WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather opened up about his struggles wrestling in Japan during the late 1980s and early 1990s, citing cultural restrictions as a major challenge.
Speaking on his podcast, Godfather Live!, the former WWE star, known for his later personas as Papa Shango and The Godfather, shared why he didn’t enjoy his time working in Japan for NJPW before joining WWE. Godfather revealed that one of the biggest obstacles he faced was the stigma surrounding tattoos in Japan at the time. He explained that many establishments denied entry to people with tattoos due to their perceived association with the mob.
“I didn’t have a good time in Japan because back then, you’re talking about the late 80s and early 90s, they weren’t really cool with tattoos. People like me and Bam Bam Bigelow weren’t really allowed in certain places.”
Due to these restrictions, The Godfather and other tattooed wrestlers were often turned away from social venues, making their time in Japan less enjoyable.
“We couldn’t go to the bathhouses, we couldn’t go to a lot of places. They’d say, ‘No tattoos,’ they thought we were part of the mob. So, I don’t have a lot of good Japan stories.”
Despite these early career struggles, Godfather went on to have a long and memorable career throughout the 1990s and early 2000s
Which James Bond Movie Did The Godfather Say Inspired One Of His WWE Gimmicks?
The Godfather spoke about how the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die, inspired his WWE character Papa Shango. Godfather said that Vince McMahon loved the character Baron Samedi in the film and wanted to have his own voodoo character in wrestling, he even sent Godfather down to New Orleans to research voodoo to make the character seem more real.
In other news, a former WWE star made a shock return to NXT.
If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Inside The Ropes.