Ken Yasuda was born in the Japanese city of Kyoto to a family that boasts 46 generations of samurai warriors.
[citation needed] As a child Yasuda dreamed of becoming a pro baseball player, and was drafted as a pitcher by a major league team after high school.
Yasuda chose instead to play baseball at the University of Southern California[citation needed], where he developed a love of weight lifting and physical conditioning from fellow USC alum Mark McGwire.
Yasuda has also appeared in several U.S. and Japanese films, including Cupid's Mistake (2001) and Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy (2006).
In addition to the Tokyo Sabres, he trains MMA legends Don Frye and Kazuyuki Fujita.
Yasuda made an appearance as the guest ambassador for the Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito match at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017.