The Great Sasuke is one of the most iconic high-flying wrestlers of all time. He was a critical figure in the explosion of the lucha libre style in both his native Japan and in the United States.
Without him, there never would’ve been wrestlers like Will Ospreay, Hiromu Takahashi, Ricochet, PAC or Kota Ibushi.
But his documentary isn’t about his stellar in-ring career; in fact, his biggest wrestling accomplishments are only mentioned in passing in the first five minutes of the documentary.
Instead, this film takes a more personal look at Great Sasuke, focusing more on his family, his mindset as a wrestler, his non-wrestling ventures, and his reasons for wanting to keep wrestling until he dies.
The Great Sasuke
Act 1: The Wrestler
The first act of the documentary focused on the tail end of Sasuke’s wrestling career. Sasuke’s around 40 years old by this point, yet he already had a mountain of spine-related injuries.
Yet he still worked in lower and mid-card matches. It focused on him overcoming lots of pain while performing some of the craziest daredevil moves ever seen. Small wonder, then, that Sasuke won so many championships and accolades throughout the 1990s.
Sasuke has a very interesting mindset, and that’s seen throughout the film. It opened with Sasuke comparing himself with the sun: it’s good for you from a safe distance, but get too close and it’s extremely dangerous. He explained that he decided to become a wrestler when he was 13 years old.
One day, he looked up into the sky and he had a telepathic conversation with God, who told him to become a pro wrestler.
He had this same experience after training in Mexico, and in this second conversation, God told him to energize his hometown of Morioka. This led him to forming Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW) in 1993.
Sasuke’s goal with MPW was to bring the lucha libre style to northern Japan.
This was an immense challenge for Sasuke and MPW, as pro wrestling was mostly limited to the bigger cities at the time and were more sport-like.
Lucha libre was more entertainment-focused, which made it a harder sell, especially in a market like Morioka. Although MPW’s popularity did grow – especially abroad – it struggled financially.
Even as Sasuke tried to promote his 20th-anniversary show – which featured a big title match against Kenoh – he struggled to get people interested.
He tried to sell the show as much as possible, and although he wasn’t getting the answer he wanted, he kept trying.
Yet Sasuke was a man with iron determination. He never failed to pay his wrestlers and the other staff, even if it meant the company itself accumulated debt.
This willingness to put others first was a theme that was repeated throughout the story, especially into the second act.
The Great Sasuke:
Act 2: Public Office
As you might recall, Sasuke was one of a handful of Japanese pro wrestlers to be elected to public office. He became a prefectural assembly legislator (akin to state/province-level politics for North American readers) while also being the first masked politician in the world. This was a key thing: Sasuke NEVER removed his masks, nor does he now.
The documentary actually shows him with two masks: one for daily life (even as he eats breakfast with his wife and kids) and another one for actual wrestling matches. Throughout the film, the only time his full face is ever shown is in a grainy photo of him as a teenager.
The political aspect of Sasuke’s life was all about helping others, especially in his native Morioka. He even ran for governor at one point, but lost that campaign.
Those close to him knew that people didn’t like the concept of a masked wrestler becoming a politician, and thought he used his fame to get elected. It seems that Sasuke, like Icarus, flew too close to the sun and got burned.
Things took a more dour turn for Sasuke after the tragic Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.
Sasuke and his MPW crew showed their commitment to helping others bringing food to evacuation centres. But Sasuke wanted to help people in a bigger way, so he ran for the assembly again.
But this time around, he didn’t have a big political party’s support and ran as an independent candidate. Sasuke tried everything, even giving his campaign more ‘pomp’ by touring around in a way that made it seem more like a royal succession than a political campaign.
But he still lost, and those closest to him knew he was devastated. The editing team for this documentary did an excellent job of showing the full moon at night as Sasuke thanked his supporters following the loss, to symbolize him being at his lowest point given his earlier comparison with the sun in the sky.
Act 3: What’s Really Worth It
The final act focuses on another act of charity on Sasuke’s part. He and his crew visited a school in a village that had been ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami. Many of the children there lost their homes and their parents.
So Sasuke and his crew showed them pro wrestling to help them forget about reality for a moment. After he made a gym full of kids scream for joy, Sasuke once again knew that wrestling was his life, and that he was committed to doing that to put smiles on people’s faces.
The Great Sasuke: In Summary
This is an excellent documentary that shows the challenges that wrestlers face. The many shots of Sasuke’s back highlight many scars that haven’t healed properly. His family know he’s in constant pain, yet his will to continue is indomitable.
Not only did he sacrifice a lot in the ring, but he also tried to run Michinoku Pro Wrestling. He had to struggle with unsold tickets and getting people to come to his shows.
But his fellow wrestlers – including TAKA Michinoku and Jinsei Shinzaki (a.k.a. Hakushi in WWE) – all praised Sasuke’s spirit and relentlessness.
Some would see Sasuke’s actions and call him stubborn. In truth, it’s man that has an unyielding passion for his craft and a willingness to make others smile. I call that admirable.
You can watch the entire documentary here:
