My aunt was dating Tojo at the time he died. I will always remember what he said to me when i was a child, "You will someday make a great wrestler lil man." He was an awesome guy, I miss him.
I was a crime scene investigator with the Metro-Nashville Police, and worked Tojo's suicide. He lived in an apartment complex on Lebanon Road, and was very sick. He was also depressed, and shot himself in the temple with a .25 ACP pistol. He'd been dead for a while before I got there.
I remember him as a kid back in the 50's and 60's. But no time to even think about it.... off to the next scene.
Tojo died in 1991 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been forced to retire from the business he loved, wrestling, less than a year earlier due to diabeties.
They took me to see Tojo in the 1960s as a child. He was at The Mid South Collisium in Memphis Tn.Seems like he was a bad guy THEN,he was smackin' people with his wooden flip flops! Ouchhhhhh! Great memories from Memphis!!!
One I remember from the late 1950s to early 1960s was Tor Yamato who was a Japanese heel wrestler in the Southeast territories including Florida for a number of years. Of course, like Tojo, he wasn't really Japanese by nationality, but in fact originally Canadian. From the story I heard, Tor was killed by a gunshot wound in 1961. Rumor has it that he was abusive to his wife and she shot him. If any of this is false, I hope someone will correct me.
I met Tojo's son not long ago. He was matter of fact with his father's death, and said his father was in such poor health, he just decided to forgo the continued wasting away, and get it over with. His son is a really nice guy and I told him how nice his father was to me, when I met him years ago.
Jance Russel was an idiot, talking about Tojo being Japanese and introducing he and his wife to Chinese food, plus the fact Tojo was from Hawaii.
mrbluto3 1 year ago
@mrbluto3 Uh....Lance, not Jance.
planetrob555 9 months ago
@mrbluto3 Tojo was Japanese. He was born in Hawaii, but his family was from Japan.
CombatSportFan 7 months ago
classic
MrKooldaddykool 1 year ago
My aunt was dating Tojo at the time he died. I will always remember what he said to me when i was a child, "You will someday make a great wrestler lil man." He was an awesome guy, I miss him.
thealmancometh 2 years ago
I was a crime scene investigator with the Metro-Nashville Police, and worked Tojo's suicide. He lived in an apartment complex on Lebanon Road, and was very sick. He was also depressed, and shot himself in the temple with a .25 ACP pistol. He'd been dead for a while before I got there.
I remember him as a kid back in the 50's and 60's. But no time to even think about it.... off to the next scene.
mnpd007 2 years ago
Tojo died in 1991 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been forced to retire from the business he loved, wrestling, less than a year earlier due to diabeties.
sfraley38 3 years ago
They took me to see Tojo in the 1960s as a child. He was at The Mid South Collisium in Memphis Tn.Seems like he was a bad guy THEN,he was smackin' people with his wooden flip flops! Ouchhhhhh! Great memories from Memphis!!!
HerbWalker 3 years ago
I didnt tojo had any kids
va85buckeye 3 years ago
michinco:
One I remember from the late 1950s to early 1960s was Tor Yamato who was a Japanese heel wrestler in the Southeast territories including Florida for a number of years. Of course, like Tojo, he wasn't really Japanese by nationality, but in fact originally Canadian. From the story I heard, Tor was killed by a gunshot wound in 1961. Rumor has it that he was abusive to his wife and she shot him. If any of this is false, I hope someone will correct me.
Quizcoot 4 years ago
sounds good lj61south, that you have met Tojo's son and told you such wonderful stories about his father.
I'm very curious about the Japanese heel wrestlers and heros back in the days.
Do you have any more info on Yamamoto? or other Japanese wrestlers from the 50s?
Thanks.
michinco 4 years ago
I met Tojo's son not long ago. He was matter of fact with his father's death, and said his father was in such poor health, he just decided to forgo the continued wasting away, and get it over with. His son is a really nice guy and I told him how nice his father was to me, when I met him years ago.
lj61south 5 years ago
I agree Lance Russell IS Awsome...Long LIVe Lance !!!!
RavenNyte 5 years ago