Hayabusa has died at the age of 47. Reports state he suffered bleeding on the brain, resulting in his untimely passing on thursday. His real name was Eiji Ezaki, but he chose to wrestle under the Hayabusa name and mask from 1993. He instantly established himself as one of the most innovative high flyers of the nineties, noted for his dangerous risk taking. He was the marquee star of FMW and a cult figure to many global wrestling fans in that era. Unfortunately, his career was cut short, following a broken neck during a 2001 match against Mammoth Sasaki. He was going for a lionsault and slipped, with the injury leaving him paralysed. Bound to a wheelchair, he became a warning to wrestlers the world over about just how dangerous the business can be. The irony was that the botched move was one of the simpler spots in Hayabusa's arsenal. It just goes to show that even the best wrestlers, doing even simple moves, can see their careers wiped out in seconds. It is a dangerous business. In a happy moment, he did recently walk again, helped by some of Japanese wrestling's biggest stars at a 2015 appearance. He's pictured above at a backstage visit to a WWE event, where he met Vince and Shane McMahon.
