Kim Duk (wrestler)
| Born |
February 7, 1948 Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Kim Duk Tiger Chung Lee Tiger Toguchi Ultra Seven YAMATO Masanori Toguchi |
| Billed height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Billed weight | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Billed from | Seoul, South Korea |
| Trained by |
Karl Gotch Kintaro Ohki Dory Funk, Jr. |
| Debut | August 30, 1968 |
| Retired | May 6, 2011 |
Masanori Toguchi (戸口 正徳 Toguchi Masanori?) or Kim Duk (Korean: 김 덕/金 徳) is a retired Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Kim Duk (キム・ドク?). He was also known by the name Tiger Chung Lee in the World Wrestling Federation.
Masanori Toguchi was a basketball player and jūdōka during his high school days. After graduation, he joined the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance dojo with the recommendation from Kintaro Ohki. Since Seiji Sakaguchi, another jūdōka, joined the JWA during the same time, it caused a conflict between the jūdō world and puroresu. Toguchi was sent to South Korea for half a year with "special training" as an excuse until the issue died out.
Masanori Toguchi debuted for Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance on August 30, 1968, against future NJPW referee Katsuhisa Shibata. During his rookie year, he was also trained by Karl Gotch. In his days in JWA, he was Ohki's student. When JWA folded in 1972, Toguchi went to the United States, where he developed himself as a heel under his Korean real name, Kim Duk. He spent the next four years roaming around NWA territories and in the American Wrestling Association. In 1976, he returned to Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling, while wrestling for the NWA's Mid-Atlantic territory in the States. He was managed by Boris Malenko in the Mid-Atlantic area, often teaming with another Malenko protege, The Masked Superstar. During his Mid-Atlantic run, Duk had a short-lived feud with then-reigning Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Wahoo McDaniel. In AJPW, he had a heated rivalry with Jumbo Tsuruta. In 1979, he would defect to International Wrestling Enterprise, before defecting to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1981.
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