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 Title History:
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title (4):
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title (5):
FMW Jr. Heavyweight Title (1):
Independent Jr. Heavyweight Title (1):
UWA World Middleweight Title (1):
Tournament History:
- Japanese Junior Crown League (1999): Minoru Tanaka beat Masaaki Mochizuki (18:53) with a cross armbreaker.
Signature Moves:
- Cross kneelock
Profile: Before becoming a wrestler, Minoru Tanaka trained in shootboxing and gymnastics, skills that would aid him in future years. He was initiated into Yoshiaki Fujiwara's dojo in 1993, and debuted at Korakuen Hall in January, 1994. In December, 1995, he competed on the debut show of BattlARTS, where he would relocate and spend many years battling with the likes of Yuki Ishikawa and Alexander Otsuka. He made his first New Japan appearance as part of a New Japan vs. BattlARTS series at the Tokyo Dome in April, 1999. His impressive performance was not ignored, and he was invited back regularly, beginning with the 1999 Best of the Super Jr. in May. Within four months, from June, 2000, to October, 2000, Tanaka shockingly won both of New Japan's junior titles, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title (with Koji Kanemoto), and more surprisingly the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Without even being an official New Japan wrestler, he was a double champion! In January, 2001, he signed a New Japan contract, becoming an official member of the roster. In October, 2002, at the Tokyo Dome, Tanaka began the next phase of his career by debuting his new persona, Heat, a masked children's hero based on a video game. Despite a slow start as Heat, he began to find better form with a new attitude, following an excursion to Mexico's CMLL in mid-2003, winning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title for a third time late in the year. A long title reign with many defenses, including an epic win over Kanemoto, made him the most noted figure in the junior community throughout 2004. But in October, 2004, Minoru Tanaka returned, unmasked, and immediately betrayed Kanemoto (who he reunited briefly with), becoming a heel for the first time and being appointed the ace of CTU (Control Terrorism Unit). In April, 2005, he shortened his name to simply Minoru to commemorate his entry into the New Japan Cup, an openweight tournament where he defeated heavyweight, Osamu Nishimura. From that point his popularity began to bloom, and a successful excursion to TNA in America in 2006, followed by his first Best of the Super Jr. win, skyrocketed it to another level. A fast and often spectacular wrestler, Tanaka utilizes awe-inspiring takedowns, hard strikes, and beautiful submissions, making him one of the top junior heavyweights in professional wrestling.
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