Mitsuharu Misawa - R.I.P.

Mitsuharu Misawa

June 18, 1962 - June 13, 2009


Jun Akiyama, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Yoshihiro Takayama

The blog is still on hold. I was planning on doing a small update on how thing are going and whats up with my life right now. Then the news broke and for the moment I want to honour one of the greatest men in proffessional wrestling. This is no time for me to talk about myself.

I found out late yesterday just before the UFC 99 event. I'm shocked to say the least. Mitsuharu Misawa, maybe the biggest legents of puroresu (japanese pro-wrestling) poassed away at the age of 46 in the ring due to heart failure after a back suplex. Some reports say he could have died in the ring.

This is the man who has been in most classic matches and he has probably won more "match of the year" awards than anyone. He also had probably the most amount of five star matches in history of pro-wrestling. He wasnt in good shape the last few years and this might have been part of the cause of his early death. In hindsight I just wish he would have stepped down after his last reign as GHC champ or even before that.

He was essential to pro-wrestling NOAH since he was the one leaving AJPW (All Japan Pro Wrestling) to form this new group. AJPW's most recognizable name leaving to form his own group. Partly successfull but lately not so much. Still during the best days one of my favorite organisations ever.

I am very happy to have witnessed Misawa live in action almost exactly a year ago in the Coventry Skydome. It was a great experience and a fantastic match. I just wish he was still here with us.

Scenes difficult to watch from the awful accident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwzeAG2kmB0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndp0NUplIDI

WrestleView (through the Wrestling Observer) reports:

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.

Here are some of my pictures from the show where I saw Misawa wrestle. They arent great but Im no proffessional. I also have a couple of pics of me and him both holding the swedish flag which of course was a great moment. All pictures feature Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi: