The Orient Express (professional wrestling)

{{main|Badd Company}}

After Badd Company lost the AWA World Tag Team Championship, they split up and feuded with each other. Tanaka took on Sato as his partner and adopted a more martial arts based ring style. The two feuded with Diamond before together moving to the WWF in 1990.{{cite book | author=Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson | title= The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams | publisher=ECW Press | year=2005| isbn=978-1-55022-683-6}}

In early 1990, manager Mr. Fuji split up the team known as The Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) as he sold their individual contracts to Slick who got the former and Bobby Heenan who received the latter, respectively. Fuji then brought in The Orient Express (Sato & Tanaka) as his latest threat to the WWF tag team division.{{cite book | author=Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson | title= The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams | publisher=ECW Press | year=2005| isbn=978-1-55022-683-6}} While the Orient Express was supposed to represent Japan, Pat Tanaka was born in Hawaii.

The Orient Express kicked off a prolonged feud with The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) that started at WrestleMania VI, where Sato and Tanaka were victorious via countout after Sato threw salt in Jannetty's eyes while they were outside of the ring,{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#VI | title = WWF WrestleMania Results (VI) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = The Orient Express (Sato & Tanaka) beat The Rockers (7:38) via countout}} and continued off and on for well over a year.{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/wwfuk.html#ramp91 | title = WWF UK Tour Results (UK Rampage 91) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = The Rockers beat The Orient Express via pinfall.}} The Orient Express got involved in the feud between Legion of Doom (Animal and Hawk) and Demolition (Ax, Smash and later Crush) as Fuji reconciled with former protegés Demolition and resumed managing them. The angle was also intended to phase out founder Demolition member Ax and refresh Demolition's edge as villains after a series of house show losses to the Legion of Doom and the Ultimate Warrior. Following an incident in which all three Demolition members ran in on an Express vs LOD match and the manager and both his teams beat down Hawk and Animal six-on-two, WWF President Jack Tunney ordered that one Demolition member leave the WWF (this would be Ax) and the remaining two be placed under probation. Tunney additionally ordered the Orient Express, along with Fuji as an active wrestler, to take on the Legion of Doom in five man handicap tag matches in Demolition's place.{{cite web| url = http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/90.htm | title = WWF Show Results 1990 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = Graham Cawthon | quote = October 9, 1990: The Legion of Doom defeated the Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji) via disqualification at 3:21 when Demolition Ax, Smash, & Crush interfered; after the bout, LOD were assaulted by all five wrestlers, with Fuji using his cane as a weapon (Fuji's reunion with Demolition}} The feud between the Legion of Doom and the Orient Express and Fuji was extremely one-sided despite the three on two advantage, due to the Legion of Doom’s massive size advantage.{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/tme.html#5 | title = WWF The Main Event Results (V) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = The Legion of Doom beat The Orient Express (Kato & Tanaka) (5:11).}}

After WrestleMania VI, Tanaka and Sato only made two pay-per-view appearances while in the WWF. Firstly at SummerSlam 1990 where the team were defeated by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff.{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/summer.html#90 | title = WWF SummerSlam Results (1990) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com}} They were then a part of the Sgt. Slaughter led team "The Mercenaries" (that also included Boris Zhukov. Sato was pinned by Bushwhacker Butch 1:46 into the match and Tanaka was pinned by Tito Santana only moments later, 2:13 into the match.{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#90 | title = WWF Survivor Series Results (1990) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com}}

When Akio Sato decided to leave the US wrestling scene in the latter days of 1990, the WWF decided to reunite Badd Company, only this time with Paul Diamond wearing a mask to conceal his ethnicity and using the name Kato. During this time the team had a very well received match with their old enemies the Rockers at the 1991 Royal Rumble{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#91 | title = WWF Royal Rumble Results (1991) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = The Rockers beat The Orient Express (Tanaka & Kato) (19:15)}} and another well received match against The New Foundation (Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and "The Rocket" Owen Hart) at the 1992 Royal Rumble{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#92 | title = WWF Royal Rumble Results (1992) | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart beat The Orient Express (Tanaka & Kato) (17:18)}} – which were the only two PPV appearances for the New Orient Express.

Sato briefly rejoined the team in 1991 to team with Tanaka and Kato for a series of 6-man tag-team matches on WWF house shows,{{cite web| url = http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/91.htm | title = WWF Show Results 1991 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = Graham Cawthon | quote = Ricky Steamboat, Davey Boy Smith, & Kerry Von Erich defeated the Orient Express (Kato, Tanaka, & Sato) (w/ Mr. Fuji) when Steamboat pinned Kato with the flying crossbody at 10:28}} but Sato left the WWF after only a handful of matches together. Tanaka would leave the WWF in February 1992.{{cite web| url = http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/92.htm | title = WWF Show Results 1992 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = Graham Cawthon | quote = February 17, 1992: Virgil defeated Pat Tanaka via submission with the Million $ Dream at 7:16 (this was Tanaka’s last match in the WWF)}} Diamond went on to wrestle as a singles competitor in the WWF, first as Kato, then later as Max Moon, replacing the departed Konnan,{{cite book | author=RD Reynolds and Randy Baer | title=Wrestlecrap – the very worst of pro wrestling | publisher=ECW Press | year=2003 | isbn=1-55022-584-7 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre }} neither gimmick meeting with very much success.

After Kato also left the WWF, the two reunited as Badd Company, working for Eastern Championship Wrestling from late 1993 to early 1994, wrestling against the likes of The Bad Breed (Ian and Axl Rotten) and The Public Enemy, but never won the tag team titles.{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1993d.html#100193 | title = ECW Show Results October – December 1993 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com | quote = Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka beat Ian & Axl Rotten}}{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1993d.html#100293 | title = ECW Show Results October – December 1993 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com| quote = Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka beat The Public Enemy}}{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1993d.html#111393 | title = ECW Show Results October – December 1993 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com| quote = The Public Enemy beat Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond (16:40) in a "South Philly hood" match }}{{cite web| url = http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1994a.html#032694b | title = ECW Show Results January – March 1994 | accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = prowrestlinghistory.com| quote = Kevin Sullivan & The Tazmaniac beat Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond}}

Pat Tanaka resurfaced in WCW during 1994 as a singles wrestler billed as "Tanaka-San".{{cite web| url = http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw94.htm | title = WCW Show Results 1994| accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = Graham Cawthon | quote = March 24, 1994: WCW US Champion Steve Austin defeated Tanaka-san}} Paul Diamond showed up with the Kato mask on using the name "Haito" shortly afterwards.{{cite web| url = http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw94.htm | title = WCW Show Results 1994| accessdate = April 3, 2007| author = Graham Cawthon | quote = March 30, 1994: Arn Anderson defeated Hyeeto (Paul Diamond) via disqualification when Tanaka-san interfered}} The two men even wrestled a couple of matches together, but they never achieved any notoriety in WCW and finally split up for good by the end of 1994. Pat Tanaka showed up in singles matches during 1996 in WCW. The two reunited in 2006 as the Orient Express on the independent circuit until 2008.

• American Wrestling Association
• AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time)
• AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
• Continental Wrestling Association
• CWA/AWA International Tag Team Championship (4 times)

• American Force
• Badd Company

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.cagematch.net/?id=28&nr=704 Cagematch profile]

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Category:Masked tag teams

Category:WWE teams and stables