Ashura Hara Susumu Hara is a former Japan ese rugby player and professional wrestler , better known by his ring name Ashura Hara . Rugby career . Susumu Hara began his rugby career in high school , playing for the Agricultural High School in the Isahaya region of Nagasaki . Upon graduating high school , he continued his rugby career in college for Toyo University . After college , he was drafted by the Kintetsu Liners . In 1976 , he was elected to represent Japan for its Rugby World Cup . Wrestling career . International Wrestling Enterprise ( 1978 – 1981 ) . After he finished his rugby career , Susumu Hara was scouted by International Wrestling Enterprise in 1976 . After a couple years of training , he finally made his debut on June 23 , 1978 , against Isamu Teranishi . Shortly after his debut , he went to Stampede Wrestling in Canada , under the name Fighting Hara , where he won his first championship , the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid - Heavyweight Championship , defeating Norman Frederick Charles III in July 1978 . He would lose the title back to Charles five days later . In October 1978 , he would tour Europe with Otto Wanz ' s Catch Wrestling Association . By December 1978 , he returned to Japan and was given the name Ashura Hara by author Akiyuki Nosaka , who happens to be a fan of Hara ' s . In May 1979 , Hara won the WWU World Junior Heavyweight Championship , defeating Mile Zrno . He would be the last holder of that title . In March 1980 , he went to New Japan Pro Wrestling in an attempt to capture the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship from Tatsumi Fujinami , but failed . After the failed attempt , he went to the United States , wrestling for Bill Watts ' Mid - South Wrestling . During that time he had bulk up into a heavyweight , which caused the WWU World Junior Heavyweight title to be abandoned at the end of March 1980 . Returning to IWE , he teamed up with Mighty Inoue in capturing the IWA World Tag Team Championship in May 1981 , defeating Paul Ellering and Terry Latham . Unfortunately , the championships were abandoned upon IWE ' s closure in August 1981 , making him and Inoue the final champions . All Japan Pro Wrestling ( 1981 – 1988 ) . Immediately after IWE ' s closure , Ashura Hara , Mighty Inoue , Apollo Sugawara , Goro Tsurumi , and Rusher Kimura joined All Japan Pro Wrestling , initially as an IWE stable . He would forge a longtime friendship and partnership with Genichiro Tenryu ever since . In February 1983 , he and Inoue won the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship , defeating The Great Kojika and Motoshi Okuma to win the vacant titles . They would hold onto the years for a year , before vacating the titles due to Inoue ' s focus on the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship . However , Hara got another partner in Takashi Ishikawa and regained the titles , defeating Gerry Morrow and Thomas Ivey to win the vacant titles . He and Ishikawa would hold onto the belts for over eight months , before vacating in October 1984 . In October 1986 , he teamed up with Super Strong Machine to win his third All Asia Tag Team title , defeating his former All Asia Tag Team championship partners Inoue and Ishikawa . They would hold onto the titles until Super Strong Machine ' s departure in June 1987 forced Hara to vacate the titles . After vacating the All Asia Tag titles , he reformed his tag team with Tenryu , as well as formingthe stable Revolution with Footloose ( Samson Fuyuki and Toshiaki Kawada ) and Yoshinari Ogawa ( Tatsumi Kitahara would join the group upon his debut in April 1988 ) . In September 1987 , he and Tenryu won the PWF Tag Team Championship , defeating Austin Idol and Stan Hansen . They would hold onto the titles for over nine months before losing the titles to The Olympics ( Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu ) . He and Tenryu would rebound in August 1988 as the won the newly unified AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship , defeating The Olympics . Unfortunately , they lost the belts back to The Olympics a day later . More bad news struck Hara , as days before the World ' s Strongest Tag Determination League was about to take place , he was fired from AJPW by Giant Baba for massive gambling debts in November 1988 . Toshiaki Kawada would take his place in teaming with Tenryu . Upon his firing , he would take a hiatus . Super World of Sports ( 1991 – 1992 ) . After over two and a half years , Ashura Hara made his triumphant return to the ring for Super World of Sports in August 1991 . While in SWS , he would team with Genichiro Tenryu , Samson Fuyuki , and Takashi Ishikawa , as well as WWF Superstar Davey Boy Smith . He and Tenryu teamed up for the SWS World Tag Team Championship tournament , defeating Shinichi Nakano and Tatsumi Kitahara in the semi - finals , before losing to Yoshiaki Yatsu and King Haku in the finals for the vacant titles . Unfortunately , turmoil backstage and money problems led SWS to its demise in June 1992 . WAR and retirement ( 1992 – 1994 ) . Upon SWS ' s closure , Ashura Hara joined Genichiro Tenryu in forming WAR . In late 1992 , he , Tenryu , Takashi Ishikawa , and Tatsumi ( now Koki ) Kitahara were involved in a feud with New Japan ' s stable Heisei Ishingun , in which The Great Kabuki joined in November 1992 . However , despite Kabuki ' s betrayal , he and his allies had added reinforcements in early 1993 , thanks to another NJPW stable , Raging Staff ( formerly Blonde Outlaws ) . By October 1993 , Raging Staff had disintegrated , as Tatsutoshi Goto joined Heisei Ishingun . In July 1994 , Hara teamed up with Jinsei Shinzaki and John Tenta for a one - night six - man tag team tournament , which he lost to Genichiro Tenryu , Atsushi Onita , and Bam Bam Bigelow in the finals . On October 3 , 1994 , Hara announced that he was retiring after 16 years in the sport . His last match was held on October 29 , in which he lost to close friend and tag team partner Tenryu . Retirement . After retiring , Hara became a rugby coach and teacher for various schools , including his alma mater . In 2004 , his mother died after suffering a stroke .