Before coming to WWE, Sakoda had a successful stint in the NWA Zero-One promotion in Japan, stemming from his appearances for Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

During this time Sakoda often filled in as an instructor at UPW's Ultimate University, while wrestling as part of the faction Team Emblem with Japanese superstars Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani.

On January 6, 2003, Sakoda made his first onscreen appearance for WWE on Raw as a judge for World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and Scott Steiner's pose down under the name Charlie Chan.

Sakoda aligned himself with Akio, forming the heel tag team Kyo Dai, the yakuza-style henchmen of Tajiri.

[5] Sakoda filed a class action lawsuit against WWE, alleging that wrestlers sustained traumatic brain injuries while wrestling for them and that the company tried to conceal that information.