411’s Buy or Sell 06.19.09: Misawa Roundtable Special

Posted by Michael Bauer on 06.19.2009

This week, the 411 staff relfects on one of the greatest legends of Japanese Wrestling in a special reoundtable version of Buy or Sell!

Welcome everyone to WEEK One Hundred Thirteen of BUY or SELL. For those of you who haven't been with us since the beginning, here's the Reader's Digest version of what this column is all about. BUY or SELL is very much like 411's long-running Fact or Fiction column. The main difference is that BUY or SELL focuses on topics like the U.S. Independent scene, Lucha Libre, Japanese Wrestling and pretty much anything else that isn't mainstream wrestling, WWE and or TNA. This allows for these areas to get a bit more press and for you, our loyal readers, to learn even more about the sport of professional wrestling…

But that is what we normally do. This week, we will pay tribute to Mitsuharu Misawa with a special roundtable. Misawa died just about a week ago in the middle of the ring, with what has offically been called a spinal cord injury. As soon as the news broke, members of the 411 staff tried to decide how to best share our thoughts on a true legend of wrestling and we agreed on this roundtable. I would personally like to thank all of the writers who stepped forward to contribute and to send our continued condolences to the family of Mitsuharu Misawa.

After being in competition the next night, how long will it be before Akitoshi Saito is seen again in a wrestling ring?

Ryan Byers: Twenty-four hours. The first show after Misawa's death was on 6/14, and Saito wrestled there. There was another NOAH show on 6/15, and Saito wrestled there. There was a NOAH show on 6/16, and Saito wrestled there. There is a show scheduled for 6/22, and Saito is on the lineup. Saito isn't going anywhere, and Saito SHOULDN'T go anywhere unless he flat-out doesn't want to wrestle anymore. Every live report that I've read from Misawa's last match has said that the suplex Saito gave him immediately prior to his death was perfectly routine for Misawa matches, with one observer in particular referring to it as a "seven out of ten" on the danger scale. Akitoshi Saito did not do a single damn thing wrong, and for people to point to him as though he is some kind of pariah or is in any way at fault is ridiculous. The fact of the matter is that, no matter how many people want to dress it up as television programming on the order of ER or Friends, professional wrestling is a contact sport, and, unfortunately, tragedies like this occur in contact sports from time to time, whether it is wrestling, boxing, football, hockey, or any other athletic endeavour that you can think of. Akitoshi Saito was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, nothing less and nothing more. He is esentially in the same position that D-Lo Brown was in as a result of the Darren Drozdov situation several years ago. D-Lo didn't screw up, and Droz didn't screw up. What happened just happened, and people let D-Lo go on with his career. Saito should be afforded the same courtesy, and fortunately the majority of Japanese fans seem to be allowing it thusfar.

Jonathan Solomon: It does not appear that Saito has taken any time off. He went back to work the night after the tragedy and Monday, too. It should be considered a good thing that he can work through the pain he has to be experiencing. Hopefully he knows it was not his fault and just a freak accident that was not his fault Watching clips and seeing pictures from last Sunday, he was an emotional wreck, but that's to be expected. It was nice to see the fans supporting him at this trying time.

Chris Lansdell: I can tell you right off the bat that if it were me, I wouldn't have wrestled the next night or probably ever again.I don't follow Japanese wrestling happenings enough to know if Misawa was well-liked in the dressing room, especially as the owner who still wrestles. However I do know the Japanese character and I'd bet my mortgage that he was universally respected backstage. Unless you're a cold-hearted bastard or have some exceptional therapy, you don't recover quickly from killing your boss at work. Although we all know it was an accident, and all his peers will too, it's going to be very hard to get Saito to realise that. The problem is, he's one-half of the GHC tag team champions. IF the planned NOAH shows go ahead (they are on Southern Navigation until June 22 and have a wrestler-produced show planned for July 5, but it's unknown if they will continue), then normally Saito and Bison Smith would be defending the titles at least once in that period. They just held up one title (for obvious reasons) and I think they would rather not hold up another. Saito is also advertised for the 7/5 show in singles action. However, Saito and Smith have been champions for over a year and have had three title defences, so if Saito needs 6 months to recover it wouldn't be unheard of. I say we won't see him until the next tour, which is as yet unannounced.

Jake Chambers: Saito has continued wrestling alongside the rest of the NOAH roster, and I assume that would continue to be the case for the near future. Saito is not to blame for Misawa's death. Misawa performed countless deadly looking moves in his career, and he kept wrestling, and while using a much tamer style these days, one can assume that Saito is not responsible for overall accumulated injury in Misawa's neck and spine. Without having seen the move (or probably even wanting to) it's hard to indicate whether or not Saito fucked up the application, but even if he did, there should be no reason for him to quit wrestling. Accidents happen, and every wrestler knows the risks when they get in the ring.

Aaron Hubbard: I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I think it depends on three things: Saito's willingness to continue, his peer's acceptance of him, and the fans reaction. While I don't think any of his fellow wrestler's blame Saito, there's always a few suspicious types, and some might not want to wrestle or team with Saito because of potential backlash from fans. While I do not know how Japanese fans are responding to the situation, I hope that they will accept that it was just a coincidence and not his fault, but they may blame him simply so that they can have someone to blame. But most importantly, it's up to Saito. He's had a good, long career and I don't think he would have any regrets if he hung up the boots.

Samuel Berman: Akitoshi Saito was in action again on 6/18, pinning Chris Hero in a tag team match. As such I would contend that Saito will continue a regular in-ring schedule going forward.

Being his tag team partner the night before, do you believe Go Shiozaki was given the GHC Heavyweight Title as a tribute to Misawa?

Ryan Byers: Absolutely not. Anybody paying attention to the manner in which Shiozaki was booked over the past several months would be able to tell you that he was either next in line for the championship or, at the very least, was going to be the next guy who had a star-making championship reign. The only thing that Misawa's death (and Akiyama's vacating the title) changed was was the timing. What was bound to happened just happened three to six months earlier than it would have otherwise. What probably happened is that Shiozaki and Misawa were scheduled to win the GHC Tag Team Titles in Misawa's last match, only for the death to prevent it. The tag title reign was probably the last little push designed to get Go ready for being the heavyweight champion, and, because it could no longer happen, the company shot him straight up to the top.

Jonathan Solomon: I don't know that it was the lone reason but I do see Shiozaki being given the opportunity as a direct result from the fact he was being groomed for the position. It is no secret that plans were for him to become the top guy next year, and probably for Misawa & Shiozaki to win the tag team gold. With Akiyama possibly retiring from in-ring work, the list of great ideas for potential champions is small. They were not going to put it on any of the recently former champions who could not draw so well on their own.

Chris Lansdell: It's the romantic theory. Not only was Shiozaki his partner that night, he was also his partner in winning the 2009 Global Tag League. And it may well be part of the reason, but I don't think it's the main one. The last person from NOAH to spend an extended period in RoH was Takeshi Morishima, and soon after returning he won the GHC Heavyweight title. Go Shiozaki has been touted as a future star for a while (and really, with Kobashi for a mentor he'd have to be), and is also coming off a tour in RoH. I feel that Shiozaki was slated to win the title next anyway, and the tragic death of Misawa just accelerated the plan.

Jake Chambers: There is no doubt that this was a tribute to Misawa, as Shiosaki was not only his partner that night, but also the last GHC Title contender, and a long-term Misawa project, who had come back to Japan with much fanfare and attention following his year in the States. Shiosaki was being groomed, in the place of the once favored Morishima, to be champion in the near future and this was a perfect opportunity to gift Go for his hard work and pay-off Misawa for his eye and patience in developing this great young star. I do wonder who was in charge of making this decision though, only one day after the death of the president of the company. Was this a collective idea among the wrestlers? Did Akiyama relinquish the title because of injury or grief? How long will Go remain champion? These are all intriguing questions.

Aaron Hubbard: It wouldn't surprise me, but no, I do not believe it. Frankly, this sudden title change to a hot newcomer seems more like damage control to me than anything. NOAH has lost their television deal and their creator/top star in a match. Things are going downhill and they needed to do SOMETHING to generate interest. Basically, I feel the same about this change as the last one, where Akiyama beat Sasaki on the last TV show. It's a desperate attempt to keep a positive buzz around the company.

Samuel Berman: No. Shiozaki was seemingly being groomed for a GHC Heavyweight Title run for the last number of months (including a number of career parallels to former champion Takeshi Morishima). I'm pretty sure that a run was already in the works for Shiozaki before Misawa's death. The time table may have been accelerated, but I don't think Shiozaki was given the belt simply as a tribute to Misawa.

While major change normally doesn't happen after a crippling injury or death, what changes to the Japanese style are you expecting now that a huge name has been affected?

Ryan Byers: Zero, zip, nil, nada. There is strong evidence that the physical, snug style that Chris Benoit wrestled, both in the United States and in Japan played at least some role in him going crazy, killing his family, and killing himself. That was significantly more tragic, and, though he may not have been as big of a name in Japan as Misawa was, his death was higher profile both in the US and abroad because it was a more sensationalistic story. If Benoit dying and taking an innocent child with him didn't change anything in Japan, Misawa dying won't change anything in Japan.

Jonathan Solomon: It is tough to say exactly what may change because the Japanese culture is a different beast unto itself. At first it was believed Misawa passed away from a heart attack. As it turned out Misawa died due to a severely damaged spinal cord. Obviously, it's apparent he died due to the damage he put his body through to entertain the masses for over twenty years. As recently as within the past two to three years, he suffered at least one known concussion in a match with Takeshi Morishima. To say that Japanese pro wrestling will eliminate all major/significant drops on the head will be expecting the best out of this business. It would be nice to see wrestlers of all ages eliminate such unnecessary spots from their matches. I hope to never see a tiger driver, or any other kind of bump from the ramp or apron to the floor ever again. This will certainly put a new, sad spin on all of the classic matches between Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada and others. Hell, reportedly the move Akitoshi Saito used was a backdrop driver suplex that must have been used in hundreds, if not thousands of bouts. This is just a horrible wake-up call to all wrestlers to take better care of their bodies and not ignore them. Perhaps NOAH and NJPW, if not all major promotions should begin regularly sending their talent to undergo tests looking at their hearts, heads, necks, etc., because Misawa was not the only man to do what he did. One other sad note from this tragedy is the news that Misawa was seriously considering retirement, as soon as this year. There are lots of old-school wrestlers still active who have put their bodies through hell. Not to say that what happened last weekend will repeat itself in the future, but why risk it? What do guys like Kenta Kobashi or Masahiro Chono have to prove?

Chris Lansdell: I'm not expecting any. Misawa isn't the first person to die in the ring, but he should be the last. We've seen a lot of wrestlers be crippled in the ring too. What makes this worse is that the move was not botched, it was hit hard and stiff as is typical of the Japanese style. And that's the crux of the issue: it IS typical of the Japanese style, and changing that would require a tremendous concerted effort no the part of all the Japanese promotions. I'd be surprised if NOAH even made any changes.

Jake Chambers: The Japanese respect seppuku (ritual/patriotic suicide) and would no doubt feel less shocked by a death like this than a North American audience would. Gradually, the neck-jarring moves of the All Japan nineties have already mostly been phased out of mainstream Japanese wrestling already, and I would expect that that trend would have continued regardless of Misawa's death.

Aaron Hubbard: I suppose this a round about way of asking me if we will no longer see fighting spirit and people dropped on their heads? Sadly, no. While the cause of death is offically spinal injury, in theory caused by the backdrop suplex, I think it's obvious that there were other factors involved (more on that in a minute). Also, the move was a simple backdrop suplex, not even a backdrop driver. It's the same move that Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, and countless others have been using for decades. It was a freak accident. While we probably SHOULD see Japanese Wrestling tone down slightly, I don't think this is going to do it.

Samuel Berman: I do not. Had a specifically high risk maneuver caused Misawa's death, then I could see that move becoming de facto outlawed. It's far more likely that we will see the political landscape in Japanese wrestling change drastically than it is that we'll see a shift in the in-ring style.

Following the previous question, do you see his death having any effect on wrestling in the United States?

Ryan Byers: For the majority of fans in the United States, "Misawa" is that weird word that was on CM Punk's tape this past Monday night. For the majority of people who run major wrestling promotions in the United States, he's one of the guys who you have to convince former indy wrestlers to stop imitating. Though he was a big name among wrestling fans in his home country, if anybody thinks that Misawa's death is going to have any impact on wrestling in America at a level higher than Ring of Honor is kidding themselves. Even in ROH, the biggest perceived effect will probably be that they get to book Marufuji, KENTA, and Shiozaki more frequently when NOAH goes out of business. (More on that in the next question.)

Jonathan Solomon: Without a doubt, Misawa's passing will have little to no effect on American professional wrestling. To American fans (besides the hardcore "internet" or tape trading fans), this was just some foreign wrestler who passed away. More than 90% of U.S. wrestling is WWE and do you think Vince McMahon cares enough about the situation to alter his business in any way? Doubtful. The only place that you may see the head-dropping style that was made famous in 90s All-Japan is around the indy circuit. Even Ring of Honor has made an effort to cut down on the high-impact style from its past. You will still see unprotected chair shots and big bumps to get crowd reactions. They will never go away.

Chris Lansdell: Not any lasting effect. Vince McMahon already has an extensive lists of moves that are banned (e.g Death Valley Driver) and severely restricted (only Kane and Undertaker are allowed to hit a Tombstone) and that list hasn't been updated in a while. Japanese wrestling hardly registers on TNA and is even less important in WWE, so I can't see a tribute show or anything from the Big Two. Punk's wrist tape is about all we should expect from WWE (although it surprised me that MVP didn't do something to recognise him), and we might get a statement or tribute match from TNA. Ring of Honor may do something more, but I don't foresee any lasting effects on shows, movesets or policies. About the only thing I can see is the Observer calling an award the Misawa Memorial.

Jake Chambers: Absolutely not. How much lower could they go? Thumb wrestling?

Aaron Hubbard: It will sure benefit Indy Wrestlers who emulate him. If you steal the moves of a wrestler who's a legend and still alive and healthy, then you're a ripoff. If you steal moves from a legend who recently had a tragedy, then you're "wrestling in tribute". It's perception. It's flawed, but it is the general perception. That's why you see a lot more wrestlers doing Frog Splashes and a lot fewer doing Rolling German Suplexes. So yeah, I expect to see a lot more people doing Tiger Drivers, Tiger Suplexes, Rolling Elbows, and Emerald Flowsions. I wouldn't be surprised if it even went up to WWE and TNA. There are quite a few Misawa marks in those companies (Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Gregory Helms, MVP...), so perhaps we will see the younger stars busting out some more Misawa moves. Lord knows any of Misawa's finishers would be better than the Playmaker.

Samuel Berman: Not particularly. We might see some American Independent talents with ties to Pro Wrestling NOAH adopt things like the Emerald Flowsion as a part of their moveset as a tribute. But beyond that sort of homage, I don't see much changing on this side of the Pacific.

Pro Wrestling NOAH has now lost their television deal and their leader and owner in Misawa this year. Where do you see Pro Wrestling NOAH ending up in the next 18 months?

Ryan Byers: NOAH will not be in business eighteen months from now. However, I would have said that if you asked me this question even before Misawa passing away. The loss of television was just too much for the company to bear. If you want proof, you need to look no further than their attendance figures both before and after losing NTV. You're looking at a promotion that went from 14,000 fans at its last Budokan show prior to losing television to 9,000 fans at its first Budokan show after losing television to, earlier this week, holding a championship match in Hakata Star Lanes, a venue that is more suited to "big shows" for Japanese indies than it is hosting title bouts for the supposed second largest promotion in the country. The company was on its way down well before this weekend, and, if anything, I think that Misawa's passing will provide them with a temporary boost in business as opposed to dragging them down further. The death has been covered heavily in Japan, and it is getting the company's product the kind of exposure that had vanished along with their national network television deal. History may record Misawa's death as being the event that pushed NOAH over the edge and in to oblivion, but history will be wrong.

Jonathan Solomon: This is tough to think about. If you had told me a few years ago, before the world economy tanked, that NOAH would be without television, I would have laughed at the idea. Right now, I would not be shocked to see NOAH close its doors at some point over the next year and a half. Right now, besides the rare Budokan Hall show, they're averaging under 2,000 for their house shows. Now they are without their founder/owner/leader in Misawa and they have to find their way and begin anew. They will sit down after their current tour to try and settle office issues. Jun Akiyama had to forfeit the GHC Championship due to injuries (and other factors) and Kenta Kobashi cannot be relied upon to carry a major workload these days. At least I hope he does not try to. Pro wrestling in Japan is not hot right now and who is going to be the number one guy to lead them out of their rut? Where is the platform (TV) for the young wrestlers to become mainstream stars? Go Shiozaki as the new GHC Champ will have a lot on his plate, emotionally and professionally. We have seen others fail in that spot and NOAH really needs a home run. They will need a miracle and a lot of things to go well for them and I just don't see it all coming together.

Chris Lansdell: Unfortunately, I see it being bought out, and not by someone who will keep it afloat. I see it merging with another promotion unless the wrestlers band together and keep it going. NOAH was in trouble anyway, having lost its TV deal and a large chunk of its fans (recent shows had seen huge drop-offs in attendance). It was unlikely under those conditions that the promotion would survive 18 months unless they had managed to secure a new TV deal. As it stands, they have lost arguably the biggest name in Japanese wrestling (up there with Muta, Liger and Sasaki right now) and have no obvious replacement to step up. Maybe, just MAYBE, if Kobashi can work a bit more and they can get a deal based on that, we will see NOAH beyond 2011.

Jake Chambers: NOAH will be fine, in fact, as sad as it may be, I'm sure Misawa's death will help with the popularity of the promotion. I agued in a previous Buy or Sell, that the lose of a nonsense time slotted TV show wasn't going to have any affect on NOAH, and it really hasn't. While some might point to lower attendance, NOAH's attendance numbers have been on the decline for years, and was in no part being saved by a late, late night Saturday TV show that no one watched. Blaming NOAH's decrease in popularity would be like blaming a drop in WWE stock on the loss of Saturday Night's Main Event. The main crisis facing NOAH is their stylistic strategy. They stuck with athletic based contests rather than storyline based narratives, and the growing strength of Dragon Gate and New Japan shows that the fashionable thing these days in Japan has become intense rivalries and faction warfare. To Misawa's credit, he stuck with what he believed in, and was still producing the best pro-wrestling critically in the world, in my opinion, but I'm afraid that following his death, the direction of NOAH could shift towards mimicking some of the traits of these other promotions, in the next year or so.

Aaron Hubbard: It will chug along, and will have some success, but it will never be as big as it used to be. Misawa is dead, Kobashi is nearly crippled, Taue is ancient, Akiyama isn't getting younger, and most of the big stars (Marufuji, KENTA, Go Shiozaki) have not been booked to the point where they can carry the company based on star power. Sure, they are the ones having the best matches, but it's not like John Morrison and Shelton Benjamin are perceived as top players in the WWE. All three men could be top stars, but they won't live up to Misawa's legacy. What's worse is that history has shown that the death of an owner (Rikodozan, Giant Baba) leads to political turmoil and new companies being made. What's to keep Akiyama or Kobashi from making their own promotions and taking all of the young talent with them?

Samuel Berman: I don't really know where NOAH's headed, so I'll go with idle speculation and predict that NOAH reunites with All Japan, thus bolstering AJPW's roster with some of the top workers in the world.

With Misawa's death, who will take his place as the new leader of Japanese wrestling?

Ryan Byers: I'm starting to sound awfully cynical here, and I hate to do so . . . but, to be perfectly honest, Misawa wasn't even the "leader" of Japanese wrestling at the time he died. He was well past his prime athletically and as a worker, so he couldn't be called the leader in in-ring terms. Yes, he ran a wrestling promotion, but the promotion was number two in terms of exposure and business. He was a former legend, but he was no longer an industry leader. Who is the leader? That's hard to say, exactly. The country's top promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, is booked by a committee and is owned by a larger corporate entity, so it's difficult to point to a real "leader" there from a business standpoint. As far as being a leader in in-ring performance is concerned, there simply isn't anybody who is at the level of Misawa and his peers from the 1990's right now. However, in terms of being a consistently over main eventer and putting on solid (albeit not legendary) matches, I would point to Hiroshi Tanahashi as being the point man right now, even though he may not have as much credibility with American smarks since his home promotion NJPW does not have the ROH ties like NOAH and Dragon Gate do/did.

Jonathan Solomon: The million dollar question. I am a big fan of KENTA and Marufuji but they were not given the best of opportunities back in 2006 and were a failure in the box office. Morishima had high expectations and could not live up to them. All three are great talents but could not become faces for the sport. Is Kobashi capable after all of his health scares to handle the load? As far as New Japan goes, I don't see how guys such as Nakanishi, Tanahashi or Nakamura are going to lead this generation of wrestling in Japan. I have no idea.

Chris Lansdell: I won't pretend to be knowledgeable enough to answer this with any degree of certainty. I'm taking "leader" to mean the next person to be as influential as Misawa was. Or rather to be influential in the same way, since very few people will ever reach Misawa's level of influence. The first nanme that springs to mind is KENTA. He's already trained at least 2 wrestlers who are working their way up in their respective promotions, his style is impactful and impressive to watch and seems to have influenced a whole generation of wrestlers both in Japan and overseas. Two other good candidates would be Hiroshi Tanahashi and Naomichi Marufuji, both of whom have a tremendous following for their relatively young ages.

Jake Chambers: Keji Mutoh, of course, still stands out as a figure head and leader in the pro-wrestling business in Japan, but he could never go in the ring like Misawa, and thus I think that effects his credibility. Therefore, in the short term, I would guess guys like Kensuke Sasaki, Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama will step up to take bigger mentoring and business roles, alongside Mutoh. In the long term, I would imagine Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA, both of whom studied not only the acclaimed in-ring style of Misawa, but also his booking style, as seen this year with their multiple and successful attempts to book smaller NOAH off-shoot shows, will emerge as leaders of the pro-wrestling industry in Japan's future.

Aaron Hubbard: Well, Misawa was only the leader of his own company. Muta is arguably a bigger star than Misawa (though he's not even half of the worker than Misawa was), and will continue to dominate All Japan and New Japan. I would assume that Kenta Kobashi will take over as the "locker room leader" for NOAH, but Akiyama and Taue might also be in contention. And well, Sasaki has Kensuke Office. I suppose the most powerful man in Japanese Wrestling is still Muta.

Samuel Berman: In terms of established talent who were a part of the same old guard as Misawa, it will probably be either Kenta Kobashi or Keiji Mutoh. From the next generation, either Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji, or Shinsuke Nakamura. Depending on Dragon Gate's development going forward, Shingo Takagi could move to the next level and get into this discussion.

Following the previous question, who do you feel is next true Japanese Legend?

Ryan Byers: Again, I hate to sound like a cynic. However, I do not think that there is anybody currently in Japan who has the capacity to become a legend in the sense that Mitushara Misawa, Masahiro Chono, Toshiaki Kawada, or Keiji Mutoh were legends. That's not because there aren't talented wrestlers in Japan. There are. It's because, on the whole, professional wrestling's popuarlity nationwide in Japan is smaller than it has been at any point in the last half century. Nobody can truly take hold as a "legend" with the epic moments of his career being burned in to the minds of tens of thousands of fans when all companies are struggling to get 2,000 fans for anything other than a tour-ending show. Guys like Tanahashi and perhaps to a lesser extent Naruki Doi will be "legends" in the minds of hardcore wreslting fans much in the way Bret Hart is a "legend" in the minds of hardcore wrestling fans in the United States, but nobody has a platform on which to become a true legend in the vein of the Hulk Hogans, Steve Austins, Jumbo Tsurutas, and the El Santos of the world.

Jonathan Solomon: That is such a loaded question. If/when wrestling hits a boom period in the region, this current crop of younger talent may not even be the cause. Who knows right? Perhaps Go Shiozaki can take the ball during this almost unbearable period and take it to the moon. It would be awesome if some good came out of this tragedy, but who would take that bet?

Chris Lansdell: This is a really tough question to answer, because Japanese wrestling has so many people who are at or near the legendary level.Many of them, like Keiji Mutoh, Kensuke Sasaki and Masahiro Chono are still active. People like Jun Akiyama, Shinsuke Nakamura and Yuji Nagata are considered to be already there by some and a step below by others. However with the exception of this "tweener" group, I don't see anyone who is even close to that level. Some of the younger guys may well get there, but right now the Japanese situation is no different from the US one: no obvious legend in the making.

Jake Chambers: I absolutely believe that will the right booking strategy, Takeshi Morishima and Go Shiosaki will be future Japanese legends, but I also think that CIMA will actually be a future legend. I see that he has some of that unteachable charisma of old New Japan and the incredible wrestling ability and stamina of the traditional All Japan style. If he stays healthy and given the right set of circumstances in the next decade, I think CIMA could reach a status similar to the one Misawa enjoyed in the end.

Aaron Hubbard: I'm assuming you don't mean legends like Kobashi, Muta, Sasaki or Kawada, or near legends like Akiyama? Honestly, KENTA is practically legendary already. He's a huge star in NOAH and most American fans of the company (including myself) hold him in even higher regard. He is an "Ace" for the company. But if Go can continue to improve (he's already very, very good), then he will be the man that leads NOAH (or whatever company is created in it's wake) into the next decade.

Samuel Berman: In terms of in-ring talent, Hiroshi Tanahashi is off the charts right now. American fans have a distorted view of him because of his misuse in TNA, but his main event matches in New Japan have been absolutely incredible for the better part of two years now.

Do you think that Mitsuharu Misawa deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan?

Ryan Byers: Yes and no. On one hand, Misawa was a once in a lifetime worker. Nobody assembled a resume that had the volume of four and five star matches that he did. In the sense that he was an individual whose feats will never be duplicated, he is comparable to Sammartino, Flair, Hogan, and Thesz. However, he is not quite on the level of those men in other regards. Hogan, Sammartino, and Thesz (and to a lesser extent Flair) were absolute phenoms in terms of being box office draws and were cultural icons in their respective eras. They went beyond wrestling and became cultural icons to the point that, if you were in the right time period (and, in Bruno's case, the right geographic region) even the most detached non-wrestling fan would know who you were talking about. Misawa, though a major name to those who followed wrestling, was never a guy who was so big that he was known by non-fans. Even among wrestling fans in Japan, he was only the headliner of the country's top promotion for a fleeting period of time, as New Japan was a much bigger deal than All Japan for the vast majority of the 1990's, and it was only truly in 2002-2003 when the entire Japanese wrestling industry was in the toilet that NOAH really lurched in to the number one spot, and even then it was only for a handful of years. So, yes, we'll never see another Mitsuhara Misawa much like we'll never see another Hulk Hogan. And, yes, the type of people who read this column probably think more of a Misawa than they do of a Lou Thesz. However, in terms of being a true phenomenon that transcended wrestling, he never quite got there and now, sadly, never will.

Jonathan Solomon: Absolutely, yes. When you mention the names above you are referring to some of the best and most famous all-time wrestlers. Mitsuharu Misawa was the best Japanese wrestler of the 1990s and one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of the past twenty years. Hell, Misawa may be the best worker of modern wrestling. The most respected awards in the business (Dave Meltzer's WON) gave an astounding 24-matches involving Misawa the five-star rating from 1985-2003. Plus, he was involved in sell out business for several straight years during the 1990s, who can say the same thing? He was a great worker and a great draw, not too often do both factors come together in one person.

Chris Lansdell: To paraphrase Triple H: Misawa is called arguably the best in Japanese wrestling in the last 20 years. I have yet to hear the argument against. The man has more Meltzer-approved five star matches than anyone else, has been in some of the most storied feuds in Japanese history, ran one of the biggest promotions and started another. The fact that he's as well-known as he is in the US, despite not wrestling over here anywhere NEAR as much as the likes of Liger, Muta and Chono, speaks to the impact and influence he has had on professional wrestling. His popularity in Japan was on a level with Flair and Hogan's here. He may even have SURPASSED his contemporaries in terms of overall influence. He is definitely a worthy member of that group.

Jake Chambers: I don't know if I would go that far… critically, I would put him in the same category as Ric Flair for an all-time top 5, but as far as impact on the global business of professional wrestling, as would be indicated by naming Hogan, Sammartino and Thesz (a list that is glaringly missing Stone Cold Steve Austin in my opinion!), I don't think Misawa is in that league. Certainly Antonio Inoki is the Japanese wrestler who transcended his national scene to become an international household name, something that none of the glorious 90s All Japan stars were able to do at an international mainstream level. Artistically speaking, I would put Misawa alongside Kobashi, Flair, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, as five of the best all time, in-ring, performers critically, outside of the politics or economics of the professional wrestling business.

Aaron Hubbard: Tough question. He could be viewed as Japan's Sammartino, as he's practically a God in his own region and has fans all over the world. I'd even buy that he's in the same class as Flair. But Hogan and Thesz? Hogan is the biggest star in wrestling. Period. Case closed. Thesz was also the biggest star in wrestling for two decades and was practically peerless during that time. As awesome as Misawa is, he will not have the affect on wrestling as a whole that Thesz or Hogan had. Of course, if you're talking match quality and ability as a worker, Misawa WAY outclasses these guys. Sammartino and Hogan shouldn't even be mentioned in that discussion is Misawa is in it. Thesz was a great worker, but he was from a different time and so the comparison is unfair. Flair MIGHT have a case, but frankly, I think they are equal in storytelling and Misawa blows Flair out of the water in workrate. Misawa's work is in the same elite class as legends like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

Samuel Berman: Of course. I noted these stats in Wrestler of the Week, but they deserve a second mention here. According to Wrestling Observer, Misawa was involved in 24 Five Star Matches, was Wrestler of the Year three times, was a part of the Tag Team of the Year three times, and had the Match of the Year five times. If there were a Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling, Mitsuharu Misawa would most certainly be in the conversation for inclusion on it.