Mr. Fuji passed away in August 2016 at the age of 82, and on a recent episode of their “DEMOPOD” podcast, his former clients Demolition shared a heartbreaking story about their final meeting with their manager, who was battling dementia in his later years. Both Ax and Smash also made a point to remember the kind man behind the devious on-screen character.
Bill Eadie (Ax) and Barry Darsow (Smash) recalled seeing Fuji at a convention in the Meadowlands years after they had all left WWE. “He was there, and his boy was with him and helping him, and he was sitting right beside us, but he didn’t recognize us,” Eadie said. “He had dementia, and it was sad, because we, you know, we had so many things we wanted to talk to him about, but he just stared at us, and he really didn’t… he couldn’t put two and two together who we were.”
Darsow added that during that same meeting, they talked about their tradition of eating at Chinese restaurants on the road, only for Fuji’s son to inform them that his father “doesn’t eat Chinese food anymore. He hates it.”
After leaving WWE for the final time in 1996, Mr. Fuji retired from the wrestling business and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife. For a period of time in the early 2000s, he worked a regular job at the Regal Cinemas movie theater at the Knoxville Center Mall, which has since closed. Photos of him from that time, often wearing his signature bowler hat while performing duties like tearing tickets, would occasionally surface online among wrestling fans.
Fuji would eventually open a training dojo in Knoxville but largely remained out of the public eye for the remainder of his life, with the exception of his 2007 WWE Hall of Fame induction. It was during these final years that he battled the dementia that his former charges witnessed.
Darsow emphasized that while Fuji was known for his villainous character and backstage pranks, the man they traveled with was a good friend who cared deeply about his family. “The one thing about Fuji that a lot of people don’t know about is he really was a nice guy,” Darsow said. “When we were traveling with him, he was a good friend of ours, and he talked about his daughter and son all the time.” He also recounted how Fuji once brought the team to his house in Knoxville and was “so proud” of his children.
Eadie agreed, stating, “He loved the business. He felt comfortable around the guys. And I think even though he would pull ribs on people, he still respected the guys.”
Even toward the end of his WWE run, the company gave Fuji a chance to show a different side of his character. After his client Yokozuna turned into a fan favorite, Fuji began accompanying him to the ring waving an American flag, a stark contrast to the persona he had portrayed for decades.
The podcast’s host noted that Fuji was survived by seven children, 13 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren, a fact that underscores the family life that Darsow and Eadie saw behind the scenes.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit DEMOPOD with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
