10 Shocking Japanese Wrestling Incidents That You Need To Know About

4. Mistuhara Misawa Dies In The Ring

Mitsuhara Misawa was one of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling history. His series of title clashes with the likes of Kenta Kobashia, Toshiaka Kawada and Jun Akiyama were legendary. Misawa went all-out every night in order to live up to fan expectation. However, the strong style that Misawa favoured had taken a toll on his body. By the early 2000s, he was falling apart but continued to perform in main matches. He could still go in the ring when the occasion called for it. But by the middle of the decade, it was becoming more and more obvious that it was a struggle for Misawa. He got out of shape and din't train as hard anymore because of his various debilitating injuries. When Pro-Wrestling NOAH's business took a sharp dive, Misawa (as one of the company's two biggest stars) soldiered on. But his health continued to get worse and he could be seen clutching at his neck during matches. Misawa's hard-bumping style caught up with him in tragic fashion on June 13th, 2009 during a GHC Tag Team Championship match. His opponent Akitoshi Saito delivered a high-angle back suplex, dropping Misawa on his head and neck. It was a move Misawa had taken a thousand times before but this time he wouldn't get up. After losing consciousness in the ring while EMT's frantically worked to revive him, Misawa was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The death of one of the sport's biggest stars prompted many companies to tone down the physicality of their matches and implement better safety procedures for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6wfxVL-EJM