, best known under his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Little Tokyo, was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

professional midget wrestler who competed in North American promotions from the 1970s into the 1990s including appearances for

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

(AWA),

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA) and 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) most notably appearing at

WrestleMania III WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event was held on March 29, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The ...

in a mixed tag team match with

Lord Littlebrook Eric Henry Edward Tovey (3 January 1929 – 9 September 2016), known professionally as Lord Littlebrook, was an English midget wrestler. He enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, when he held the NWA World Midget's Championship. He was a ...

and

King Kong Bundy Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...

against

Hillbilly Jim James Morris (born July 5, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler and current radio host, better known by his ring name, Hillbilly Jim. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1991, ...

, the

Haiti Kid Raymond Kessler is a Haitian retired professional wrestler, who has dwarfism, and wrestled under the name Haiti Kid in the World Wrestling Federation. Professional wrestling career He started his career in the WWWF as a babyface in 1971, teaming ...

and Little Beaver in 1987. He held the

NWA World Midget's Championship The NWA World Midget's Championship was the National Wrestling Alliance's midget wrestling singles championship. Large parts of the championship history is undocumented due to lack of documentation of Midget wrestling for large periods of time fr ...

on three occasions

Professional wrestling career

Akabane began his

professional wrestling 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 o ...

career in the early 1970s in his native

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

working under his real name. At some point during his first year in the business a troupe of professional midget wrestlers toured Japan with

striking up a friendship with Akabane. The friendship led to Akabane travelling to the United States where he became part of a touring troupe of midget wrestlers, known as "Little Tokyo" playing off his Japanese heritage and martial arts background. In August 1974 Akabane, as Little Tokyo was recognized as the NWA World Midget's Champion. Records are not clear on when Little Tokyo lost the championship but he was billed as the World champion once again in later 1981. On December 25, 1981 Little Tokyo lost the championship to Tiny Tom as part of Big Time Wrestling's Christmas Star Wars show. One year later Little Tokyo appeared at WCCW's Christmas Star Wars losing to Lone Eagle on the under card. On May 30, 1983 Little Tokyo defeated Cowboy Lang to become a three time world champion. On September 28, 1985 at

's SuperClash '85 event Little Tokyo successfully defended the title against Midget Mr. T. On January 12, 1986 the same Little Mr. T ended Little Tokyo's third and final reign as World Midget Champion.September 28, 1985. Little Tokyo's most notable match took place on March 29, 1987 when he worked for the

(WWF) at their

show. At the show he teamed with mentor Lord Littlebrook and

against

, the

and Little Beaver. The match ended when all 4 midget wrestlers attacked the King Kong Bundy after Bundy attacked Little Beaver. On January 1, 1988 Little Tokyo became the first holder of the Windy City Wrestling Midget Championship when he defeated Cowboy Cottrell. On September 29, 1994, on the last show ever held by Universal Wrestling Federation, Little Tokyo defeated Karate Kid to become the first and only holder of the UWF Midget World Championship. Little Tokyo won the WCW Midget for a second time in 1996. Akabane retired in 1998.

Retirement and death

At the age of 69, Akabane was diagnosed with base

tongue cancer Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. When on ...

. Doctors said it was cureable and family and friends gathered around him for support. He was living in St. Joseph, Missouri at the time. On September 6, 2011, Akabane died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 70, shortly while getting up to use the bathroom.

Championships and accomplishments

( 3 times) *

Professional wrestling 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 o ...

** Midgets' World Championship (3 times) * Universal Wrestling Federation :* UWF Midget World Championship (1 time, only) * Windy City Wrestling :* WCW Midget Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

, first)

References

External links

Profile at OWW
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Tokyo 1941 births 2011 deaths Japanese male professional wrestlers Midget professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Tokyo Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century professional wrestlers