Mitsuharu Misawa

Incredible.

I am sitting here in total shock.

Before we get to today, we need to head back to 1994 for a few paragraphs:

As a teenager, I used to buy the underground wrestling newsletters and buy tapes from Japan. This was the only way I could keep up to date with wrestling other than what I was being fed by the WWF and WCW.

The sheets - as they were called - would mention a lot of Japanese stars and one of the names that would get glowing endorsements was Mitsuharu Misawa.

Misawa was up there back then. We had been on a diet of people like Hulk Hogan and his style was like a breath of fresh air to the underground fan. There were two Japanese stars I liked watching and they were Kenta Kobashi and Misawa.

Back to 2009:

Unfortunately, Mitsuharu Misawa died earlier today. He was in a match in Japan and took a backdrop and landed on his head.

There are conflicting stories that he died at hospital but this may have been a cover-up, it's possible he really passed away right in middle of the ring.

I'm lost for words.