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The Underrated Files: Hakushi

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Say I wanted you to think of some WWE Superstars that came from ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’, Japan. Most assuredly, the most common names you or any WWE fan came up with would be Hall Of Famer Mr. Fuji, Tajiri, maybe Taka Michinoku or Sho Funaki and more recently, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Hideo Itami and Akira Tozawa. Maybe even a less-remembered man named Kenzo Suzuki and perhaps another Hall Of Famer in Tatsumi Fujinami, but one that is often forgotten about would be that of ‘The Modern Day Kamikaze’, ‘The White Angel’, Hakushi.

Born Kensuki Shinzaki in Tokushima, Japan on December 2nd, 1966, Hakushi is a former soccer player who trained in amateur wrestling while in high school, but went on to become an actor before thinking of joining the professional wrestling ranks. He received minimal success with his acting chops, which led him to pursue the squared circle in 1992 after meeting one of Japan’s all-time greats, Gran Hamada. He began training under this legend, originally learning the Mexican style of lucha libre before making his pro debut under a mask. Named Mongolian Yuga for Hamada’s Universal Lucha Libre promotion, a company that was the first of its kind in Japan based around the style. Shinzaki wouldn’t spend much time there, leaving the promotion in 1993 to follow another Japanese legend, The Great Sasuke, as they headed to an upstart company called Michinoku Pro Wrestling.

Shinzaki would unmask and take on a new persona as Jinsei Shinzaki, a Buddhist pilgrim gimmick that really allowed him to hone his very original style, slow and meditated. Without knowing it, the gimmick also showed he had entertainment value as his entrance became just as interesting, dressed in white robes, carrying a shakujo staff and donning a hat that would be comparable to one worn by Raiden of the Mortal Kombat games.

He was a silent heel and would feud against the aforementioned Great Sasuke, but the intrigue of his character would lead to people getting behind him. This unforseen change caused a babyface turn to help his now-former rival. In 1994, Shinzaki wrestled on a World Wrestling Federation tour of Japan, catching the right eyes. The upstart quickly found himself being offered a contract in what could be considered unusual for a man who had only been competing roughly two years.

In late 1994, he would arrive in the WWF using the same gimmick, but under his new name Hakushi, meaning “White Master”. He added Buddhist shakyo text all over his body (which referenced a famed Japanese tale and folk character, Hoichi the Earless) and Hakushi would receive a solid push upon his entry to the United States. The going was good early, picking up victories with the help of his new manager Shinja over jobbers like Matt Hardy, as well as mid-card talents such as Aldo Montoya and The 1-2-3 Kid. He was something that fans in America had never seen before, a mixture of lucha libre and what would be known today as strong style, showing off his athleticism with awe-inspiring moves like an Asai moonsault or a back handspring moonsault over the top rope to an opponent on the floor. Hell, he was even the first man I saw execute a bronco buster, although it didn’t have the same kind of connotation it would have later on during the Attitude Era. Additionally, he brought the wrestling style known as lucharesu to the WWF, which saw him not use one single finishing maneuver, but would imply a variety of moves that could end a match.

‘The White Angel’ would have a brief alliance with the masked Superstar Kwang (Savio Vega) before turning on him, then would embark on his most notable rivalry in the WWF against the legendary Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart. If you ever saw ‘The Excellence of Execution’ and Hakushi go one-on-one, those matches still hold up to this day and even Bret himself has credited ‘The Modern Day Kamikaze’ as being innovative and very technically sound. Unfortunately, Hakushi would generally come out on the losing end of those confrontations and for one reason or another, he never saw the same success. He would move on to a feud with perennial jobber Barry Horowitz, even shockingly losing a match to him in what I remember being a surprising move, even as a 9-year old. Hakushi would never reach the heights he once saw with his matches against ‘The Hitman’ and would eventually leave the company in 1996 when his contract expired.

It’s not really known what exactly happened or why Hakushi was not more of a player in the WWF, as he was supremely talented and still a relatively young man at the time of his departure. I have previously covered a number of classic WWF pay-per-views, which is where I gained a newfound respect and appreciation for not only Hakushi’s character, but also what he could do in the ring given the time period. I’ve always been a fan of characters that were a little darker like The Undertaker or Bray Wyatt, but perhaps he was too far ahead of his time to be fully appreciated by the company or fans alike.

I would highly recommend looking up some of his work. You might end up saying, “Wow, did you see that?!”, or possibly wondering, “How did this guy not get a longer stint?”. I’d also argue that if he could time travel to today’s current wrestling landscape, I probably would have had a lot more to write about.

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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