Before becoming Papa Shango and afterward The Godfather, WWE Hall of Famer Charles Wright had a stint in Japan, where he competed under the name The Soultaker — a moniker he also competed under in USWA. While The Godfather competed multiple times in NJPW and secured victories, he didn’t benefit from the culture shock in Japan.
“I did not have an excellent time in Japan, because back then — you are talking in regards to the late ’80s, early ’90s — they weren’t really cool with tattoos, and other people like me and Bam Bam Bigelow? We weren’t really allowed in certain places,” Wright said during an episode of “Godfather Live!“
Considering that Japanese culture on the time — and to some extent, still today — largely associated tattoos with the organized criminals generally known as the Yakuza, he faced difficulties in certain public spaces.
“We couldn’t go to the bathhouses, we couldn’t go to quite a lot of places (…) they are saying, ‘No tattoos,’ they thought you are a part of the mob,” Wright added. “So, I do not have quite a lot of good Japan stories.”
When Wright competed as The Soultaker, this was interestingly the time when he and Mark “The Undertaker” Calaway competed as a tag team. Just a few years ago, Wright looked back on the time and shared a temporary clip of a promo he cut as The Soutaker, where he gave some backstory in regards to the first time he clashed with Calaway — then generally known as “Master of Pain” — and had a horrible match that resulted in an excellent friendship.
For those who use any quotes from this text, please credit “Godfather Live!” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
