Osamu Nishimura Passes at 53

[Ma Stump Puller]

I was really dreading this one. Already early 2025 has not been a good year for wrestling fans.

Nishimura had been battling stage 4 esophageal cancer for the last year and a half, having spread to his brain and everywhere else there wasn't much of a positive prognosis. He kept battling from his IG posts though and even managed near the end to wrestle a couple of times.

RIP to one of the underrated technical greats. 

 

[Timbo Slice]

When I was first getting into contemporary Japanese wrestling in the early 2000s, I loved Nishimura. His match with Akiyama in 2003 G-1 is a personal favorite of mine, and the 2002 tag title match where he went bootless and full MUGA is still one of the coolest things I ever saw. 
 

If I recall, this was his second battle with cancer. Incredibly sad to see him pass so young. He’ll be missed. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Terrible news.