Mitsuharu Misawa Dead

[mass 04]

 

From the Observer:

MISAWA PASSES AWAY AFTER BACKDROP IN HIROSHIMA MATCH

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 after being dropped on his head in a tag team title match.

Misawa would have turned 47 on June 18th.

Misawa & Go Shiozaki were challening Bison Smith & Akitoshi Saito for the GHC tag team championship in Hiroshima and Misawa was dropped on his head 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.

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

[Montague]

I didn't know he was still wrestling up to that point.
I've not seen any of his work beyond AJPW.
That's a shame what happened.

R.I.P.

[The Showstoppa]

RIP...

Crazy to think in this age of jumping off the roof on each other that a guy of this level could die performing a backdrop...wow.

[chaos]

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.


http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1244909101.php?style=dark




This article says nothing of him being dropped on his head and says it was a heart attack.


That sucks, WIP.

[johnnynoname]

i don't know what i more shocked at

Misawa dying in ring or seeing a Misawa thread in the WWE...... Mark.... wresting forum of this website

[wolfgang187]

Picture of the guy.... Anyone have one??

[Montague]

More recent photo:





This is closer to how I last remember seeing him:

I guess AJPW thought they were “getting something” when they bought the rights to the Tiger Mask gimmick from NJPW after Sayama’s phenomenal run with it.
I believe it was more the guy wearing the mask who was responsible for its success.

Misawa was a fantastic wrestler, but being so much physically bigger than his TM predecessor, he wasn’t as agile and couldn’t move as fast and do the acrobatic-type stuff that Sayama was capable of.

The TM gimmick got Misawa his first real notoriety, but IMO he did better after ditching the mask and just being Misawa.
And he had a lot of great matches.

[Bona]

[Montague]

First we heard suplex gone wrong.
Then it was a heart attack.
Now it’s back to spinal injury as COD…

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090615p2a00m0na009000c.html

Is there footage of the accident as it happened?
I’m curious what went wrong.

[Painlayer69]

WOW He had put quite a bit of weight on over that time frame...... But non the less can you believe that someone at that level in the biz could become so comfortable that they could let a simple routine maneuver like a back body do this??? WOW

Guess it can happen.

R.I.P. Misawa R.I.P.

[Montague]

Some eyewitnesses reported that he didn’t look well early on in the match.
I’m wondering if he was having a CVA or heart attack leading up to/during the move and maybe that’s why he didn’t take it properly.
Then again, it’s always a possibility that his opponent fvcked up – it does happen.

Perhaps the heart attack finished him off, or maybe it was the spinal injury. Hard to say because they both apparently happened almost simultaneously.

[Painlayer69]

Some eyewitnesses reported that he didn’t look well early on in the match.
I’m wondering if he was having a CVA or heart attack leading up to/during the move and maybe that’s why he didn’t take it properly.
Then again, it’s always a possibility that his opponent fvcked up – it does happen.

Perhaps the heart attack finished him off, or maybe it was the spinal injury. Hard to say because they both apparently happened almost simultaneously.

Very true that could happen its always a possibility, And yes going into a heart attack in mid air will throw off your balance as well and that could have caused him to land on his head, Just messed up man VERY messed up.