When Things Turned Real!

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One of the matches pitted a battle between two former sumo wrestlers when "Earthquake" John Tenta faced off against Kōji Kitao.

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The Rematch That Turned Into a Shoot

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The match quickly went to heck after Tenta grabbed hold of Kitao in a waist lock, but when Kitao seems to want to reverse or escape, Tenta’s grip didn’t loosen.

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As Kitao continued to struggle, Tenta "helped him out" by lifting and slamming him onto the mat for a takedown.

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[{"selector":"#anim-dcee67b5-cbc4-4b18-a424-f44bf3d46d2b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":450,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ee1f1756-c89f-47fb-a790-bf6f9780348d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 220.45087%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":450,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0d22eced-c653-47ac-acf0-0e924552522e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0, 7.760782355151471e-15%, 0)","translate3d(0, 0%, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Giving Kitao barely room to breathe, Tenta proceeded to lay all 400+ lbs on him and then attempted to grab one of Kitao’s legs amateur style. Read More

[{"selector":"#anim-ae8dc5ec-9702-425d-9a9b-389a320cb2af [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-12.702990320905045%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d86d20f4-31bd-46ce-a159-638c445a418b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":450,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-68551a42-1618-4a88-a7c3-80451b550ac0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 142.07594%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":450,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] "He was green, stiff, and sh**ty. Considered himself a shooter, but he was just an a**hole." Wrestling isn’t always what it seems. When it’s at its best, the scripted nature of the bouts can become indistinguishable from real. However, when Earthquake John Tenta and Kōji Kitao faced off in 1991, what was depicted in the ring was very real. Read More

Swipe up to read the full story!

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When Things Turned Real!

Earthquake John Tenta and Kōji Kitao

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The Troubles Between Earthquake John Tenta and Kōji Kitao

One of the matches pitted a battle between two former sumo wrestlers when "Earthquake" John Tenta faced off against Kōji Kitao.

The Rematch That Turned Into a Shoot

The match quickly went to heck after Tenta grabbed hold of Kitao in a waist lock, but when Kitao seems to want to reverse or escape, Tenta’s grip didn’t loosen.

Read More

As Kitao continued to struggle, Tenta "helped him out" by lifting and slamming him onto the mat for a takedown.

Read More

Swipe up to read the full story!

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