CvC: Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka: An International Rivalry Of Epic Proportion

A rivalry is defined as an act of competitiveness or the condition of competing with somebody or something.

In the world of professional wrestling, rivalries between competitors are the driving force behind storylines and serve as the reason why most of us watch in the first place.

In this series of Creature vs. Creature articles, contributors to the pro wrestling section of the Bleacher Report will spotlight some of the biggest and fiercest rivalries in wrestling history in an attempt to convince the reader that their chosen rivalry is the best of all time.

While most have gone with the big names and the bright lights of the WWE, allow me to spotlight a rivalry between two men that lasted 10 years and spanned the world. A rivalry that wowed audiences everywhere from a packed bingo hall in Philadelphia to crowded arenas in Japan.

This is, in my eyes, the greatest rivalry of all time: Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka.

This feud was born out of competition. The personal animosity between these two ring warriors began over in the now-defunct FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling) promotion in Japan before eventually making its way to America via the also-now-defunct ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) promotion.

While many rivalries in pro wrestling reach their boiling point because of issues that develop outside of the ring, thanks to meticulously detailed storylines that give the casual fan something to sink their teeth into, the Awesome/Tanaka rivalry was all about their in-ring work.

Mike Awesome, known in FMW as The Gladiator, was a mountain of a man. Standing at 6’7’’ and weighing nearly 300 pounds, Awesome was a pure powerhouse who specialized in numerous variations of the power bomb.

He also was not afraid to take to the air, becoming one of the few men of his size to regularly incorporate an over the top rope suicide dive into his arsenal. He also liked to finish off his opponents with the Awesome Splash, an impressive top rope frog splash variation.

Masato Tanaka, on the other hand, only stood at 6’ tall and was billed at 220 pounds for most of his career. His lack of size did nothing to deter him from bringing the fight to Awesome every time that they stepped into the ring against each other.

Tanaka loved to use the turnbuckles to his advantage, regularly hitting moves like the Diamond Dust and the tornado DDT. He also possessed a wicked rolling elbow that will go down as one of the best in the business.

The rivalry between these two began when Awesome was achieving great success in FMW in 1997. He held numerous titles, including the promotion's Independent Heavyweight Championship and the World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

By the end of September 1997, Tanaka had defeated Awesome for all of his championship belts, kicking off a rivalry that would finally end when the two met one last time at the WWE-produced ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005.

The Awesome/Tanaka feud hit ECW in 1998 and produced some of the most exciting matches in the history of the promotion.

Their back-and-forth battles at major ECW events like Heat Wave and November to Remember are still looked upon as classics by many of the hardcore faithful.

At the Anarchy Rulz 1999 PPV, Awesome defeated Tanaka and then-ECW World Heavyweight Champion Taz in a triple threat elimination match to become the top champion in ECW.

Awesome eliminated Taz, who was WWF bound, after only two minutes, essentially making it a one-on-one match against his greatest rival for the ECW gold.

Perhaps one reason why this feud holds a special place in my heart is because I personally was able to witness a chapter of it at the November To Remember 1999 PPV from Buffalo, N.Y., which some critics called their best match on American soil.

It was the return match from Anarchy Rulz, this time a straight-up one-on-one battle between Awesome and Tanaka for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

Much like their prior encounters in ECW, their N2R match featured numerous brutal spots. Awesome delivered a sit-out power bomb from the ring apron to a table on the floor that truly lived up to his name.

Tanaka hit his patented tornado DDT onto two steel chairs and also nailed a deadly top rope superplex through a table in the middle of the ring.

The entire crowd at the Burt Flickinger Center was on their feet for the final few minutes of the match. It was a great show of respect for the two competitors who were waging war for the ECW Championship.

The devastating chair shots both men delivered to one another are essentially outlawed in pro wrestling today, and for good reason.

But this was a different and more violent era of wrestling, and the sheer brutality that these men displayed while fighting one another is a perfect example of that.

One of the things that makes this rivalry so special was the consistent quality of their matches. It is nearly impossible to recall a bad match between Awesome and Tanaka, and they battled in ECW numerous times. They headlined pay-per-views and were a regular part of the short-lived "ECW on TNN" program.

Every time they met in the ring, fans wound up on the edge of their seats. Unlike some of the bigger name rivalries from the major promotions, these two delivered exciting, hard-hitting quality matches that did not disappoint.

A great rivalry can truly define the career of a pro wrestler. In the case of Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka, their feud made them synonymous with one another.

When some wrestling fans hear Awesome’s name, they probably think about his mostly terrible run in WCW where he was stuck with terrible gimmicks like “That 70’s Guy” and “The Fat Chick Thrilla,” and no, I’m not making this stuff up.

Despite those horrid characters, whenever I hear the name of Mike Awesome, the first thing that comes to mind is the name of Masato Tanaka.

In today’s wrestling landscape, their names are certainly not household ones. Many of today’s fans are likely unfamiliar with both of them.

Sadly, Awesome lost to his own personal demons and committed suicide in 2007.

Tanaka still actively competes in Japan and makes the occasional appearance in America; he wrestled against Homicide in Jersey All-Pro Wrestling in early 2010.

While calling it the greatest rivalry of all-time may seem like a stretch to some, it is undoubtedly a rivalry that should be recognized.

It may not have changed the landscape of pro wrestling or even made so much as a blip on the mainstream audience’s radar, but those who witnessed these excellent matches know just how special it was whenever these two squared off in the ring.

Here are a few YouTube links for those interested in checking out this truly great rivalry:

First Ever PPV meeting from ECW Heat Wave 1998

ECW World Heavyweight Title match from ECW November To Remember 1999

Highlights from their match at WWE's ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV