NWO Twenty Years Later: Where Are They Now?

Alongside Masa Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan was one of the founding members of New Japan's nWo sister group, and was similarly flown across the world to represent on WCW programming. However, unlike Masa Chono, it was almost two years before the company put Tenzan on American screens.

Like many of WCW's NJPW imports, Tenzan's relationship with the Georgia company went back further than the formation of Hogan's outlaw faction. In fact, the former IWGP Tag Team Champion made his one and only pay-per-view appearance for the group one year prior to nWo Japan's foundation, losing out to Randy Savage at StarrCade '95's 'World Cup of wrestling'.

Even though he was running wild with the heels in his native Japan as part of Masa Chono's splinter-cell, it wasn't until January 1998 that Tenzan made his first WCW appearance under the black and white banner, overcoming fellow Japanese talent Michiyoshi Ohara in a throwaway Thunder taping.

Tenzan later tagged with his leader Masa Chono in a June episode of Nitro against the illustrious team of High Voltage, before the pair bizarrely defended their IWGP Tag Titles against Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart on Thunder three days later.

That was that, for Tenzan in Atlanta. Talk about a wasted journey.

Now 45, the Kyoto native is still active in NJPW - and still in a high-profile capacity; as recently as this past he April, he was one of several legends who challenged the super-hot Katsuyori Shibata for his NEVER Openweight Championship. It doesn't seem like he's prepared to give the wrestling lifestyle up anytime soon.