The Cauliflower Alley Club has announced wrestling legend Osamu Nishimura, has passed away, after losing his battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife and 6-year old son.
According to several media outlets, Nishimura was 53-years old.
Nishimura made his in-ring debut in April 1991. He is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and a winner of the G1 Tag League. In the United States he wrestled for NWA New Jersey, the NWA affiliate in Michigan and ECW, as part of the NWA Championship tournament that saw Shane Douglas throw down that belt and declare the ECW Title a World Championship. Nishimura would then at a later date challenge Douglas for the ECW title and Dan Severn for the NWA Championship. He was also the last GWF Light Heavyweight Champion.
He wrestled his last match in December 2024, teaming with Katsushi Takemura and Shinya Aoki against Atsushi Onita, Mammoth Sasaki and Raijin Yaguchi.
According to PWInsider, Nishimura ventured into politics, which was driven by his personal battle with cancer. He was diagnosed with a retroperitoneal tumor in 1998 and pursued had alternative treatments and was declared cancer-free in 2000. In 2011, Nishimura was elected to the Tokyo Bunkyo Ward Assembly, having served four consecutive terms and specifically focusing on public health initiatives.
PWInsider also notes that in March 2024, Nishimura was diagnosed with stage-four esophageal cancer. Last October, he underwent a craniotomy, which is an operation removing part of the bone from the skull in order to expose the brain, with the intent to remove the cancer that had already spread to his brain.
Wrestleview sends its condolences to the family, friends and fans of Osamu Nishimura.
