Photo by WWE.com
WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Fuji died at the age of 82 on Monday (Manila time). The company’s website confirmed the news.
Fuji, real name Harry Fujiwara, was a Honolulu, Hawaii native who portrayed a Japanese wrestler and later on, as a manager who gained notoriety for throwing salt in opponent’s eyes.
After being trained by legend Nick Bockwinkel, Fuji made a name for himself as a performer for two decades, showing his wares at World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW).
Retiring in 1985, he then seamlessly transitioned to a managerial role for heel characters (bad guys), namely George “The Animal” Steele and more popularly, Don Muraco.
He also handled Jim Neidhart, Demolition, Kamala, The Powers of Pain, and The Orient Express, before standing side-by-side with the monstrous Yokozuna in his main event run in early 1990s.
Mr. Fuji was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
WWE executive Triple H posted a picture of Fuji on his Twitter account and wrote, “An unforgettable character in front of the camera and an even better one behind it. Rest in Peace, Mr. Fuji.”/rga