• Former Heavyweight Champion Passes Away
The wrestling world is in mourning following the loss of a true crossover pioneer. Tadao Yasuda, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion who seamlessly navigated the worlds of elite sumo, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts, has passed away at the age of 62.
Yasuda’s storied journey began in the sumo ring, where he spent 13 years competing at a high level under the name Takanofuji Tadao. After retiring from sumo in 1992, he transitioned to the canvas of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, making his debut in 1994 against Hiroshi Hase.
While he was a fixture in NJPW throughout the 90s, the early 2000s marked his most significant era. His career reached a fever pitch on New Year’s Eve in 2001, when he secured a shock upset victory over kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner. This momentum carried him to the pinnacle of the industry just months later, where he defeated Yuji Nagata in a tournament final to capture the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
As the leader of the villainous Makai Club, Yasuda remained one of the most imposing and fearsome figures in Japan until his departure from NJPW in 2005. He continued to compete across various promotions before officially hanging up his boots in February 2011.
NJPW released a statement expressing their deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and the fans who followed Yasuda’s career.
• Big Stipulation Added To Dominik Mysterio’s Title Defense (Spoiler)
WWE taped upcoming episodes of AAA, which airs on FOX Mexico. Below are the spoilers:
– Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match For The AAA Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) def. Los Americanos (Bravo and Rayo Americano) and Money Machine (Colmillo de Plata and Garra de Oro)
After the match, Erik and Ivar were confronted by the current AAA Tag Team Champions, Psycho Clown and Pagano.
– AAA Latin American Championship Match: El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (c) def. Belcegor to retain the title
After the match, Wagner Jr. challenged Santos Escobar.
– La Parka def. Jack Cartwheel
– AAA World Cruiserweight Championship Match: Laredo Kid (c) def. TJ Perkins to retain the title
– El Fiscal vs. Abismo Negro Jr. ended in a No Contest
– Las Toxicas (Flammer, La Hiedra, and Lady Maravilla) def. Adelicious, Faby Apache, and Jessy Jackson
– Dominik Mysterio and El Hijo del Vikingo made their AAA Mega Championship match official by signing the contract. The stipulation of the match is that if Vikingo loses, he can’t challenge for the Mega Title as long as Dirty Dom is champion. However, if Vikingo becomes the AAA Mega Champion, then Dominik will be forced to leave AAA.
Omos and Vikingo attacked Dominik, which led to El Grande Americano #2 (Ludwig Kaiser) making the save. The original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) then attacked El Grande Americano #2.
