Yoshikazu Taru

Yoshikazu Taru
TARU, November 2010
Ring name(s)	The Great Ruta TARU TARUltimo Dragon Yoshikazu Taru
Billed height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Billed weight	111 kg (245 lb)[1]
Born	(1964-08-23) August 23, 1964 Kobe City, Japan[1]
Trained by	Koji Kitao
Debut	1996[1]

Yoshikazu Taru^[2] is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name TARU. He works for All Japan Pro Wrestling and El Dorado Wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

Taru trained in Koji Kitao's Buko Dojo and started wrestling in 1996 for Wrestle Yume Factory, Wrestle Association R and other independent promotions. He joined Toryumon shortly after it opened and formed a tag team with fellow Buko graduate Masaaki Mochizuki, but he betrayed him and joined Crazy MAX (Shiima Nobunaga, Judo Suwa and Sumo Fuji) after they spared him in an in ring attack. He became their manager and mouthpiece.^[3] For many years they were a powerful faction in Toryumon Japan and Dragon Gate but the group dissolved on November 2, 2004, and TARU left the promotion.

Taru soon showed up in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he started feuding with Taka Michinoku and his Roughly Obsess and Destroy (RO&D) faction. He proceeded to create his own faction, Voodoo Murders, composed of himself, Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli, Chuck Palumbo, as well as former Dragon Gate trainees Shuji Kondo and "brother" YASSHI. Giant Bernard also joined, becoming the monster of the group.^[4] Voodoo Murders became AJPW's main heel group and began an intense feud with RO&D, clashing with them on many occasions.^[5] They were also known for putting their victims in body bags and beating them senseless with baseball bats.^[5] The group suffered a major loss though when Giant Bernard left the team in order to join New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Taru wrestled one match against The Great Muta as The Great Ruta. Taru challenged Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown on January 8, 2006. However, Kojima successfully defended his title. in July 2007, however, Kojima shocked the All-Japan roster when he turned on them and joined the Voodoo Murders, where he was quickly made the group's co-leader along with TARU, whom he had defeated in the previous year in a vicious match for the AJPW Triple Crown. Soon after joining, Kojima and TARU won the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship. Along with Big Daddy Voodoo He Won The AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship. Taru with Big Daddy Voodoo & MAZADA defeated Seiya Sanada, Manabu Soya & BUSHI.^[6]

TARU has recently been appearing in El Dorado as a general manager.

As of June 1, 2011, TARU has been suspended indefinitely by AJPW after an alleged attack on stablemate Nobukazu Hirai which left Hirai in the hospital with acute hematoma. All Japan later also suspended TARU's stablemates KONO, MAZADA and Minoru for not attempting to stop TARU's assault on Hirai and disbanded Voodoo Murders, while the promotion's president Keiji Mutoh took the blame for the incident and resigned from his position on June 7.^[7] On June 30, TARU's suspension was upheld, while his former stablemates were allowed to return to action. Meanwhile, Hirai remains in a coma.^[8] On January 22, 2013, Taru announced that he would be returning to professional wrestling for the Diamond Ring promotion on February 11.^[9] Taru's return match, where he and Kazunari Murakami faced Kento Miyahara and Taishi Takizawa, ended in a no contest, following run-ins from "brother" YASSHI and Kengo Nishimura. Afterwards, Taru, Murakami, YASSHI and Nishimura, reforming the Voodoo Murders, were defeated in an eight man tag team match by Miyahara, Takizawa, Satoshi Kajiwara and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya. After the match, Miyahara and Takizawa turned on their partners and joined the new Voodoo Murders, with "brother" YASSHI positioned as the leader.^[10]

Gimmick

Taru is known for his bizarre entrance attires and behaviour as well as his sinister and vicious personality, often attacking bystanders to vent his aggression. He has also become notorious for using his stablemates to help him during his matches, despite losing by disqualification. His non-wrestling attire and personality could be classed as practically suave, complete with yakuza-like mannerisms and presence.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• Malw^[2] (Vertical suplex powerbomb) - 2002-2005
• TARU Driller^[2] (Over the shoulder reverse piledriver)

• Signature moves

• Brainbuster
• Fireball^[2]
• Gamengiri^[11]
• Headbutt drop, sometimes to the opponent's groin
• Kakato Otoshi^[2] (Axe kick)
• Lariat
• MoonTARUto (Moonsault)^[2]
• Powerbomb
• Spinning heel kick
• TARU Guillotine^[12] (Diving leg drop, sometimes to the back of the opponent's head)
• T-Crush^[2] (Chokebomb, sometimes as a counter to an oncoming opponent)

• Entrance themes

• "TARU Drill a Hole" by King-Show

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling

• AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Satoshi Kojima^[6]
• AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Big Daddy Voodoo^[13]

• International Wrestling Revolution Group

• World Lucha Libre Martial Arts Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #298 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003^[14]

• Tokyo Sports

• Tag Team Of The Year (2006) - with Suwama, Shuji Kondo, & "brother" YASSHI ^[15]

• Toryumon Japan

• UWA World Trios Championship (1 time) – with CIMA and Big Fuji^{[16][Note 1]}
• One Night Tag Tournament Winner (2002) - with SUWA^[13]

Footnotes

References