Haku admitted in an interview that even he feared certain names from wrestling’s old guard, men he described as tougher than himself.
When asked on the ʻTwo Man Power Trip of Wrestlingʼ podcast in 2018 about wrestlers like Harley Race, Road Warrior Animal, Road Warrior Hawk, and the Steiners (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner), Haku didn’t hesitate; he admitted he was “afraid of them.”
“I was afraid of them, and I still kept my distance. They were the toughest guys I knew in the field, while I was just a third-world country boy trying to provide for my family back home.”
Despite his own reputation for toughness and brutality inside and outside the ring, Haku said those wrestlers represented a different level of danger and respect. He described himself at the time as “just a third-world country boy trying to provide for my family,” which magnified his caution around those legends.
Haku’s comments stand as a rare moment of vulnerability from a man whose career is filled with stories of dominance, a reminder that even the most feared performers once looked up to others as the real tough ones.
When Was Haku In WWE?
Haku’s main run in WWE came between 1985 and 1992, arriving first as King Tonga before adopting the Haku name and later forming the Colossal Connection with Andre the Giant. During this period, he won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Andre and became known for his striking power and martial-arts-influenced style.
He later returned for a brief surprise comeback from 2001 to 2002, appearing in the Royal Rumble and forming a short-lived alliance with Rikishi. Although that stint was brief, it marked his final WWE run before continuing his career in Japan and on the independent scene.
