Couple folk have asked about my icon on Twitter or Facebook. It’s an image of where my worlds of ninja fandom, pro wrestling mark and obseesive toy collector meet – a Japanese capsule figure of ninja-themed 80’s pro-wrestler The Great Kabuki.
Here’s a full body shot of the inch-high shinobi guy:
During the glory days of my media-starved 80’s ninja craze teenaged years, Kabuki was an absolute dream. A lifelong wrestling fan already, the debut of an armored-hooded nunchaku-swinging Japanese mystery man sent me into TOTAL MARK territory. The sinister foreign heel’s coolest gimmick, though, was the blowing of red or green “Asian Mist” onto opponents faces. Why this sprayed ink would be instantly poisonous to an opposing wrestler, and not himself, was never questioned – ninja have natural tolerances for arcane poisons, right?
There’s a nice Kabuki tribute site and bio here, and this is a nice blog write-up with video references.
Justin
Holy crap, that Great Kabuki toy looks great! Where can I find ‘im?
krainville
Got mine off E-Bay – comes as a two-pack with another wrestler in a tiny ring.