Yoshiaki Yatsu

**Yoshiaki Yatsu** (谷津嘉章 *Yatsu Yoshiaki*) (born July 19, 1956) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is known for being one-half of the first-ever World Tag Team Champions with Jumbo Tsuruta, having won the NWA International Tag Team Championship and the PWF Tag Team Championship, and unifying the two titles.

## Professional wrestling career

In 1980, after Japan decided not to send their athletes to take part in the Summer Olympics in Moscow, Yatsu garnered a great deal of national attention, when he announced his intention of becoming a professional wrestler. Within just a few years, Yatsu became a regular headliner for New Japan Pro Wrestling, before joining Riki Choshu, when he left the promotion for All Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of 1984. In All Japan Yatsu and Choshu formed a tag team, which would go on to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship.

While Yatsu was training for his Olympic dream, Choshu left All Japan and returned to New Japan. Upon his return to professional wrestling, Yatsu decided not to join his tag team partner in New Japan, but to stay in All Japan. Afterwards, All Japan broke up the tag team of Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta and made Tsuruta Yatsu's new tag team partner. The tag team, known as "The Olympics", would go on to win the World Tag Team Championship five times, the PWF World Tag Team Championship once and in 1987 the team also won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League. In 1990 the team broke up when Yatsu jumped to Super World of Sports. In 1991, while working for the promotion, Yatsu unsuccessfully challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship. When Super World of Sports folded in 1992, Yatsu formed his own promotion Social Pro Wrestling Federation (SPWF), but would wrestle himself only semi-regularly. In 1994 he returned to New Japan to take part in the G1 Climax tournament.

In recent years, Yatsu has been the president of a transportation company. On November 30, 2010, he returned to the professional wrestling ring to wrestle his retirement match. The match took place in front of 500 fans at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, and saw Yatsu and Koji Ishinriki losing to Tatsumi Fujinami and Tiger Mask, when Yatsu submitted to Fujinami.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Piledriver
	+ Powerbomb
	+ Powerslam
* **Signature moves**
	+ Bridging German suplex
	+ Bulldog
	+ *Jailhouse Lock* (Kneeling figure four leglock)
	+ Palm strikes

## Championships and accomplishments

### Amateur wrestling

* 1976 Japanese Olympic Trials - First place, 198 pounds
* 1978 Asian Games - First place, super heavyweight
* 1979 Asian Wrestling Championships - First place, 220 pounds
* 1979 Japanese National Championships - First place, super heavyweight
* 1980 Japanese Olympic Trials - First place, 220 pounds
* 1986 Japanese National Championships - First place, super heavyweight

### Professional wrestling

* **All Japan Pro Wrestling**

* NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Riki Choshu
* PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jumbo Tsuruta
* World Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Jumbo Tsuruta
* World's Strongest Tag Determination League (1987) - with Jumbo Tsuruta
* January 2nd Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (1990)

* **Dramatic Dream Team**

* KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Akito, Keigo Nakamura and Hiroshi Yamato

* **International Wrestling Promotion**

* IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Goro Tsurumi

* **Super World of Sports**

* SWS Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Haku

* **World Class Championship Wrestling**

* WCCW Television Championship (1 time)

* **Wrestling Observer Newsletter**

* 5 Star Match (1986) with Riki Choshu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu on January 28
* 5 Star Match (1989) with Jumbo Tsuruta & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki on January 28

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Meltzer, Dave (December 6, 2010). "Dec 6 2010 Wrestling Observer Newsletter". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, CA: 20–23. ISSN 1083-9593.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Profile at Puroresu Central . Puroresu Central. Retrieved on 2013-10-15.
3. ↑ Archived copy . Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved on 2015-04-09.