By Carina Chung
When White Tiger (AKA Joseph Haw) removed his mask upon being crowned winner of the 'Enchanted Slam', it changed Spellbreaking forever. This is not hyperbole. Up until that point, masked fighters (more so a tradition south of the Texan border than Joseph's native Singapore) adhered to a strict code of honor. Masks were only removed when they were put on the line in serious matches, or by opportunistic villain fighters.
"I want to show the world that I no longer need this," a sweat and blood streaked Haw said from the top rope, clutching his mask with a passionate electricity. " I am not afraid of who I am. I am Joseph Haw. I am your champion."
The silent crowd erupted into applause as Joseph walked solemnly out of the stadium, leaving the mask behind in the ring. Where it ended up is an intriguing mystery for another time. Though early whispers pointed to Joseph being stripped of his title for his act, none other than Spellbreaking legend Colt the Bolt stepped in and signed Joseph Haw the Global Spellbreaking Alliance before the crowd had vacated the stadium. Kindreds spirits, Colt and Joseph's relationship is the envy of presidents and champions, whose egos often put them to blows.
"Joey is a boyscout in a beast's body," the larger-than-life cowboy tells me over the phone. "His story his own though. I don't speak for my boys. When I got into this business, my goal was to never try and take control of someone's narrative."
Indeed, for such a celebrated and seemingly affable Spellbreaker, Joseph's polite refusals to be interviewed are an industry secret. Never one to rebuff a question, or show a hint of rudeness, the charming and gentlemanly babyface is a master of deflection and answering queries without really saying much of himself at all. He is quick to prop up a rising star, a mentee, a tag partner, and sometimes even an opponent.
Which is why I was shocked to find, after submitting yet another press inquiry to the Tiger himself, a beautiful arrangement of bouquet on my desk, a box of (very expensive) loose-leaf tea, and a brief note, which reads as follows:
"Thank you, Miss Chung for your request to interview, but I must again decline. My story is told in the ring and the ring alone. My past is separate from my fighting, though I am hardly ashamed of it. I no longer hide behind a mask, but I wish to let my legend play out in combat, not in the press.
Respectfully yours,
W.T."
I keep coming back to the mask. Before Joseph Haw revealed himself to the world, before he stepped into an actual ring, White Tiger was something of an urban legend, a boogieman, or a vigilante during Hong Kong's turbulent Years of Transition. Police corruption, gang warfare, mercenaries, and the fallout of the Chinese Civil War and Alban Collapse, left the Fragrant Isle of Hong Kong in a state of disarray.
Then, from the shadows, he appeared. A masked man with the body of a kung fu movie state and the magick of a chi master. The triads fell to the White Tiger, whose nightly patrols became an inspiration to the middle class and a perpetual thorn in the side of failing police departments. It became a dawn occurrence for the various departments to discovers Ne'r-do-wells, triad bosses, Alban soldiers of fortune, and Red Jade cultists alike, bound in red rope (a signature holdover White Tiger uses today on would-be heels) on their doorstep. Though helpful to the police in practice, the White Tiger's taunts were abundantly clear: if you cannot clean your house, I will do it for you.
Soon enough, corrupt and disgraced officers found themselves bound up and delivered like Boxing Day parcels as well. A meticulously compiled dossier, delivered to the Hong Kong Orchid, described the colorful treacheries and corrupt dealings of these disgrace officers and city officials.
With a compilation of evidence.
It came at the right time too. The newly installed Autonomous Government's first priority, a controversial but effective "burn it and rebuild" policy saw the dissolution, mass firing, and even jailing of many municipal offices. White Tiger had done the work for them. Of course, a magi of that calibre--a tiger not so easily tamed--was bad news for Provisional East China, whose influence on Hong Kong was still great in those fledgling years of reconstruction. They wanted the beast tamed.
It was then that White Tiger seemingly vanished from Hong Kong and re-appeared as a mysterious fighter on the spellbreaking circuit.
The hero of Hong Kong (though Joseph insists on being billed as 'from Singapore' his home town) is still just as mysterious as when he first stepped into the ring. It is ironic. We know his legacy as a crime fighter. We know his deeds. And we know he is in contention to become Global Champion. Yet everything before the Tiger remains a complete blank.
There are speculations that Joseph may be the son of celebrated Singaporan cellist Melinda Haw, quite the mystery in and of herself. If this is true, then the raison d'etre for the White Tiger persona may lay in childhood tragedy. Albert Haw, once celebrated (then quickly disgraced) police commissioner's shocking death is still the talk of Hong Kong's elite. Perhaps a son, desperate to untangle his father's dubious legacy, took on the White Tiger mantle as some form of crime fighting catharsis?
Unfortunately, we are not much closer to knowing. Joseph Haw, master of wind and water, does not need a mask in order to conceal. That won't stop millions of adoring fans from watching his rise to stardom.
No comments:
Post a Comment