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Little Tokyo passes away

Posted: Sep 7th 2011 By: mikeiles

Legendary ?little person? pro wrestler Little Tokyo passed away on Tuesday, September 6. Little Tokyo (born Shigeri Akabane) has reportedly died of a heart attack, although he had been battling tongue cancer for most of the last year. He was 70 at the time of his death and was living in St. Joseph, Missouri.

He competed all throughout the United States during the ?70s and ?80s, primarily in the National Wrestling Alliance, the World Wrestling Federation, World Class Championship Wrestling and Herb Adams? Universal Wrestling Federation.

Along the way he won the NWA World Midgets Championship three times through the ?70s and ?80s. He was also the UWF?s one and only World Midget Champion, winning the vacant Championship from The Karate Kid. This was one of Tokyo?s last major wrestling appearances.

Arguably his most famous appearance was at WWF WrestleMania III in 1987. At the event he teamed with fellow little person and frequent tag team partner Lord Littlebrook and the gargantuan King Kong Bundy in a six man tag match against Hillbilly Jim and his diminutive partners Little Beaver and The Haiti Kid. In the match, Tokyo and Littlebrook turned on Bundy after Bundy literally squashed Little Beaver.