10 Most Dangerous Wrestlers Under Six Feet Tall
7. Masato Tanaka
Like several others on this list, Masato Tanaka's 5'11 frame is disguised by the fact that he looks like the hardest motherf*cker in any room or ring he enters.
If 'The Enforcer's six year stint in FMW elevated him to that of a figurative giant, jaw-dropping battles with Mike Awesome helped make him an even greater phenomenon. It's of course possible he might have even been six foot once upon a time until his head and neck established a longterm long distance relationship with Awesome's fiercely-swung steel chair.
Tanaka absorbed punishment in ways few did before or have since. It's with mixed feelings that his matches can even be recommended in the modern age - WWE's outlawing of headshots with the weapon has thankfully bled through to the wider audience and industry at large. Knowledge of concussions is such that suspension of disbelief is often wounded the second the implement connects with cranium.
Like the problematic Police Academy franchise or the oversimplified stance on sexuality taken in underrated Paul Rudd vehicle Object Of My Affection, there's a purity to the sheer entertainment in spite of the date veneer. Tanaka's toughness in the face of such violence is a worthy reason for re-watch.