The aura of cool that radiates off of "Black Charisma" Masahiro Chono is so powerful, even photos of the man convey it. Don't believe me? Take a good look at the picture on the top of the page. Go. I'll wait. Welcome back. Scared? I know. I am, too. Chono was one of the cornerstones of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s - he, Shinya Hashimoto, and The Great Muta were known as the "Three Musketeers" of the company, and would main-event myriad shows during the decade. Each man had his role - Hashimoto was the valiant warrior, Muta was the unsolvable mystery, and Chono was the unrepentant heel. His dark style and bad attitude soon made him a legend, despite only a single reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He would journey to the United States, wrestling for WCW and becoming a member of the New World Order (and offshoot nWo Japan), but his commendable commitment to villainy far outlasted the life of the organization. Today, Chono works for All Japan Pro Wrestling as an advisor - and, occasionally a wrestler. You can't keep a bad man down.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
