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The Caulilower Alley Club announced this evening that Japanese star Osamu Nishimura has passed away at 53 years old following a battle with cancer:
"It is with profound admiration that the CAC honors the life of Japanese wrestling star Osamu Nishimura after his valiant battle with cancer. He leaves behind a legacy of love for his wife, Megumi Nishimura, and son, Mayu Nishimura, age 6. One of his mentors was one of his heroes, the legendary Dory Funk Jr. CAC's very own President Brian Blair was also one of his mentors during his political aspirations. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. May his courageous spirit continue to inspire, rest in peace Mr. Nishimura."
Born in Japan in 1971, Nishimura began his wrestling career at an early age, joining the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in April 1990 while still in high school. His debut in April 1991 marked the beginning of an incredible run as a technical wrestler. He was absolutely excellent inside the ring. Nishimura was groomed from greatness and influenced greatly by Antonio Inoki and Dory Funk Jr.
Nishimura kicked off his career as a junior heavyweight known for high-flying moves before transitioning into one of the most respected and technically proficient mat wrestlers his era. His ability to blend German and British catch wrestling with the classic techniques of Dory Funk Jr. and Tatsumi Fujinami created a dynamic style that stood out and deserved to be studied. As he grew in experience, Nishimura was great at carrying lesser opponents to great matches.
In 1994, he was sent on excursion to the United States, which New Japan Pro Wrestling filmed and documented at the time as he worked for a number of promotions including Dennis Coralluzo's NWA in New Jersey, Sabu's then-NWA affiliate in Michigan and for the original ECW, where he took part in the August 1994 NWA Championship tournament that saw Shane Douglas throw down that belt and declare the ECW Title a World Championship. Nishimura would later challenge Douglas for the ECW title and Dan Severn for the NWA Championship. He also become the final official Global Wrestling Federation Light Heavyweight Champion.
Nishimura returned to Japan when his mentor Tatsumi Fujinami formed a NJPW offshoot promotion MUGA, which was based around technical wrestling. Nishimura gained the nickname of "Mr. MUGA" but when the promotion ran its course, he exited Japan again to work in Europe for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling promotion. The idea was to obviously build Nishimura as an internationally traveled star who had learned all across the world in order to give him more legitimacy when he returned.
Nishimura returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1995, teaming with Keiji Mutoh and Kensuke Sasaki regularly. He was on a slow but steady path to rising to the upper echelon of the company, even challenging Sasaki for the IWGP Championship when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1998. He would not return to the ring until 2000.
With the story being that he was seeking better himself in the ring while recovering, Nishimura trained at Dory Funk Jr.'s Funking Conservatory in Florida., winning their !Bang! title. Upon returning to NJPW, he found success by capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championship alongside Tatsumi Fujinami. In 2002, Nishimura teamed with Manabu Nakanishi under the name Gotch-ism. He then engaged in a fun wrestling feud with Minoru Suzuki. Nishimura and Hiroyoshi Tenzan later won the IWGP Tag Team Championship in late 2003. They lost the belts in early 2004.
In 2006, Nishimura left NJPW when his contract was not renewed, making him a free agent for the first time. He completed for various independent promotions in the United States, including CHIKARA and several NWA affiliates. When Tatsumi Fujinami also exited NJPW, he resurrected MUGA, with Nishimura headlining the debut event against Hiro Saito. That September, Nishimura faced Fujinami in a two-out-of-three falls match, scoring the win. He became a centerpiece attraction for MUGA, working with Tatsutoshi Goto and going to the finals of the MUGA Premium Tournament before losing to Mitsuya Nagai that December.
In late 2007, Nishimura shockingly announced he and tag team partner Manaby Soya would be joining All Japan Pro Wrestling. He teamed with Masa Fuchi in the Real World Tag League that year. In 2008, he focused on training other talents but also challenged Suwama for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship. He would also team with Kaz Hayashi. Soya moved into a team with Riki Choshu, setting up a rivalry with Nishimura. He would also team with Seiya Sanada in the Real World Tag League and take part in the annual Champion Carnival. He continued to appear for All Japan off and on through last year.
Beyond his wrestling career, Nishimura ventured into politics, driven by his personal battle with cancer and a deep commitment to public health and food education. First diagnosed with a retroperitoneal tumor in 1998, he pursued alternative treatments and was declared cancer-free in 2000. His experience with the illness inspired him to advocate for preventive medicine and holistic health. In 2011, he was elected to the Tokyo Bunkyo Ward Assembly, where he served four consecutive terms, focusing on public health initiatives.
In more recent years, Nishimura performed for a number of promotions, including DDT, FMW-E, VAMOSTAR, and even Pro Wrestling NOAH.
In March 2024, Nishimura was diagnosed with stage-four esophageal cancer and in October 2024, endured a craniotomy (an operation removing part of the bone from the skull lin order to expose the brain) so the cancer that spread to his brain could be removed.
Despite the illness, he returned to the ring several more times, teaming with his mentor Dory Funk Jr. in a no ropes exploding barbed wire match against Atsushi Onita and Raijin Yaguchi at FMW-E's Kawasaki Stadium show in August 2024. Nishimura would last wrestle in December 2024 in a No Ropes Barbed Wire & Giant Electric Explosive Bat Death, teaming with Katsushi Takemura and Shinya Aoki against Atsushi Onita, Mammoth Sasaki & Raijin Yaguchi.
PWInsider.com sends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Osamu Nishimura.
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