SO FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME IT HURT!

Okay this is the Hakushi run that I promised for season 3 Ring Of The Hawk. I had high hopes for this one as he was involved in wrestling a lot of big stars like Bret Hart and the 123kid. There is definitely scope here for some good matches. But booking could be a problem!
To view Sid in ECW, Raquel Brikked, Brock Lesnar in New Japan and exclusive interviews:
Make The Hawk talk: www.patreon.com/user?u=27112575

[@djpegao]

Man, Hakushi had like 95% of the roster moveset. It's no wonder he was not getting good feuds when he showed he was better than most of them. Only Bret & Sean could hang with him.

[@matthewmagda4971]

Facts.

[@KozyKool2287]

Had a really good match against the 1-2-3 Kid too.

[@plannein]

​@@KozyKool2287 That's Sean lol

[@LegendKiller1fan]

All you Ring of the Hawk fans should look up Hakushi's aka Jinsei Shinzaki's Diary/Journal of his time in the WWF, he was really dedicated to becoming the best japanese wrestler in the USA and really cared about the fans even though they booed him.

[@uainjansun]

That makes me respect jinsei even more!

[@dnickx]

Did not know about this...where can we get his journal?? Thanks!!

[@CeemPlay]

Scandalous that it wasn't mentioned in the video

[@starrcade6709]

@@dnickx I know there is a english translation of the journal available on Twitter. It's not the entire thing but some tidbits from it.

[@lexxtyson2559]

I was working at Hershey many many moons ago I was getting dropped off to work by my parents. I waiting his food order saw Barry Horowitz then recognize who I was serving told my boss my boss gave them free food

[@louthegiantcookie]

Hakushi was SO cool. I loved his ominous theme music, and just how menacing he looked compared to so much of the roster during that time. Had he shown up in 96 when guys like Foley, Austin and Goldust were hitting their stride? I bet he would have had a more famous run.

[@anonluxor470]

I think he was supposed to be the opposite of the undertaker in Japan

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

@@anonluxor470 An obstetrician?

[@bennett420316]

They had taka michinoku in that era

[@stankingzton3564]

Hakushi/Mankind would've been money!

[@mattclark8746]

@Breakfast of Champions just rolls right off the tongue. "My god! It's the Obstetrician! Time to cut the cord, cuz he's here to deliver, baby!"

[@Itisyourgirlmushy]

I remember feeling sorry for Hakushi as a kid. He started losing a lot but he was so good. He started off winning then he started losing a lot but his move set was so good.

[@rearviewracing4789]

At least it's good to know that Hakushi is still going, and is still doing great in-ring in Japanese promotions in 2020s

[@jipsumies3435]

He wrestled week ago in tv

[@praveshmaharaj4387]

@John Williamson people who watch wrestling for the actual wrestling and not the "Entertainment" , universe mark.

[@rusty9514]

@@praveshmaharaj4387 oh my science he just did 5 backflips followed by a top rope Canadian destroyer and it's a 2 count this is wrestling clap clap clap clap clap

[@nwf9525]

@@rusty9514you think hakushi is doing that? hell no. stay in your lane

[@Nikelaos_Khristianos]

@@rusty9514 Go and watch his tag team match with Hayabusa in ECW against RVD and Sabu. You owe it to yourself.

[@tafua_a]

I don't know who said it, but I read that a wrestling personality once said that Hakushi's demotion was what smartened him up to the business. He went "wait a minute, this guy went from being on par with Bret Hart to struggling against Skip?"

[@Vampiro60181]

The way Hakushi was booked must of been the reason Vince Russo was convinced Japanese wrestlers would never get over in the US.

[@danielsalinas6683]

In russo’s mind, the only way they could get over was having a bunch of them cut off Val Venus’ ding a ling live on raw

[@SportNewz1]

Wrong. The way they wrestle and can't cut a promo is. That's why njpw can even beat impact in rating's. ✌️

[@SportNewz1]

@@danielsalinas6683 your still talking about it decades later

[@kysheni1996]

@@SportNewz1people still talk about Owen falling to his death does that mean it’s good?

[@TheR.E.A.L7DeadlyChins]

​@SportNewz1 People also still talk about Katie Vick, WTF is your point?

[@mider-spanman5577]

Jinsei Shinzaki was so underutilized in his WWF run and was supposed to feud with the undertaker, which would have been such a great set of matches! I love his tag teaming with Hayabusa, and he was such a great in-ring worker.

[@james_the_animator]

@johnwilliamson3752If you get rid of workrate, then why does pro wrestling exist? Why wouldn’t I just watch Star Wars like most folks do?

[@james_the_animator]

@johnwilliamson3752 Because fans appreciate good matches on the undercard. Don’t try to convince me that Savage vs. Steamboat at WM3 was a worthless match and everybody only remembers that show for Hogan/Andre. Also, the Attitude Era had plenty of good if not clean matches in the main event, especially in the back half.

[@james_the_animator]

@johnwilliamson3752 Do you think people just stopped watching Raw in droves when his matches came on? 😉

[@UndergroundSkat2000]

Hakushi was definitely ahead of his time. Very ominous looking with his entrance attire, reminds me of Raiden. Bret Hart took time off after his loss to Bob Backlund at the end of 94 due to kayfabe injury to film Lonesome Dove, when he returned in early 95 he had a short feud with Hakushi. He claimed Hakushi's finisher was the most painful move ever used on him, but Hart won every match vs him. Kwong is Savio Vega with a mask BTW

[@rdu239]

Is his japanese characters in his body actual tattoos or just temporary ink?

[@UndergroundSkat2000]

@@rdu239 temp

[@highermedia]

Which finisher? Didn't like like he even had one in this video

[@UndergroundSkat2000]

@@highermedia the cartwheel splash that RVD uses. The one that isn't the rolling thunder

[@Willtendo2]

Big ups to the Hawk for giving his editor a shout-out. Very few KZbinrs actually even acknowledge that they have editors or people to help them out.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

I loved Hakushi . His match with Brett was great . Then I found his matches under Jensai Shinzaki and I REALLY became a fan !

[@rdu239]

Hakushi is an intense workhorse, always present even if the match ends in a wacky finish with him losing, he still maintained strong work ethic

[@grafspe807]

At the time i thought he could have been the next Great Muta with the right build and push . But Muta had Gary Hart as his manager who is an underrated talker IMO and was presented as a true threat. Haksushi was in wrong company at the wrong time sadly

[@willkayl8793]

Shinzaki was so good (still is I’m sure), it’s a shame that WWE had no clue what they had on their hands. Unfortunately for Hakusi, he was foreign so WWE did what WWE does with foreign workers. Check out Shinzaki’s work in Japan if you want a good idea of how great he really was.

[@stankingzton3564]

Hakushi's manager Shinja is Orient Express' Sato from 1990 WWF. Ricky Santana is from WWC Puerto Rico and wrestled in a mask as the Iceman for W*NG in Japan and some Big Japan Pro Wrestling shows

[@sumobo7108]

impressive with the knowledge

[@emperortrevornorton3119]

Every time I watched his matches it felt like a final boss character in a martial arts movie more so than a pro wrestling gimmick

[@TwinOpinion]

We were always big fans of Hakushi as kids. He had a great look, and a ton of talent. Bret Hart really put him over in his book. Unfortunately, it was the 90's, and he was Japanese. That's the only reason why he wasn't pushed. Same thing happened to Taka Michinoku, who was arguably the best cruiserweight in the world in his heyday. Bret was also a fan.

[@leonarddillon256]

I remember marking out for Hakushi when I was five as a New Generation fan. He reminded me of Tasu from the first two TMNT Movies. Then Bradshaw squashed him and since then I always hated him for that. My hatred for JBL is validated since he's been a complete ass throughout his WWE career (His 2004 reign of terror, drunken fight with Blue Meanie, starting the Brawl For All, and doing that "march" in Germany). Little did I know that Hakushi was Jinsei Shinzaki in Japan and when I got access to the internet, it became my first exposure to FWM. Since then FWM become my favorite wrestling promotion. I highly recommend seeing Shinzaki's matches in FMW. Plus his gimmick is awesome. It will always fly over westerner's heads but he's a Zen Budhist monk in Japan. In context, you couldn't get any more baby face than that. He was like the light version of Undertaker which is really cool. Such an underrated wrestler.

[@VladamireD]

Yep, the writing on his body is actually Buddhist sutras, much like "Hoichi the Earless".

[@airfixx_8952]

Hakushi v Taker could have been so sick if booked properly.

[@CactusJackIV]

With a good manager I believe Hakushi could have had a much better run. Keep up the killer work Hawk !

[@BainesMkII]

I don't think a better manager would have changed anything. Hakushi's character didn't fit the foreign "roles" that the audience might naturally care about (comedy, giant threat, freak, etc), and the WWF didn't give him the support to generate crowd interest.

[@zackfrodsham1259]

Shinja was okay he was a legendary wrestler in Japan and a mentor to hakushi

[@SuperPeterok]

Jim Cornette maybe?

[@zackfrodsham1259]

@@SuperPeterok cornette had bigger clients hakushi would be out shadowed by vader yokozuna

[@airfixx_8952]

@@zackfrodsham1259 Heyman..... He would have knows exactly how to sell him too.

[@SeanOMatic]

The thing I admired most about Hakushi was his dedication to those Sharpe marker tattoos. That had to take some serious work to keep going every week vs. actually getting tattooed.

[@derkaiserzen]

He's only doing it in WWF/E due to the weekly program. In Japan, the Sutras writing is for Big Match, Big Event only

[@SeanOMatic]

@@derkaiserzen I know, that's why I made the comment. He did it for EVERY match in WWE, which had to take a lot of time as opposed to only doing it in big main events in Japan.

[@MikeGodetteMusic]

I’ve been hoping you’d do this video for a long time. You never disappoint!

[@RealAaron317]

He was one of my favorites growing up loved the tag match he had in ECW against RVD and Sabu

[@FKATorp]

Don't forget Hayabusa. RIP GOAT

[@Bale4Bond]

Another fine example of Japanese talent being more memorable if put with a gimmick

[@bink]

You seem to have left out Hakushi's match with Barry Horowitz, which was a major turning point in Hakushi turning face and gives context to his feud with the BodyDonnas.

[@EmmettXIV]

Hakushi, Aldo Montoya, and other superstars around 94-95' reminds me so much of the video game, Mortal Kombat. There was even a video game at the time where it had WWF superstars fighting in a similar Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter like style. They would be able to shoot things out of there hands like hadokens and lightning.

[@bryanturnersvhsrehab]

Loved Hakushi, the Bret match was awesome.

[@pleaseshutup7053]

The match was Bret is one of my all time favorites. I remember I got the Bret hart dvd for Christmas because I wanted to watch the Mr. Perfect match I heard was so legendary. But the match with hakushi ended up being my favorite

[@colingram8785]

Hakushi was amazing, way too ahead of his time for WWE/F TV back then. But his moveset and movement/agility was incredible, I enjoyed watching his brief run

[@youngzeus87]

Loved Hakushi as a kid. He felt like he should've be in WCW with Muta. He would've got more shine too.

[@dante666jt]

An amazing wrestler and equally amazing gimmick

[@Bryan21381]

Dippin' dots are ice cream beads from liquid nitrogen. Pretty good & it comes in many ice cream flavors. I might add... you can find them in theaters & malls everywhere. Because it would be hard to keep the frozen beads of ice cream, cold in stores. Here's a fact, they were found out after a scientist was testing horse feed in liquid nitrogen & decided to use ice cream instead.

[@SuperPeterok]

I've only seen them at the zoo

[@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS]

I swear Matt and Jeff Hardy are the rare examples of guys who seemed to have been involved in multiple eras and face EVERYONE all over the card.

[@freakyzed8467]

Wife works Xmas eve night and kids are grown and on their own. Glad to have you on the eve, Hawk!

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

Between this and GilstrapTV , life is good

[@Megadebt]

Not sure if anyone cares but the writing on Hakushi's face is most likely buddhist prayers. There is an old fable where a blind monk who plays a flute is haunted by the ghost of a wandering Samurai who died in battle. Every night, the ghost would visit the monk to hear him playing his flute. Desperate, the young monk asked a fellow disciple to protect him from the ghost. The monk proceeded to write buddhist prayers on his face and body rendering him invisible to the ghost. Unfortunately, the fellow monk forgot to write prayers on his ears, and the ghost lopped off his ears with his sword.

[@joaopires1761]

"Montoya" is a fierce competitor for the "Least Portuguese Surname Ever" title, but here we are. If there's anything the 90s were strong in, it was the ability not to give a fuck about what's beyond your own borders.

[@fro-zone2k]

Not gonna lie, he makes a good mid-carder if he was apart of the Ruthless Aggression era.

[@FragItAll]

I enjoyed Hakushi's run and was expecting/hoping for more. I also had fun watching Horrowitzes little push. (Yeah, spelling is off)

[@dimensionhole1]

Jerry Lawler making fun of anime is what makes it ahead of its time.

[@CactusJackIV]

Also had a chat just about this channel in the chat of the Matt Mac Show. It all started with, "A wild slapnutz appeared."

[@taofeng718]

I really thought we were going to get a “ Aldo Montoya is Justin Credible to watch in the ring” lol

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

Best part of going to ECW shows back in the day was stuff like chanting "ALDOOOO" at the dude during his matches lol

[@Thebossstage1]

Ah ah Hakushi! "Bless you"

[@HollandTHG]

Hakushi vs 1-2-3 Kid was such a dynamic match. It reminded me a bit of the incredible performances of Ricochet, but a decade or two earlier, and a bit less explosive.

[@NJ973201]

The Bret Vs. Japan thing was just a way to restart his feud with Jerry Lawler since Lawler's legal issues was why it ended abruptly back in November 93. If I remember right, it started when Lawler called Bret a racist on a King's Court segment over Bret winning some magazine award and that's how Hakushi and for one night, Bull Nakano got involved. The Japan thing was dropped after King of the Ring I believe and Dentist Kane was being introduced.

[@Trill_4_Life]

That first match with Matt Hardy is in the Compaq Center in Houston, TX

[@BreakingNVain]

I used to really liked Hakushi as a kid. I still do, but I used to too. He was the 3rd heel that I ever liked in the WWF after The🐐Undertaker & Ludvig Borga.

[@fybslygod7691]

Ludvig Borgia was a racist pos

[@BreakingNVain]

@@fybslygod7691 Okay

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

Ludvig, Top Level Nazi

[@SpaceGhost92]

That cartwheel handspring moonsault was awesome, never seen that done like that before.

[@kevinlee7667]

I enjoyed his work one of the best to come to the us from Japan . And his matches against hbk and Bret were awesome.

[@ScottyDoezntKnow]

Hakushi and Pierre Lafite (the current PCO) were two bright spots in that terrible year of 1995.

[@airfixx_8952]

95 could have been so much better with good booking and better gimmicks....... Bret, Owen, Bulldog The Kliq & PJ Taker & Kane Hakushi Lafite Savio Golddust Rikishi Candido Douglas Bigelow Jarret Sid Janetty

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

My friend and i thought this guy was pretty awesome back in the day, although i completely lost track of him after WWF. Glad to be able to watch this video about him now 😄👍

[@SuperPeterok]

Why not look up his stuff in Japan now that you're older?

[@MrScott34]

The Slapnuts cameo was stupendous

[@TimTE01]

123 Kid and Sid would have been a great Tag Team. It’s The 123 Sids!

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

I don't think that name would get over in a kids friendly promotion ESPECIALLY WITH THE PARENTS

[@matthewpulama106]

Hakushi was definitely one of my faves. I do wonder how a feud between him and Taker would have went down...

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

Awful... They were over 150 lbs apart and over a foot different in height. It would be visually unbelievable

[@Hillthugsta]

@@MyNameIsUnavailable he was roughly the same size as HBK and his matches with Undertaker looked good.

[@dashtoroya2838]

They had a match in Japan and it was great

[@thisguy_w0n]

Bless you!

[@williamhowe1]

Him and his usual tag team partner Hayabusa was great.

[@t2p]

Rip Busa my fave 😔

[@jrsmith1998]

When i was a kid in the early 90’s i used to always do the Hakushi cartwheel flip thing and land an elbow on my brother against the corner of the wall (turnbuckle). Even though he wasn’t pushed, my child eyes still thought he was cool.

[@dspsblyuth]

That sounds safe

[@jrsmith1998]

@@dspsblyuth I have always been a safe worker. Always.

[@dspsblyuth]

@@jrsmith1998 are you still wrasslin?

[@jrsmith1998]

@@dspsblyuth yes. so I am

[@HarmonyEdge]

How is Hakushi in terms with WWE nowadays, having read in another comment that he is still active? Any chance for a RR guesting?

[@justineckart549]

This dude was awesome. I’ve always been a big mark for him.

[@damonodell9125]

Dude you been on a crazy run this winter, great string of videos, salute.

[@ASwagPecan]

Thanks for an entertaining video to get me through this drive back from the in-laws on Christmas eve, Hawk.

[@sheldondillon]

I was a Hakushi fan I thought he was awesome and his matches with Bret and 123 kid were great He deserved better

[@user-tl4fi6oy8d]

The writing on his body that you mock, ironically enough, says, "I don't like half-hawk, half-silver back gorilla hybrid gaijin, and I will definitely hit them with a brick."

[@SubZero589]

I remember him from the In Your House PPVs, such a great look. Another great video Marky. Merry Xmas to you and all my fellow subs. Hope you have a great day

[@GregoryWeagle]

13:08 - It's not named by the announcers nor you; it's the Flying Space Tiger Drop. I believe that was the move's debut on WWF television. I'm not confident of saying that it's first time on North American television, since John Kornus used it in Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

[@CatsNCadillacs]

Seeing Justin Credible in that mask, is hilarious

[@aboynamedchris8412]

Heel Hakushi pearl harboring his opponent every time is just 95’ in a nutshell

[@AKcelsior]

I'm just impressed that someone drew all over him before every match. That must have taken forever.

[@DrakeKnight99]

I somehow knew Jarret would show up. He's in so much random shit it's impossible to know if he will or won't

[@robertanderson1690]

And by "random shit" you mean the company he was employed by?

[@joeg5155]

Would love a video on the mean street posse

[@jayfabe620]

His tag team with Hayabusa is one of my all time faves.

[@tafua_a]

"The two top guys from Japan: Ha*cough*i!" "Bless you"

[@VladamireD]

23:35 "Bobby Wayne" is actually Buddy Wayne, father of indy standout Nick Wayne and the guy who trained AEW's Darby Allin.

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

He also trained my boy Bryan Alvarez 👍

[@GregoryWeagle]

WWF at the time was dealing was USWA (which explains a lot of the jobbers on this video) and there is a much older wrestler named Buddy Wayne. WWE is notorious for changing names due to lawyer stuff and all that.

[@DeadKoby]

Maybe if he was a full blown heel, they could have found more technically sound opponents for him to show off his arsenal. Woltman knew how to work a match with him.

[@claytonhuett212]

been watching raw from the beginning just got to 96 king of ring. but yes hakushi was really good

[@trevorolesen5305]

That clip of Hakushi silently pulling Bret Harts severed head out of a burlap sack is hella underrated. Only place I've seen it since.

[@jiovanysoltero923]

Mr. I had a PPV match with Bret Hart 🤧 Hakushi, excuse me.

[@LuckyDT]

Hakushi’s manager was Sato from Orient Express , fun fact (?). There’s a match with him vs Undertaker you can find on KZbin still IIRC. This is not when he was with WWF actually.

[@drago939393]

Great look/vibe and impressive in-ring chops. Why they didn't give him an English-speaking manager is beyond me.

[@YevOnegin]

Liked for the Road Rash reference alone, I've never seen one on KZbin before

[@GregoryWeagle]

9:58 - I wondered where Sting got the idea of giving Hollywood Hogan's severed head as a present on a WCW Nitro. Too bad, we never see Bret Hart's reaction to it.

[@stevied4792]

A will Slapnuts, always makes me smile! 😂🎉😊❤

[@gjfwang]

Hakushi is a trailblazer/pioneer as a wrestler that established the future of wrestling.

[@mrchaotiq]

I live in New Zealand and wrestling was banned from television for the early part of the New Generation but you could still rent VHS of the pay per views. I remember seeing him for the first time at Summerslam 95 (first time I saw HHH too) and being very impressed with his agility and fluidity in the ring. He had a great look too. I wish they had brought Hayabusa over with him, I know Hayabusa wanted to remain loyal to FMW but they would have been a great addition as a tag team in the WWF at that time.

[@MasteroftheDDT]

You oughta do a Great Muta video man. Talk about ahead of his time, Hakushi and Tajiri borrowed quite a bit from him.

[@matthewmagda4971]

Millennials give the worst commentary on classic wrestling, due to modern eyes. When you realize this was before the popularization of Japanese Strong Style or developed cruiserweight divisions, this is pretty epic.

[@DoorDashPro]

OMG I just love the way you call Jeff Jarrett slapnuts and when you call Drew McIntyre - McDonald. I can't hold my composure dude you were just too fucking funny and entertaining I love your channel man with the hulk Hogan bird

[@mikem10481]

Hakushi, proud to have him in my Boy's Stable.

[@kaysebain1004]

That aldo Montoya was just incredible..... 😂 😂

[@ryanstewart4444]

How do you have a storyline with Chris Candido, Louie Spicolli, Jinsei Shinzaki, and Shane Douglas and not make money? Ask 1995 Vince McMahon. The nWo kicking WWF's ass was the best thing to ever happen to McMahon as it forced him to rethink wrestling - just too bad that so many talents never got a real chance to shine. Shinzaki should have gone to WCW and now I wonder why he never did.

[@mitchcolburn1216]

Other than maybe Douglas none of those guys were ever anything more than midcard fodder and lacked drawing potential.

[@starrcade6709]

According to Cagematch, Masato Tanaka had 30 televised matches in ECW. So, why not do a ROH on him.

[@damonodell9125]

I'd imagine the majority probably aren't readily available

[@francosamericanmusings1560]

Underrated dude!!

[@jackburton2680]

Look up his stuff against Undertaker in Japan. Shows how much potential there was with him, coulda gone the supernatural route easy

[@larrytod9790]

It sucks he didn't get far in WWE I loved his work in Japan

[@toppingclover7561]

One of my favorite matches on KZbin is Great Muta vs. Hakushi at the Tokyo Dome. An awesome match. Muta changed his name to Kokushi and formed a team with Hakushi.

[@kurtpaulsen6579]

Always loved Hakushi... Enjoyed the character and his ring name so much, I actually play a character on a MUD named Hakushi...

[@Vercingetorix.Fantasia]

Always thought he was great. Definitely ahead of his time. Great match against Sabu and rvd in ecw 3 years later

[@iwanttoseemrshow]

Hakushi! Bless you, here's a tissue.

[@williammoore6128]

Merry Christmas Hawk!!!

[@dougbarrett619part2]

He gets a A+ deal with it.

[@LaCourierInCrysis]

Man I was so into this guy back in elementary school

[@LightBrownRecluse]

One of my favorites!

[@Cam-jv7qy]

Hakushi, the James Storm of the golden days.