Tojo Yamamoto Harold Watanabe ( 1927 – February 19 , 1992 ) was an American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto . He was born in Hawaii . In - ring career . Yamamoto had success as a heel as an individual wrestler and part of a tag team , particularly in the southern United States , invoking the natural hatred for World War II enemies ( in his case , Prime Minister " Tojo " and IJN admiral " Yamamoto " ; as successful were the von Brauners , who wore Iron Crosses and goose - stepped around the ring ) . He worked in hundreds of different tag - team combinations , and even wrestled Hulk Hogan . According to Hogan , " he hit me in the throat with his cheap shot , I fell through the ropes . . . ( on the floor ) he grabbed a cigar out of a guy ' s mouth and dropped it in my boot " . These exemplify the kind of over - the - top heel tactics Yamamoto would use , in addition to the general distrust of the Japanese that many Americans held even after the war . He was affiliated with Nashville - area wrestling promoter Nick Gulas for most of his career . In Nashville , he was promoted as " the most hated wrestler of all time " and " the epitome of evil " . Nick Gulas was notorious for underpaying his wrestlers , but Yamamoto and his trainee Jackie Fargo were notable exceptions to his stinginess . They were two of Gulas ' s best draws from the early 60 ' s to the early 70 ' s , but in addition to the money they generated , they were also reliable and loyal . Yamamoto showed his allegiance despite offers from other promoters , including an offer from his close friend and student Jerry Jarrett when he started promoting shows of his own . Gulas recognized Yamamoto ' s loyalty and paid him back with more than just with a regular place on the card and more pay than almost any wrestler Gulas had ; he was entrusted with an incredible number of titles . His ability to draw heat ( by purposefully playing off of Japanese stereotypes ) and his reputation as a ring - general who could be counted on to have a good match - regardless of the quality of his partner or opponent . As a result , he held an incredible number of championships in his career : 7 Six - Man Titles and an astounding tally of 51 various Tag Team Titles , usually with different partners , which makes the feat even more remarkable . While he enjoyed fantastic success as a Tag - Team champion , he saw less success as a singles wrestler . He only held 3 singles titles , but 2 of those runs was with the NWA Mid - America Heavyweight Title , the most prestigious title in his home territory . His lack of singles titles suggests that Yamamoto ' s value was in helping develop other wrestlers ( rookies , unpolished talent , mid - carders ) and guide their progress to the next level . It could also be mark of Gulas ' s booking style , where he preferred to have a strong " babyface " champion and felt a " heel " world champion would not sell as many tickets . Over time , Tojo Yamamoto became aware that his body was failing him , and his in - ring career would come to an end . He constantly wrestled a full schedule without taking days off , leading to injuries that never healed . The problem was compounded by complications from his weight which eventually caused diabetes . All of these factors had taken their toll on his body , but after enjoying so much success he would struggle to accept his physical limitations even up to the day he died . However , it was impossible for him to accept a life away from the sport he loved . Unlike many of his contemporaries , especially his fellow Asian wrestlers , Tojo stuck to wrestling and never appeared in any films or television shows . As a manager . Yamamoto was able to stay in the wrestling business and later became a manager of other wrestlers . His rise to fame late in his career took place in the late - 1980s , when Yamamoto , while in World Class Championship Wrestling , was managing Phil Hickerson , who was known as P . Y . Chu - Hi . They were involved in a lengthy storyline with Eric Embry , involving control of the World Class promotion . Later , Yamamoto and Hickerson worked a storyline with Chris and Toni Adams , which began with an attack on Toni by Hickerson and Yamamoto during a wrestling match at the Sportatorium . Yamamoto and Hickerson left World Class in 1990 , but Yamamoto returned to the Sportatorium in early 1991 ( under the USWA banner ) to manage Embry , who had turned heel . During this time he managed many other wrestlers , including Dennis Knight , who later went on to play the roles of Phineas Godwin and Mideon . Contributions as a trainer . During and after his years as a manager , knowing that his in - ring career was long since over , Yamamoto continued to contribute to the wrestling business as a prolific trainer . The impact he had on the world of professional wrestling through his training is far - reaching and spans across generations and promotions . He trained dozens of wrestlers who in turn went on to train scores , perhaps hundreds , of additional performers . An example of one of his trainees who went on to teach future generations is Bobby Eaton . Eaton trained countless hopefuls at the WCW Power Plant , but he was also known for his informal coaching of countless younger talent in WCW . He would often go out of his way to make himself available whether it be backstage , in the ring , or most commonly on the road driving long distances from town to town . Like Yamamoto , he was never considered a " main - eventer " , but both had a reputation and willingness to help their opponents look good in the ring and get better from just being in the ring them . He passed his decades of wrestling knowledge down to many students , including several future world champions such as Jeff Jarrett , Mike Rapada , and Psycho Sid . He even had a hand in training Jeff Jarrett ' s father , Jerry Jarrett . Tojo ' s other students include legends like The Moondogs ( Spike and Spot ) , Jackie Fargo , Bobby Eaton , and " Wildfire " Tommy Rich . Yamamoto ' s impact on future generations of wrestlers is immeasurable , as he trained so many people ( such as Bobby Eaton ) , who went on to train many , many more wrestlers . Yamamoto would manage some of the wrestlers he trained , but more incredibly he later faced several of his students in the ring ; winning ( and losing ) many of his Tag Team and Six - Man Tag Team Titles in matches with his former students . He retired in 1991 due to health problems which included diabetes . He died in Hermitage , Tennessee of a self - inflicted gunshot wound in 1992 .