Krugman, Michael. ''André the Giant: A Legendary Life'', p.48. (born March 6, 1947) is a Japanese retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. Popularly known as Killer Khan, he was billed from

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

and had numerous high-profile matches with

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...

in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWF) during the 1980s, including a high profile "Mongolian stretcher match". Khan used

Asian mist Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

against opponents.

Professional wrestling career

Ozawa's Mongolian giant character was created by

Karl Gotch Charles Istaz (August 3, 1924 – July 28, 2007) was a Belgian-born German-American professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ring name Karl Gotch. In Japan, Gotch was known as the "God of Wrestling" due to his influence in shaping the ...

. He traveled to America in 1979 to wrestle. The following year, in 1980, Khan first wrestled

in a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

match for

Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National W ...

. Later that same year, he was hired by the

(WWF). In the WWF, Khan originally feuded with

WWF Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown ...

Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...

, as well as the

WWF Intercontinental Champion The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...

Pedro Morales Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation ...

. Khan was then placed in feud with André the Giant. During one match in May 1981, a

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

Khan kneedrop off of the top turnbuckle resulted in André the Giant breaking his ankle, as Khan accidentally landed on it. The truth was that Andre actually broke his ankle getting out of bed. The incident had been reported as real and as a storyline to help put Khan

over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England ** Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...

. When Andre returned from his injury, he and Khan feuded into the next year.Krugman, Michael. ''André the Giant: A Legendary Life'', p.56–57. In November 1981 in Philadelphia Andre defeated Khan in a "Mongolian Stretcher match." The feud was named ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

s Feud of the Year. In 1984 in Canada's

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...

, he had a series of matches with Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie. On January 20, 1984, he won the

Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship The Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming th ...

from Gouldie in a street fight. In March, he lost the title to

Dynamite Kid Thomas Billington (5 December 1958 – 5 December 2018), best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler. Trained by former wrestler "Dr Death" Ted Betley, he competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), ...

. Khan made a brief return to the WWF in 1987, managed by

Mr. Fuji Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara (May 4, 1934 – August 28, 2016) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known professionally by his ring name Mr. Fuji (or Master Fuji to his protégés). He was famous for often throwing salt in the ey ...

, where he feuded with

Outback Jack ''Outback Jack'' is a 2004 American reality TV show filmed in outback Australia. It was produced by Nash Entertainment. It starred Vadim Dale, a 6-foot-tall former underwear model, as ''Outback Jack'', and started with twelve women who vied ...

. In addition, he had a limited house show run challenging WWF Champion

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

. He also had successful runs as a monster heel in Mid-South Wrestling and NWA World Class Championship Wrestling. Usually managed by Skandar Akbar, the WCCW run saw him team with the Freebirds (teaching

Terry Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Sr. (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. Gordy appeared in the United States with promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim ...

the Oriental Spike), then turning on him, paid by Akbar.

Personal life

Khan had a role as a bodyguard in the movie '' 3 Ninjas Kick Back'', and a cameo in 2006 Japanese special effects action series ''

Lion-Maru G is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from October 1, 2006 to December 24, 2006 in Japan, lasting 13 episodes. It is the third part in the Lion-Maru trilogy, following '' Kaiketsu Lion-Maru'' and '' Fuun Lion-Maru''. The "G" is short for 'Gh ...

''. Khan currently owns a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. He is married to Cindy Ozawa of

Lutz, Florida Lutz is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, north of Tampa. The northern part of Lutz also makes up a portion of south Pasco County. The population was 23,707 according to the 2020 Cen ...

, though the two live on separate continents. He has three children: Yukie, Yoshiko, and David Masato. All of them reside in the United States. On December 9, 2020, around 5:00 PM, Khan was involved in a hit and run at his hometown of Tokyo, Japan. According to authorities in the Shinjuku Ward, he allegedly struck a woman who was riding a bike in the Hyakunincho area, then fled the scene. The woman suffered a broken tooth in the accident and sustained other injuries that took about a month to heal. Khan later apologized for the incident and stated that he was in a hurry to get to his restaurant. He was not charged nor prosecuted.

Championships and accomplishments

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) - with

Pak Song Pak Song Nam (April 11, 1943 or 1945 – 1980 or April 1982It is uncertain when Song was born or died. He was born either in 1943 or 1945. It was claimed that he wrestled his last match around October 20, 1980. Some believed he died in 1980 or 19 ...

**NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1979) - with Pak SongKiller Khan
Cagematch.net retrieved March 15, 2019 * Mid-South Wrestling Association **

Mid-South Louisiana Championship The Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended from 1964 though 1983. Initially, the championship originated in the NWA affiliated Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. ...

( 1 time) **Mid-South Mississippi Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Mid-South Louisiana Championship Tournament (1982) *

( 1 time) *

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed ...

WCCW Television Championship The WCWA Television Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended in the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA). Originally created in 1979 as the NWA Television Championship, one of many television ...

( 1 time) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** PWI Feud of the Year (1981) vs.

PWI Match of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years. Unlike other wrestling ...

(1981) vs. André the Giant on May 2 **PWI ranked him # 176 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the

PWI Years ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2003. *''

'' ** Feud of the Year (1981) vs. André the GiantKrugman, Michael. ''André the Giant: A Legendary Life'', p.61.

Footnotes

References

External links

居酒屋カンちゃん
Official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Killer 1947 births Faux Mongolian professional wrestlers Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people People from Tsubame, Niigata Sportspeople from Niigata Prefecture Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century professional wrestlers NWA United States Tag Team Champions (Florida version) Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions