Harry Fujiwara

Harry Fujiwara
Data
Ring name	Mr. Fuji Master Fuji Shintaro Fuji The Devious One The Samurai Warrior
height	5′10 ″ (178 cm)
Fighting weight	253 lbs. (115 kg)
birth	May 4, 1934 Honolulu , Hawaii
death	August 28, 2016 Clarksville , Tennessee
Announced from	Osaka ; Japan
debut	1966

Harry Fujiwara (born May 4, 1934 in Honolulu , Hawaii , † August 28, 2016 in Clarksville , Tennessee ) was a Japanese -born American wrestler and wrestling manager . He became known by his ring name, Mr. Fuji . During his active time as a wrestler, he held the WWF Tag Team Championship five times .

Career

Beginnings

Fujiwara made his debut as Mr. Fujiwara in Hawaii on December 15, 1964 . Fujiwara won his first title, the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship , with Curtis Iaukea on January 7, 1965.

Fujiwara competed in various NWA member organizations under the later shortened ring name of Mr. Fuji . During this time he was able to achieve some title wins.

WWWF and Independent

From 1972 he appeared in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). Here he embodied the "evil Japanese" at the side of Toru Tanaka . Together they won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship for the first time on June 27, 1972 . From then on, both wrestlers were permanent fixtures in the WWWF's main event and were able to successfully defend their title several times within a feud against Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino . With a total of eleven months, her title reign was the third longest in WWWF history. On May 30, 1973, however, they had to surrender their titles to Tony Garea and Haystacks Calhoun. This resulted in a feud between the two teams, within which another title win by Fujiwara and Tanaka followed. After that Garea got the wrestler Dean Ho as a new partner and the feud of both teams continued. This was followed by another loss and gain of the title by Tanka and Fujiwara. In 1974 both left the WWWF.

In 1975 Fuji debuted with Tanaka in Georgia Championship Wrestling. There, too, they fought for the tag team title with their former WWWF rivals Garea and Ho . After losing the title a month later, the two worked for various independent organizations, where they had some title wins.

In 1977 the two returned to the WWWF. They were given Freddie Blassie as ring companion and let the two win the WWWF Tag Team Championship a third time. Shortly after they had to give up their titles on March 14, 1978, they left the WWWF again.

In 1979 they appeared again in various independent organizations. There they were able to win numerous titles. But in the same year the team Fujiwara and Tanaka split up. Both now decided to make careers as individual wrestlers. Fuji won numerous titles in various doctorates such as B. World Wrestling Council, NWA New Zealand and Maple Leaf Wrestling.

WWF

In 1981, Fujiwara began working for the third time with the WWWF, which had since been renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In the team with Mr. Saito , Fujiwara won the tag team title two more times. Shortly after the last title loss, Mr. Saito left the WWF, while Fujiwara continued to stay in the WWF, albeit as a single wrestler. From 1985 Fujiwara was only used as a manager (a kind of ring companion) and gained popularity in this position. His protégés included George "The Animal" Steele , Don Muraco and the Tag Team Demolition . He achieved his greatest success as a manager at the side of Yokozuna , who with Mr. Fujiwara's help at Wrestlemania IX succeeded in taking the WWF title from Bret Hart .

1996 Mr. Fujiwara said goodbye to the active wrestling business. On March 31, 2007, his former protégé Don Muraco introduced him to the Hall of Fame .

Harry Fujiwara died on August 28, 2016 at the age of 82.

title

• Continental Wrestling Association
  • 1 × AWA Southern Tag Team Championship - with Toru Tanaka
• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • 1 × NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship - with Toru Tanaka
  • 1 × NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship - with Chati Yakouchi
• International Wrestling Alliance
  • 1 × IWA Tag Team Championship - with Tiger Jeet Singh
• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • 1 × NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
• Jim Crockett Promotions / Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • 1 × NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship - with Genichiro Tenryu
• NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions
  • 1 × NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship - with Karl Von Steiger
• NWA San Francisco
  • 1 × NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • 1 × NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship
  • 4 × NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship - with Haru Sasaki (3 ×) and Tony Borne (1 ×)
• Continental Championship Wrestling / Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • 1 × NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship - with Toru Tanaka
• World Wrestling Council
  • 1 × WWC North American Heavyweight Championship
  • 1 × WWC North American Tag Team Championship - with Pierre Martel
• World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame
  • 5 × WWWF / WWF World Tag Team Championship - with Toru Tanaka (3 ×) and Mr. Saito (2 ×)

Web links

• Mr. Fuji in the WWE Hall of Fame
• Profile on Neckbruch.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Fuji passes away . World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. , August 28, 2016, accessed August 29, 2016.