Mitsuharu Misawa‘s death was a tragic loss for the world of professional wrestling.
Mitsuharu Misawa, known as the “The Emerald Warrior,” was a legendary Japanese wrestler who revolutionized the industry with his technical skill, high-flying manoeuvres, and intense matches.
However, on June 13, 2009, Misawa suffered a fatal injury during a match in Hiroshima, Japan, shocking the wrestling community and leaving fans around the world in mourning.
This article will explore Misawa’s life and career, as well as the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and the impact it had on the world of professional wrestling.
Mitsuharu Misawa’s death happened during a wrestling match
On June 13th, 2009, Mitsuhiru Misawa teamed with Go Shiozaki against GHC Tag Team Champions Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith. The match was going well, with the 46 year old Misawa performing well, as always.
However, at an undocumented moment in the match, disaster struck. Saito hit Misawa with a simple belly-to-back suplex, but after the impact, Misawa did not get up.
The Japanese wrestling icon did not move, remaining motionless as the fans and wrestlers grew concerned.
The referee was equally concerned. Shuichi Nishinaga stopped the match after noticing one of the wrestlers not moving, calling off the whole thing to try and keep Misawa safe.
It was not enough, sadly. Misawa was worked on by paramedics in the ring as soon as the match ended, trying to save his life.
The fans grew restless, worried about their hero. Chants of “Mi-saw-wa!” rang out in the arena, but it was soon replaced by frantic cheering, begging for him to get up.
After failing to revive him with a defibrillator, the paramedics loaded Misawa onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, as the entire locker room emptied out and tried to help.
It was all futile. Doctors pronounced Mitsuharu Misawa dead at 10:10pm, two hours after the match had been stopped.
How Did Mitsuharu Misawa Die?
Mitsuharu Misawa died after a cervical spinal cord injury caused a cardiac arrest, according to police speculation and reports from Dave Meltzer.
The family of the former GHC Champion requested that the cause of death not be released. However, this did not stop Dave Meltzer from clarifying that Misawa’s death was caused by “a separation of Misawa’s first and second cervical vertebrae”.
Prior to the match, wrestlers noted that Misawa had not slept much the night before, and was noted to be looking tired and gaunt at the event.
His death sent shockwaves across the wrestling world. The legacy he left with his incredible career remains to this day, with incredible matches with Kenta Kobashi still revered as some of the best of all time.
How To Watch Mitsuharu Misawa’s Last Match
No footage of Mitsuharu Misawa’s last match has been made available. He died during the June 13th, 2009 TV tapings for Pro Wrestling NOAH, so the entire ordeal was filmed.
However, out of respect for Misawa and his family, the promotion has not released the footage, and likely never will.
The only thing Pro Wrestling NOAH has revealed about the incident is the moment in which Misawa is treated by paramedics after the match.
This footage shows Misawa being treated in the ring by paramedics, as wrestlers surround him in the ring.
The audience began to chant for Misawa, then started yelling and shrieking frantically as they watched a man die in the ring. Takeshi Morishima tried to calm them down, saying everything would be okay.
However, it was to not avail. The moment of his death was not shown, only the footage of his attempted treatment when he collapsed in the ring. This was done to broadcast on Japanese news, reporting on the death.
YouTuber kimidori3takoyaki recorded the entire match from the arena seats with his camera. However, like NOAH, he has refused to release all the footage, instead only offering the moments before and after.
At this moment in time, there is no way to watch the entire last match of Mitsuharu Misawa, only the moments before and after his death.