Wrestlers Hiro Matsuda Has Trained:
Hulk Hogan
Ray “Hercules” Hernandez
Scott Casey Lex Luger
Scott Hall
Ron Simmons Paul Orndorff
Mike Graham
Mike George Brian Blair
Steve Keirn
Title History
- NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Eddie Graham (Febuary 19, 1963);
- NWA (Florida) World Tag Team titles w/Duke Keomuka defeating Alberto & Ramon Torres (June 6, 1963);
- NWA (Florida) World Tag Team titles w/Duke Keomuka defeating Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy (March 19, 1964);
- NWA (Florida) World Tag Team titles w/Duke Keomuka defeating Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy (April 10, 1964);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Danny Hodge (July 11, 1964);
- NWA (Florida) World Tag Team titles w/Duke Keomuka defeating Fred Blassie & Tarzan Tyler (March 22, 1965);
- NWA (Florida) World Tag Team titles w/Dick Steinborn defeating Skull & Kurt Von Stroheim (November 24, 1965);
- NWA (Mid America) World Tag Team titles w/Kanji (Antonio) Inoki defeating Sam Steamboat & Eddie Graham (January 24, 1966);
- AJPW All Asian Tag Team titles w/Michiaki Yoshimura defeating Joe Carrolo & Killer Karl Kox (May 28, 1966);
- NWA Florida Tag Team titles w/Missouri Mauler defeating The Gladiator & Lester Welch (May 27, 1969);
- NWA Florida Tag Team titles w/Missouri Mauler defeating Jack Brisco & Cyclone Negro (August 5, 1969);
- NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Dale Lewis (June 16, 1970);
- NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Great Mephisto (October 2, 1970);
- NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating The Zodiac (July 3, 1972);
- NWA Florida Tag Team titles w/Tim Woods defeating Taurus (aka Dennis Hall) & The Zodiac (aka Bob Orton Sr.) (July 5, 1972);
- NWA Florida Tag Team titles w/Bob Orton Sr. defeating Ray Stevens & Nick Bockwinkel (August 15, 1972);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Ken Mantell (June 14, 1975);
- NWA (Los Angeles/Japan) North American Tag Team titles w/Mr. Saito defeating Strong Kobayashi & Seiji Sakaguchi (April 5, 1979);
Career Highlights
- Kojima played baseball in Japan but came to the United States in 1961 because wrestling was his first love..
- Kojima was known in the professional wrestling ring by his stage name – Hiro Matsuda..
- Kojima started wrestling on a circuit that took him through Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida.
- November 24, 1972: Jack Brisco debuted in Atlanta against Hiro Matsuda – It was a fine scientific match!
- ~~~Jack Brisco defeated Hiro Matsuda by turning Matsuda’s second attempt at a double underhook suplex into a backslide..
- ~~~Main event of the first NWA card after the promotional split between Ann Gunkle & The Welches for control of Atlanta.
- Matsuda had two reigns with the NWA World junior heavyweight championship, including a win over the legendary Danny Hodge.
- Matsuda wrestled all over the world, including Japan, Mexico and Peru.
- Matsuda appeared in the NWA for a short time as the manager of the Four Horsemen..
- Matsuda last really “big” American program happened in ’87 or ’88 when he and Johnny Weaver had a “sleeper vs. Weaver Lock” competition. Matsuda put Weaver in the sleeper hold and wouldn’t let go, which led Dusty Rhodes into the ring to try to break it.
- Matsuda is probably most famous for training stars like: Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Scott Hall, Ron Simmons, Brian Blair, others..
- Everybody that ever went through a Matsuda training session described it as one of the most brutal things they have ever endured..
- Even in his 60s, Hiro Matsuda could do hundreds of push-ups and squats.
- November 27, 1999: Hiro Matsuda died of colon and liver cancer. He was 62.
- Kojima is survived by his wife, Judith; daughters Heather Kojima of Venice, Calif., and Stephanie Kojima of San Francisco; and a sister, Hatsue Yokotsuka of Yokohama, Japan.