Mitsuhara Misawa dies in Japan
Jun 13, 2009 12:14:32 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Dashbee on Jun 13, 2009 12:14:32 GMT -5
Cut and paste from 411...
Wow. Just wow. The Japanese equilavent of a Flair, Hogan, Rock, Austin, etc. So you can imagine the impact of this news, especially how seriously wrestling is taken in Japan. I believe he wrestled his last American matches in 2007 with ROH (and a handful of other indies, too).
Hopefully this won't open up more media criticism about the dangers of wrestling, since it didn't happen here in the US. The style of wrestling is very different over there.
I found this report at WrestleView, with a little more detail...
The Japanese legend dies after in-ring accident.
According to f4wonline.com Mitsuhara Misawa died Saturday night in Japan at the age of 47. Reports say that Misawa was teaming up with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith and Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team belts when a back suplex in which he landed on his head, left Misawa unconscious in the ring.
He was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter but doctors were unable to revive him as his heart stopped while in the ring.
More details to follow.
According to f4wonline.com Mitsuhara Misawa died Saturday night in Japan at the age of 47. Reports say that Misawa was teaming up with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith and Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team belts when a back suplex in which he landed on his head, left Misawa unconscious in the ring.
He was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter but doctors were unable to revive him as his heart stopped while in the ring.
More details to follow.
Wow. Just wow. The Japanese equilavent of a Flair, Hogan, Rock, Austin, etc. So you can imagine the impact of this news, especially how seriously wrestling is taken in Japan. I believe he wrestled his last American matches in 2007 with ROH (and a handful of other indies, too).
Hopefully this won't open up more media criticism about the dangers of wrestling, since it didn't happen here in the US. The style of wrestling is very different over there.
I found this report at WrestleView, with a little more detail...
Wrestling Observer.com and various Japan sources report the following:
Mitsuharu Misawa, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time, was declared dead at 10:10 p.m. Saturday night at a hospital in Hiroshima from an apparent heart attack after being being given a back suplex in a tag team title match.
Misawa would have turned 47 on June 18th.
Misawa, the president of Pro Wrestling NOAH, was teaming with Go Shiozaki in a match challenging Bison Smith & Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team championship in Hiroshima. Misawa was given the move at about 8:45 p.m. and knocked unconscious.
According to eye witness reports, Saito gave Misawa a "routine" back suplex that was described as a "7" in danger on a scale of one-to-ten. He did not get up. It was chaos in the ring as they attempted to revive him using CPR and the crowd was hushed for a while, and began a "Misawa" chant. He turned purple in the ring and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
His heart stopped beating in the ring.
The wrestlers were told on the bus that he had passed away.
While it is being reported that he passed away at the hospital, he may have actually passed away in the ring.
Misawa was the Japanese high school national wrestling champion at 187 pounds in 1980, and was recruited by Giant Baba into All Japan Pro Wrestling. He gained his first taste of stardom in 1984 when he was chosen to be the second Tiger Mask. After unmasking in 1990, he became an even bigger star after a series of singles matches with Jumbo Tsuruta.
He was Japan's biggest pro wrestling star of the 90s, and one could make a strong case for him as the top wrestler of the decade. He was the Wrestler of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
After the death of Shohei "Giant" Baba, Misawa wrestled a little over one more year for All Japan Pro Wrestling, while working as company president. After consistently butting heads with owner Motoko Baba, the widow of Shohei Baba, he and 90% of the All Japan roster quit the company to form Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Mitsuharu Misawa, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time, was declared dead at 10:10 p.m. Saturday night at a hospital in Hiroshima from an apparent heart attack after being being given a back suplex in a tag team title match.
Misawa would have turned 47 on June 18th.
Misawa, the president of Pro Wrestling NOAH, was teaming with Go Shiozaki in a match challenging Bison Smith & Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team championship in Hiroshima. Misawa was given the move at about 8:45 p.m. and knocked unconscious.
According to eye witness reports, Saito gave Misawa a "routine" back suplex that was described as a "7" in danger on a scale of one-to-ten. He did not get up. It was chaos in the ring as they attempted to revive him using CPR and the crowd was hushed for a while, and began a "Misawa" chant. He turned purple in the ring and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
His heart stopped beating in the ring.
The wrestlers were told on the bus that he had passed away.
While it is being reported that he passed away at the hospital, he may have actually passed away in the ring.
Misawa was the Japanese high school national wrestling champion at 187 pounds in 1980, and was recruited by Giant Baba into All Japan Pro Wrestling. He gained his first taste of stardom in 1984 when he was chosen to be the second Tiger Mask. After unmasking in 1990, he became an even bigger star after a series of singles matches with Jumbo Tsuruta.
He was Japan's biggest pro wrestling star of the 90s, and one could make a strong case for him as the top wrestler of the decade. He was the Wrestler of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
After the death of Shohei "Giant" Baba, Misawa wrestled a little over one more year for All Japan Pro Wrestling, while working as company president. After consistently butting heads with owner Motoko Baba, the widow of Shohei Baba, he and 90% of the All Japan roster quit the company to form Pro Wrestling NOAH.
