JUMBO TSURUTA AND BACK DROP

Tsuruta wrested the AWA belt from Nick !! (1984)

Everyone recognized that Jumbo Tsuruta would be the successor to throne of ALL JAPAN. But there was a something weakness within him (that was rather a fascination of him for me), most of wrestling fans grew impatient. Tsuruta's special moves were Suplex, Jumping Knee Attack, Flying Body Scissors Drop, and others. Giant Baba thought that Tsuruta needed to have a stronger move of specialty, and he invited Lou Thesz to Japan in the end of 1982. Thesz taught Tsuruta his Back Drop with a beautiful bridge. And after that, Tsuruta began to use Back Drop as the finishing move in his big matches.

Because Tsuruta had learned pro-wrestling from the Funk brothers, he had been using a Funk-style Back Drop. That was the style of taking an enemy's leg, and it was not good-looking. In Japan, the only wrestler who had used the Thesz-style Back Drop was Antonio Inoki. And Tsuruta passed Inoki, became the best expert of Back Drop. His weakness went away from him, and he defeated Brody to take the belt of International Championship in August 1983. And at last, Tsuruta wrested AWA World Championship from Nick in February 1984. The last fight with Brody in 1988, he used Back Drop as the finishing move.

Tsuruta became the International Champion. (1983)

Tsuruta often used Back Drop Hold. That was his special move that he threw an opponent and instantly took a fall like a German Suplex Hold. It was very impressive that he defended United National Championship from Tommy Rich with that move in 1983. And when he took the AWA belt, he defeated Nick by this special hold, too. I have never seen an expert of Back Drop Hold except for Tsuruta. In the 80's, when everyone was using Back Drop easily (?), Tsuruta recovered its authority as the special move of pro-wrestling. And in the 90's, Tsuruta was called the perfect champion. Though sometimes I felt lonesome that his weakness had gone away, it might have been my selfishness.