(NOAH) "While I was resting in the locker room, Taiji Ishimori came in and said, "The President has collapsed and isn't moving." (Akira Taue Series #17)
15th September 2026 Tokyo Sports (Turning Points in History as Told in the "Four Heavenly Kings" of All Japan Pro-Wrestling: Akira Taue – Proving the "Royal Road") "I lost my final match against Mitsuharu Misawa, the GHC Heavyweight Championship bout at Nippon Budokan in July 2007. I had hoped to land one last parting shot, but instead, I ended up on the receiving end of one. I never want to take that final move, a brainbuster-style Emerald Flowsion, ever again; there’s simply no way to take a proper bump for it. 2008 marked my 20th anniversary in the business. Looking back, I remember how desperate things were when we, (Misawa and I), left All Japan Pro-Wrestling. Four or five years later, the company’s situation had improved somewhat, and we were finally in a position to pay out bonuses. Kenta Kobashi had also made his return in December 2007, and I felt a renewed determination to make a comeback of my own. When Misawa passed away, he was in the middle of a t...
