Wrestlers With The Most World Titles (Across All Major Federations)

5 Triple Crown Heavyweight Championships

3 GHC Heavyweight Championships

Mitsuharu Misawa was a God-like figure in puroresu, and his passing in the ring mid-match sadly only reinforced this mythological aura.

Possibly the standout wrestler in the standout period of what many consider to be the best form of pro wrestling, Misawa first gained nationwide attention in Japan by re-enacting the Tiger Mask persona for AJPW in the '80s, but it's the following decade that would see him reach GOAT-level. His match against his idol Jumbo Tsuruta in June 1990 was his first 5-star rated match earned under his real name, his second overall. He would go on to have 24 in total.

In the summer of 1990, Misawa formed the Super Generation Army with fellow soon-to-be legends and King's Road style pillars Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue, Toshiaki Kawada, and the less talked-about Tsuyoshi Kikuchi. Together, as opponents or as partners, these gentlemen would gather unprecedented critical acclaim, working matches ablaze with intensity and physicality, and meticulous with the storytelling. He won his fifth and last Triple Crown title at the Giant Baba Memorial Show in 1999, a number which stood as the joint-record up until Suwama's sixth reign in 2017.

In the wake of Baba's death, Misawa left to launch Pro Wrestling Noah and the near entirety of the roster followed. Under Misawa's guidance, Noah carried the King's Road style legacy and on top of that, became the go-to for junior heavyweight wrestling thanks to under-utilized AJWP younglings like KENTA or Naomichi Marufuji. Granted, Noah was largely built on AJPW's foundations, which meant Misawa's baby came to life with a serious silver spoon in its mouth, but he still deserves credit for managing to turn puroresu's 30-year old bipartite system into a triumvirate.