Nobukazu Hirai

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Nobukazu Hirai, born December 30, 1969 in Meguro, Tokyo, is a Japanese professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is the son of former wrestler Mitsu Hirai and trained in Genichiro Tenryu’s SWS dojo, debuting in 1991 for Super World Sports. When SWS folded in 1992, Hirai joined Tenryu’s later project, WAR, where he spent much of the 1990s in the midcard and occasionally appeared in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In 1994 he wrestled in NJPW’s Young Lion Cup and briefly worked WWF events in Japan, including a Royal Rumble appearance.

In 1997, Hirai started moving up the card. He teamed with Mitsuharu Kitao and Tommy Dreamer in WAR, and later that year won the WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Kitao and Masaaki Mochizuki. WAR closed in 2000 after Tenryu returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Hirai joined All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2001 and mostly competed in the midcard. He formed a tag team with Shigeo Okumura in 2003, and in 2004 briefly wrestled under the name Mitsu Hirai Jr. before returning to Nobukazu Hirai. In 2008 he turned heel and joined the Voodoo Murders, adopting the ring name Hate with a painted look and using a fire extinguisher as a weapon. He later wrestled as Super Hate in the junior division.

A backstage fight in 2011 with TARU led to Hirai suffering a stroke after a match; he underwent surgery and began recovering. The Voodoo Murders were suspended and disbanded, and All Japan’s president Keiji Mutoh resigned. By 2013 Hirai was still recovering but hoped to return to wrestling. He also appeared for Team Japan in TNA’s 2004 World X-Cup.