John Tenta

John Tenta
Tenta in 1988
Birth nameJohn Anthony Tenta Jr.
Born(1963-06-22)June 22, 1963
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
DiedJune 7, 2006(2006-06-07) (aged 42)
Sanford, Florida, United States
Cause of deathBladder cancer
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Avalanche
The Canadian Earthquake
Earthquake
Earthquake Evans
The Gargoyle
Golga
John Tenta
Kototenta (sumo)
Kototenzan (sumo)
The Shark
Billed height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Billed weight468 lb (212 kg)
Billed fromVancouver, British Columbia (as Earthquake)
Mount Everett, Washington (as Avalanche)
Great Barrier Reef (as Shark)
Trained byGiant Baba
Jumbo Tsuruta
Great Kabuki
Terry Gordy
Debut1987
Retired2004
Kototenzan Toshimitsu
琴天山 俊光
Personal information
Height1.97 m (6 ft 5+12 in)
Weight192 kg (423 lb; 30.2 st)
Career
StableSadogatake
Record21-0-7
DebutNovember 1985
Highest rankMakushita 43 (July 1986)
RetiredJuly 1986
Championships1 (Sandanme)
1 (Jonidan)
1 (Jonokuchi)

Last updated: May 2013

John Anthony Tenta Jr. (June 22, 1963  June 7, 2006) was a Canadian professional wrestler and sumo wrestler (rikishi) best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake.

After a promising start to his sumo career, using the name Kototenzan, Tenta switched to professional wrestling and became a high-profile star for the WWF, feuding with Hulk Hogan and winning the WWF Tag Team Championship as a member of The Natural Disasters with personal friend, Typhoon.

His professional wrestling career also encompassed runs in World Championship Wrestling, where he was known as Avalanche and The Shark, All Japan Pro Wrestling and a return to WWF as Golga. Tenta died in 2006 after a long battle with bladder cancer.

On April 19, 2025, Tenta, as Earthquake, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 alongside Typhoon as The Natural Disasters.