Free Online Article Directory. For Article Authors & Publishers
The Legacy Of Japan's Pro Wrestling Icon Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa died in Hiroshima, Japan earlier this year less than a week before his 47th birthday. Akitoshi Saito hit a back suplex on Misawa, which appeared to knock him unconscious. Medical staff attempted to revive him in the ring, but when CPR failed he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Initial reports in the Japanese media suggest that he was pronounced dead at the hospital, but a number of eyewitness accounts have speculated that he may have died in the ring.
Thats at least a small bit of solace amid the tragedy of Misawas death"he died in the ring doing what he loved, and what he did better than just about anyone on the planet. Not like Owen Hart died in the ring, doing a stupid stunt in a silly character that he was reportedly assigned as punishment for refusing to go along with a storyline he felt demeaning, but working the kind of brutally stiff, athletically realistic match that got a generation hooked on Japanese wrestling.
A top level amateur wrestler in high school, his skill gained the attention of All Japan Pro Wrestling president Shohei Giant Baba. He made his professional debut in'81, and got his first big break in'84 when he was chosen as the second Tiger Mask replacing Satoru Sayama. In'90, he had his longtime tag team partner (and occasional rival) Toshiaki Kawada unmask him.
Misawa would wrestle as himself from then on, and become an even bigger star in the process. In June,'90 he became one of the top stars in All Japan Pro Wrestling when he defeated Jumbo Tsuruta. That match was his first main event appearance at the venue Cheap Trick made famous in America, the Nippon Budokan. He soon faced Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen in an unsuccessful challenge for the title, and would become arguably the biggest native star in Japanese pro wrestling for the next decade.
He had legendary battles against Kawada, Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, and Steve Dr. Death Williams in singles competition. Misawa would continue as a mainstay in AJPW until the early part of this decade. After the death of Giant Baba, he left to establish Pro Wrestling NOAH. He would serve as the companys president while wrestling a full time schedule until his untimely death.
Japanese pro wrestling served as an introduction for many American fans into shoot fight sports and MMA. Before the Internet, fans would trade videotapes to stay up on the latest matches from Japan and along with Jushin Thunder Liger and The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh it safe to say that Misawa is one of the wrestlers most responsible for getting a generation of American fans hooked on the product. Were it not for the subculture he created in America, later wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor and MMA promotions like the UFC wouldn't have had a ready made audience to tap into.
Author Resource:-
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
If you are searching for a way to add a touch of classic style to your home, a wood door can be the perfect way to do that. As with fiberglass and steel doors, a wood exterior door presents a set of trade-offs that can make your buying decision a challenge, but you can navigate it with ease if you are well-informed.
Many people choose DIY methods because they are worried about kitchen remodel cost overruns. They believe that if they take complete control of the job they will not have to spend a dime more than their budget. Often, this will result in one of three scenarios - they do have to spend more, they buy cheap junk, or they do not complete the project at all. Here are a few more sensible ways to avoid excessive costs.
Daily, hundreds of thousands of poker players worldwide try their best to master this game in one of the poker tournaments held by one online poker room or another. The most experienced online poker room users get to earn high profits and make a more than decent living for themselves
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlelisted.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Ross Everett's Author Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 