Former NJPW wrestler Osamu Nishimura has passed away at the age of 53.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced the news on February 28th. He had a prominent run with the company, as he won the IWGP Tag Team Championship twice. Nishimura later had a run with All Japan Pro Wrestling as well. He also got into politics, and he was elected as a member of the Tokyo Bunkyo Ward Assembly, and he was re-elected to four terms.
Rocky Romero commented on Nishimura’s passing by writing, “Nishimura-san, was an absolutely amazing wrestler, I always loved watching his matches. He had such a passion for a beautiful throwback style, that alot of guys from my generation were wowed by. Artistic simplicity. He was one of the first Japanese wrestlers I got to spend time with outside of the ring. I was inspired by his strength and will after battling cancer early on in his life.
“He retired and travelled to India, found yoga, came back to truly live life on his terms. Became a local politician in the Bunkyo district of Tokyo, where a lot of us would stay while being on tour. We would go and drink wine with him and he always had funny stories and this amazing grin on his face. He was my friend, my senpai, and a man that had an incredible energy. He will be missed.”
On behalf of WrestleZone, we send our condolences to Nishimura’s family, friends, and fans.
