Kinji Shibuya
| Kinji Shibuya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ring name(s) | Kinji Shibuya |
| Born |
May 16, 1921[1] Utah[1] |
| Died | May 3, 2010[1] |
| Debut | 1952[1] |
| Retired | 1976[2] |
Kinji Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor.
Professional wrestling career
In 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling.[1] He was originally given a villainous gimmick of a Japanese bad guy after World War II.[1] He wrestled in the United States and Canada's Stampede Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling.[1] Shibuya credited Verne Gagne for first making him a popular as a villain in 1955.[2]
Shibuya was the frequent tag team partner of Mitsu Arakawa, who was billed as his cousin.[1] In 1957, they held the Minneapolis version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[1]
Personal life
Shibuya was born in Utah and raised in California with his four brothers.[1] He attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles. He and played football for the Los Angeles City football team, and he also played football at the University of Hawaii.[1] After college, Shibuya played semi-professionally for the Honolulu Polar Bears and Honolulu Warriors.[1]
Shibuya was featured on a "This is Your Life" segment on the television show Canvas Cavity and appeared on the show several times in the 1970s and 1980s.[2] After retiring from wrestling, he also had small acting roles on shows such as Kung Fu and Mr. T and Tina.[1] He also appeared in the films Days of a Bawdy Ballad and Hammett.[1]
He was married for 59 years and had two children.[1] Shibuya died on May 3, 2010 of natural causes.[1][2] He was cremated, and his funeral service was held at a Buddhist temple.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Honoree (1993)
- Central States Wrestling
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (2 times) - with Mr. Moto
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (4 times) with Mitsu Arakawa (1), Sweet Daddy Siki (1), Don Leo Jonathan (1), and John Quinn (1)
- NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time)
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Masa Saito (3), Goliath (1), Killer Kowalski (1)
- NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) - with Mitsu Arakawa
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times) - with Masa Saito (2) and Great Mephisto (1)
- NWA Western States Sports
- World Class Championship Wrestling
- NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Duke Keomuka
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Oliver, Greg (May 8, 2010). "Kinji Shibuya dead at 88". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lano, Mike (May 20, 2010). "Remembering Kinji Shibuya: Hated and beloved". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-05-22.