Japanese wrestling legend The Mighty Inoue passes away at 75

The Mighty Inoue was one of the pioneers of Japanese professional wrestling. Sadly, the star recently passed away at the age of 75.

The Mighty Inoue first made a name for himself in International Wrestling Enterprise in the late '60s. He quickly became one of their top stars and even defeated WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham for the IWA World Championship.

While he had his start in IWE, he is best known for his run in All Japan Pro-Wrestling. He wrestled for them between 1981 and 2000. During this time, he established himself as the top star in the company's Junior Heavyweight Division. He even defeated Chavo Guerrero Sr. to win the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship.

After retiring in 1997, he moved on to becoming a referee. In 2000, Inoue was one of the people who left AJPW to join Pro Wrestling Noah where he was a referee until 2010. After Misawa passed away, The Might Inoue retired from the business. He eventually made his return to AJPW in 2015 and wrestled sporadically for them over the years. His last appearance for the promotion came in 2023.

According to PWinsider, The Mighty Inoue passed away on November 27, 2024, at the age of 75 after a cardiac incident. He will always be remembered as one of the best junior heavyweights in Japanese wrestling history.

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It's always sad to see a stalwart of the business pass away. Our deepest condolences go out to the family members at this difficult time.

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