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Kenji Shibuya


[SLAM: Kenji Shibuya RIP]

Title History

 

  • NWA (Mid Atlantic) Southern Tag Team titles w/Mr. Moto defeating John & Al Smith (July 19, 1954);
  • NWA (Mid Atlantic) Southern Tag Team titles w/Mr. Moto defeating ?????? (????, 1956);
  • NWA Texas Tag Team titles w/Duke Keomuka defeating Luigi Macera & Pepper Gomez (February 21, 1956);
  • NWA (Minneapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Mitsu Arakawa defeating Karol & Ivan Kalmikoff (August 13, 1957);
  • NWA Central States Heavyweight title defeating ??????? (????, 1960);
  • MWA (Ohio) Tag Team titles (as Sato Keomuka) w/Duke Keomuka defeating Mike & Doc Gallagher (November 26, 1960);
  • NWA (Ohio) United States Tag Team titles (as Sato Keomuka) w/Duke Keomuka defeating ??????? (April ??, 1961);
  • AWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Mitsu Arakawa defeating Guy & Joe Brunetti (November 11, 1961);
  • Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Mitsu Arakawa defeating ?????? (????, 1963);
  • NWA (Vancouver) Canadian Tag Team titles w/Mitsu Arakawa defeating Mr. X & Gene Kiniski (March 11, 1963);
  • NWA (Vancouver) Canadian Tag Team titles w/Sweet Daddy Siki defeating Roy Etchison & Dan Miller (October 1, 1963);
  • NWA (Vancouver) Canadian Tag Team titles w/Don Leo Jonathan defeating Dory Funk Sr. & Dory Funk Jr. (January 20, 1964);
  • AWA (San Francisco) United States Heavyweight title defeating Ray Stevens (October 25, 1964);
  • AWA (San Francisco) United States Heavyweight title defeating Bobo Brazil (November 13, 1965);
  • NWA (Amarillo) North American Heavyweight title defeating ?????? (July ??, 1967);
  • AWA (San Francisco) United States Heavyweight title defeating Bearcat Wright (February 17, 1968);
  • AWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Great Sasaki defeating Pedro Morales & Pepper Gomez (May 11, 1968);
  • AWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Masa Saito defeating Pedro Morales & Pepper Gomez (July 13, 1968);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Heavyweight title defeating Freddie Blassie (March 26, 1971);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Beat the Champ Television title defeating Suni War Cloud (April 3, 1971);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Tag Team titles w/Masa Saito defeating Black Gordman & Goliath (May 21, 1971);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Tag Team titles w/Masa Saito defeating Salvador Lothario & Pantera Negra (November 19, 1971);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Beat the Champ Television title defeating John Tolos (November 27, 1971);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Tag Team titles w/Goliath defeating Dory Dixon & Earl Maynard (March 1, 1972);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Beat the Champ Television title defeating Don Carson (April 8, 1972);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Tag Team titles w/Masa Saito defeating Rey Mendoza & Raul Mata (June 30, 1972);
  • NWA (Los Angeles) Beat the Champ Television title defeating John Tolos (July 15, 1972);
  • NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Great Mephisto defeating Rocky Johnson & Pat Patterson (April 25, 1973);
  • NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Masa Saito defeating Interns (September ??, 1973);
  • NWA (Vancouver) Pacific Coast Heavyweight title defeating Don Leo Jonathan (March 8, 1976);
  • NWA (Vancouver) Canadian Tag Team titles w/John Quinn defeating Jimmy Snuka & Don Leo Jonathan (May 17, 1976);

 

Career Highlights

 

  • Kenji Shibuya claimed to be Japanese but the only time he was ever in japan was in changing planes en route to Australia..
  • Kenji Shibuya teamed with Masa Saito in Roy Shire’s San Francisco and Lebelle’s Los Angeles and they were billed as cousins..
  • Kenji Shibuya also had a lot of success as a tag team with Mitsu Arakawa..
  • Kenji Shibuya lived in Hayward, CA, and took care of the koi fish at the local Japanese Buddhist Temple ..
  • May 3, 2010: Kenji Shibuya passed away in Hayward, California at the age of 88.

    Dave Meltzer wrote (May 4): Robert “Kinji” Shibuya, who was one of pro wrestling’s biggest stars of the 60s and early 70s in California, passed away at his home in Hayward, CA, at the age of 88. Shibuya was a San Francisco wrestling institution, headlining the Cow Palace on numerous occasions, both as a single as well as with tag team partners Mitsu Arakawa and Masa Saito. Shibuya & Arakawa were best known for matches against Nick Bockwinkel & Wilbur Snyder and Ray Stevens & Don Manoukian during the heyday of San Francisco wrestling when the Cow Palace was the hottest wrestling arena in the United States. He also dabbled in acting, and was well known after his retirement in the late 70s for raising koi fish. Robert Shibuya played the stereotypical Japanese heel role, but he was actually from Utah, and was a college football star in the 40s at the University of Hawaii. During the mid-60s, when he held the United States heavyweight championship, he was generally considered one of the top ten stars in the industry.

 


Mike Aldren wrote (May 10th): Robert “Kinji” Shibuya passed away last week in East LA at the age of 88. Shibuya was a major star during the 1960s and early 70s. He played a traditional Japanese heel famously teaming with Masa Saito in Roy Shire’s San Fransisco and Lebelle’s Los Angeles territories where they were billed as cousins. Ironically, Shibuya was originally from Utah, and would often joke that the closest he ever came to Japan was changing planes en route to Australia. He also had a lot of success as a tag team with Mitsu Arakawa. After retirement, he bought a home in Hayward, CA, and was known for farming Koi fish at a local Buddhist Temple.


Mike Aldren wrote: Some notes from Mike Lano on the passing of Robert “Kinji” Shibuya last week in California. Shibuya had been suffering from Altimer’s disease for some time and his wife had moved him to a nursing home near Oakland. He did actually tour Japan–twice with All Japan under Giant Baba after he got his start in Honolulu during the 1950s, and was also a star in Detroit and Indianapolis.

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Trained By

Debut

1952

Birthday

May 16, 1921

Hometown

Born in Utah
Relocated to Hayward, California
Billed from Tokyo, Japan

Gender

Height

Weight

Finishing Move(s)

Judo Chop to Throat

Favorite Move(s)

Notable Feuds

Joe Scarpa
Jim Hady
Victor Rivera
Red Bastein
Buddy Moreno
Art Dominguez
Pat Barrett
Gorilla Monsoon
Pat patterson
Buddy Moreno
Pedro Morales
Great Goliath
Black Gordman
Earl Maynard
Dory Dixon
Bearcat Wright
Dan Miller
Ray Stevens
Red Bastein
Haystacks Calhoun

Status