Kaz Hayashi
Kazuhiro "Kaz" Hayashi (born May 18, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was also the head booker for the company's junior division. Since leaving AJPW in 2013, Hayashi has worked for Wrestle-1, where he also works as a trainer.
Career
Early career (1992–1997)
For much of his early career, Hayashi wrestled in Michinoku Pro under a mask, using the name Shiryu (Growing Dragon in Japanese). As Shiryu, he was part of the memorable rudo group, Kaientai Deluxe, which waged war with Michinoku Pro's Sekigun for many years, producing some classic matches. In June, 1997, he left for Mexico and Promo Azteca, before joining WCW in the United States in October of that year.
World Championship Wrestling (1997–2001)
After unmasking, Hayashi joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998. Early on, he was relegated to a jobber and comedy character. He would be taken under the management of Sonny Onoo and even come to inherit Glacier's ceremonial armor and light show for a time. In late 1999, Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara began booking WCW programs and Hayashi was paired with La Parka. During interviews, the two would speak in their native languages which would be humorously dubbed over by charismatic English speakers, calling him names such as "The Kaz Master" and "Kazanova". This ended shortly when La Parka became upset and tossed the microphone down as Ferrera was speaking.