1 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:17,280 With death -defying stunts and relentless bloodshed, Japan's frontier 2 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:23,300 arts wrestling burst into life in 1989, led by revolutionary pioneer Atsushi 3 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:30,260 Onida. Onida and his promotion, they were pioneers. In the late 1980s, the 4 00:00:30,260 --> 00:00:31,840 was very homogenized. 5 00:00:32,299 --> 00:00:38,520 WCW could get a little wild, but FMW took it to a whole different level. 6 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,200 You get Onida, it will bleed to death. 7 00:00:42,380 --> 00:00:43,820 Every night he believed in death. 8 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:50,100 Other wrestlers have more good moves or a nice body or something. 9 00:00:50,460 --> 00:00:54,160 But I wanted something inside, like a fighting spirit. 10 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:02,020 By putting himself and his roster of wrestlers in an increasingly dangerous 11 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:03,020 situation, 12 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,680 Onida filled stadiums with diehard fans and became a global icon of hardcore 13 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,190 wrestling. As much as they were known for the brutality, it was really the 14 00:01:13,190 --> 00:01:16,130 imagination that made that company click. 15 00:01:16,870 --> 00:01:21,070 A no -rope barbed wire match, and then they go to the exploding barbed wire, 16 00:01:21,110 --> 00:01:24,170 then they go to the exploding ring, and then the electrified pool. 17 00:01:24,890 --> 00:01:27,910 It just got crazier and crazier and crazier. 18 00:01:29,730 --> 00:01:34,790 You've got to be just nuttier than a fruitcake to get into one of those 19 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:37,990 It got too hot, and everybody ran to the middle. 20 00:01:38,620 --> 00:01:40,580 And everybody's saying, get out of here, get out of here, get out of here. 21 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:46,960 The promotion's meteoric rise was followed by an equally spectacular crash 22 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,120 left its pop star paralyzed and its new CEO dead. 23 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:56,520 Some place the blame for FMW's tragic downfall on its founder, who sacrificed 24 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,940 everything for fame and fortune. 25 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:05,040 Some of my dad's fans say that he killed my father. 26 00:02:05,870 --> 00:02:08,530 Did he run over some people? I'm sure he did. 27 00:02:09,210 --> 00:02:12,690 But it was necessary to be Atsushi Onida. 28 00:02:14,870 --> 00:02:15,870 Superstar. 29 00:02:26,070 --> 00:02:28,570 I am Atsushi Onida. 30 00:02:30,770 --> 00:02:31,770 Yeah. 31 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,840 There was a manga called Giant Typhoon by Papa. 32 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:44,700 When I saw it, 33 00:02:46,020 --> 00:02:48,480 I thought, wow, pro -wrestling is amazing. 34 00:02:49,260 --> 00:02:50,020 I thought it was wonderful to have Japanese people who can play in Madison 35 00:02:50,020 --> 00:02:51,040 Square Garden. 36 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,340 I thought pro -wrestling was the only way to go to the world. 37 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,800 Japan's vibrant wrestling culture was popularized by Giant Baba's All Japan 38 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,740 Wrestling and Antonio Inoki's New Japan Pro Wrestling. Both championed an 39 00:03:11,740 --> 00:03:13,660 authentic, hard -hitting style. 40 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:19,680 When Texan brawlers Terry and Dory Funk came over to perform, their over -the 41 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,540 -top Western personas instantly captivated Japanese audiences. 42 00:03:32,859 --> 00:03:38,760 For some reason, the people took to me in Japan. 43 00:03:41,380 --> 00:03:45,380 Meaner than a rattlesnake. Tougher than shoe leather. 44 00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:49,340 More dangerous than a hollow -eyed scorpion. 45 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,520 Middle -aged and crazy. Crazy like a fox. 46 00:03:55,020 --> 00:03:56,780 You know who that is? 47 00:03:57,140 --> 00:03:58,860 That is me. 48 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:01,960 The best there ever was. 49 00:04:03,620 --> 00:04:07,020 And the best there ever will be. 50 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:09,760 Terry Funk. 51 00:04:10,140 --> 00:04:11,860 All right, ask me some questions. 52 00:04:14,220 --> 00:04:18,620 And Terry Funk is one of the most universally loved performers in Japanese 53 00:04:18,620 --> 00:04:20,760 history. And he worked all Japan. He worked New Japan. 54 00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:23,060 He'd be known as an all -time great. 55 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,700 My name is Chris Jericho, and I worked for two tours in FMW. 56 00:04:29,390 --> 00:04:33,450 Onida was a guy that started out in, I think it was All Japan, and he was kind 57 00:04:33,450 --> 00:04:38,750 of a high flyer. A young disciple of Giant Baba, Onida rose through the ranks 58 00:04:38,750 --> 00:04:44,450 All Japan's dojo system before being sent to America to further his craft and 59 00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:46,230 learn from the styles of the West. 60 00:04:46,690 --> 00:04:50,730 Japanese wrestlers would be sent to the different wrestling territories to 61 00:04:50,730 --> 00:04:54,090 further learn their trade. It was almost like an apprenticeship. 62 00:04:55,370 --> 00:04:56,870 My name is Mick Foley. 63 00:04:57,210 --> 00:04:59,130 I'm known as the king of the death match. 64 00:05:01,330 --> 00:05:03,850 But for a few years, I was the American Onida. 65 00:05:04,890 --> 00:05:08,650 And that was a huge, huge compliment. 66 00:05:09,170 --> 00:05:12,950 Well, Terry had told me that Onida was sent to Amarillo. 67 00:05:13,290 --> 00:05:16,030 Onida was very drawn to Terry's style. 68 00:05:16,470 --> 00:05:18,790 He had watched me in barbed wire matches. 69 00:05:19,170 --> 00:05:22,170 He really idolized me. That's why he came to Amarillo. 70 00:05:22,450 --> 00:05:24,370 Be like Terry Funk, you know. 71 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:26,660 What a horrible thing to want to be. 72 00:05:28,060 --> 00:05:31,360 He wanted to be an idiot too. 73 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:38,000 The mighty 74 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:44,900 fine tractor right here 75 00:05:44,900 --> 00:05:46,300 out on a double cross ranch. 76 00:05:46,810 --> 00:05:51,710 When Onida arrived in Amarillo, he was recovering from recent injuries suffered 77 00:05:51,710 --> 00:05:52,930 in the Dominican Republic. 78 00:05:53,450 --> 00:05:59,030 After refusing to lose to an opponent he deemed inferior, Onida was taught a 79 00:05:59,030 --> 00:06:03,350 painful lesson by the promoter. He didn't agree with what they wanted to do 80 00:06:03,350 --> 00:06:04,910 him, and they beat him up. 81 00:06:05,750 --> 00:06:10,150 But it wasn't one guy. It was all of them. Rat -packing. 82 00:06:16,650 --> 00:06:19,870 What was your first impression of him when you first met him? 83 00:06:20,490 --> 00:06:21,490 Nuts. 84 00:06:23,910 --> 00:06:30,390 I spoke Japanese like he spoke English. He spoke English like I spoke Japanese. 85 00:06:30,630 --> 00:06:32,210 We both were lost. 86 00:06:33,690 --> 00:06:35,010 But we got along. 87 00:06:36,290 --> 00:06:38,670 I was there for him. I really was. 88 00:06:39,090 --> 00:06:41,310 I bought him a used car. 89 00:06:41,630 --> 00:06:43,730 I got him a job. 90 00:06:44,300 --> 00:06:45,600 Send him on the road. 91 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,460 The Japanese team of Mr. Onita and Masafuchi. 92 00:06:49,660 --> 00:06:54,800 After Onita recovers from his injuries, he and fellow protege Masafuchi travel 93 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:59,620 to Memphis, Tennessee to battle in the infamous Tupelo concession stand brawl. 94 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,300 Into the concession stand after tearing down the protection. 95 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,260 Onida pulling itself over the counter. 96 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:05,080 With an improved skill set and a willingness to inject thrilling violence 97 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,220 his matches, Onida makes a return to All Japan Pro Wrestling. 98 00:08:09,690 --> 00:08:14,310 On the cusp of main event stardom, a freak accident results in a devastating 99 00:08:14,310 --> 00:08:15,310 injury. 100 00:08:41,340 --> 00:08:47,300 The injury permanently hinders Onida's athleticism, instantly ending his dreams 101 00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:49,160 of becoming a high -flying star. 102 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:55,580 He was limited as an athlete. He realized that his future in wrestling 103 00:08:55,580 --> 00:08:59,240 the powers of perseverance and imagination. 104 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,440 What do you do when you're in your late 20s, early 30s, and your whole career is 105 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,220 gone? Well, he created something that had never been done before. 106 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:12,320 After years of working odd jobs, Onida's thirst for stardom drives him to devise 107 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:13,320 a bold stunt. 108 00:09:13,420 --> 00:09:19,120 He publicly challenges real -life karate champion Masashi Oyagi to compete in a 109 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:23,380 groundbreaking series of brutal matches pitting wrestlers against martial 110 00:09:23,380 --> 00:09:24,380 artists. 111 00:09:47,430 --> 00:09:54,310 Building upon the violence Onida was exposed to in America, their rivalry 112 00:09:54,310 --> 00:09:57,030 headlines and draws massive crowds. 113 00:10:05,070 --> 00:10:10,770 By the time Onida claims victory in their final bout, his frontier martial 114 00:10:10,770 --> 00:10:13,210 wrestling promotion is officially born. 115 00:10:14,610 --> 00:10:20,330 FMW. And FMW had a really good thing going because they gave you a full 116 00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:23,890 meal. You know, you got your technical wrestling, line wrestling, incredible 117 00:10:23,890 --> 00:10:27,290 women. But the hallmark was always the blood and guts. 118 00:10:27,690 --> 00:10:30,590 It was like a buffet of brutality. 119 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:45,340 The thinking that goes behind replacing ring ropes with barbed wire is the 120 00:10:45,340 --> 00:10:46,860 audience comes first. 121 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:52,780 We care about them far more than the safety of the people doing this. And 122 00:10:52,780 --> 00:10:54,600 injuries are not a bad thing. 123 00:10:55,280 --> 00:11:00,220 They're encouraged and they are impossible to avoid. 124 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,000 How would you describe a typical FMW hardcore match? What are the things you 125 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,000 in it? 126 00:11:34,150 --> 00:11:40,530 annihilation of the bodies to have a better match than what 127 00:11:40,530 --> 00:11:42,750 the opposition did. 128 00:11:44,930 --> 00:11:48,210 Okay, the barbed wire isn't enough. We're going to have to rig up like 129 00:11:48,210 --> 00:11:49,870 electrical shocks to it. 130 00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:55,050 Like this was, this was, this was insane. 131 00:12:05,999 --> 00:12:12,640 To compete with Japan's two major promotions, FMW matches feature 132 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:19,120 dangerous stunts that result in legitimate bloodshed. I was at an FMW 133 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,440 one of the female wrestlers got hit with a fireball. 134 00:12:22,820 --> 00:12:28,220 And her outfit, it burned the fabric into her skin. 135 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:33,560 And I'm getting ready to do my match, and I just hear these almost 136 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:34,560 sounds of suffering. 137 00:12:35,020 --> 00:12:38,960 Tears streaming down her face, sobs like I have never heard before. And it's 138 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:43,560 like we talk about a price that's really, really steep. And I had to block 139 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:46,460 out of my mind and go about with my main event match. 140 00:12:51,130 --> 00:12:57,050 Onida's FMW roster includes like -minded performers Tarzan Goto, Mr. Pogo, 141 00:12:57,310 --> 00:13:02,710 Masato Tanaka, The Gladiator, a .k .a. Mike Awesome, as well as up -and -coming 142 00:13:02,710 --> 00:13:04,810 talent with North American experience. 143 00:13:05,370 --> 00:13:06,970 People want to see the action. 144 00:13:07,310 --> 00:13:09,010 People want to see something different. 145 00:13:09,610 --> 00:13:13,490 Hi, this is Ricky Fuji from FMW. 146 00:13:14,850 --> 00:13:17,290 People never seen before, like, in a crowd. 147 00:13:25,030 --> 00:13:31,370 We had a connection with a guy called Ricky Fuji who had spent time in Calgary 148 00:13:31,370 --> 00:13:37,250 that was able to bring some guys over to FMW. My first match ever in FMW was the 149 00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:39,490 main event, which is hilarious when you think about a 20 -year -old Chris 150 00:13:39,490 --> 00:13:44,150 Jericho in the main event against a karate expert who was just beating the 151 00:13:44,150 --> 00:13:44,989 out of me. 152 00:13:44,990 --> 00:13:47,970 They would be in there kicking you as hard as they could because that's all 153 00:13:47,970 --> 00:13:48,970 knew how to do. 154 00:13:49,010 --> 00:13:52,610 I was like, what the hell am I doing here? So I was never invited. I was 155 00:13:52,610 --> 00:13:54,210 invited. It was completely luck. 156 00:13:56,010 --> 00:13:57,010 I'm Sabu. 157 00:13:57,090 --> 00:14:01,770 I was in FMW for three years, New Japan for a year, and then independent the 158 00:14:01,770 --> 00:14:02,569 rest of my life. 159 00:14:02,570 --> 00:14:06,170 There you go, Sabu. Oh, did you see that? For the love of God. 160 00:14:07,570 --> 00:14:12,530 My uncle was the sheep, and he was a great guy. 161 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,060 He's a mean guy and he's a nice guy. 162 00:14:16,940 --> 00:14:21,000 Oneida and Tarzan go to, they were young boys when the Sheik and Abdul the 163 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,080 Butcher was in Japan in the early 70s and 80s. Every time they came to town, 164 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:26,480 they took care of those two guys. 165 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:31,220 So 20 years later, Oneida starts a company and he calls up the Sheik and 166 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:32,340 we're going to have a tag team tournament. 167 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,560 You can come there, come and bring anybody you want. He goes, I'll bring my 168 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:36,560 nephew. 169 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,660 And he could have chose anybody, but he chose me. 170 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,460 What's it like to work with barbed wire? 171 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:43,619 Oh, it sucks. 172 00:14:43,620 --> 00:14:44,479 It sucks. 173 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,220 The first barbed wire match, I got hurt. 174 00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:47,720 They took me to the hospital. 175 00:14:48,140 --> 00:14:51,900 I was in there all night long getting stitches. After that, I never went to 176 00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:56,340 hospital. It took too long. So I started crazy gluing my cuts and then taping 177 00:14:56,340 --> 00:14:59,540 them. I basically taped and glued up all the boys, too. 178 00:15:01,060 --> 00:15:05,880 A single barb can do a lot of damage in a hurry, and it has. 179 00:15:06,180 --> 00:15:07,900 There are some gaping wounds. 180 00:15:08,460 --> 00:15:12,080 You know, Sabu really paid the price, you know, with a roadmap of scars. 181 00:15:12,700 --> 00:15:17,140 It makes me look like a preschooler. 182 00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:24,540 FMW's wrestlers sacrifice their bodies on a nightly basis, but none can connect 183 00:15:24,540 --> 00:15:28,880 with the audience quite like the promotion's founder and star, Atsushi 184 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:35,680 Onida had an ability to allow people to feel his pain and see themselves 185 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,220 in him. 186 00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:41,450 Some people can't connect with a larger -than -life superhero. 187 00:15:41,770 --> 00:15:46,010 They can connect with somebody who looks like they do, who is limited 188 00:15:46,010 --> 00:15:50,150 physically, but not limited of will. 189 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,560 You know, there's man against man, man against himself. 190 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:13,380 And now you enter man against the wire, man against flames, where you're making 191 00:16:13,380 --> 00:16:17,960 a living, putting on a show, you're doing what you love, but you're also 192 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:19,740 fear on a nightly basis. 193 00:16:19,980 --> 00:16:24,840 And you have to tackle it. And you have to earn their respect. And you have to 194 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:26,100 embrace it wholeheartedly. 195 00:16:32,590 --> 00:16:38,790 The whole end of his match would be basically crying in front of the fans. 196 00:16:39,690 --> 00:16:46,510 The meaning was he had given it his all and he was crying because the fans had 197 00:16:46,510 --> 00:16:47,509 stood behind him. 198 00:16:47,510 --> 00:16:52,250 And they played Joan Jett's version of Wild Thing. And everybody would get up 199 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:56,430 out of their seats and crowd around the ringside as he poured water on his head 200 00:16:56,430 --> 00:16:57,430 and cried. 201 00:16:57,810 --> 00:16:58,810 And dude... 202 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,860 It got over so huge. 203 00:17:05,099 --> 00:17:11,220 Only after the big show and stadium arena, right after, he's going to the 204 00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:12,220 ambulance. 205 00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:18,720 In the ambulance, he think himself, OK, what the neck? 206 00:17:20,260 --> 00:17:21,300 That's all I have. 207 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:25,760 Welcome to... 208 00:17:39,470 --> 00:17:45,870 So if he could think that he was going to do it, I think there was a reasonably 209 00:17:45,870 --> 00:17:48,630 good chance that he was going to die in that ring. 210 00:17:50,790 --> 00:17:56,130 In Onida's pursuit to consistently top himself, A tag team match with Tarzan 211 00:17:56,130 --> 00:18:01,290 Goto versus Sabu and his 65 -year -old uncle, The Sheik, goes terribly wrong. 212 00:18:01,630 --> 00:18:04,030 Where did the idea for this fire match come from? 213 00:18:04,270 --> 00:18:05,270 I don't know. 214 00:18:05,430 --> 00:18:09,630 I assumed Puerto Rico because they had one before and Onida wanted to top it. 215 00:18:10,470 --> 00:18:14,690 I didn't care. I figured they know what they're doing. They know it would be 216 00:18:14,690 --> 00:18:15,690 safe. 217 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:21,120 Wow, that's taking things outside of your own hands and trusting the 218 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:25,240 someone else has created for you. I'm not comfortable with that. And I've seen 219 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,640 lot of people get burned, literally. 220 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:32,640 It got too hot way too fast. If it was a building, I would have jumped off it. 221 00:18:44,430 --> 00:18:47,650 There was an FMW logo in the middle, and it melted in our hands. 222 00:18:47,990 --> 00:18:49,710 It melted in our elbows, hands, and knees. 223 00:18:50,310 --> 00:18:53,170 You couldn't hear nothing. You couldn't breathe. It was a roar. 224 00:18:56,470 --> 00:18:59,690 I jumped out, and immediately turned around through a bucket of water. 225 00:19:22,009 --> 00:19:26,050 But he went out the other side. I didn't see that. He got burned by the fire 226 00:19:26,050 --> 00:19:27,050 pretty bad. 227 00:19:31,770 --> 00:19:35,870 My uncle carried on wrestling Onida outside the ring. And I was trying to 228 00:19:35,870 --> 00:19:39,230 water on my uncle because he had his back burned up. I threw a bucket of 229 00:19:39,230 --> 00:19:40,690 on him and the skin on his back came off. 230 00:19:43,350 --> 00:19:50,070 Were you angry at all with Onida or anybody else about how dangerous that 231 00:19:50,370 --> 00:19:51,370 I wasn't angry at anybody. 232 00:19:51,430 --> 00:19:52,430 I was angry that it was bad. 233 00:19:52,570 --> 00:19:54,410 You know, and the plan was bad. 234 00:19:54,850 --> 00:19:57,010 I can't be angry at Onida. He gave me life. 235 00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:09,130 Riding high with an expanding fan base and sold -out shows, Onida reveled in 236 00:20:09,130 --> 00:20:13,270 trappings of his newfound stardom. He may have started as a scrappy underdog, 237 00:20:13,410 --> 00:20:19,570 and he became the king and was treated as such. 238 00:20:20,550 --> 00:20:22,530 And he had sticky fingers. 239 00:20:23,090 --> 00:20:24,690 He took all the money. 240 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:38,180 The thing that changed me was... The thing that changed me became a big head. 241 00:20:38,900 --> 00:20:45,460 And then my house became a 4LDK. 242 00:20:46,220 --> 00:20:50,240 And then I bought five cars. 243 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,940 So the training when I succeeded was... 244 00:21:06,130 --> 00:21:10,070 Onida's fortune is not only gained from the violence he presents in the ring, 245 00:21:10,290 --> 00:21:12,910 but from ties with the nefarious underworld. 246 00:21:14,770 --> 00:21:20,190 So the Yakuza, the Japanese mob, how much were they a part of wrestling 247 00:21:20,190 --> 00:21:21,650 promotions in Japan at the time? 248 00:21:22,330 --> 00:21:25,870 They were in control of the arenas. 249 00:21:29,130 --> 00:21:32,650 So the Yakuza were definitely there. 250 00:21:33,150 --> 00:21:37,390 It's kind of almost like a money laundering scheme, holding shows that 251 00:21:37,390 --> 00:21:39,590 will kind of sponsor and put on. 252 00:21:41,230 --> 00:21:46,890 We would go out to dinner sometimes with sponsors, and I would just check out 253 00:21:46,890 --> 00:21:47,829 their pinkies. 254 00:21:47,830 --> 00:21:53,630 And by and large, a lot of the sponsors were missing their pinkies because of 255 00:21:53,630 --> 00:21:57,210 the line of business they were in, where sections of the pinkies would be. 256 00:21:59,730 --> 00:22:05,630 I wasn't comfortable with it, but I accepted that that was part of what made 257 00:22:05,630 --> 00:22:06,770 scene possible. 258 00:22:08,830 --> 00:22:13,390 They told us to stay away from a certain section, and I go, well, there's not 259 00:22:13,390 --> 00:22:14,910 many people in that section. Who cares? 260 00:22:15,530 --> 00:22:19,430 It was because that was the mafia section, and they had like 10 people 261 00:22:19,430 --> 00:22:22,810 with 50 chairs empty because nobody was scared to sit by them. 262 00:22:23,630 --> 00:22:25,310 I started biting over there anyway. 263 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,940 And they wouldn't move for us. Usually people move. 264 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,600 These are mafia boss. We don't know that. 265 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,780 But then later on, we're in the dressing room getting bang, bang, bang on the 266 00:22:33,780 --> 00:22:34,780 door. They're looking for us. 267 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,520 I run down this hallway and I got trapped. 268 00:22:40,740 --> 00:22:42,920 And a bunch of these Japanese guys knocked me down. 269 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,020 And when I was down, I was getting kicked. 270 00:22:51,940 --> 00:22:54,000 And all of a sudden, Mike Austin was there. 271 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,880 Mike Awesome, you know, the huge monster heel. 272 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:03,080 Guys started getting blown up. 273 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,700 Mike Awesome would start throwing guys up and save my life. I loved him after 274 00:23:08,700 --> 00:23:09,700 that. 275 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:21,380 In four short years, Onida overcame his injury to build a promotion to rival his 276 00:23:21,380 --> 00:23:22,380 competitors. 277 00:23:23,050 --> 00:23:29,130 To celebrate, Onida invites his mentor from America to participate in FMW's 278 00:23:29,130 --> 00:23:30,930 spectacular stunt to date. 279 00:23:34,290 --> 00:23:38,010 So they had an exploding ring death match. 280 00:23:38,250 --> 00:23:41,410 And they were really smart in bringing in Terry Funk. 281 00:23:41,850 --> 00:23:46,170 For him to come to FMW, it changed the perception of this company. Terry's 282 00:24:07,060 --> 00:24:09,280 It was stadium full. 283 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:11,920 About 30 ,000, 40 ,000. 284 00:24:12,300 --> 00:24:16,420 And they don't charge 50 cents a ticket over there either. 285 00:24:17,580 --> 00:24:18,740 There's the idiots. 286 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,380 There's the front row people. 287 00:24:21,180 --> 00:24:23,440 We're going to have an exploding ring match tonight. 288 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:25,580 I want a front row ticket. 289 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:27,600 Bullshit. 290 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,200 Did they show you where the explosives were going to be and stuff? 291 00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:32,980 Why, hell no. 292 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:35,620 I had no idea. 293 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,720 I just went out to the damn ring. 294 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:46,280 I'm a glutton for a crowd being into a match, you know. 295 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,300 I was just out there ready to capture that crowd. 296 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:53,360 And we did. 297 00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:05,660 I am God. 298 00:25:23,310 --> 00:25:25,030 So the siren starts going off. 299 00:25:26,930 --> 00:25:32,310 And at the end of this time clock, the ring would explode. 300 00:25:33,390 --> 00:25:38,490 And finally, Onida gets the win and he leaves the ring. 301 00:25:39,070 --> 00:25:44,650 And this thing is going down 45 seconds, 30 seconds. And Onida realizes that his 302 00:25:44,650 --> 00:25:49,770 hero, almost the god of Japanese pro wrestling, is going to be exploded in 303 00:25:49,770 --> 00:25:50,770 ring. 304 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:55,160 So he goes back inside the ring and he tries to wake Funker up and he can't 305 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:56,460 him up. And now it's 10 seconds. 306 00:25:56,940 --> 00:25:58,680 He can't wake him up. So what does he do? 307 00:25:59,140 --> 00:26:01,480 He shields Terry Funk with his body. 308 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,780 Then it's a bunch of like boom, boom, boom, concussion bombs and fireworks. 309 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,140 And just by the time it's done, you can't see anything. 310 00:26:11,300 --> 00:26:15,540 It was the greatest baby face thing I've ever seen in my life. He covered Terry 311 00:26:15,540 --> 00:26:19,460 Funk to save him from the explosion after he pinned him. 312 00:26:20,050 --> 00:26:21,050 That's Oneida. 313 00:26:22,470 --> 00:26:25,630 What FMW did the best was create a spectacle. 314 00:26:25,990 --> 00:26:29,370 You know, Funk survived thanks to Oneida, and they were kind of like 315 00:26:29,370 --> 00:26:33,250 each other, crying once again. And Funk was great at it too, crying, crying, 316 00:26:33,330 --> 00:26:37,950 crying. To me, it's a five -star match because it had the drama and hooked you 317 00:26:37,950 --> 00:26:39,530 into it to where you cared. 318 00:26:39,910 --> 00:26:44,010 And that's the real secret of what wrestling is. That's what Oneida really 319 00:26:44,010 --> 00:26:45,010 how to do. 320 00:26:45,350 --> 00:26:46,690 He was a genius at it. 321 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,580 Do you remember being satisfied with what you were paid on that match? 322 00:26:53,540 --> 00:26:55,380 Why the hell no, I wasn't satisfied. 323 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:03,620 I never saw it all needed after a match either until I came back the next time. 324 00:27:04,340 --> 00:27:06,000 I think he ran and hid. 325 00:27:09,940 --> 00:27:14,340 FMW was at least the number three promotion in the country, if not number 326 00:27:14,380 --> 00:27:16,560 depending on what was going on with the two big ones at the time. 327 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,580 He legit was one of the most popular performers in the country, and not just 328 00:27:21,580 --> 00:27:23,100 wrestling. He was doing game shows. 329 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:28,000 TV drama or singing shows, something like a talk show. 330 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,560 Almost every day, like, turn the TV on, and Onida was there. 331 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:34,400 All the time, yeah. 332 00:27:34,660 --> 00:27:39,020 He'd become such a big part of the culture. I think Onida had bigger plans. 333 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,000 In just five short years after creating FMW... 334 00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:47,300 Onida announces his retirement, which comes as a shock to his fans. 335 00:27:47,740 --> 00:27:49,240 He didn't want to do it anymore. 336 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:50,419 He had enough. 337 00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:53,840 And you can fail and not have any money at all. 338 00:27:54,460 --> 00:27:58,940 Or you can go out like he did with several million dollars, I'm sure. 339 00:28:05,380 --> 00:28:09,940 Onida continues to headline shows for another full year while the promotion 340 00:28:09,940 --> 00:28:11,260 grooms a young wrestler. 341 00:28:11,710 --> 00:28:13,990 to become his future headlining successor. 342 00:28:15,690 --> 00:28:22,070 Hayabusa was the heir apparent to 343 00:28:22,070 --> 00:28:28,970 Onida. He was, the word that's coming is elegant, but he was also willing 344 00:28:28,970 --> 00:28:31,110 to do the extreme stuff. 345 00:28:31,870 --> 00:28:34,850 E .G. Zaki is his name, who later became Hayabusa. 346 00:28:35,130 --> 00:28:39,290 We worked together quite a bit. My second tour at Kawasaki Stadium, 347 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:44,320 was against izaki and at the time the big move that he did was a moonsault 348 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:45,320 nobody did 349 00:29:12,399 --> 00:29:17,560 At FMW's 6th anniversary show, Onida's retirement match features the special 350 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,220 effects and extreme gore that made him an icon. 351 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,940 But his opponent is out of his element. 352 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,980 When you retire, you start to look back. 353 00:29:46,780 --> 00:29:49,080 You reflect on yourself. 354 00:29:50,740 --> 00:29:57,220 You leave the ring. 355 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:01,860 It's a 356 00:30:01,860 --> 00:30:08,240 lonely thing. 357 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:45,980 Oniva leaving FMW, that would create a huge hole that I think would be next to 358 00:30:45,980 --> 00:30:51,440 impossible to fill just because of how synonymous with that company he was. 359 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:56,760 And vice versa, it'd be hard to see Onida anywhere else other than thinking 360 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:58,240 They're one and the same. 361 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:14,500 An unlikely successor emerges to take the reins of FMW, the 362 00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:17,040 promotion's ring announcer, Shoichi Arai. 363 00:31:29,079 --> 00:31:31,780 And he's kind of like, kind of a chubby guy. 364 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,700 He kind of wore a tuxedo that was a little bit too small for him. 365 00:31:39,060 --> 00:31:42,100 But then you hear, like, arise the new, like, general manager. 366 00:31:43,980 --> 00:31:44,879 Like, really? 367 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:48,420 Like, wow. Like, well, why not? Like, he was probably at every show. 368 00:31:51,470 --> 00:31:56,250 Onita retire, then after, okay, you are the president. What? 369 00:31:57,890 --> 00:32:00,510 He don't know what to do. 370 00:32:01,950 --> 00:32:05,710 My dad was really nice person. He was really pure. 371 00:32:06,090 --> 00:32:10,490 So I didn't know why he was trying to get into that company. 372 00:32:10,810 --> 00:32:12,150 I still don't understand. 373 00:32:12,530 --> 00:32:16,690 My name is Shell, and Shoichi Arai is my dad. 374 00:32:18,310 --> 00:32:19,310 Onita. 375 00:32:19,630 --> 00:32:23,130 Suddenly say that, OK, I'm going to give this company to you. 376 00:32:23,630 --> 00:32:25,290 You can do whatever you want. 377 00:32:25,910 --> 00:32:28,390 But he has no knowledge at all. 378 00:32:29,290 --> 00:32:34,190 Excuse my language, but he gave Jack shit to the ring announcer. 379 00:32:35,430 --> 00:32:41,250 He didn't give nothing to him. I'll promise you that. I'll swear to it. 380 00:32:42,130 --> 00:32:47,690 Before, like all the time I was there in the FMW, everywhere always packed the 381 00:32:47,690 --> 00:32:49,750 arena. Many people. 382 00:32:50,870 --> 00:32:54,270 New FMW started, then just... 383 00:32:54,270 --> 00:32:59,650 Little people. 384 00:33:05,570 --> 00:33:11,310 Without Onida's star power, FMW's popularity wanes. 385 00:33:15,950 --> 00:33:21,030 After just one starring film role, Onida realizes his appeal is limited when 386 00:33:21,030 --> 00:33:22,009 he's not wrestling. 387 00:33:22,010 --> 00:33:27,130 Less than a year after his retirement, he unexpectedly returns to FMW to work 388 00:33:27,130 --> 00:33:28,390 for his former ring announcer. 389 00:33:45,420 --> 00:33:50,120 If you do it in Tokyo, everyone will applaud. 390 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:51,520 I'll be the heel. 391 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:53,680 But if you do it in the countryside, it's different. 392 00:33:54,100 --> 00:33:55,940 A completely different phenomenon will occur. 393 00:33:57,060 --> 00:33:59,240 I'm more famous and have a big name. 394 00:34:00,260 --> 00:34:03,720 The audience will applaud me like this. 395 00:34:04,740 --> 00:34:09,380 But strangely enough, it was only jealousy. 396 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:24,300 When Arai was running the company, he kind of wanted to move away from death 397 00:34:24,300 --> 00:34:25,300 matches, right? 398 00:34:25,739 --> 00:34:29,900 Yeah, because they wouldn't air our stuff only on specials because it was 399 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:35,699 violent. To take FMW in a new direction, Arai hires veteran Japanese star 400 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:39,260 Hiromichi Fuyuki to handle the company's creative direction. 401 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,480 That's why, like, something changed. 402 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:47,080 And I always, like, ask Fuyuki, ask Fuyuki. 403 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:51,020 Then Fuyuki say, do this, do this, do this. 404 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:54,580 Fuyuki wants to do some, like, entertainment style. 405 00:34:55,100 --> 00:34:59,520 He had a belt called World Entertainment Wrestling, like WWE, but World 406 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:00,520 Entertainment Wrestling. 407 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:02,060 And they stopped having death matches. 408 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:21,860 The tug -of -war between Onida's vision for FMW 409 00:35:21,860 --> 00:35:26,820 and Fuyuki's new direction forces Arai to arrange a meeting with his top 410 00:35:49,130 --> 00:35:50,130 Yeah, 411 00:35:53,490 --> 00:35:56,610 I said to the auditor, please, leave FMW. 412 00:35:57,950 --> 00:36:01,130 We got to do this, and I want to talk on the high -end stuff. 413 00:36:19,559 --> 00:36:24,840 While Hayabusa struggled to draw the crowds of his predecessor, his athletic 414 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:28,700 style was winning new fans and realizing success for FMW. 415 00:36:31,020 --> 00:36:35,020 Until tragedy struck on October 22, 2001. 416 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:40,420 He did a second rope moonsault, and his foot slipped, and he went backwards and 417 00:36:40,420 --> 00:36:41,420 landed on his forehead. 418 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,600 Before, he missed something. He always get up. 419 00:36:51,300 --> 00:36:55,720 By the time they're watching that, he never get up. 420 00:37:17,060 --> 00:37:20,420 He didn't die. 421 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:21,920 It was worse. He was paralyzed. 422 00:37:22,140 --> 00:37:23,140 I'd rather have died. 423 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:33,020 Just terrible. Terrible injury to happen to just a great guy, a great, great 424 00:37:33,020 --> 00:37:34,700 performer, and a legit... 425 00:37:35,180 --> 00:37:37,200 kind of future legend. 426 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,900 All the boxes that need to be checked, he had it. 427 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:46,960 His 428 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:54,040 career 429 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:55,680 was cut short in his prime. 430 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:01,300 And I think with his career went the future of FMW. 431 00:38:02,460 --> 00:38:05,700 They never really found somebody to replace Hayabusa. 432 00:38:06,740 --> 00:38:12,280 Beyond being a serious emotional blow to FMW and its fans, Hayabusa's injury 433 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,720 also sets in motion a financial disaster. 434 00:38:15,260 --> 00:38:19,700 Without their thorough traction, Arai struggles to keep his fledgling company 435 00:38:19,700 --> 00:38:22,820 afloat. I said, wait, please wait, please wait. 436 00:38:24,100 --> 00:38:25,480 I'll never get paid. 437 00:38:26,730 --> 00:38:31,790 I remember that my mom say, don't steal house money or something. 438 00:38:32,630 --> 00:38:36,990 And what do you think that meant? Was he using the money from the family to help 439 00:38:36,990 --> 00:38:38,450 pay for the business? 440 00:38:39,090 --> 00:38:40,090 Oh, yes. 441 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,140 He owed money from the Yakuza, and he couldn't pay them back. 442 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,820 His phone was ringing all the time. 443 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:04,900 My mom was, like, panicked, and she screamed. 444 00:39:05,180 --> 00:39:08,600 So I thought it's not a good thing. 445 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,180 My mom and dad, like, they divorced. 446 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:18,320 I think he was really suffering, and I didn't realize because I was too young. 447 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,660 And in my last match there, We didn't get paid. He said he'd send it to me, 448 00:39:22,660 --> 00:39:23,800 he killed himself the next day. 449 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:29,160 Hung himself in a schoolyard. 450 00:39:32,460 --> 00:39:36,220 When you borrow money from the Japanese mafia, even if you kill yourself, 451 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:37,700 they're going to get their money from your family. 452 00:39:38,020 --> 00:39:41,520 So that wasn't the end of the story. They're saying he was selfish for doing 453 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:46,100 that, a coward, because now his family owns that money, and they'll get it. 454 00:39:52,110 --> 00:39:56,530 Arai's death triggers a life insurance payment, but it's sadly not enough to 455 00:39:56,530 --> 00:39:58,890 cover his family's newly inherited debt. 456 00:39:59,210 --> 00:40:03,830 They came to my home suddenly, and they changed the key, and they changed 457 00:40:03,830 --> 00:40:06,630 everything, and we couldn't get in our house anymore. 458 00:40:06,970 --> 00:40:12,830 My picture, my video, my memories were all in that house, but it's all gone. 459 00:40:12,950 --> 00:40:14,070 That's why I don't have anything. 460 00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:33,320 I feel a little bit that Onita used my 461 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:39,960 dad. A lot of people say that he was too kind and too 462 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:42,660 pure. That's why he's gone. 463 00:40:50,990 --> 00:40:52,870 I'm sure it was a shock. 464 00:40:53,650 --> 00:40:55,070 He was shot in the neck. 465 00:40:55,730 --> 00:40:56,730 I don't care about the debt. 466 00:40:59,590 --> 00:41:02,190 I understand that he was killed by a drug dealer or a drug dealer. 467 00:41:04,910 --> 00:41:05,910 It's not like that. 468 00:41:08,030 --> 00:41:09,050 I don't care about the debt. 469 00:41:11,010 --> 00:41:12,010 I don't have to pay. 470 00:41:13,430 --> 00:41:15,750 I was caught up in a mental thing. 471 00:41:23,620 --> 00:41:29,820 Over a decade later, FMW briefly rises from the ashes with Onida back in the 472 00:41:29,820 --> 00:41:33,080 ring and Hayabusa acting as an executive producer. 473 00:41:33,720 --> 00:41:39,480 But less than a year later, tragedy strikes again when Hayabusa collapses in 474 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,800 home and dies at the age of 47. 475 00:42:07,780 --> 00:42:09,140 He did walk again. 476 00:42:10,380 --> 00:42:14,620 I mean, it's one of the most gut -wrenching things you see when he's 477 00:42:14,620 --> 00:42:18,700 by members of wrestling royalty from several different promotions. 478 00:42:19,060 --> 00:42:25,080 And it's one of the most emotional moments you will ever see when Hayabusa 479 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:26,080 to the ring. 480 00:42:40,150 --> 00:42:43,450 FMW was the wild, wild west of professional wrestling. 481 00:42:43,790 --> 00:42:48,450 I mean, it was in the east geographically, but it was this lawless, 482 00:42:48,450 --> 00:42:52,210 frontier. If you could think it, you could do it. 483 00:42:52,750 --> 00:42:55,110 The spectacle always came first. 484 00:42:55,710 --> 00:43:01,610 And it was a big part of wrestling history and something that's still 485 00:43:01,610 --> 00:43:02,910 from to this day. 486 00:43:12,700 --> 00:43:18,120 What I learned in FMW, of course, I took it to ECW. 487 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,760 ECW was formed from FMW. 488 00:43:22,260 --> 00:43:28,800 Onida basically built a promotion around himself, an undersized 489 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:33,640 underdog wrestler, and made it a huge success. 490 00:43:35,940 --> 00:43:38,940 If you could say anything to him right now, what would you say? 491 00:43:42,220 --> 00:43:45,020 Is there any reason that you want to flick him off? 492 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:47,140 No, hell no. 493 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:48,640 I love him. 494 00:44:05,299 --> 00:44:06,299 I think it's probably limited to one unit.