Mitsuharu Misawa

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.

  • Title: Mitsuharu Misawa
  • Popularity: 0.412
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1962-06-18
  • Place of Birth: Yūbari, Hokkaido, Japan
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Tiger Mask 2, Kamikaze Misawa, Tiger Mask II
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Mitsuharu Misawa Movies

  • 2002
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    NOAH Navigate For Evolution 2002 - Day 10

    NOAH Navigate For Evolution 2002 - Day 10

    1 2002 HD

    Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigate for Evolution tour continues, headlined by a tag team match between Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata vs Kenta Kobashi &...

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  • 2003
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    NOAH Navigation Over The Date Line 2003 - Day 13

    NOAH Navigation Over The Date Line 2003 - Day 13

    1 2003 HD

    Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigation Over the Date Line tour sails on, headlined by a GHC Heavyweight Title match between champion Kenta Kobashi and...

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  • 2007
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    NOAH Summer Navigation '07 - Day 12

    NOAH Summer Navigation '07 - Day 12

    1 2007 HD

    Pro Wrestling NOAH's Summer Navigation tour rolls on from Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

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  • 2022
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    Four Pillars of Heaven

    Four Pillars of Heaven

    1 2022 HD

    The energy, sensations, and signature colors of 1990s All Japan Pro Wrestling coalesce and explode within a vibrating, flickering, memory-like time...

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  • 1990
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    WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit

    WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit

    1 1990 HD

    A combined WWF, AJPW and NJPW supershow: April 13th, 1990 from the Tokyo Dome.

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  • 2009
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    NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 3

    NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 3

    1 2009 HD

    Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion,...

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  • 2012
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    ROH: Japan's Finest

    ROH: Japan's Finest

    10 2012 HD

    Since its inception, Ring of Honor has prided itself on presenting the absolute best professional wrestling on the planet with the top athletes not...

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  • 2012
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    KENTA: Go 2 Sleep

    KENTA: Go 2 Sleep

    10 2012 HD

    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...

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  • 2013
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    ROH: Top 100 Matches, Vol 1

    ROH: Top 100 Matches, Vol 1

    10 2013 HD

    Volume One, matches 100-47.

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  • 2004
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    NOAH: Departure 2004

    NOAH: Departure 2004

    1 2004 HD

    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,...

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  • 1986
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    AWA: WrestleRock '86

    AWA: WrestleRock '86

    10 1986 HD

    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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  • 2008
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    NOAH: European Navigation 2008

    NOAH: European Navigation 2008

    1 2008 HD

    "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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  • 2005
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    NOAH: Destiny 2005

    NOAH: Destiny 2005

    10 2005 HD

    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,...

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  • 2005
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    NOAH: 3rd Great Voyage 2005

    NOAH: 3rd Great Voyage 2005

    9 2005 HD

    Pro Wrestling NOAH caps off a thrilling year with their final Budokan event of 2005.

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  • 1989
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    CSW International Bash

    CSW International Bash

    1 1989 HD

    NWA Central States Wrestling presents an all-star card!

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  • 1997
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    AJPW October Giant Series 1997 - Day 18

    AJPW October Giant Series 1997 - Day 18

    1 1997 HD

    All Japan Pro Wrestling's October Giant Series rolls on with an epic clash between Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi.

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  • 1999
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    AJPW Super Power Series 1999 Finals

    AJPW Super Power Series 1999 Finals

    1 1999 HD

    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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  • 1986
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    The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

    The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

    10 1986 HD

    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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  • 1998
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    AJPW October Giant Series 1998 - Day 18

    AJPW October Giant Series 1998 - Day 18

    1 1998 HD

    AJPW's Giant Series comes to a conclusion as Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi face off in a classic encounter.

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  • 1992
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    AJPW October Giant Series 1992 - Day 17

    AJPW October Giant Series 1992 - Day 17

    1 1992 HD

    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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  • 1993
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    AJPW Summer Action Series 1993 - Day 22

    AJPW Summer Action Series 1993 - Day 22

    1 1993 HD

    All Japan Pro Wrestling's Summer Action Series rolls on, featuring two instant classic matches in a double main event.

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  • 2001
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    NOAH: Accomplish Our First Navigation 2001 - Day 9

    NOAH: Accomplish Our First Navigation 2001 - Day 9

    1 2001 HD

    NOAH concludes their first Accomplish Our First Navigation Tour., headlined by Mitsuharu Misawa defending his GCW Heavyweight Title against Jun...

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  • 2000
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    NOAH: Great Voyage

    NOAH: Great Voyage

    1 2000 HD

    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...

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  • 2000
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    NOAH: Great Voyage

    NOAH: Great Voyage

    1 2000 HD

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  • 1970
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    1 1970 HD

    Pro Wrestling promotion based in Japan formed from the AJPW's Four Pillars. Featuring a roster of stars, legends and rising stars

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