, being more stiff if required, performing heel antics against younger talent, etc. Sadly years of high workrate and hepatitis took him away from the wrestling scene and eventually took his life, but he'll always be remembered for paving the way for Misawa and others in the business with his talent. Definitely one of the most underrated wrestlers in history."
[10.0] "He was pretty cool I guess. I like when he did his Tsuruta "OH! " taunt, always felt like him searching to the audience for validation, even if he was in the wrong. Great touch. Nice knee. Stuff like that. Yeah."
[10.0] "Although Tsuruta isn't that well known outside of Japan, he really should be more recognised. One of the best talents All Japan had ever developed, Tsuruta was a multi talented in-ring performer that could pull the best out of anyone, due to his legitimate sports background. He also helped legitimise a young Mitsuharu Misawa, another one of the GOATS in Japanese wrestling. Unfortunately, Tsuruta met a very swift and unmerciful end shortly after his retirement; had he lived longer I'm certain he could have been instrumental in the development of future talent in Japan. Go out of your way to check out his clash with Genichiro Tenryu if you can, in fact watch all of his matches you get his hands on. He? s truly a marvel to watch."
[8.0] "Tsuruta was very good for his size and style of wrestling he was able to perform. From the late 70s to late 80s, probably Japan's most recognizable figure."
[10.0] "He can have his flaws, as noted by a lot of his work pre-Tenryu feuds. But when he hit that prime sweet-spot in 1987 to late 1991, his form was top 5 ever form. Probably thinking Misawa 94-98 and Kobashi 97-05 beats him out definitively. He had a knack for learning from different people and applying that into his skillset. When he worked with gaijins such as Hansen and Gordy, he really started to kick his snugness into a new gear for example. Same as when he worked with the Funks, Flair, Tenryu, Choshu and even Misawa. All of them gave him an extra edge. So in a sense, a true student of pro-wrestling."
[10.0] "Had a great career. He was home to AJPW and sold out arenas. Very talented and big guy and knew how to maneuver in the ring. He had expose in North America when he became AWA Champion."
[10.0] "Jumbo was a polished worker right out of the gate, that's how good he was. and it didn't take long before Jumbo was not only wrestling the top names in the business, but looking like he more than belonged in the ring with them. Jumbo was the cornerstone of All Japan in the 80s, having classic matches on a regular basis. Jumbo could still hang with the best in the business when illness brought his career to what was effectively its end; Jumbo kept wrestling, but it was only a few times a year, and strictly in the midcard comedy match where he could tag in, hit a couple of spots, and then tag back out."
[10.0] "JUMBO~! Extremely talented, very versatile in away where he can do a bloody brawl with Stan Hansen one show and do a 60 minute time limit with Nick Bockwinkle the next. One of the best wrestlers of his time, bar none. Very agile, very powerful and explosive, has a a unique charisma to him and very tough. Highly influential to the history of All Japan and wrestling in Japan overall."
[10.0] "I haven't really watched much of Jumbo's work in his prime. I know he is considered by some to be the best worker in Japan in the 80s. From what I have seen of his work I can believe that statement. Jumbo helped to create the Kings Road style of wrestling in AJPW in the late 80s and early 90s which led to the greatest period of in-ring wrestling ever."
[10.0] "Would it be a stretch to call him the Ric Flair of Japan? To me Tsuruta is the most important wrestler in the history of AJPW, surpassing even Giant Baba. Without him Misawa might not have gotten as big as he did. He and Tenryu revolutionized what wrestling was with their faster paced bout near the end of the 80s, but even before then Tsuruta was an in ring genius, wrestling unsung classics with Ric Flair, having great bouts with the Funks and having a large set of forgotten masterpieces with Billy Robinson. His most famous work maybe in the 90s, but I'd argue hes always been worht watching no matter the era he wrestled in."
[10.0] "lol some of the recent comments are clearly from people who haven't seen a lot of Jumbo. How he didn't reach his full potential when he was an top star for nearly 3 decades? He is absolutely one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time who molded the goats after him in Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada etc. Highly influential and left a huge mark on not only Japan but wrestling in general."
[7.0] "First of all, R. I. P Jumbo he was gone too soon. But that brings up another point he was great but we were never able to see his full potential because of his early death. He is a huge case of what could have been like many other men in this industry that were taken too soon from us."
[10.0] "Jumbo was the absolute MAN! This guy basically already was putting on 5 star classics a year into his career, and he's been doing so till the early 90's. His charisma was off the charts as well. Easily one of the best wrestlers ever."
[10.0] "Only a few people outside of hardcore puro fans know about him, but he is not only the best Japanese wrestler of all time, he's arguably the best wrestler ever. Trained by Dory Funk, he was capable of going against top names like Jack Brisco and Harley Race and matching them spot for spot while learning a lot too. By the end of the 70s, some were calling him the best wrestler on earth already. One of his best feuds was against a recently-maskless Mitsuharu Misawa, in a passing of the torch of sorts, as well as several crackers against Genichiro Tenryu. Even after twenty-plus years of wrestling, he actually kept getting better and better until his retirement and eventual death."
[10.0] "Great worker, easily the best japanese wrestler in the 80's and early 90's, maybe event the best in the world. Brilliant crowd control, but also selling and impactful offense. What is shocking is how good he was, considering he was such a huge guy."
"Best wrestler in the history of puroresu, bar none. He was the complete package. When you look up the word "strong style" in the dictionary, you should see his picture. He could go 60 minutes without losing his breath. A must see!"
[8.0] "Diese Legende hat für viele die "berühmte Tür geöffnet" und war auch im Ring einer der besten seiner Zeit. Leider ist auch er viel zu jung verstorben, seine Legende aber lebt."
[10.0] "Wahrlich ein wegweisender Wrestler, mit einem für damalige Zeit schnellen Tempo als Heavyweight, der einen perfekter Sinn dafür hatte wie man spannende Matches aufbaut. Eben ein Pionier den wohl gar nicht genug dafür loben kann so schnell und zeitig die nächst Generation ins Rampenlicht gezogen zu haben. Und sie auch dementsprechend aufbaut, das gilt für Misawa, Taue, Kobashi und Kawada. Auch hatte er im Gegensatz zu einigen Behauptung, Charisma. Das lag aber mehr mit seinem ganzen Auftreten zusammen und wirkt auch nur wenn man es sehen wollte, schon allein die Mimik göttlich. Vielleicht der Größte seiner Generation. Und jetzt ALLE: ~OH! OH! OH! ~"
[10.0] "When we think of who the best Japanese wrestler was in the '70s, 80s, and even the early 90s, several well known names might come up. But the fact is, the best one was Jumbo Tsuruta. As a former amateur wrestler who represented Japan in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany - Jumbo was unlike any Japanese wrestler around in his day. He was a tremendous size for a Japanese man, and the only other Japanese wrestler physically bigger than him was Giant Baba. To go along with his size, he was incredibly strong. He had the technical skill to match the likes of Dory Funk Jr & Jack Brisco in the ring, and demonstrated enough agility to perform very high dropkicks. His storytelling and psychology were rarely matched, even to this day, and his charisma was strong enough that he was even cheered in the USA when wrestling their home talent. By his late 30s/early 40s, he was putting on some of the best matches in the world at the time, which included his feuds against the likes of Genichiro Tenyru and a young, almost ready for the main event, Mitsuharu Misawa, who he symbolically pasted the torch to. A fantastic singles wrestler and tag team wrestler with 1 of the best power bombs and backdrops ever, who would be just as good in this era as he was in his own."
[10.0] "Ein wahrer Heavyweight, ein wahrer Champion. Das war Jumbo! Im Ring war er wirklich spitze, aber nicht nur sein Moveset war gut, sondern auch seine Psychologie. Unglaublich guter Storyerzähler, der glaubwürdig sellte und erst recht glaubwürdig zuschlägte. Ist mein Lieblingsheavyweight zusammen mit Misawa, Kobashi und Kawada. War außerdem noch der Wegbereiter für die neuen Stars. Machte aus Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi und Taue in seinen Schlachten zu einem richtigen Star! OH!"
[10.0] "Einer der besten In Ring Performer allerzeiten. Mit der glaubwürdigste Heavyweight und Triple Crown Champ allerzeiten. Tsuruta war einfach große klasse und dank ihm hat die neue "Ära" von All Japan begonnen!"
[8.0] "Seine Kämpfe waren jetzt nicht so der Bringer, aber als wichtiger Champion in Japan und Nordamerika ist doch eine 8 gerechtfertigt. Charisma war früher nie die Stärke japanischer Wrestler. ;)"
[10.0] "Massiger, großer Wrestler, der dennoch schnell und agil im Ring war und jede Aktion sehr glaubhaft rüberbringen konnte. In seiner Gewichtsklasse geht es nicht viel besser."
[9.0] "Der Gründungsvater des modernen Kings Road Pro-Wrestling und der Vorreiter der Super Generation. Er hat Misawa, Kobashi und Co. zu den Stars gemacht, die sie heute sind. Seine Six-Man Tag Matches mit und gegen die Four Corners of Heaven sind unvergessen, genauso wie seine Matches gegen Misawa, in denen er ihn über nacht zum Superstar gemacht hat - Jumbo, we miss you~!"
[10.0] "Einer der besten und größten Wrestler ever. Er hatte keinen unerheblichen Anteil daran, dass die Himmelssäulen der 90er überhaupt diesen Status erlangten. Und er selbst war auch ein Meister seines Fachs."
[10.0] "Eine der frühen Legenden in Japan! Der Wegbereiter für die Stars von heute, sei es Kawada, Misawa, Kobashi etc. Wer weiß, wo das japanische Wrestling heute ohne ihn stünde."
