Pro Wrestling's first super-villains: Asian-American roles in TV wrestling's infancy

Kinji Shibuya

The juxtaposition is concise yet complex enough to serve as the archetype: the monolithic swagger of world heavyweight champion Bobby Maganoff; a working-class tough from the Windy City chiseled from the choicest granite defending his world title against a ruthless foreigner, The Great Togo. This is not an atypical bout over mat superiority or fair play; it's a full blown socio-political street fight viciously fought in front of 15,000 screaming fans: an American champion who literally bleeds working-class values taking on a sneaky, rule-breaking savage from the Pacific. Yes folks, America's fears were defeated safely in the controlled confines of a stiff wrestling ring that night. The success was such that Maganoff v. Togo for the NWA world title would happen 11 more times over the next 7 years.

Conceived by wrestling promoters in the immediate post-WWII era, Maganoff v. Togo serves as the chief model for professional wrestling's high drama throughout North America in the mid-20th century. Although war in the Pacific had officially ended on September 2, 1945 with the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, the perception of Imperial Japanese warriors invading Allied wrestling rings continued well into the 1960's. Asian wrestlers not only helped popularize professional wrestling during this period, they became the industry's first super villians!

A dichotomy existed in Japan during this time; though advertised as brutish and clumsy, wrestlers from European backgrounds were cast against wizened - highly disciplined - judo masters and sumo elites. When Japanese-American wrestlers like Kinji Shibuya and The Great Togo went to work in Japan, they checked their US passports and unflattering personalities at the door. Under the auspices of promoter/wrestler, Rikidozan - one of the business's most respected ring generals, Asian-American wrestlers were cast as pure athletes, highly disciplined, intelligent wrestling machines. The Destroyer, a barrel-chested masked European-American grappler, and one of the most popular stars of Japan Pro Wrestling (JPW) in the '60's and New Japan Pro (NJPW) in the '70's, said of Rikidozan, "He wanted wrestling - and his wrestlers - to be tough like he was." American wrestling became spectacle, but in Japan, it was wrestling.California and its large Asian-American population played exception to the rule; Shibuya explained, "[it] was the only other place outside of Honolulu where a Japanese wrestler could be himself, a babyface... it started with Rikidozan, then Toyonobori and these guys got amazing reactions... I was sometimes jealous that they didn't have to play the WWII sneaky Japanese heel."       

Writing about pro wrestling is my unique way of writing about the American experience; by presenting some of pro wrestling's unsung heroes - specifically wrestling's first super villians - I hope to be able to give new voice to those experiences, and hopefully provide an entertaining medium in the process. More on pro wrestling's first super villains soon! Stay tuned!