10 Things We Learned From The Secret Diary Of A WWE Superstar
Rules of the road, dashed dreams and incredible insights on life inside the wrestling empire.
Should written diaries exist for anybody other than the person keeping them?
It takes a certain bravery to document thoughts, feelings and reflections as they happen, not least if the events themselves are particularly difficult to recall or relive for the benefit of your notes. But compiled diligently and/or during a time of genuine personal significance and they can provide something extraordinary.
Physical diaries are a rarer, sweeter thing the average TikTok or Twitter video of the funniest thing you've ever seen that day. They're honest, but only through the eyes of the author. They're funny, and often funnier still if the person on the other end of the pen isn't intentionally crafting a joke. And they're insightful via observations of the otherwise-ordinary.
Well, as ordinary as life on the road for a wrestler in 1995 could be, anyway. Because that's what has been lovingly provided by Twitter user Bret. The must-fead FMW documentarian has translated and compiled several months of Hakushi's WWE run, explaining that;
This was written by [Jinsei] Shinzaki during his time in WWF from 95-96. He sent it into a Japanese wrestling magazine so he keeps kayfabe while also telling the truth about how he felt knowing no one in WWF was going to read it.
And nobody did read it, until just over a quarter of a century later. And what a revelation it was...
10. Familiar Fans But An Unfamiliar Opponent
In something that doubles as a great bit of a trivia and a welcome reminder of home for the WWE newcomer, Hakushi noted that Japanese supporters were present for his live Monday Night Raw debut on January 9th 1995, and also has no clue of the scale of star his then-jobber opponent would eventually become.
'The White Angel' said;
"I didn't know my opponent's name because it's what they call a TV match. Since it was live, I was nervous going into the match. The match was a little rushed. There were Japanese fans in the crowd that screamed "come back to Japan!" I was happy to hear that."
The loser of the contest? Matt Hardy!
Both Matt and Jeff were regularly working television squash losses for the company at the time, and were highly regarded for their panache and flair when it came to getting others over. Hakushi plays down his exhaustion in the above exhibition, but there's still a clear air of a man not yet totally at ease with his new surroundings.