6 wrestlers who passed away in the ring
Professional wrestling is scripted. Almost every fan around the world knows the fact that the matches are choreographed, and the feuds staged. Although most of the fans understand and appreciate the art of pro wrestling, there are those who go to great lengths to take shots at the industry and the wrestling fans.Till 50 years ago, the people involved in the wrestling business protected ‘kayfabe’, and never went out of character. You have people who broke their backs in a plane crash, yet showed up for shows just to make sure that the fans and the media do not get a wind of how the business works. While there are millions of fans around the world who support professional wrestling, there are those who continue to bash the business and the wrestlers.Professional wrestling, in its very essence is the most demanding job in the world today. While other athletes have day offs between their games or fights, the wrestlers travel for 300 days a year, working nearly 5 days a week! They continue to put their bodies through constant abuse and endure unimaginable pain, and still keep coming back for more.Professional wrestling is only for those who truly love the business, and adhere to the famous quote of “The show must go on”. There were instances when the wrestlers injured themselves – broken bones and torn ligaments, but they pushed themselves to finish the bout. Although such a thing is unheard of in other sports, the performers and wrestlers take pride in what they do.In this article, we take a look at five different instances when the performers, unfortunately, lost their lives in the ring, either while performing or because of other circumstances.
#1 Mitsuharu Misawa
One of the greatest names in professional wrestling lost his life in the middle of the ring, as the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa passed away after the conclusion of a tag team match in 2009. Misawa, much like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan in the United States, was one of the most respected wrestlers in Japan.
He started Pro Wrestling NOAH after falling out with Giant Baba’s wife after he took over the organization, due to the passing of Baba. Misawa had many classic encounters with the likes of Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta, which have achieved legendary status in professional wrestling.
Although Misawa wanted to retire for a long time, with NOAH not in a great financial position and the organization unable to produce a large pool of top stars (Except for the likes of KENTA, who is now in the WWE), Misawa had to continue performing in the ring. As fate would have it, the man who dedicated his life to professional wrestling finally took his last breath in a wrestling ring.
After Misawa took a belly to back suplex, he didn’t get up, and although the fans and the other wrestlers didn’t suspect anything wrong in the beginning, they soon understood the gravity of the situation, as the wrestlers flocked the ring in an attempt to revive the legendary grappler.
The fans started chanting for their hero, but all of that went in vain as Misawa never made it to his feet. The fans started shedding tears as the wrestlers near the lifeless body of Misawa started getting animated.
Misawa was then stretchered out of the arena, but the sad news of his passing was soon made public, and made the headlines around Japan. As the country mourned the loss of a true icon, the entire wrestling fraternity bid adieu to one of the greatest legends the business will ever witness.