Former Sumo And Wrestling Star Akebono Dead At 54

Former yokozuna and two-time Triple Crown Champion Akebono has sadly passed away.

by Andrew Pollard
Akebono AJPW
AJPW

In some sad news, Akebono Tarō has passed away at the age of 54.

Japanese media were the first to announce this news, with the sumo-turned-wrestler's cause of death being reported as heart failure. Previously, Akebono had been ill since a 2017 DDT tour which initially left him hospitalised. Upon his release from the hospital, the big man was required to use a wheelchair and continued to suffer from heart complications.

Born in Hawaii in 1969 as Chadwick Haheo Rowan, the 6'8" Rowan would enter the world of sumo in 1988 and be given the name Akebono. By 1993, Akebono became the first non-Japanese sumo to reach yokozuna - the highest possible rank in sumo - and he'd remain at that level for an impressive eight years.

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Akebono would formally retire from sumo in January 2001, soon switching his attention to kickboxing and MMA, most notably with the K-1 promotion. While that didn't go too well for him, an appearance at WWE WrestleMania 21 against the Big Show would lead to Akebono entering the pro wrestling world. Just a couple of months after that 'Mania match, Akebono joined All Japan Pro Wrestling, and he'd achieve plenty of success in an in-ring career that also took in the likes of NJPW, Hustle, and Dragon Gate - with him becoming a two-time AJPW Triple Crown Champion, and later founding his own short-lived Ōdō promotion.

The thoughts of us all at WhatCulture Wrestling go out to the family, friends, and fans of Akebono.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.