International Wrestling Star The Great Kabuki Is Retiring

It has been announced that The Great Kabuki, a Japanese wrestler who popularized the face painted character that would blow green mist into opponents eyes, will be holding his retirement ceremony for Pro Wrestling Noah during a show on December 22 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Kabuki started wrestling as a teenager in the old JWA promotion back during the 60s. Back then he didn’t have the gimmick he would later be known for and wrestled under his given name of Akihisa Mera. When the JWA was in it’s dying days he was given a run as a top guy but the company soon folded after top stars Antonio Inoki and “Giant” Baba both left to form their own companies, NJPW and AJPW respectively. Mera toured the US during the 70s under a few names and later landed in Fritz Von Erich’s WCCW where he developed the gimmick of The Great Kabuki, a mysterious man from “the Orient” that wore the face paint to cover the scars he received getting his ninja training, as explained by his manager at the time Gary Hart.
Using the moniker he traveled around the world as a known star. In the United States, he worked for WCCW, Bill Watts’ Mid-south wrestling, Georgia, and also Jim Crockett’s NWA Mid Atlantic territory where he appeared on the first ever Starrcade event in 1983 where he defended the Television Title against the character of Charlie Brown (Jimmy Valiant under a mask). He worked one televised match for the WWF as he guest appeared in the 1994 Royal Rumble as one of Mr. Fuji’s “bounty hunters” against Lex Luger during the match. He later returned to Japan and wrestled for both AJPW and NJPW up until his retirement in 1998, but still pops up from time to time at legends shows and even appeared during the pre-show Rumble for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Supercard WrestleKingdom in recent years, getting disqualified for using the mist during the match.

WCW fans may remember Kabuki’s name as later star The Great Muta was labeled as his son (storyline wise) and used much of the same gimmick. Although the two had some matches in Japan, Kabuki never appeared on the WCW branded show in the United States.
The opponent for Kabuki is this final match has not been named, but there will be a ceremony for him and it is announced he will talk to fans after the show.