Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa (三沢 光晴, Misawa Mitsuharu) was a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling before forming Pro Wrestling Noah. Misawa was known alongside Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, and Akira Taue under the informal nomenclature of AJPW's Four Pillars of Heaven, whose matches developed the ōdō (王道, "King's Road") style of puroresu and received significant critical acclaim. Despite never working in the United States during the 1990s, Misawa had significant stylistic influence upon American independent wrestling, through the popularity of his work among tape-traders in the country. However, while Misawa has been regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, the physical demands and consequences of the style in which he worked and the circumstances of his death have made his legacy, or at least that of ōdō, somewhat problematic.
Debuting in 1981, Misawa became the second incarnation of the Tiger Mask gimmick in 1984, which he wrestled as, through to the decade's end. After the departure of Genichiro Tenryu, Misawa unmasked mid-match in May 1990 and began a rivalry with company ace Jumbo Tsuruta. Misawa's victory over Tsuruta on June 8, 1990 led AJPW to sell out every Tokyo event they held into early 1996, and as Tsuruta receded from the main event due to hepatitis, Misawa was cemented as AJPW's ace when he won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship from Stan Hansen in August 1992 and held it for the longest reign in the title's history. Misawa remained atop the company throughout the 1990s, and following the death of president Giant Baba in 1999, Misawa inherited his position, but conflicts with widow and majority shareholder Motoko Baba led to his removal in May 2000. After this, Misawa led a mass exodus of the promotion's talent to form Noah. Noah was successful in the first half of the decade, but as business declined and top star Kobashi left in 2006 for cancer treatment, Misawa continued to work a full-time schedule, despite mounting injuries, for the company's survival. On June 13, 2009, during a tag match in Hiroshima with Go Shiozaki against Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith, Misawa died after a belly-to-back suplex from Saito.
Misawa was an eight-time world champion, having won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship five times and the GHC Heavyweight Championship three times. He was also an eight-time world tag team champion. Fifty-three of the sixty-nine events at the Nippon Budokan that Misawa headlined were sellouts, a drawing record that has been compared to Bruno Sammartino's run at Madison Square Garden. Misawa was named Wrestler of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter on three occasions, and holds the record for most WON five star matches, with 24. He is also one of the nine wrestlers to have been awarded a six-star rating by the publication, for his match with Kawada on June 3, 1994, which has been specifically cited as one of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 0.584 |
Birthday | 1962-06-18 |
Place of Birth | Yūbari, Hokkaido, Japan |
Also Known As | Tiger Mask 2, Kamikaze Misawa, Tiger Mask II, |
2002
NOAH Navigate For Evolution 2002 - Day 10
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Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigate for Evolution tour continues, headlined by a tag team match between Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuha...
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NOAH Navigate For Evolution 2002 - Day 10
2003
NOAH Navigation Over The Date Line 2003 - Day 13
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Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigation Over the Date Line tour sails on, headlined by a GHC Heavyweight Title match between champion Kenta Kobashi and Yujii...
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NOAH Navigation Over The Date Line 2003 - Day 13
2007
NOAH Summer Navigation '07 - Day 12
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Pro Wrestling NOAH's Summer Navigation tour rolls on from Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
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NOAH Summer Navigation '07 - Day 12
2022
Four Pillars of Heaven
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The energy, sensations, and signature colors of 1990s All Japan Pro Wrestling coalesce and explode within a vibrating, flickering, memory-like time ca...
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Four Pillars of Heaven
1990
WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit
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A combined WWF, AJPW and NJPW supershow: April 13th, 1990 from the Tokyo Dome.
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WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit
2009
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 3
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Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, whic...
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NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 3
2012
ROH: Japan's Finest
10/1
Since its inception, Ring of Honor has prided itself on presenting the absolute best professional wrestling on the planet with the top athletes not ju...
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ROH: Japan's Finest
2012
KENTA: Go 2 Sleep
10/1
The innovator of the Go 2 Sleep, a multi-time GHC champion in both the Junior Heavyweight Singles & Tag Divisons, one of the hardest-hitting individua...
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KENTA: Go 2 Sleep
2013
ROH: Top 100 Matches, Vol 1
10/1
Volume One, matches 100-47.
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ROH: Top 100 Matches, Vol 1
2004
NOAH: Departure 2004
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Departure was a major professional wrestling event produced by Pro Wrestling Noah. The event took place on July 10, 2004 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, J...
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NOAH: Departure 2004
1986
AWA: WrestleRock '86
10/1
The AWA supercard was broadcast from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on April 20, 1986. It was the AWA's final stadium show.
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AWA: WrestleRock '86
2008
NOAH: European Navigation 2008
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"European Navigation 2008" was the first ever Pro Wrestling NOAH card ever held in the UK, taking place on 21st June 2008, from the Coventry Skydome.
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NOAH: European Navigation 2008
2005
NOAH: Destiny 2005
10/1
Destiny was a major professional wrestling event produced by Pro Wrestling NOAH. The event took place on July 18, 2005 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Jap...
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NOAH: Destiny 2005
2005
NOAH: 3rd Great Voyage 2005
9/1
Pro Wrestling NOAH caps off a thrilling year with their final Budokan event of 2005.
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NOAH: 3rd Great Voyage 2005
1989
CSW International Bash
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NWA Central States Wrestling presents an all-star card!
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CSW International Bash
1997
AJPW October Giant Series 1997 - Day 18
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All Japan Pro Wrestling's October Giant Series rolls on with an epic clash between Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi.
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AJPW October Giant Series 1997 - Day 18
1999
AJPW Super Power Series 1999 Finals
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The 1999 Super Power Series comes to a close with its 14th day of action, headlined by Mitsuharu Misawa taking on Kenta Kobashi in an instant classic.
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AJPW Super Power Series 1999 Finals
1986
The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
10/1
The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held on April 19, 1986. The tournament featured 24 tag teams.
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The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
1998
AJPW October Giant Series 1998 - Day 18
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AJPW's Giant Series comes to a conclusion as Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi face off in a classic encounter.
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AJPW October Giant Series 1998 - Day 18
1992
AJPW October Giant Series 1992 - Day 17
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AJPW's annual October Giant Series comes to a close. Mitsuharu Misawa makes his first title defense against his tag team partner Toshiaki Kawada.
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AJPW October Giant Series 1992 - Day 17
1993
AJPW Summer Action Series 1993 - Day 22
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All Japan Pro Wrestling's Summer Action Series rolls on, featuring two instant classic matches in a double main event.
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AJPW Summer Action Series 1993 - Day 22
2001
NOAH: Accomplish Our First Navigation 2001 - Day 9
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NOAH concludes their first Accomplish Our First Navigation Tour., headlined by Mitsuharu Misawa defending his GCW Heavyweight Title against Jun Akiyam...
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NOAH: Accomplish Our First Navigation 2001 - Day 9
2000
NOAH: Great Voyage
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December 23rd, 2000 :: Pro Wrestling Noah presents The Great Voyage. In the wake of the great Exodus from All Japan Pro Wrestling the young upstart Pr...
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