Tojo Yamamoto
| Tojo Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
Tojo Yamamoto posing for a photograph
|
|
| Born |
January 6, 1927 Hawaii |
| Died | February 19, 1992 (aged 65) Hermitage, Tennessee |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tojo Yamamoto P.Y. Chung T.Y. Chung |
| Billed height | 5"9 |
| Billed weight | 230 |
| Debut | 1953 |
| Retired | 1991 |
Harold Watanabe (January 6, 1927 – February 19, 1992) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. He was born in Hawaii.
Yamamoto had success as a heel as an individual wrestler and part of a tag team, particularly in the southern United States, invoking the natural hatred for World War II enemies (in his case, Prime Minister Tojo and IJN admiral Yamamoto; also successful were The Von Brauners, who wore Iron Crosses and goose-stepped around the ring). He worked in hundreds of different tag-team combinations, and even wrestled Hulk Hogan. According to Hogan, "he hit me in the throat with his cheap shot, I fell through the ropes...(on the floor) he grabbed a cigar out of a guy's mouth and dropped it in my boot". These exemplify the kind of over-the-top heel tactics Yamamoto would use, in addition to the general distrust of the Japanese that many Americans held even after the war.
Wrestling in Boaz, Alabama, Yamamoto gave one of the great performances in pro wrestling. Before the start of the matches, he asked to give a statement to the crowd, which booed and hissed and threw things. In broken English he said, "I wish make aporogy. Very sorry my country bomb Pear-uh Harbor." And the crowd quiets, as he wipes away tears, and they awwww in sympathy. "It wrong thing to do, I wish not happen." They begin to applaud. "Yes, I wish not happen, because instead I wish they BOMB BOAZ!!!" Needless to say, the arena erupted.
He was affiliated with Nashville-area wrestling promoter Nick Gulas for most of his career. In Nashville, he was promoted as "the most hated wrestler of all time" and "the epitome of evil". Nick Gulas was notorious for supposedly underpaying his wrestlers, but Yamamoto and his trainee Jackie Fargo were notable exceptions. They were two of Gulas's best draws from the early 60's to the early 70's, but in addition to the money they generated, they were also reliable and loyal. Yamamoto showed his allegiance despite offers from other promoters, including an offer from his close friend and student Jerry Jarrett when he started promoting shows of his own.
...
Wikipedia