 Kamata, circa 1979 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | McRonald Kamaka March 9, 1937[2] |
| Died | July 23, 2007 (aged 70) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tor Kamata Tor Kamaka "King" Tor Kamaka Dr. Moto Killer Moto |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 350 lb (159 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Japan Polynesia |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1987 |
McRonald Kamaka[3] (March 9, 1937 – July 23, 2007) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler known by the ring name Tor Kamata. He won several heavyweight and tag team championships, most notably the PWF World Heavyweight Championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the AWA World Tag Team Championship in the American Wrestling Association. He was a classic heel, reviled for dirty tricks in the ring, included rubbing salt in his opponent's eyes.
Professional wrestling career
After returning to Hawaii after leaving the United States Air Force, 50th State Big Time Wrestling promoter Ed Francis convinced Kamaka to try professional wrestling.[2] He was given the name Tor Kamata in reference to Tomas De Torquemada of the Spanish Inquisition.[2] He also worked as Dr. Moto, holding the American Wrestling Association's AWA World Tag Team Championship with Mitsu Arakawa. One of his signature moves, the "judo chop" became a popular phrase for all types of martial arts strikes in the 1960s, even being mentioned by Snoopy in the comic strip Peanuts (21 December 1964, 14 January 1967). A generation later, the phrase was satirised in the Austin Powers films.[2]
In the early 1970s, Kamata worked for Stampede Wrestling in Canada, where he held the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship three times.[2] In the promotion, he feuded with Dan Kroffat.[2]
In 1976 and 1977, Kamata wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Managed by Freddie Blassie, he had two memorable matches with Bob Backlund when Backlund was on the brink of becoming the WWWF Champion. In the first, Kamata threw salt into Backlund's eyes, which set the stage for a televised Texas Death match, aired May 7, 1977. Again Kamata threw salt in Backlund's eyes, so Backlund merely used the referee's shirt to wipe it out. Then Backlund delivered an Atomic Knee Drop and won the match. At the time, Superstar Billy Graham had just defeated Bruno Sammartino for the championship and Backlund was being built up as the number one contender.
After WWWF, Kamata worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1978 where he worked there to the end of his career.
Kamata returned to WWWF, now WWF in 1980 feuding with WWF Champion Bob Backlund and Pedro Morales. He left later that year and returned to Japan. He worked in various territories until his retirement in 1987.
Personal life
Kamata was an amateur wrestler during high school.[2] He was a club bouncer before becoming a professional wrestler.[2] He joined the United States Air Force and trained with amateur wrestlers in Turkey.[2] During the 1970s, he owned restaurants in Calgary, Alberta, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he also ran a shiatsu business.[2][3]
Kamata died on July 23, 2007, in Saskatoon after almost a decade of heart disease.[3]
Championships and accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- PWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Performance Award (1978) - with Abdullah the Butcher & The Sheik[4]
- American Wrestling Association
- Southwest Sports, Inc. / Big Time Wrestling
- Central States Wrestling
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (4 times) - with Kinji Shibuya (2) and Duke Keomuka (2)
- NWA Los Angeles
- NWA New Zealand
- NWA Mid-America
- Stampede Wrestling
- Western States Alliance
- WSA Western States Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Woody Farmer and Kalalua[13]
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - Mitsu Arakawa [14]
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates / NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time) - with Kamalamala
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Freddie Blassie
- NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Hans Hermann (1), Freddie Blassie (2), Bearcat Wright (1) and Kintarō Ōki (1)
- World Wrestling Council
References
- ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oliver, Greg (July 7, 2004). "Tor Kamata: Mean but nice". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Oliver, Greg (July 26, 2007). "Tor Kamata dead at 70". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ Real World Tag League 1978 at purolove.com retrieved on October 6, 2018
- ^ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Siegel, Boesch and McLemore]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas and Western Missouri) West Missouri: North American Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA North American Tag Team Title (Central States version)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Whalen, Ed (host) (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 27:55. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
- ^ "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "W.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
External links
- Article acknowledging Tor's death
- Titans Bio #1: Tor Kamata on YouTube
- Tor Kamata at IMDb
- Tor Kamata's profile at Cagematch , Internet Wrestling Database
- 1937 births
- 2007 deaths
- American male professional wrestlers
- Faux Japanese professional wrestlers
- Professional wrestlers from Hawaii
- Stampede Wrestling alumni
- 20th-century male professional wrestlers
- 20th-century American professional wrestlers
- AWA World Tag Team Champions
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Champions
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions
- Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions
- NWA Americas Tag Team Champions
- PWF World Heavyweight Champions
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Champions
- NWA World Tag Team Champions (Buffalo Athletic Club version)
- NWA World Tag Team Champions (Texas version)
- NWA World Tag Team Champions (Los Angeles version)
- NWA World Tag Team Champions (Mid-America version)
