Inside Pulse:

Shinya Hashimoto died Monday in Yokohama, Japan after collapsing suddenly and being rushed to the hospital. The cause of death was reportedly a massive brain hemorrhage. He was 40 years old.

 

SUPERUNKNOWN

 

Out of all the major stars who emerged to carry the Japanese scene through the boom period of the 1990s, it could be argued that Hash was the least known and least appreciated by non-Japanese wrestling fans.

 

All Japan Pro Wrestling's Four Pillars of Heaven (Kawada, Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue) are relentlessly pimped by traders, critics, and wrestling writers, to the point where even most casual wrestling fans have at least heard their names by now. Jushin Liger gained a lot of exposure over here by putting on great matches for WCW, and other great New Japan welterweights like Ohtani and Kanemoto got plenty of exposure when people outside of Japan started collecting comp tapes of the matches that Chris Benoit wrestled as Pegasus Kid and Wild Pegasus. The widely collected 1994 Super J Cup gave massive exposure to many other Japanese high flyers. The rise in popularity of Mick Foley did a great deal to expose Japan's Death Match elite to the rest of the world. Hash's fellow New Japan Musketeers Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono got exposure as members of NWO Japan, and Keiji's Great Muta persona is arguably the first thing that comes to mind when non-Japanese fans think of 1990s Japanese wrestling.

 

Outside of Japan, Hashimoto has kept a realtively low profile.

 

BIG IN JAPAN

 

 

 

Although he remains relatively under-appreciated outside of his home country it can be reasonably argued that, in Japan, Hashimoto was the biggest star out of all the young lions to emerge in the 90s. Certainly, he was an enormous box office draw, as David Ditch pointed out in his column yesterday, Hash wrestled in the main event of an amazing total of eight shows that drew in excess of 50,000 people. For much of the 90s, Hashimoto was the wrestler who personified New Japan Pro Wrestling in the public's mind, much as Hogan personified the WWF in the 1980s or Steve Austin did a decade later.

 

His most typical role was as the defender of New Japan and the Strong Style of fighting. Many of his biggest and best matches were fought against invading outsiders or practitioners of different fighting styles. These matches turned Hashimoto into a Japanese hero, and he was the closest thing to Antonio Inoki's successor that New Japan has ever had.

 

STRONG STYLE SPIRIT

 

Hash stood barely six feet tall, but wrestled at weights ranging from 260 to over 300 pounds. He was broad shouldered and thickly muscled, but his huge belly, goofy sideburns, and big pudgy face hardly gave him the look of an assassin.

 

In the ring, however, Hash was a stone cold killer. He employed viciously stiff kicks and chops leading to shoot style arm bars and triangle chokes. He threw the most vicious spinning backhand Urrican this side of Aja Kong. Hash's deadliest weapons were his Jumping DDT and his Vertical Brain Buster. His best matches were often very realistic-looking, and he was able to work his believable style with a wide variety of opponents.

 

In 1994, he worked a match with Liger that is one of the best big man vs. little man matches ever. His 1995 G-1 finals match with Mutoh is considered by many experts to be the best New Japan Heavyweight Singles match of the 1990s. In 1996, he took on invading Shoot Style specialist Nobuhiko Takada in what was arguably the best match of the big-money New Japan vs. UWF-I feud. In the 1998 G-1 Climax tournament, he fought a battle with the legendary Genichiro Tenryu that is lauded to this day as one of New Japan's all-time stiffest matches. As recently as last year, he was still putting on kick-ass clinics in grumpy stiffness with wrestlers as diverse as Toshiaki Kawada and Steve Corino.

 

 

 

Perhaps my favourite Shinya Hashimoto match was the completely uncharacteristic brawl that he had in 2003 with Kintaro Kanemura in tribute to their recently deceased friend, the Death Match specialist Kodo Fuyuki. Hash starts the match by holding up the urn containing his dead friends ashes, then throwing himself back-first into the barbed wire surrounding the ring, which sets off a huge explosion. Kanemaru takes the urn and repeats the grand gesture. The two men then bow, and proceed to beat one another senseless in memory of Fuyuki. The craziness is cranked up several notches by the fact that Fuyuki's wife and sister are at ringside, and the camera catches both of them in the throes of a complete emotional breakdown. Even stranger is that fact that Hash subsequently left his own wife and kids to take up with Fuyuki's widow.

 

DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT

 

This is not something I have ever done before, and I don't know if I'll ever do it again, but I have posted several Hashimoto matches for download as a form of tribute. I think it's fitting, considering that relatively few people have had the chance to see him at his best. It's ironic, but not surprising, that Hashimoto's death has probably led to more non-Japanese people being exposed to his work than ever before.

 

The matches were all capped by the good people at Death Valley Driver and the Smark's Choice forums. I hope that they don't mind m re-posting their work in the spirit of celebrating Hashimoto's memory.

 

I'd ask that you only download one match, since the hosting site only allows a limited number of downloads before the files are maid unavailable. I'd like as many people as possible to have a chance to see Hashimoto for themselves.

Only one match is avalible on this section but there will be two after saturday night. To see more before then go to: http://www.insidepulse.com/articles/39361

Also From Inside Pulse:

In the context of the non-Japanese internet and non-Japanese wrestling fans, Shinya Hashimoto has largely been just another name. He lacks the perceived importance and deeper recognition of many of his counterparts for a variety of reasons. Unlike such New Japan stars as Mutoh, Chono and Liger, Hashimoto did little in the way of cross-over with WCW. And unlike All Japan's trio of Misawa, Kawada and Kobashi, Hashimoto wasn't in a large number of the top matches of the 1990's.

 

That isn't to say Hashimoto was mediocre, or that he wasn't in many great matches. Simply put, having a match good enough to stand out in Japan in the '90s was exponentially more difficult than it is today. Despite not having the tag 'MOTYC' attached to him often, Hashimoto was still a very competant wrestler who was often more consistently good than his counterparts. By virtue of not having a number of blowaway matches, Hashimoto never got over in the internet community as someone worth going out of the way for (ie. buying a tape). Thus I'd wager that most of you are like me, and exposure to Hashimoto was more by chance than by choice. So on the occasion of his death it's important to explain how it is that the man referred to by some as 'Fat Japanese Elvis' was without a doubt a legend.

 

So let's return to one of those dry, business-related subjects I so often drone on about: the Tokyo Dome. New Japan was the first wrestling promotion to use the building in April 1989. The show featured the debut of Liger, a crossover between New Japan and Russian wrestlers in the wake of the end of the Cold War, and an 8-man IWGP title tournament (with Vader over Hashimoto in the final). The show came five to ten thousand people short of a sellout despite all that. A year later the combined efforts of New Japan, All Japan and WWF for a supercard drew the same number in April. Only the historic first-ever All Japan/New Japan supercard in February 1990 was able to produce a sellout. Well, how on earth could that be?

 

It's logistics, ladies and gents. While Wrestlemania 3's claimed attendance of over 90,000 might be a slight embellishment, the fact is that such a crowd for wrestling is impressive. It's incredibly rare for any show to draw 50,000 or more. WWF/WWE in its history, spanning the globe, has done that only about a dozen times (half of those for Wrestlemanias). Even in Tokyo, long the first or second largest city in the world, gathering that many human beings for pro wrestling is a feat. New Japan with Shinya Hashimoto headlining did it seven times- eight if you count the February 1990 dual show with Hashimoto in a main event tag. Hashimoto also headlined two shows which drew over 40,000, and was second from the top on three other successful Tokyo Dome shows.

 

You can't say that about anyone else in the history of professional wrestling. Not Hogan, not Flair, not Austin, not Rock, not Inoki. The bread and butter of those megastars are shows drawing between 15 and 20 thousand. Guess what? Hashimoto did that plenty of times as well. And it wasn't a matter of lucking his way into the top of the card without really being the center of attention, either. Hashimoto was the core of New Japan in the '90s in the same way Hogan was for WWF in the '80s, Flair was for NWA in the '80s, Misawa was for All Japan in the '90s, and so on. He was the default name who held the top title. He was 'the man'. He did it without an easy formula for matches, without a large amount of US-style booking to get the fans interested, and without 'movie star' good looks.

 

Hashimoto was a draw because he was able to be an effective, credible main event wrestler night after night. That meant keeping himself strong without making his opponents seem easy to beat. That meant maintaining an interesting persona and an undefinable air of potency for years on end. He was the extension of what made Japanese fans tune in to see in the first place; an heir to the legacy of Rikidozan. Though Hashimoto lowered himself somewhat in the lackluster Zero-One promotion, it is impossible to overstate the importance he had to puroresu. That is why his death is a headlining newsstory in Japan. That is why his status as a legend is beyond debate. That is why his death at age 40 is a tragedy, yet another life cut painfully short in the industry.

Another from InsidePulse

According to every single hard wrestling news site out there, Shinya Hashimoto, one of the biggest stars in puroresu, passed away on Monday at the age of 40. The cause was said to be an aneurysm. It was very sudden. He collapsed and was taken to a hospital in Yokohama, where he couldn't be revived. Hashimoto had had major shoulder surgery a number of months ago and was rehabbing for a ring comeback. He's probably best known outside Japan for being the founder of ZERO-ONE, which shut down in 2004 due to acrimony between Hashimoto and his business partner Yoshiyuki Nakamura. In the US, his most noteworthy appearance was an indy feud with Steve Corino involving the NWA championship (prior to it being coopted by TNA).

 

He was a truly major player in Japan. Triple Crown winner, IWGP champion, top-card drawer for NJPW, and a guy who could really go. I wish I could have got more involved in puro, really, because I can't do him justice with what little I know about him and what he did (just the fact that he was in a stable with Muta and Chono shows what level he performed at). Imagine if, oh, Guerrero died. That'd be the comparative impact, I believe. I just have to throw my hat in and give condolences to fans of puroresu everywhere, not to mention his family and many friends.

 

No, this isn't something to be made fun of. He and I were the same damn age, and that hits close to home for me. He might have been on the downside of his career (although in Japan, careers last longer than those in the US), but he still had a lot to live for, and it's said that he was chomping at the bit for his comeback to the ring. If there's any positive to be gleaned from this, at least it wasn't an overdose or something incredibly stupid (although one can't help but think that it might have had something to do with the rehab, like an embolism traveling to the brain and causing a blood vessel to burst).

 

Godspeed.

From Samoa Joe:

Yet another.

I won't mince words and say that in my recent days that I have been fan of things that have occurred when the name Shinya Hasimoto is mentioned, but I always have respected the man.

 

When the news of Hashimoto's passing reached me through several phonecalls through out the night, I found myself moved far more than even I would have expected. As of right now I am typing this entry from a hotel lobby in rural Weatherford Oklahoma broken down during a cross country drive taking myself and helping move my significant other back to California.

 

I sat in the parking lot last night and for the 1st time in a long time I thought back to my days with ZERO ONE and all of my experiences with Hashimoto. When I took the time to really recall these moments I realized what a dramatic impact he had made in my life and my career.

 

When I 1st started in Japan my knowledge of Hashimoto was limited albeit somewhat educated. It was only when I began to wrestle across the ring from the man that I truly realized what it meant to be a star. Hashimotos ambiance did not lie in a flashy gimmickry, trend setting re-invention or the intangible coolness, of his musketeer brethren. Hashimoto had foregone the pomp and circumstance of wrestling and simply sought to be the embodiment of an ideal. The ideal that was the founding principle of the dojo that produced him which was derived from the centuries old warrior customs of his culture. Hashimoto embodied Toukon, The Fighting Spirit.

 

Once at a preliminary training session, Hashimoto had quizzed a group of relatively clueless gaijin about the most important aspect of Professional Wrestling. Answers sprung forth pleading a case for "Technique" and "Psychology", but Hashimoto simply pointed at his eyes and said "The Fire". The fire, the burning spirit, the unyielding will, even in the face of insurmountable challenges. With a simple gesture and the most intense stare I had ever seen I understood all these things that I have just listed and nodded in compliance.

 

Hashimoto's popularity was no accident as he represented the very essence of the much vaunted Samurais of old. He was a single ideal, by any means necessary, no questions asked, decisiveness personified. Enter the ring and destroy the opposition that is in front of you. Hakaio.

 

In his simplicity you could find his brilliance and the basis for his astounding charisma.

 

Outside of the ring Hashimoto was the polar opposite. Kind, gentle, and always ready to crack a joke or hear one, he enjoyed life and was always easy to smile. If you had never seen him in the ring you would guess him to be a late night variety talk show host complete with staged breakfalls and wacky accenting sound effects to enhance his often jovial demeanor. In my time spent in Japan with Hashimoto he was also generous. I remember one night I was sulking around the ZERO ONE offices harrassing boss Nakamura to hurry up and finish working so we could go out drinking and watching Samurai TV. Hashimoto came in to do some late night work in his office and he was astounded to find me sitting in the office bullpen pitching in and counting out tickets just to pass the time. He tried to express his gratitude as best he could in his limited english but I assured him that it was ok and I was more than happy to oblige.

 

The next week Hashimoto had caught wind that I was going out on a date. Remembering my very mild efforts the week before, he assigned his car and driver to me and paid for my evening in full. It was a gesture often unheard of in most workplaces but it is a gesture that will always be endeared to me. Also his words before I started my night

"Joe-san, tonight no fire in eyes, Tonight eyes clear. I teach you too much".

I nodded in agreement and made my way to the door. As I approached the office bullpen packed to the brim with busy employees his voice stopped me again

"Joe-SAN!"

Hai Hashimoto-san!" I replied

"If tonight you feel fire in your pants, please go to hospital!"

The office erupted in delayed laughter as the english speaking employees quickly explained to the others in between gasping chuckles. I turned around and faced the red visaged hysterical Hashimoto and bowed deeply

 

HAI HASHIMOTO-SAMA! Mochiron!

 

God bless you Hashi, Find happiness.

 

S. Joe

Steve Corino:

I really don't even know where to begin. Maybe it is the jet lag that is hitting me or just the shock of the news, but numb is the best way I can describe myself right now.

 

As most of you heard already, and thank you to the people that emailed me about it, my former boss and friend Shinya Hashimoto passed away yesterday just 8 days after turning 40.

 

I haven't seen Hashi since the split of ZERO-ONE in November and at the time there was a lot of heat between him and the wrestlers but I can only think of the good things that Hashimoto did for me and my career.

 

If it wasn't for Hashimoto (and Yoshi Nakamura) Steve Corino would have been out of this sport four years ago. I was ready to leave in October of 2001 because I had no more goals left but after the NWA World title change, he offered me a full time job with ZERO-ONE and used me on every tour.

 

Hashimoto came into the PWF in 2001 for next to nothing because he wanted to help our little company out. He didn't have to do that.

 

Him and Nakamura sent Masato Tanaka, Kohei Sato, and Yoshihito Sasaki to WORLD-1 for nothing. They paid them. He wanted to help.

 

He brought my son over to Japan four times to be with me because he knew the schedule was getting to me and he knew how much I hated to be away from him.

 

Like in the States, if there was no Paul Heyman there would be no Steve Corino and Japan is no different. If there was no Shinya Hashimoto, there would have been no Steve Corino in Japan.

 

My prayers go out to his children. Remember your dad for the good things he did.

 

Goodbye my friend and God Bless You.

A bit from Puroesu Power:

ZERO-ONE MAX boss Nakamura wrote online that the wrestlers in the company should be given some time to sort through their emotions before being asked to comment on Hashimoto's death.

 

Keiji Mutoh issued comments to the press on Tuesday. Mutoh tried to stay a little in character, calling Hashimoto "a rival" but then admitting that he nearly cried when he was told of Hashimoto's death. Mutoh said that Hashimoto had always told him that he expected to live 50 years and that he ended up dying 10 years short of expectations. Mutoh said that he was in communication with Masa Chono about having a memorial/tribute wrestling show in the near future.

 

Jimmy Suzuki reflects on Shin'ya Hashimoto. He talked about having a very long night last night after he had heard the news of Shin'ya Hashimoto's death. He reflected upon some of his experiences with Hashimoto in Calgary, Tennessee, and in other places when Hashimoto had been sent to train during the 80s.

 

 

- Jimmy went on to talk about the various times Inoki lent Hashimoto money during these training trips (including giving him carte blanche on the Inoki AMEX (American Express) card in Puerto Rico and $500 for gambling at a casino in Las Vegas). Of course, Hashimoto ended up using Inoki's AMEX card to have a five-star dinner and rent a limousine.

- Jimmy also brought up how he and Hashimoto used to call each other "FATMAN" and brought up some other stories, including a story about Hashimoto crying when Jimmy told him "bye" after he left Austria to go back to Japan.

 

- To finish off the posting, Jimmy talked about his last discussion with Hashimoto, which ironically occured on Chono's FM Tokyo talk radio show. Hashimoto called Chono on the cell phone during the radio show and Chono took the call.

 

Jimmy talked about Hashimoto stating occasionally that he was "fat and short" and had about 50 good years in him. This ties in with a story told by writer Kenji Oishi about Hashimoto at a Florida hotel during the NWA title defense trip in October of 2001. Oishi remarks that Hashimoto was both a narcissist and a romantist (liking poetry, writing, loveletters, etc.) During the NWA trip, Oishi says that Hashimoto looked at himself as (paraphrasing here) fat and short (and good at drinking).

 

Puroesu Power taped a special tribute show in memory of Shin'ya Hashimoto and were able to bring on some special guests including wrestling photographer Jimmy Suzuki. You can go to the website at PuroesuPower.com to hear that near-perfect tribute.

Small News From New Japan:

A 10-count gong ceremony happened at today's Yamagata house show in memory of Hashimoto. The ring announcer did his "183 cm, 135 kg, Hashimoto Shin'ya!" call over the microphone and then Hashimoto's theme music played in the building. Hiroyoshi Tenzan told the press that he needs to become as strong of an IWGP champion as Hashimoto was in the 90s.

 

The upcoming funeral on Saturday for Shin'ya Hashimoto is going to be enormous. Not only will a massive amount of workers in the wrestling business be in attendance, but expect big-name baseball players and celebrities as well. Hashimoto's death has created a ghost that is going to haunt the Japanese pro-wrestling business for the rest of this year. The Japanese press has been bringing up the funeral ceremony for Giant Baba in 1999 at Nippon Budokan, which drew 28,000. I don't know how big this funeral will end up being, but it has all but overshadowed this business.

From Strong Style Sprit

SSS isn't re-opening until later this week, but I felt I had to post this now. One of my favourite wrestlers of all time and someone who I think really symbolized New Japan, Shinya Hashimoto, suddenly passed away earlier at the age of 40. Hashimoto suffered a serious brain hemorrhage and died later at a Yokohama hospital. Probably the biggest draw of the 1990s, Hashimoto was New Japan's ace for much of the decade, succeeding Antonio Inoki as the bearer of toukon (fighting spirit), a role since taken up by Nagata and now Shinsuke Nakamura. Hashimoto left New Japan in 2000 to form ZERO-ONE, originally a New Japan off-shoot that turned into a fully fledged company, and left Z1 not too long ago. He was expected to return to New Japan very soon and become a major part of the company again, but obviously and sadly, that won't be happening now. Every year the wrestling community is hit hard by sudden and untimely deaths, often due to drugs or destructive lifestyles, but as far as we know, Hashimoto's death is just one of those unlucky and unfortunately ones. So Hashimoto, may you rest in peace, from myself and all the readers of my site.

http://www.puroresufan.com/index.php?subac...rt_from=&ucat=&

http://board.deathvalleydriver.com/index.php?showtopic=39711

http://forums.thesmartmarks.com/index.php?showtopic=71751

The final word about Hashimoto coming Saturday Night.