Shocking Death of a Japanese Legend

[Kizza]

by Mike Johnson @ 2009-06-13 10:32:26

I am extremely saddened to report that one of the greatest in-ring workers of the modern age and the founder of Pro Wrestling NOAH, Mitsuhau Misawa died earlier this morning (tonight in Japan) following an in-ring accident stemming from a suplex.

We will have more shortly.

Credit: PWInsider

Unbelievable.

 

[Beer Money Army]

fuck ay, thats crazy shit. RIP dude.

tbh i reckon he pby died from a heart attack or stroke.

But poor fella. RIP

 

[Kizza]

I just don't see how anyone as experience as Misawa could botch a suplex. Something must have gone terribly wrong for him to die of a relation to a suplex mistake.

And he was only 46 as well.

EDIT: He was teaming with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith & Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team championship. He took a backdrop suplex from Saito, landed on his head and was pronounced dead at 10:10 Japan time.

Rest in Peace.

Just quickly, it might have been a heart attack after being dropped on his head. Apparently, Chris Hero might have been at ringside.

Hero's Blog:

Current mood:disbelief
Words cannot express how deeply shocked I am. We're all just in utter disbelief. Stunned sadness.

The moments at ringside felt an eternity. Never, in my life, have I wanted the fighting spirit to jump into someone's being more than I wanted tonight. The fans chanted Misawa, Misawa, Misawa. They wanted their Hero to get up so ****ing bad. Just get up. Come on! You're too tough for this. Too strong. I grabbed his boots and held onto them til they took him away.

My heart goes out to his family. His students. His peers. His friends. His fans. His opponents tonight and his partner. It was a freak accident. No one is at fault.

 

[Kaedon]

Wow

 

[Soulpower]

....Fuck!

RIP, Misawa

 

[El Joo Magnifico]

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.

Source: WrestlingObserver.com

Im quite saddened by this. There was the entire article, in case you wanted to read it.

 

[Ballin]

I don't follow NOAH at all but this is really sad.

 

[comicgeekelly]

This is just unbelieveable. RIP Misawa, wrestling lost a legend today.

 

[chessarmy]

Unreal, I feel bad for the wrestler who hit the suplex on him but also for the family of Misawa and everyone who knew him personally. This is a sad day in pro wrestling

 

[NinoBrown]

Damn. First Sean Taylor gets shot in his thigh and passes away. Now the creator of the Tiger Driver passes from a backdrop?

The best pass the weirdiest way. RIP.

[yt]MBmke5gm4Uk[/yt]

My homie SuicidalDragon posted this in respect.

 

[Hometown Kid]

I can't believe this. This is one of the true legends (and not just keyfabe) that ever came around in the business. Please RIP. And NOAH probably won't be the same after this.

 

[seancarletonzero]

One of the best ever, a True Legend has died.

Rest In Peace Mitsuharu Misawa

 

[Chuck Taylor's Grenade]

I wonder if he was knocked unconscious with the backdrop and then had the heart attack or if he had the heart attack in the middle of the suplex and the impact of the suplex knocked him out in the process.

Either way this sucks.

 

[UndertakerTheGreat]

I'm not too familiar with Japan's wrestling circuit though it's terrible what happened to that poor guy. Did Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase's father die in the ring too years ago?

 

[CT Styles]

I have no idea who he is. Is he like the Japanese Shawn Michaels or something? RIP though, very sad.