6. "Professor" Toru Tanaka
There were many Asian- and Polynesian-American wrestlers who portrayed stereotypical Japanese heels in the years following WWII, from Kinji Shibuya to Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, but U.S. Army Sergeant and Hawaiian native Charles Kalani, Jr. may have made the biggest impact, wrestling as the fearsome "Professor" Toru Tanaka. Tanaka debuted in the late 1960s and, very shortly thereafter, was main-eventing Madison Square Garden against legendary WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino. He would become a multiple-time World Tag Team Champion with Mr. Fuji (again, more on him later) and, after retiring, would act in over two-dozen films, usually taking on the Oddjob-type villain roles. Stereotyped by pro wrestling and Hollywood, Kalani was nevertheless respected as a professional in every territory in which he traveled and known a genuine tough guy, with a black belt in Danzan-Ryū Jujitsu, as well as experience in Judo and boxing. Indeed, the fascinating life of Charles Kalani, Jr. would make quite the film in and of itself.