Interview Highlights: Haku discusses his career in pro wrestling, whether stories about his toughness are true, who he considered toughest wrestlers

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The following are highlights of an interview with Haku conducted by the Two Man Power Tripe of Wrestling Podcast this month. Haku discussed working in New Japan, legit tough guys in pro wrestling, and more. The following are highlights supplied by the program’s producers.

CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE HERE.

•On getting the chance to work with his sons in New Japan: “I always try to give back to the Japanese and for what they have done for me. I’ve always said that no matter who the promoter is that it is only a job but in Japan it is showing them that I respect them and am grateful. With New Japan we’ve gone to New Zealand together and of course Japan and I hope that my boys understand that. With this new generation I’m not too sure sometimes if they understand that. I’m not too sure if you know that sometimes history ends and my life is to give back and It is my life to show them the way and I hope they understand that. In Japan they know our relationship and they give me another chance to go there.”

•On where does he rank himself against the other “legit” tough guys in wrestling history (Harley Race, The Road Warriors, The Steiner Brothers): “I was afraid of them and I am still away from them. They were all the toughest guys that I knew in the field and I was just a third world country boy that has come into the business and trying to feed my family back home so whatever comes in my way (laughing) you know things happen… I am not the toughest. I am a gentleman (laughing) just doing my job and it was those guys that are tough and they don’t know how tough they are. But things happen and in the old days we were taught that with the wrestling we “kayfabe” them and we protect our business inside and outside the ring. So when we weren’t filming it was when I was protecting our business and it was to show respect but things happen just because people showed disrespect and in life there is wrestling and there is no wrestling and for me it was protecting the business.”

•On whether the stories true or is all just a myth regarding his incidents: “I’ll tell you that some of them are true and some of them they make up. The beating up the people in bars is again just protecting the business and showing them what this business is all about. So most of them are true and I’m not bragging, I’m just telling you guys that it was just me protecting the business. People just had the wrong timing and had a few beers and would turn around calling the business saying it was fake and sometimes I guess it was jealousy that we were in the bar and that girls saw you on TV and start talking to you and are not talking to those local boys so there was other things that happened.”

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Haku On His Mythical Reputation, Who He Thinks Is Tougher: LINK