Providence Civic Center. His popularity as a heel would explode the next year as he not only got the gimmick that finally stuck with him and made him the most money but also when he crossed paths with one of the brightest minds in professional wrestling history. Hart eventually introduced The Great Muta and billed him as the son of Kabuki, crediting the passing on of the green mist secrets to him. ended shortly after the Royal Rumble. The Great Kabuki and Gary Hart are forever intertwined. Vince has returned to Royal Rumble commentary for the first time since 1988. Some of Kabuki's major feuds were against Jimmy Valiant, Scott Casey, Abdullah the Butcher, Dusty Rhodes, Toshiaki Kawada, Chris Adams, Genichiro Tenryu, Bruiser Brody, and the Fabulous Freebirds. Jim Phillips is a contributor for Pro Wrestling Stories. The Great Kabuki took on all the faces that WCCW had to offer, including one particular pair of runs ofmatches against Chris Adamsand Bruiser Brody, who was working a short stint as a babyface and cashing in on his popularity as a brawler in Texas. Kabuki entered #22 and got eliminated after 02:46 minutes by Lex Luger. Born in the aftermath of World War II in Nobeoka, Japan, The Great Kabuki, real name Akihisa Mera, grew up with the Japanese ideals of resolve and honor in battle. WCCW was one of the companies that not only held off the buy-out advances of McMahon but grew during this time. On January 20, 2002, the relative rookie provided one of the biggest upsets in WWE history when he seized the opportunity and eliminated a distracted Big Evil with a dropkick from the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. He started wrestling in 1964 at the age of 16 for the Japanese Wrestling Association. Diesel 8. Hart proved himself not only a great friend during the ordeal but also a true hero in the face of tragedy. [7] Kabuki returned a year later, taking part in the Wrestle Kingdom 10 pre-show New Japan Rumble, where he was once again disqualified for using the mist. Missy Hyatt and Bill Alfonso A Battle in Judge Mathis Court, Christian and the Bizarre Deal Between WWE and TNA in 2012, Angelo Savoldi The Life and Legacy of Mario Louis Fornini, Rhonda Sing Remembered From Monster Ripper to Bertha Faye, Bruce Tharpe Rare Interview After Hiatus From Wrestling, Wrestling on Wheels! Gary Hart would leave a year later, heading to Big Time Wrestling, the NWA affiliated promotion in the Texas market that would soon become World Class Championship Wrestling. Kabuki had a pre-match ritual of showing his skills with the nunchaku that intimidated most opponents. Mr. This marked his first appearance for the promotion in 5 years. The Royal Rumble: #1 Scott During the dead time they show footage of Genichiro Tenryu and Great Kabuki doing Mr. Fujis bidding and destroying Lex Luger in Florida was booming in the mid-70s, and it was there as a manager for Pak Song that he worked the locals into a frenzy and mastered the art of getting heat. While he worked a series of retirement matches at the end of the decade, The Great Kabuki has shown up in sporadic appearances over the last few years in NJPW, where he participated in both the 2015 and 2016 Rumbles there but was disqualified consecutively for the use of the mist. Growing his hair long, painting his face, and saying nothing while Gary Hart laid out the challenges and did all the talking was one of the keys to their success. 1978 would be a big year for him, and while he was there, he worked the tag team ranks under the name Mr. Sato.