11 Facts About Hiro Matsuda

Hiro Matsuda trained many professional wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, The Great Muta, "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Scott Hall, Lex Luger, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and Ron Simmons.

Hiro Matsuda initially debuted under his real name at Rikidozan's Japanese Wrestling Association, but then left Japan to pursue wrestling in the Americas.

Hiro Matsuda was the first Japanese wrestler to win a National Wrestling Alliance world singles title when he won its Junior Heavyweight Championship on July 11,1964, in Tampa, Florida by defeating Danny Hodge.

Hiro Matsuda had previously made a challenge to Thesz a few times.

Hiro Matsuda settled in Florida in 1962, and later trained neophytes at the old Sportatorium in Tampa, home of the Championship Wrestling from Florida television program.

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For many years Hogan and other wrestlers told a story that Hiro Matsuda broke Hogan's leg on his first day of training, to teach him to respect professional wrestling, and see if he really wanted to be part of the business.

Hiro Matsuda saw it was all black and blue and told him he'd better sit it out for a week.

Hogan later embellished that Hiro Matsuda broke his leg to not only make himself look tough for continuing to train under Hiro Matsuda, but to show the seriousness of professional wrestling.

Hiro Matsuda wouldn't let wrestlers train with him unless they did 1,000 pushups and 1,000 squats.

Hiro Matsuda came to work in Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 as a heel to participate in a feud between his disciple Lex Luger and Dusty Rhodes, plus wrestled a few matches on TV with Four Horsemen manager James J Dillon acting as his manager.

Hiro Matsuda famously locked Johnny Weaver, who was in Rhodes' corner, in the hold.