On October 22, 2001, professional wrestling witnessed a moment that would define the career of one of its greatest innovators – and end it in seconds. Eiji Ezaki, known to fans worldwide as Hayabusa, attempted a maneuver he had performed hundreds of times before. This time, everything changed.
From masked revolutionary to a performer facing an uncertain history in one instant, Hayabusa’s journey represents both the pinnacle of high-flying artistry and the devastating cost of loyalty in professional wrestling. But his story didn’t begin with tragedy; it started with unrelenting brutality, defiance, and a wrestling legacy that would inspire an entire generation of aerial innovators.
Eiji Ezaki (Hayabusa) is stretchered out of the FMW ring on October 22, 2001, after tragedy struck during his final match against Mammoth Sasaki. The devastating moment left horrified wrestlers and fans watching as one of professional wrestling’s most innovative high-flyers faced an uncertain future. This tragic image remains one of wrestling’s most pivotal moments, with fellow performers like Chris Jericho reconsidering their own aerial techniques in light of the accident. Photo Credit: FMW.
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From Young Boy Brutality to Wrestling’s Masked Revolutionary: The Forging of Hayabusa
Young Eiji Ezaki (center) during his early training with wrestling legends Lance Storm (right) and the Dynamite Kid (left), learning fundamental techniques before becoming Hayabusa. This formative period under established wrestlers shaped his eventual high-flying style and revolutionary approach to professional wrestling. Photo Credit: WWE.
Eiji Ezaki’s professional wrestling journey began with training under former All Japan Pro Wrestling talent, star, and sumo wrestler Takashi Ishikawa.
Toiling in the Japanese independent circuits, the future Hayabusa would build his skills in a tag team. But they struggled as he and his partner, Masada Honda, faced far more defeats than victories. As ‘young boys,’ they more than paid their dues, and he took from these experiences and grew as a wrestler.
But Hayabusa’s early training was met with cruel and sadistic treatment.
“[Ezaki] was hazed unmercifully. The veterans were extra stiff with him in the ring. They would steal and vandalize his property. They called him all sorts of unflattering names. And on a few occasions, he was stripped naked, tied to a pillar, and had bottle rockets placed in his rear, which were then lit to fire out of him.”
Yet what doesn’t kill one will often make them stronger.
After years of training and development early on, he joined an upstart promotion that became competition for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH.
The Birth of an Icon: How Hayabusa Emerged from FMW to Inspire Legends
Eiji Ezaki as Hayabusa faces NJPW champion Jushin Liger at the 1994 Super J-Cup in Tokyo’s Ryōgoku Kokugikan on April 16. This pivotal match between two high-flying innovators marked Hayabusa’s breakthrough international performance and established him as a revolutionary force in aerial wrestling. Photo Credit: FMW.
As FMW grew, Eiji Ezaki was still low on the card, searching for acceptance and his place in the industry.
He would leave the promotion and head to Mexico.
His time there would open his eyes to a different style altogether and give birth to a character that would revolutionize professional wrestling. Ezaki adopted the Hayabusa persona in December 1993 while in Mexico. At CMLL, he would continue to immerse himself in the lucha libre style and work alongside fellow Japanese wrestling star Ultimo Dragon.
One of the most notable events he participated in early in his career was the 1994 Super-J Cup for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
A virtual who’s who of wrestlers- Jushin Liger, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero were just a few in this tournament, and the Hayabusa character amazed his peers and the fans.
He would change the face of wrestling, particularly Eastern wrestling culture. His look was remarkable. He resembled a luchador with a unique mask, unlike what Mexican wrestlers typically wear, combined with martial arts ring attire.
He also ushered in a changing of the guard. Onita, the heart and soul of FMW, wanted the person to defeat him to be his successor. The promotion’s new owner, Shoichi Arai, had selected Hayabusa as Atsushi Onita’s competitor in his retirement match.
Rising to FMW’s Main Event: Hayabusa’s Ascension as Wrestling’s Next Great Ace
Hayabusa battles FMW founder Atsushi Onita in their career-defining exploding barbed wire cage deathmatch at the FMW 6th Anniversary show in 1995 for the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship. This match represented Hayabusa’s emergence as the promotion’s next-generation ace and successor to Onita’s legacy. Photo Credit: FMW.
Over the course of four months in 1995, Hayabusa competed in North America, had a tryout with the WWF, and was subsequently offered a contract.
But he declined as he remained loyal to Onita and FMW.
Hayabusa would compete for and win the promotion’s Brass Knuckles’ Heavyweight Championship that same year.
At the 6th Anniversary show, he was expected to win an exploding barbed wire cage deathmatch for his Brass Knuckles Championship. But as it turned out, he didn’t. Despite losing to Onita, Hayabusa put on a valiant effort. After suffering severe burns from the match and needing medical attention, Hayabusa was given Onita’s vote of confidence in being the one that would replace him.
The problem was what Onita lacked in skill; he made up for in heart; the raw emotion that Onita would evoke from fans made them love him.
Hayabusa had immense pressure to live up to Onita. The FMW fanbase didn’t initially welcome him. Fans questioned whether or not Hayabusa could live up to the expectations set before him as the face of the promotion.
It would be an uphill battle for Hayabusa as the new ace of FMW.
Winning Over Skeptics: How Hayabusa’s Innovative Moveset Redefined Wrestling Excellence
Hayabusa executes his signature Falcon Arrow maneuver, showcasing the explosive power and precision that defined his in-ring style in FMW’s hardcore wrestling environment. This innovative high-flying technique influenced modern wrestlers including Seth Rollins, who regularly performs similar aerial combinations in WWE performances. Photo Credit: FMW.
It wasn’t a smooth ride to the top between injuries and Hayabusa being booked to lose repeatedly.
Even the storylines were challenging for him, with his opponents openly questioning if he could be the promotion’s ace.
However, Hayabusa would eventually win over the fan base with his innovative style. Moves such as the Phoenix Splash and Falcon Arrow were spectacular and crowd-pleasing.
His contemporaries and even the Japanese media started to stand behind him.
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The Price of Excellence: How Hayabusa Fought Through Injuries to Carry FMW
Hayabusa showcases his championship accomplishments, including the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship (three times), FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship (once), and WEW World Heavyweight Championship. These titles document Eiji Ezaki’s rise from young trainee to FMW’s most decorated main-event performer and influential high-flyer of the 1990s. Photo Credit: FMW.
Much like any top-level talent fearful of losing their place at the top of a company, Hayabusa would return despite being injured.
He teamed with Masato Tanaka and battled Mr. Pogo and Terry Funk. Their match would be a No-Rope, Explosive, Barbed Wire, Time Bomb, Landmine, Double Hell, Death Match (say that three times fast), with the winners walking away with ten million yen. Hayabusa would ultimately get pinned by Funk, costing him and Tanaka the match. After the loss, Hayabusa once again returned to inactivity to heal.
After overcoming injuries, Hayabusa was thrust into the spotlight and captured championships in 1997 and 1998. But despite the pressure Hayabusa had on his shoulders to try and carry the mantle of FMW, he would soldier on and become the promotion’s premier talent over six years.
His inclusion in talks between All-Japan Pro Wrestling, the company’s owner, the legendary Giant Baba, and FMW opened the door for others within both promotions to appear in the opposing company.
Hayabusa had come a long way from the young boy who was hazed mercilessly.
Character Evolution in Crisis: Why Hayabusa Retired the Mask for a Darker Vision
Eiji Ezaki (right) unveils his unmasked ‘H’ persona on the FMW 2000 Official Guide Book, representing a dramatic character evolution during his later FMW career. This departure from the traditional Hayabusa masked character signaled a shift in wrestling style and marked a new chapter in his professional wrestling journey. Photo Credit: FMW.
Hayabusa’s role as the company leader would again be tested as the former franchise, Onita, would come out of retirement.
Atsushi Onita led a group known as ZEN. This heel group faction would not only battle FMW talent but, in particular, wage a war against the current champion Hayabusa. It would ultimately end with Hayabusa gaining retribution for previously losing to Onita.
Fans were entirely behind Hayabusa, and having Onita give him the rub made his achievement that much greater.
The following year, he would capture the Double Championship, defeating Masato Tanaka in a match heralded as the greatest of Hayabusa’s career.
In August 1998, he and Jinsei Shinzaki faced ECW Tag Team Champions, Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Despite losing, to even compete in front of a passionate North American crowd was a testament to Hayabusa’s reach.
With Hayabusa’s success, so grew FMW.
However, there was an increase in the number of injuries he was sustaining, and he needed to adapt. So, the Hayabusa character was retired, and Ezaki would debut H.
He introduced a much darker look and feel than the character fans had been accustomed to. He was unmasked with a tattooed chest, a drastic departure from his previous appearance.
In the process, he abandoned the explosive and barbed wire matches synonymous with FMW.
Unfortunately, injuries would continue to plague Hayabusa. But despite surgeries and recovery time, wins and losses were inconsequential. Whether he was or wasn’t a champion was irrelevant; he was the heart and soul of FMW.
The Final Moment: Hayabusa’s Career-Ending Injury and Wrestling’s Most Devastating Rope Snap
October 22, 2001—Eiji Ezaki attempts a springboard Lionsault against Mammoth Sasaki during what would be his final FMW match. When the middle rope snaps unexpectedly, Hayabusa is left mid-air without proper momentum, resulting in a severe cracked vertebra and spinal injury that ended his professional wrestling career and led to paralysis. Photo Credit: FMW.
Hayabusa’s final match on October 22, 2001, was a horrific tragedy.
The stipulation was that if Hayabusa were successful, Shoichi Arai would be reinstated as FMW President. The company’s fate rested on Hayabusa’s shoulders once again being asked to ‘win’ for the greater good.
But as Hayabusa attempted a springboard moonsault, he would slip off the middle rope, and his head would plant into the mat, causing a cracked vertebra on impact and the end of his career.
He was paralyzed in the process.
The injury was so graphic that it would make many of his contemporaries question their attempt at a similar move. Multi-time world champion Chris Jericho, whose lionsault mirrors Hayabusa’s maneuver, addressed the dangerous move in an interview with Alex Marvez.
“I know Hayabusa. We worked in Mexico in 1994. The guy was one of the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t want to see the footage. That stuff happens. It could happen to anybody at any time. I have reconsidered doing the move several times, like when a rope has broken or I’ve slipped off the ropes. I just hope I always make sure to be more cautious and completely sure-footed. You just never know. It’s like in football or hockey or any contact sport. Every time you’re in the ring, you put your life in danger. It’s a very serious contact sport.”
In an instant, one of the greatest in the sport had fallen.
Beyond the Ring: How Hayabusa Became a Symbol of Resilience After Paralysis
Will Ospreay wears a Hayabusa mask during his 2022 entrance at an NJPW event, paying tribute to Eiji Ezaki’s influence on modern high-flying wrestling. Ospreay’s tribute represented one of many contemporary wrestlers who credit Hayabusa’s innovative aerial techniques as foundational to their wrestling style. Photo Credit: NJPW.
After his paralysis, Hayabusa would become a notable advocate for Wrestling Marvelous Future (WMF), which, when spelled backward, would make the acronym FMW.
Hayabusa also worked with Dragon Gate, pursued singing and recorded an album, and engaged in other entertainment-related projects.
In 2015, alongside Hideki Takahashi and Choden Senshi Battle Ranger, Hayabusa announced the return of FMW, where he would serve as an executive producer for the promotion.
Outside of the ring, Ezaki was determined to walk again. Fourteen years after his injury, Hayabusa did just that. With tears in the eyes of those in attendance, Hayabusa stood up from his chair and, with assistance, walked to the ring using a cane. This act of bravery demonstrated that even in life’s darkest moments, there is still hope.
But sadly, on March 3rd, 2016, a cerebral hemorrhage took the life of the valiant warrior. “Hayabusa” Eiji Ezaki was dead at only 47 years old.
Many paid tributes publicly to Hayabusa, including no one more poignant than Mick Foley, who wrote, “If in death, a man can inspire others in life, then truly that life has been one worth living.”
When all was said and done, Hayabusa left his mark, and several of pro wrestling’s next generation continue to look to his career and life for inspiration.
Will Ospreay is one such name who even went on to wear a Hayabusa mask during one of his entrances in Japan. Ospreay spoke about this decision on X.
“Hayabusa is one of my favorites of all time. I wanted to wear the mask as a tribute, but I wanted to have the family’s blessing. I took Hayabusa’s daughter out for lunch and asked for the blessing and how much it would be an honor to wear the mask. She was so kind she allowed me to pay tribute to her father. No hesitation- said yes immediately.”
The Eternal Hayabusa: How One Wrestler’s Innovation Shaped Modern High-Flying Wrestling
Eiji Ezaki in his prime as Hayabusa during the 1990s, before an FMW match. During this era, Hayabusa established himself as FMW’s top draw through innovative high-flying techniques and emotional storytelling, becoming the promotion’s most decorated main-event wrestler after founder Atsushi Onita. Photo Credit: George Tahinos.
Hayabusa is widely regarded as one of the greatest junior heavyweights and high-flyers in the history of professional wrestling.
A pioneer in aerial combat, he not only innovated moves like the Falcon Arrow and Phoenix Splash but also helped popularize the Firebird Splash, known in North America as the 450° splash.
While his talent could have easily taken him to larger stages like New Japan Pro Wrestling or even the World Wrestling Federation – both of which offered him lucrative contracts – Ezaki turned them down. His loyalty to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was unwavering. He believed in FMW and was willing to sacrifice his body and career to keep it alive. In doing so, he became the promotion’s greatest star next to its founder, Atsushi Onita.
Hayabusa’s in-ring work was also characteristically fearless and emotional, and he delivered some of the most iconic matches in the company’s history.
His 1998 bout with Masato Tanaka is still hailed by many as the greatest match of his career and one of FMW’s most masterful displays.
But perhaps nothing defined Hayabusa more than his blood-soaked rivalry with Mr. Gannosuke. The two clashed in what would become FMW’s most storied feud, main-eventing marquee shows including the 8th, 9th, and 10th Anniversary events. Their war culminated at Goodbye Hayabusa II: Last Match and the emotional retirement of the Hayabusa character in 1999. Each encounter between them told a story of betrayal, redemption, and the brutal cost of legacy.
To put it simply, the word ‘Hayabusa’ translates to Falcon, and much like a bird, it can be said that Eiji Ezaki soared through the air and into the hearts of wrestling fans everywhere.
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