.jpg) Mr. Fuji as the manager ofDemolition, wearing their signature brass knuckles tattoos | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara (1934-05-04)May 4, 1934 |
| Died | August 28, 2016(2016-08-28) (aged 82) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mr. Fujiwara[1] Shintaro Fuji[1] Mr. Fuji[1][2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Osaka, Japan[2] |
| Trained by | Nick Bockwinkel |
| Debut | 1962[3] |
| Retired | 1996[3] |
Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara (Japanese:藤原 正義,Hepburn:Fujiwara Masayoshi; 4 May 1934 – 28 August 2016)[5] was an Americanprofessional wrestler,actor andmanager, known professionally by hisring nameMr. Fuji (orMaster Fuji to his protégés).[6] He was famous for often throwing salt in the eyes offan favorite wrestlers. Notable wrestlers and tag teams managed by him includeDon Muraco,Yokozuna andDemolition.
Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara was born on May 4, 1934, inHonolulu,Hawaii. He was ofJapanese andNative Hawaiian ancestry.[7][8]
Fujiwara made hisprofessional wrestling debut in 1962 in his nativeHawaii under thering name Mr. Fujiwara. He won his first championship, theNWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship, withKing Curtis Iaukea on January 7, 1966.[9] He shortened his ring name to Mr. Fuji and toured many territories, includingDon Owen'sPortland, Oregon based NWAPacific Northwest Wrestling where he won many championships.[1]
Fuji debuted inVince McMahon, Sr.'sWorld Wide Wrestling Federation in 1972 as aheel. He formed atag team withProfessor Toru Tanaka and the duo were managed by theGrand Wizard.[10] Tanaka provided his physical massive strength and Fuji brought his devious ring psychology to the team, which earned him the nickname "The Devious One".[10] Fuji used to throw salt in his opponent's eyes, which earned him victories.[1][2] They defeatedSonny King andChief Jay Strongbow on June 27, 1972, for their firstWorld Tag Team Championship.[11][12] They quickly ascended tomain event status, defending the titles againstWWWF World Heavyweight ChampionPedro Morales andBruno Sammartino on several occasions, throughout the year.[1] During the feud, Fuji earned a shot at the WWWF title against Morales on August 22 but lost by count-out.[13] They reigned for eleven months, making them thethird longest reigning WWWF World Tag Team Champions in history. They lost the championship toTony Garea andHaystacks Calhoun on May 30, 1973.[14]
They continued to feud with Garea and Calhoun for the titles before defeating them on September 11 in a rematch to win their second WWWF World Tag Team Championship.[12][15] With their title recapture, their feud with Garea and his new partnerDean Ho continued. On November 14, Fuji and Tanaka lost the titles to Garea and Ho.[16] After failing to recapture the title from Garea and Ho, Fuji and Tanaka left the WWWF in 1974.
After WWWF, Fuji went on his own toMid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from 1974 to 1975.
He reunited with Tanaka and debuted inGeorgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) in August 1975. On September 19, 1975, they participated in a four-team tournament where they defeated former WWWF rivalsTony Garea andDean Ho in the finals to win the vacantNWA Georgia Tag Team Championship.[17] They lost the title toBob Backlund andJerry Brisco a month later. Shortly after their title loss, they left GCW and toured other territories and won several titles.
In 1976, Fuji went on his own to work for [Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)|Big Time Wrestling in California]. He won the NWA San Francisco United States title defeatingPat Patterson on February 7 in San Francisco. He held the title until leaving the territory in February 1977.
Also in 1976 he worked forWorld Class Championship Wrestling in Texas while champion in California.[citation needed]
Fuji and Tanaka returned to WWWF in 1977. They took onFreddie Blassie as their manager.[10] On September 27, 1977, they defeatedLarry Zbyzsko and longtime rivalTony Garea in the finals of atag team tournament to win their third WWWF World Tag Team Championship.[12][18] They wrestled in many six-man and eight-man tag team matches during their third reign.[10] They lost the belts toDino Bravo andDominic DeNucci on the March 14, 1978, episode ofChampionship Wrestling.[19] Shortly after, they left WWWF again.
Fuji and Tanaka continued to tour the territories in 1979 where they won titles again. Later that same year, they stopped teaming and began wrestling individually. Fuji had success, winning several singles titles in many promotions includingWorld Wrestling Council,NWA New Zealand andMaple Leaf Wrestling.[1]
Fuji returned to World Wide Wrestling Federation, then known as the World Wrestling Federation, in 1981. He formed atag team withMr. Saito, which was managed by CaptainLou Albano.[20] They began afeud with tag championsTony Garea andRick Martel, whom they defeated on the October 17, 1981, episode ofChampionship Wrestling to win their firstTag Team Championship, though it was Fuji's fourth individual reign.[12][21] They began feuding with The Strongbows (Chief Jay andJules) in the fall of 1981. This culminated in a title match on June 28, 1982, atMadison Square Garden (MSG) where the Strongbows won the championship.[22] On the July 13 episode ofChampionship Wrestling, they defeated the Strongbows in atwo out of three falls match for Fuji's fifth and Saito's second WWF Tag Team Championship.[12][23] The feud of these two teams ended after Fuji and Saito lost the titles to the Strongbows on the October 30 episode ofChampionship Wrestling.[24]
Fuji was mainly used in singles competition and teamed on and off withTiger Chung Lee, but they had little success in the ring. In a brief angle, Fuji turned on Chung Lee in a match at the Philadelphia Spectrum againstThe Wild Samoans in 1984. In a grudge match to settle the feud, Fuji defeated Chung Lee. Afterward, Fuji continued to wrestle on his own until his in-ring retirement and Chung Lee stayed with the WWF until 1988 in the lower mid-card to preliminary wrestler.
Fuji retired from wrestling in 1985 and became aheelmanager and wrestled occasionally. As a manager, Fuji often "blinded" his opponents by throwing salt in their eyes, or he or his wrestler(s) hit their opponent with his ever-present cane. He wore a black tuxedo and bowler hat, akin to theJames Bond series characterOddjob, and carried a little bag of salt. His first client wasGeorge Steele. Fuji teamed with him to lose toHulk Hogan and "Mean"Gene Okerlund when Okerlund pinned Fuji.[1][2] Steele soon became aface and left Fuji. Fuji's next client wasDon Muraco. They formed a popular heel duo and appeared in a number of TV show parodies, including "Fuji Vice", which was a send-up ofMiami Vice. Fuji and Muraco then began afeud withRicky Steamboat, resulting in Steamboat defeating Fuji in several matches during the feud. Fuji briefly managedJim Neidhart, whose contract he later sold toJimmy Hart.[1] In 1987, he bought the contract ofDemolition (Ax andSmash) fromLuscious Johnny V. Demolition started calling him "Master Fuji." Earlier, he broughtKiller Khan andSika back to the WWF.[1] He acquired Kamala fromThe Wizard, managing him in singles or tag matches with Sika, while also leading"Cowboy" Bob Orton (who often teamed with Muraco).
Fuji managed Demolition to the Tag Team Championship atWrestlemania IV. AtSurvivor Series '88, he turned on Demolition and began managing Demolition's rival tag team,The Powers of Pain (Warlord andBarbarian).[1] Interviewed after the contest, Fuji claimed that he had turned on Demolition because, since winning the championship, they had become insubordinate and disrespectful to him, whereas the Powers would be utterly obedient and loyal apprentices.[25] For their part, Demolition denounced their former manager as a parasite, labelling him "Fuj the Stooge".[26][27][28]
AtWrestleMania V, Fuji teamed with the Powers of Pain in a 3-on-2handicap match against Demolition for their Tag Team Championship. Fuji and Powers were defeated after Ax pinned Fuji following a Demolition Decapitation.[29] Fuji sold the individual contracts of Powers of Pain to managersSlick andBobby "the Brain" Heenan and broughtThe Orient Express (Pat Tanaka andAkio Sato) to the WWF. Orient Express got involved in a feud withThe Rockers (Shawn Michaels andMarty Jannetty), whom The Orient Express defeated by count out (thanks to Sato throwing the salt in Janetty's eyes) atWrestlemania VI.[1] Orient Express got involved in Demolition's feud withthe Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal).[1] Fuji reunited with Demolition (who by this time had a third member,Crush) at that point. Demolition was phased out while the Orient Express took on Legion of Doom in matches.[1] Fuji then managedThe Berzerker in late 1991 until early 1993. His last match in WWF was teaming withKamala as they lost toThe Undertaker in a handicap match on July 26, 1992, at a house show.
Fuji's greatest success and popularity as a manager came in November 1992 when he introduced the mammothYokozuna to the WWF. Under Fuji's tutelage, Yokozuna won the1993 Royal Rumble match and twoWWF World Championships, first fromBret Hart atWrestleMania IX, and again from Hulk Hogan atKing of the Ring.[1] Later that year, Fuji was joined by "spokesman"James E. Cornette. In late 1993, Fuji once again began managing Crush after he turned onRandy Savage. During this time he again changed his appearance, shaving his head and abandoning the tuxedo and bowler hat in favor of a traditional Japanesekimono andcarrying the Japanese flag.
In 1995, when Yokozuna returned to the WWF followingSurvivor Series atWrestleMania XI, Fuji was brought back as his manager along with Cornette and Yoko began teaming withOwen Hart in which they won the WWF Tag Team Championship. Around this time, Fuji was slowly being phased into the background (in reality his legs were starting to bother him and he wasn't able to get into the ring) and by early 1996 after Yokozuna turned babyface, Fuji only made two more appearances as a babyface manager and carrying the American flag and Fuji was not in the best of health and was released from the WWF in May 1996.
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After leaving wrestling, Fujiwara retired to the city ofKnoxville, Tennessee. In 1997, he successfully sued the makers of the video gameWCW vs. nWo World Tour, claiming that the character "Master Fuji" was based on him.[citation needed]
Fujiwara operated a training dojo out ofJefferson City, Tennessee, andDandridge, Tennessee, until 2001.[citation needed] He was a part-time usher at Knoxville Center's (formerly East Town Mall) movie theater.[30]
Fujiwara was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007,[6] by his former charge andFuji Vice co-starDon Muraco. Fujiwara was in awheelchair at the time of the induction due to nine knee operations.
Fujiwara died of natural causes, aged 82, on August 28, 2016, inClarksville, Tennessee.[4][31][32] He was survived by his seven children — Tyran Wong, Teri Deptula, Tami Nelson, Kimberly Brewster, Toni Fujiwara, Kelli Fujiwara Sloan and Kevin Fujiwara — as well as 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.[33]
A postmortem brain scan revealed Fujiwara was diagnosed withchronic traumatic encephalopathy, which became an issue in professional wrestling in a postmortem examination ofChris Benoit's brain after his death. In the wake ofthe billion dollar settlement between the NFL and former players over CTE issues, daughter Kelli Fujiwara Sloan, representing the estate, participated in aclass action lawsuit against WWE in which it was claimed the promotion did not protect its employees from head trauma. Sloan's group was represented by attorney Konstantine Kyros in the litigation. In September 2018, US District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuit.[34]
WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales defeated WWWF Tag Team Champion Mr. Fuji via count-out
Tony Garea & Haystacks Calhoun defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji to win the titles
Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Tony Garea & Haystacks Calhoun to win the titles when the referee stopped the match, ruling Calhoun unable to continue after Tanaka threw salt into the champion's eyes and choked him with his own horseshoe
Tony Garea & Dean Ho defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji to win the titles
WWWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Larry Zbyzsko & Tony Garea to win the titles
Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka to win the titles when DeNucci pinned Tanaka with an airplane spin that knocked down Fuji in the process
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (w/ Captain Lou Albano) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tony Garea at 9:48 to win the titles when Saito pinned Martel after Fuji threw salt into the champion's eyes as Martel attempted a crossbody off the top, allowing Saito to roll through on the move to get the win
Chief Jay & Jules Strongbow defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito to win the titles at 9:48 when Jules pinned Fuji after Fuji missed a dive in the ring
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay & Jules Strongbow to win the titles in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1 – Fuji pinned Jules at around the 30-second mark after throwing salt into both he and Chief Jay's face while Saito distracted the referee
Chief Jay & Jules Strongbow defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) to win the titles at 6:08 when Jay pinned Saito with a Thesz Press
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
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