Mitsu Arakawa
| Mitsu Arakawa | |
|---|---|
 A photograph of Arakawa from 1969. | |
| Birth name | Mack Mitsukazu Arakawa[1] |
| Born | May 23, 1927[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.[2] |
| Died | April 17, 1997 (aged 69)[2][1] Concord, California, U.S.[1] |
| Cause of death | Heart failure[2] |
| Spouse(s) | Patti Arakawa[3] |
| Children | 3[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mitsu Arakawa[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Japan[4] |
| Trained by | The Great Yamato |
| Debut | 1953[2] |
| Retired | 1976[2] |
Mack Mitsukazu Arakawa[1] (May 23, 1927 – April 17, 1997) was an American professional wrestler.[2][1] He is best known for his appearances with the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based NWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club/American Wrestling Association.
Early life
Arakawa was born in Hawaii in 1927. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1945.
Professional wrestling career
Arakawa was trained to wrestle by The Great Yamato. He made his professional wrestling debut in 1953. Wrestling as a
In 1957, Arakawa debuted in the
In 1959, Arakawa joined the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association (WWA). In October 1966, he defeated Dick the Bruiser to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship. He lost the championship to Wilbur Snyder in September 1967.[8]
Arakawa toured Australia in 1965, 1966 and 1970, winning the IWA World Heavyweight Championship during his first tour. In the mid-1960s, he performed in Canada with Shibuya, with the duo winning the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship in 1963.
In the late 1960s, Arakawa and
In 1973, Arakawa appeared in The Wrestling Queen, a documentary on rookie professional wrestler Vivian Vachon.
Arakawa retired in 1976.[2]
Personal life
Arakawa was married to Patti, with whom he had two sons, David and Michael, and a daughter, Teresa.[3]
Death
Arakawa died of heart failure on April 17, 1997.[1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Wrestling Queen | Himself | Documentary |
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Alliance
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kinji Shibuya
- NWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club/American Wrestling Association
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) – with Kinji Shibuya[5]
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kinji Shibuya[5]
- NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mr. Moto
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kinji Shibuya
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yoshino Sato[12]
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kinji Shibuya
- World Championship Wrestling
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[8]
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dr. Moto
- World Wide Wrestling Federation
- WWWF International Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Toru Tanaka[9][10][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mitsukazu M. Arakawa". Crestleaf.com. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Mitsu Arakawa". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ Contra Costa Times. Digital First Media. May 23, 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ Welter, Ben (May 17, 2015). "Nov. 19, 1958: Salt in Verne Gagne's eye". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7603-4580-1.
- ^ ISBN 1-4402-2810-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55490-274-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4516-0450-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1024-8.
- ISBN 978-1-77090-689-1.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 19, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/19): Ric Flair wins WWF title in 1992 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
External links
- Mitsu Arakawa at IMDb
- Mitsu Arakawa's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
