 A photograph of Arakawa from 1969. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mack Mitsukazu Arakawa[3] (1927-05-23)May 23, 1927[3] |
| Died | April 17, 1997(1997-04-17) (aged 69)[1][3] Concord, California, U.S.[3] |
| Cause of death | Heart failure[1] |
Spouse | Patti Arakawa[4] |
| Children | 3[4] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Mitsu Arakawa[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Japan[2] |
| Trained by | The Great Yamato |
| Debut | 1953[1] |
| Retired | 1976[1] |
Mack Mitsukazu Arakawa[3] (May 23, 1927 – April 17, 1997) was an Americanprofessional wrestler.[1][3] He is best known for his appearances with theMinneapolis,Minnesota-basedNWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club/American Wrestling Association.
Arakawa was born in Hawaii in 1927. He enlisted in theUnited States Army in 1945.
Arakawa was trained to wrestle by The Great Yamato. He made his professional wrestling debut in 1953. Wrestling as aheel throughout his career, Arakawa was billed as being a Japanese citizen who had survived theatomic bombing of Hiroshima and bore a grudge against the United States as a result. He spent the early years of his career wrestling throughout theMidwest United States.
In 1957, Arakawa debuted in theNWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, where he was billed asKinji Shibuya's cousin. In August 1957, he and Shibuya defeatedthe Kalmikoffs to win theNWA World Tag Team Championship(Minneapolis version). They lost the championship to Joe Brunetti and Guy Brunetti in November 1957.[5] In December 1967, Arakawa andDr. Moto defeatedPat O'Connor andWilbur Snyder for theAWA World Tag Team Championship. They held the championship for over a year before losing toThe Crusher andDick the Bruiser in December 1968.[6][7]
In 1959, Arakawa joined theIndianapolis-basedWorld Wrestling Association (WWA). In October 1966, he defeated Dick the Bruiser to win theWWA World Heavyweight Championship. He lost the championship to Wilbur Snyder in September 1967.[8]
Arakawa toured Australia in 1965, 1966 and 1970, winning theIWA World Heavyweight Championship during his first tour. In the mid-1960s, he performed in Canada with Shibuya, with the duo winning theStampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship in 1963.
In the late 1960s, Arakawa andToru Tanaka began wrestling for theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) as "The Rising Suns". In June 1969, The Rising Suns were crowned the inauguralWWWF International Tag Team Champions (they were billed as having won a tournament that never took place). They lost the championship toTony Marino andVíctor Rivera in December 1969.[9][10][11]
In 1973, Arakawa appeared inThe Wrestling Queen, a documentary on rookie professional wrestlerVivian Vachon.
Arakawa retired in 1976.[1]
Arakawa was married to Patti, with whom he had two sons, David and Michael, and a daughter, Teresa.[4]
Arakawa died ofheart failure on April 17, 1997.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Wrestling Queen | Himself | Documentary |
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