excerpt from The Heel Wrestler's True Gentle Face by Teruo Takahashi [translated below]
This image, from the "84 IWGP Series" (May 11-June 14, 1984), shows Adrian Adonis fooling around and kissing me on the cheek when the camera was pointed at him. Adonis was usually quiet and withdrawn,* but he would really liven up after a few drinks, becoming cheerfully exuberant. **
*無口だ - reticent, untalkative, introverted, silent
**陽気 - radiant, light-hearted, winsome, playful, carefree
However, for some reason, he and his partner Dick Murdoch weren’t on speaking terms. I never found out why, but at the end of the day, I guess they were like oil and vinegar.*
*馬が合わない - “the horse doesn’t fit” (incompatible, at odds, mismatched)
Though they worked many tag matches together, the two occasionally mistimed their touch work and would then flash each other dirty looks* in the middle of a performance. Murdoch is the type of fighter who is better suited to singles competition.
*渋い顔 - sour, reluctant, uncomfortable, grumpy
Incidentally, as a Japanese person, I often had difficulty pronouncing foreign wrestlers' names. Many of them were European in origin, including the American-born Adrian Adonis. The correct pronunciation is something like Ei-dorian Ah-donis. However, my pronunciation sounded like the English word “alien.”
During his first visit, the American sci-fi horror movie "Alien" had been a recent big hit. With a helpless grin* he said, "Hey! I’m not an alien! If it's hard for you to say, you can just call me Keith, my real name." But I persisted and kept on calling him "Alien. " He finally gave up and resigned himself to it.
*苦笑い - "bitter smile" (laughing or smiling despite feeling awkward, anxious, embarrassed, apologetic, self-conscious... basically "😅")
Adonis last wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling in May 1988. That July, he was involved in a car accident while on his way to a show in Canada, and suddenly passed away. His death at the age of 34 was much too soon. I was overcome with sorrow, thinking, “The world has lost one of its most talented wrestlers.”
I sincerely pray that Adonis, who allowed me to see his beaming smile* when he was drunk, has found all possible happiness in the next world.
*陽気な笑顔 - "cheerful smiling face" (connotations of being bright, shining, warm, sunny)
[commentary pre-empted for sounds of sniffling and whining ]
