Ranking Who Was Really The Man In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020

30. 1991 - Jumbo Tsuruta

Austin Jericho
AJPW

1991 was Jumbo Tsuruta's last, awesome stand as the Ace of All Japan Pro Wrestling.

That isn't a synonym from the rolodex; Tsuruta, a super-worker of a colossus, inspires genuine astonishment when revisiting his work. He was at once a spectacle and an artist, and this was the year he roared back after Mitsuharu Misawa had first threatened to displace him in their seminal - mythical - 1990s singles clash.

Throughout '91, Tsuruta worked a gruelling schedule in front of several packed houses amid a renaissance he spearheaded. His work was outstanding on a psychological and practical level; he was the old, reflexive heel slapping down the emerging generation in classic tags that readied them all for the resulting decade of prosperity.

A sensational year-long final jump scare, Tsuruta was at once the Ace, the grizzled old lion, the monster heel and the sentimental favourite in the worker's promotion rising sharply in popularity.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!