Time Machine: The Destroyer honored by the Emperor

This story originally ran in the Japanese newspaper Yukan Fuji in 2017.

TOKYO — I read with interest that the Destroyer received an award from the Emperor this autumn in recognition of his long career as a pro wrestling icon in Japan. Needless to say I was surprised, as many of you were, but at the same time, upon reflection, I thought it fitting. I was particularly happy to hear it as I have had a history that has intersected with Destroyer’s from time to time.

I was a witness when the Destroyer burst onto the scene in Japan in 1960’s. It was at a coffee shop in Ochanomizu on May 24, 1963, where I watched a professional wrestling match between him, then a top-ranking American wrestler, and the great Rikidozan. Some 70 million other people also watched on TV, making it the highest-rated professional sports program in the history of Japanese television.