KWK Brand Talent Management ends its relationship with the wrestling veteran following his reported absence from Slam-O-Ween 2 in Chillicothe, just weeks after a similar controversy involving Absolute Intense Wrestling.
Veteran professional wrestler Pat Tanaka has been dropped by KWK Brand Talent Management following another reported failure to appear at a scheduled wrestling event in Ohio.
The announcement comes after Tanaka reportedly missed World Classic Professional Big Time Wrestling’s Slam-O-Ween 2 event on Saturday, October 24, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Tanaka had been advertised to appear alongside longtime tag team partner Paul Diamond, collectively known as Badd Company and formerly The Orient Express in WWE.
In a public statement titled “Discontinuation of Representation of Pat Tanaka,” KWK Brand announced that it was immediately ending its professional relationship with the wrestling veteran.
“Effective immediately, KWK Brand Talent Management will be ending its talent representation relationship with Pat Tanaka. We will continue to honor our existing commitments regarding his action figures, but we will no longer represent him for bookings or appearances.”
The company attributed its decision to what it described as repeated problems involving Tanaka’s scheduled appearances and communication.
“This decision follows multiple missed events and ongoing concerns regarding his reliability and communication,” KWK stated.
Perhaps most notably, the company claims Tanaka had already arrived in Ohio several days before Saturday’s event.
“Most recently, despite arriving in Ohio on Wednesday, Pat did not follow the original arrangements made for his stay and subsequently failed to appear at Bobby Fulton’s event. As of this statement, we have received no explanation from him regarding his absence.”
The allegation raises additional questions about the circumstances surrounding Tanaka’s absence, particularly given that his management company says he was already in the state ahead of the event.
Second Ohio Controversy in Six Weeks
Saturday’s reported no-show follows a similar incident involving Cleveland-based Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) in September.
Tanaka had been scheduled to participate in AIW’s The Syxxth Sense weekend, including a seminar and wrestling appearance.
According to a public statement from AIW, the promotion provided Tanaka with money to assist with travel arrangements after his original plans fell through. AIW subsequently reported that Tanaka failed to appear for his scheduled seminar and that attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
The promotion later stated that Tanaka had reported being involved in an automobile accident and was attempting to arrange alternate transportation. Despite further communication regarding his potential arrival, Tanaka ultimately did not appear as scheduled, according to AIW.
The situation generated considerable discussion within the independent wrestling community, with AIW later addressing the controversy on its podcast, The Card Is Going To Change.
Now, approximately six weeks later, Tanaka finds himself at the center of another reported missed appearance in Ohio, this time resulting in the termination of his management representation.
KWK Cites Financial Support and Business Consequences
Beyond the missed appearances, KWK Brand’s statement also revealed financial arrangements between the company and Tanaka.
According to KWK, the company has provided financial assistance to Tanaka over the past six months through advances connected to his action figure projects.
“Over the past six months, KWK Brand has also provided financial support to Pat through advances associated with his action figure projects. His current action figure agreement is intended, in part, to help repay the money previously advanced to him.”
The company indicated that it intends to honor its existing action figure commitments despite ending its representation of Tanaka for wrestling appearances.
KWK also expressed concern about the impact of the reported incidents on its relationships with promoters and business partners.
“Unfortunately, these repeated incidents have consequences beyond the individual events. They damage the business relationships KWK Brand has worked hard to establish with our partners, promoters, and collaborators.”
The statement specifically mentioned Paul Diamond, Tanaka’s longtime tag team partner, as another individual potentially affected by the situation, citing lost profits and opportunities.
For decades, Tanaka and Diamond have been associated with one another through their work as Badd Company in the American Wrestling Association and later as The Orient Express in WWE. Their reunion appearances have remained an attraction for fans of professional wrestling from that era.
Management Relationship Officially Ends
In concluding its announcement, KWK Brand made clear that it would no longer accept responsibility for Tanaka’s wrestling bookings.
“KWK Brand takes its commitments to our partners seriously. We cannot continue putting our reputation and business relationships at risk when the talent we represent repeatedly fails to fulfill their commitments.”
The company added that its decision was necessary to protect its business relationships and reputation.
While KWK will continue fulfilling its existing action figure obligations under the applicable agreement, it will no longer arrange Tanaka’s future wrestling appearances.
As of KWK’s statement, the company said it had received no explanation from Tanaka regarding his absence from Slam-O-Ween 2.
Tanaka’s account of the latest incident has not been independently established, and the allegations concerning his travel arrangements, financial advances, and communication remain those of KWK Brand Talent Management.
With two Ohio promotions now connected to reported missed appearances in a matter of weeks, the situation has moved beyond a single disputed booking and resulted in a significant change to Tanaka’s professional representation.
While the circumstances surrounding these incidents remain unclear, Wrestle Ohio sincerely hopes that Pat Tanaka is doing well and that there are no serious personal circumstances contributing to the situation. Regardless of the business issues involved, we wish him the best and hope that everything is okay.
WrestleOhio will continue following the story as additional information becomes available.