Mitsuharu Misawa – RIP
I’m a little late on this but felt I need to just pay tribute to one of the greatest professional wrestlers that most of the world has never heard of. Mitsuharu Misawa was nothing short of a legend in his home country of Japan. You can not mention the names of Inoki, Tsuruta or Baba without Misawa as the greatest wrestlers to come out of the land of the rising sun. He held All Japan Pro Wrestling’s top prize, the Triple Crown, on five occasions and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Title three times. He has more Wrestling Observer 5 Star matches than any other wrestler in history. I could go on and on about his achievements but it would end up taking up a lot more space than I wanted to.
Misawa passed away on June 13th, just a few days shy of his 47th birthday, doing what he loved. An apparent spinal cord injury from a seemingly basic back suplex is what is being said may have caused his passing. His family has asked for confidentiality in the actual cause of his death. Misawa influenced many and entertained many more. He was the epitome of a pro wrestler in it’s truest form. He will be missed greatly by the wrestling community but never be forgotten.
June 18, 1962 – June 13, 2009
