WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura has confirmed the passing of a Japanese wrestling legend.
The current WWE star took to X late on Thursday. He paid tribute to wrestling veteran Osamu Nishimura on his passing, saying that Nishimura was like an older brother to him:
“Rest in peace, Osamu Nishimura. You were as kind as an older brother and taught me so many things?”
Nishimura began his wrestling training in 1990 while still in high school when he joined New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo. He made his official debut after a year’s training, losing to Takayuki Iizuka in his first match. He then went on a foreign excursion to US.
The wrestling veteran would continue traveling between Japan and other countries throughout his career, primarily wrestling for different promotions in the US. He wrestled for many NWA territories in the 90s and also unsuccessfully challenged Shane Douglas for the ECW World Title.
In Japan, he had long runs with both NJPW and AJPW, even wrestling Ric Flair in a high-profile match that he lost back in 1996.
The late star was diagnosed with stage-four esophageal cancer in March 2024. Despite the struggles, he kept his spirits high and even teamed with Dory Funk, Jr. for the latter’s retirement match in August 2024.