Mitsu Arakawa

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.

Mitsu Arakawa
A photograph of Arakawa from 1969.
Birth nameMack Mitsukazu Arakawa[1]
Born(1927-05-23)May 23, 1927[1]
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States[2]
DiedApril 17, 1997(1997-04-17) (aged 69)[2][1]
Concord, California, United States[1]
Cause of deathHeart failure[2]
Spouse(s)Patti Arakawa[3]
Children3[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Mitsu Arakawa[2]
Billed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Billed weight242 lb (110 kg)[2]
Billed fromJapan[4]
Trained byThe Great Yamato
Debut1953[2]
Retired1976[2]

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 heel throughout his career, Arakawa was billed as being a Japanese citizen who had survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and bore a grudge against the United States as a result. He spent the early years of his career wrestling throughout the Midwest United States.

In 1957, Arakawa debuted in the NWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club (later renamed the American Wrestling Association), where he was billed as Kinji Shibuya's cousin. In August 1957, he and Shibuya defeated The Kalmikoffs to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version). They lost the championship to Joe Brunetti and Guy Brunetti in November 1957.[5] In December 1967, Arakawa and Dr. Moto defeated Pat O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder for the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They held the championship for over a year before losing to The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser in December 1968.[6][7]

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 Toru Tanaka began wrestling for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) as "The Rising Suns". In June 1969, The Rising Suns were crowned the inaugural WWWF International Tag Team Champions (they were billed as having won a tournament that never took place). They lost the championship to Tony Marino and Victor Rivera in December 1969.[9][10][11]

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

References
  1. "Mitsukazu M. Arakawa". Crestleaf.com. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. "Mitsu Arakawa". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  3. "Mitsu Arakawa". Contra Costa Times. Digital First Media. May 23, 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  4. Welter, Ben (May 17, 2015). "Nov. 19, 1958: Salt in Verne Gagne's eye". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  5. Harris M. Lentz III (1 January 2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
  6. Mark Rosen; Jim Bruton (15 March 2014). Mark Rosen's Book of Minnesota Sports Lists: A Compilation of Bests, Worsts, and Head-Scratchers from the Worlds of Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Fishing, Curling, and More. MVP Books. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-7603-4580-1.
  7. Kristian Pope (14 August 2005). Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore. Krause Publications. p. 29. ISBN 1-4402-2810-8.
  8. Tim Hornbaker (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 263. ISBN 978-1-55490-274-3.
  9. Brian Solomon (15 June 2010). WWE Legends. Simon and Schuster. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-4516-0450-4.
  10. Harris M. Lentz III (1 June 2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-7864-1024-8.
  11. Tim Hornbaker (1 March 2015). Capitol Revolution: The Rise of the McMahon Wrestling Empire. ECW Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-1-77090-689-1.
  12. 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.
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