Mitsuharu Misawa
| Mitsuharu Misawa | |
|---|---|
Misawa with the GHC Heavyweight Championship in 2007
|
|
| Born |
June 18, 1962 Yūbari, Hokkaidō |
| Died | June 13, 2009 (aged 46) Hiroshima |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lion Man Mitsuharu Misawa Tiger Mask (II) |
| Billed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Billed weight | 118 kg (260 lb) |
| Trained by |
Shohei Baba Dick Beyer Dory Funk, Jr. |
| Debut | August 21, 1981 |
Mitsuharu Misawa (三沢 光晴 Misawa Mitsuharu?, June 18, 1962 – June 13, 2009) was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as AJPW had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Following the death of AJPW head booker Giant Baba in 1999, Misawa inherited the position of AJPW president. After being removed as president by a board of executives, Misawa left AJPW in May 2000 to form Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). In 2006, Misawa founded and served as the chairman of the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA).
Misawa was an eight time world champion in Japanese promotions, having won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship five times and the GHC Heavyweight Championship three times, additionally being the inaugural holder of the latter championship. His impact was also recognized by critics, as he was also named Wrestler of the Year by Wrestling Observer Newsletter on three occasions and holding the record for most Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star matches, with 25. Misawa is also one of only four wrestlers to have the distinction of being awarded a 6-Star rating for a match with Toshiaki Kawada in 1997. Misawa was regarded by many as the greatest professional wrestler in the world during the 1990s.
...
Wikipedia