Territory Era set speculation

[mike824]

It's now listed on the main site as well. Good artwork too.

[Kamala]

I think a color Kevin Sullivan is a slam dunk in this set. Heavy Florida theme

[TTX]

Excellent addition to the game. A wrestler you'd never think we'd get but we did.

[natureboi]

Dec 8, 2023 21:09:29 GMT -5 TTX said:

Excellent addition to the game. A wrestler you'd never think we'd get but we did.

I've wanted Matsuda for as long as Danny Hodge has been in the game. It will be fun to finally put the two together in the ring.

[Travis605]

His son in law contacted me a couple years ago. He owns a restaurant and were making a Hiro beer.

In exchange for doing the labeling, I got him signed

Here’s the site to the restaurant. If you can order online, show support

www.lokocuisine.com

So don’t say I don’t do anything for you! I traded a payday for a signing! Lol (the signing was worth it though lol)

[Humanoids4eva]

Gang and Wahoo will make a definite impact for me, and can see Hiro and Mike Graham challenge for the LHW title once Juventud returns for “stateside tour”. Believe it or not, Eddie Graham will go to the route of Fargo, Farmer Burns reserve pile as they do not fit in my fed at all. Tough to fit the style I use, For some reason Wilbur Snyder, Kangaroos and Thesz fit but some of the other guys don’t. Too much of style clash and the more familiar the more I use a card. I have seen some Graham matches and just not for me.

[CanadianPitbull]

Wow! Hiro Matsuda in the game is amazing. A name I never thought we would get. This is freaking awesome! Can't wait to bring him into my fed.

[Bazzy]

Hiro Matsudo of course I had to google him. Do not know him. He has trained up some impressive wrestling names, I knew the Hulk Hogan broken leg story just never knew who it was or forgotten (have read Hulk Hogan autobiography). Well done Travis for getting him signed.

[pikemojo]

Very cool to be getting Hiro Matsuda in the game. I can definitely see using him in my light heavyweight division. Great work getting him signed, Travis!

And more kudos to Werner for the artwork. This is the type of artwork that can really fly under the radar. It's not flashy but the likeness is very good, which is so much more difficult when you're NOT dealing with someone with a mask or facepaint or really flashy ring gear. Really well done!

[guiltyparty]

Moving to the US to pursue his wrestling career, Hiro hit the Texas territories early in the 60s, working with fellow LOW members Mike DiBiase and John Tolos.

At various times in his career, Hiro had brief runs in Tri-States (before it became Mid-South) where he worked with Danny Hodge and teamed with Killer Kowalski.

A cup of coffee in Memphis gave him a handful of matches with Billy Wicks and Jackie Fargo.

He worked extensively in Mid-Atlantic, almost entirely with guys not in the game like Paul Jones and the Flying Scotts, but did have some matches there against Les Thatcher. A return much later in his career saw him take on Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant and later still briefly manage Barry Windham and his brother.

Several tours of Japan had Hiro either going against or teaming with the likes of Danny Hodge, Johnny Valentine, Antonio Inoki, Dutch Savage, Giant Baba, The Destroyer, Baron Von Raschke, Jerry Brisco, Bad News Allen, The British Bulldogs, The Grappler, Adrian Adonis, and Greg Valentine.

I found reference to a single tag team match in the Georgia territory in the early 80s where Hiro lost to a young Brad Armstrong.

Florida is, of course, where Hiro is best remembered for and where he shared the ring with LOW roster members: Eddie & Mike Graham, Yukon Eric, Don Curtis, Boris Malenko, Freddie Blassie, Bob Orton Sr. & Jr., The Tolos Brothers, Danny Hodge, Lou Thesz, Wahoo, Les Thatcher, Bobby Shane, Johnny Valentine, Jack & Jerry Brisco, Bob Roop, Mr Saito, Thunderbolt Patterson, Nick Bockwinkel, Ray Stevens, Mike Graham, Tony Garea, Scott Casey, Bob Backlund, Bob Armstrong, Don Muraco, Paul Orndorff, JJ Dillon, Magnum TA, Tommy Gilbert, Steve Keirn, Manny Fernandez, Dewey Robertson, Mike Rotundo, B. Brian Blair, Barry Windham, and Randy Rose.

He himself was trained by Rikidōzan and is credited with training Brian Blair, Paul Orndorff, Steve Keirn, Mike Graham, and many of the biggest names of the 80s and 90s.