Unique Content Article: The Legacy Of Japan's Pro Wrestling Icon Mitsuharu Misawa

<h2 class = 'uawtitle'>The Legacy Of Japan's Pro Wrestling Icon Mitsuharu Misawa</h2><div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>by Ross Everett</div><div class='uawarticle'><br />Mitsuharu Misawa died in Hiroshima, Japan earlier this year less than a week before his 47th birthday. He was in a tag team match for his Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith and Akitoshi Saito. 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.<br />
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That's at least a small bit of solace amid the tragedy of Misawa's death--he died in the ring doing what he loved, and what he did better than just about anyone on the planet. Misawa's last moments were spent working the kind of brutally stiff, athletically realistic match that got a generation hooked on Japanese wrestling.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 famous Nippon Budokan. He soon faced Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen in an unsuccessful challenge for the title, and would become the biggest star in Japanese pro wrestling for the next decade.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. - 39110</div><div class='uawresource'><div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br />
About the Author:<br />
</div><div class='uawlinks'>Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on <a href="http://www.oddsbay.com/">World Cup betting</a>. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and <a href="http://www.oddsbay.com/">sportsbook directory</a> 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. </div><br />
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New Unique Article!

Title: The Legacy Of Japan's Pro Wrestling Icon Mitsuharu Misawa
Author: Ross Everett
Email: da1prophet@gmail.com
Keywords: pro wrestling,Japan,sports,recreation,entertainment,travel,hobbies,marketing,business,culture
Word Count: 432
Category: Recreation &amp; Sports
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