Paul Diamond explains how he ended up portraying ‘Kato’ in the WWF’s Orient Express.
Diamond spoke with WrestleZone ahead of his virtual signing with ’80s Wrestling Con and talked about how he went from being in Badd Company to playing Kato in WWF. Diamond, a Croatian-born wrestler, says he originally subbed in as a late replacement for one event, and it was supposed to be a one-time deal. Diamond teamed with Orient Express teammate Pat Tanaka prior to WWF, and feels like their chemistry influenced him being offered the permanent role.
“Before they made that move [to put me under a mask], there was one card, man, I think somewhere in Indiana or something, and I was supposed to work with somebody else, and [another match] was supposed to be The Rockers and Orient Express. Well, Sato wasn’t there, so they changed the card around and put Pat and I together, and we worked with The Rockers at just a house show. We had a heck of a match,” Diamond explained, “and I think that had a long way to go for them realizing, ‘Wow, these guys are really good together.’ So I think that did have a lot to do with that. Because shortly after that, I was offered the spot as part of the Orient Express.”
Asked about portraying a Japanese character despite not being Asian himself, Diamond said he took the opportunity WWF offered him, and saw it as a chance to move up in the company. His partner, Pat Tanaka, also spoke with WrestleZone and shared a similar sentiment, explaining that while he was a Hawaiian-born Japanese performer, he still looked at it as an incredible opportunity with the top company in the world.
“I think I was just happy that I got a job. As you know yourself, probably your chances of getting a job with WWE are probably like hitting the lottery. It is that hard. If you’re a pro wrestler then you know what I’m saying,” Tanaka explained, “because going to WWE is like going to the Yankees, working for them, you know? It’s just different. You’re with the top league, you know everything is gonna be first-class, everything so it’s very different.”
Related: Pat Tanaka Considers Himself Lucky To Come Through The AWA, Explains Origins Of ‘Badd Company’
Check out the full interview with Paul Diamond below:
The next signing in the Virtual Signing Series goes to the Extreme, as Jerry Lynn, Mikey Whipwreck, Shane Douglas, 2 Cold Scorpio and Simon Diamond will all be on hand this Monday, April 19. Fans can get their own items signed, purchase 8×10 photos and get a shout-out from your favorite ECW alumni — full details on the Virtual Signing Series website at this link.
