Killer Khan

Masashi Ozawa
Ring name(s)	Killer Khan Temjin El Mongol
Billed height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Billed weight	111 kg (240 lb)
Born	March 6, 1947 (1947-03-06) (age 64) Tsubame, Niigata, Japan
Billed from	Mongolia[1]
Debut	1973
Retired	1987

Masashi Ozawa (小沢 正志, Ozawa Masashi^?)^[1] (born March 6, 1947) is a retired professional wrestler. Popularly known as Killer Khan, he was billed from Mongolia and had numerous high-profile matches with André the Giant in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1980s, including the first ever "stretcher match".^{[clarification needed]} Khan used Asian mist against opponents.

Professional wrestling career

Ozawa's Mongolian giant character was created by Karl Gotch.^[1] He traveled to America in 1979 to wrestle. The following year, in 1980, Khan first wrestled Andre the Giant in tag team match for Georgia Championship Wrestling.^[1] Later that same year, he was hired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).^[1] In the WWF, Khan originally feuded with WWF Champion Bob Backlund, as well as the WWF Intercontinental Champion Pedro Morales.^[1]

Khan was then placed in feud with Andre the Giant. During one match in May 1981, Khan botched a kneedrop off of the top turnbuckle that resulted in Andre the Giant breaking his ankle, as Khan accidentally landed on it.^[1][2] The incident has been reported as real and as a storyline to help put Khan over.^[1] When Andre returned from his injury, he and Khan feuded into the next year.^[3] In November 1981 in Philadelphia in a "Mongolian Stretcher match".^[3] The feud was named Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Feud of the Year.^[4]

In 1984 in Canada's Stampede Wrestling, he had a series of matches with Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie.^[5] On January 20, 1984, he won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Gouldie in a street fight.^[5] In March, he lost the title to Dynamite Kid.

Khan made a brief return to the WWF in 1987, managed by Mr. Fuji, where he feuded with Outback Jack. In addition, he wrestled against WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in a match at the Boston Garden where Hogan retained his title.^[6]

Personal life

Khan had a role as a bodyguard in the movie 3 Ninjas Kick Back. Khan currently owns a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. He is married to Cindy Ozawa of Lutz, Florida, though the two remain geographically estranged.^{[clarification needed]} He has three children: Yukiea, Yoshiko, and David Masato. All of them reside in the United States.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• Cobra clutch
• Diving knee drop from the second rope
• One shoulder powerbomb

• Signature moves

• Asian mist
• Spinning powerbomb
• Thumb choke hold

• Managers

• Gary Hart^[7]
• Mr. Fuji^[6]
• Freddie Blassie

Championships and accomplishments

• Championship Wrestling from Florida

• NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) - with Pak Song

• Mid-South Wrestling Association

• Mid-South Louisiana Championship (1 time)
• Mid-South Mississippi Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Stampede Wrestling

• Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• World Class Championship Wrestling

• WCCW Television Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI Feud of the Year award in 1981 vs. André the Giant
• PWI Match of the Year (1981) vs. Andre the Giant on May 2
• PWI ranked him # 176 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003.

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Feud of the Year (1981) vs. André the Giant^[4]

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Krugman, Michael. Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life, p.48.
2. ^ Todd, Terry (December 21, 1981). "To The Giant Among Us". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125102/7/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Krugman, Michael. Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life, p.56–57.
4. ^ ^{a b} Krugman, Michael. Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life, p.61.
5. ^ ^{a b} Nevada, Vance (May 11, 2008). "Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/gouldie-archie.html. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Ward, Marshall (November 16, 2009). ""Unreleased" Hogan DVD great if not exactly true". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Reviews/2009/11/15/11756786.html. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
7. ^ "Gary Hart profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/g/gary-hart.html. Retrieved 2009-11-23. 

References

• Krugman, Michael (2009). Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1416541128. 

External links

• 居酒屋カンちゃん: Official site

Persondata
Name	Khan, Killer
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 6, 1947
Place of birth	Tsubame, Niigata, Japan
Date of death
Place of death