Hayabusa was one of the most exciting and innovative wrestlers of all time until an injury cruelly took away his career one night in 2001.
It was the evening of November 13th 2001 that saw the match that would change Hayabusa and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling futures forever, and not for the better.
The high-flying daredevil was the star of FMW and carried the company on its shoulders during an incredible time for Japanese wrestling.
Sadly, one wrong move in the wrong took everything away from the iconic wrestler. What was meant to be a routine manoeuvre became a moment that not only ended his in-ring career but also reshaped the legacy of a man who had captivated audiences around the world.
This is the story of Hayabusa’s fateful accident, the aftermath, and his incredible journey of resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Hayabusa Was The Star Of FMW And Carried The Company On His Back
Hayabusa was tasked with being the face of FMW after Atsushi Onita’s retirement. FMW’s founder left the business to try his hand at acting in 1995, although he flopped hard and returned to the company soon after.
While he was away, Hayabusa was selected as the new Ace of the company. The Japanese star had trained under AJPW’s Takashi Ishikawa in the late 1980s and wrestled on the indie scene under his real name, Eiji Ekazi.
However, an excursion to Mexico in 1993 helped him develop the Hayabusa character. He learned the art of Lucha Libre from Rey Mysterio Sr, the uncle of the WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. It was here that he developed his skills in the ring, mastering the high-flying, strong-style and death match style of wrestling.
This is also where Hayabusa was inspired to wear his iconic mask in the ring, although he originally only planned to do so in Japan. The name Hayabusa is the word for the peregrine falcon in Japanese, signifying his intent to be a high-flying star.
When Hayabusa returned to Japan in 1995 he was immediately pushed as the new Ace of the company. He was selected by Atsushi Onito for his retirement match as he wanted his opponent to be the person to replace him as the new face of the company after Tarzan Goto left the company before the match.
The crowd for Hayabusa vs Onita at the FMW 5th Anniversary show drew a staggering 50,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome and is among one of the biggest crowds in Japanese wrestling history.
Despite Onita coming back to the company after his acting career failed, FMW refused to remove Hayabusa as the top wrestler in the company. This eventually led to Onita leaving the promotion in 1998, with the company fully behind its new star as the future of the promotion.
The high-flyers star grew exponentially over the next few years. His exciting wrestling style made him a fan-favourite and he had matches that were thirty years ahead of their time. Hayabusa was a fantastic athlete and despite being six-foot tall could do anything he wanted in the ring, even innovating and popularising moves like the 450 splash in the wider wrestling world.
Over a six-year spell as the Ace of FMW, Hayabusa won every title the company had to offer, including their Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion three times. He was a Bona fide star in Japan and even made appearances wrestling for ECW during that company’s peak.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything Hayabusa loved in the business was taken away from him.
Hayabusa’s Injury Left Him Paralysed From The Waist Down
On October 22nd 2001, Hayabusa suffered an injury that paralysed him from the waist down and ended his wrestling career for good.
At FMW Power Splash 2001, over 2000 fans crammed into Korakuen Hall in Tokyo to see the main event of Hayabusa vs Mammoth Sasaki. The match had the stipulation that if Hayabusa won, then Shoichi Arai would be reinstated as the president of FMW after the company was sold (in storyline) to Kodo Fuyuki.
The match was going well up until around thirteen minutes in. Ever the daredevil, Hayabusa went for the springboard moonsault move that he had used hundreds of times without incident. He jumped in the air and grabbed the top rope as his feet landed on the middle rope.
However, disaster struck as he attempted to springboard off the rope and onto his opponent. The Japanese star’s foot slipped as he tried to launch into the air and attempted a backflip. He got no power on the push-off and struggled to find the momentum to complete the rotation and land on Sasaki.
Hayabusa fell straight to the ground. His back arched as he tried to complete the backflip and he landed flat on his head with an almighty thud. He struggled to move his head and arms but his legs remained completely still. He was paralysed.
The referee immediately called off the match and paramedics came to tend to Hayabusa. He was taken to hospital as fans chanted his name in Korakuen Hall but there was very little anybody could do.
Once in the hospital, Hayabusa was diagnosed with two broken vertebrae. The injury resulted in him suffering from a fever and the whole ordeal required him to undergo surgery. Sadly, they could not save him from being paralysed. Hayabusa was paralysed from the waist down, unable to walk and ending his wrestling career right there and then.
The future of FMW was on the line in the match, although not in the way that anyone expected. While the decision of who the FMW President would be was a pure kayfabe consequence of the match, losing their ace to injury was the beginning of the end for FMW as a viable wrestling company.
Crowds dwindled with the drawing power of Hayabusa to entice them in. FMW soon got into a huge amount of debt which owner Shoichi Arai owed to the Yakuza. He owed over a million dollars to the organised crime gang and went into hiding after being unable to pay it off. A year later he committed suicide so that his family could use his life insurance money to pay off his debts after FMW filed for bankruptcy.
He Incredibly Learnt To Walk Again In One Of The Most Emotional Moments In Wrestling History
Despite losing his profession and the use of his legs, Hayabusa never gave up. He pursued a career in singing while he continued to work in the wrestling business as a promoter. He even travelled to WWE events and took pictures with a number of top stars, including Triple H, John Cena, Edge and Rey Mysterio.
However, he never gave up on his dream of walking again. Even when asked if he would wrestle again, Hayabusa said “Never say never”. It was wishful thinking, but having that as a goal spurred him on to do something miraculous.
14 years after his injury left him paralysed, Hayabusa walked again.
At a show in 2015, Hayabusa achieved a dream nobody ever expected was possible. He was wheeled out to the ring as a crowd of fans and wrestlers cheered him on with tears in their eyes. The wrestling legend struggled but managed to rise unassisted to his feet in an incredible moment on television.
As the other wrestlers shed tears all around him, the masked Hayabusa began to walk towards the ring with just a cane for balance. As he reached the steps leading to the ring, he managed to lift his feet and climb to the top without assistance. Everyone was in tears as Hayabusa ascended into the ring for a ceremonial ten count in honour of the Japanese legend.
It was a remarkable achievement and a testament to over a decade of work and struggle from Hayabusa. He had planned to walk unassisted completely in the future, although that goal would be one that was left unrealised.
The Japanese star would sadly pass away a year later, but his legacy as a trailblazer in wrestling has never been forgotten.
Countless Wrestlers Were Inspired By Hayabusa, Including Will Ospreay
Many current-day stars have been inspired by Hayabusa’s wrestling. Pro-wrestlers like A.J. Styles, Jack Evans, Kalisto, PAC and Chris Jericho have all claimed to have been influenced by the FMW legend, and his legacy will be felt for decades to come.
Before his match against Shota Umino at the NJPW and STARDOM Historic X-Over event, Ospreay wore a Hayabusa mask created by the original mask maker himself.
The British star took to social media to explain the significance behind the tribute.
“Ok costume last night has a lil story. Hayabusa is one of my favourites of all time. In May this year I wanted to wear the mask as a tribute but I wanted to have the families blessing instead of not giving back to them. I took Hayabusa daughter out for lunch and asked for the blessing and how much it would be an honour to wear the mask. She was so kind she allowed me to pay tribute to her father. No hesitation said yes immediately.”
“The mask is made by the original mask maker himself “Kuniharu Yamagata/naughty boy” And is helping by selling the mask on the fans and the money going towards the family. It was meant to be in May but I got covid and the timing was a little weird giving the circumstances. But it was either today or never. So happy and blessed that you enjoyed the costume.”
“Please buy “Hayabusa” official merch so they get the money and show everyone how much I love him. Thank you so much for the biggest honour of my life.”
If you want to read more about the tragic accidents that have rocked the Japanese wrestling scene, including Hayabusa’s and Takayama’s injuries, check out our full list of the worst injuries in the sport.
