The wrestling world has been rocked by the deaths of two wrestling figures on the same day.
WWE Masashi Ozawa, also known as Killer Khan, passed away on Saturday at the age of 76.
According to multiple reports, Khan, who wrestled Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, collapsed at his bar and was taken to a hospital. He died after suffering a ruptured artery.
Ozawa lost consciousness at the counter of Kanchan’s Jinjo Sakaba in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, and was rushed to hospital, The Sun reports.
The Japanese legend, native of Niigata Prefecture, turned to professional wrestling in 1971.
He competed against fellow WWE legends Andre the Giant and the “Superman” Hulk Hogan, and was active as a main eventer in Japan and the United States.
Ozawa retired in 1987 and opened his business Izakaya Kanchan’ in Shinjuku Ward, which closed in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The retired wrestler had also made his debut as a singer in 2005 with Furusato Makaka (Japan Crown), and released songs such as Shinjuku Sanhyakugoya.
The devastating news came just 24 hours after the death of “gifted” professional wrestler Kurtis Chapman came to light.
“Mad Kurt” sadly passed away in what has been described as a “massive loss to the UK wrestling scene”.
Revolution Pro, a British wrestling promotion, shared the news following his death.
In a heartfelt statement they said: “We, at Revolution Pro Wrestling are absolutely heartbroken to report the loss of our dear friend Kurtis Chapman.
“We watched Kurtis grow from a child to a young man who loved professional wrestling and continued to excel in all aspects of his life.
“One of the most gifted technical wrestlers, charismatic characters and magnetic personalities. He will never be forgotten.”
Chapman was described as “one of the most gifted technical wrestlers” and was known for his light-hearted style.
Tributes have since poured in for the young star.
Professional wrestler “Big Wavy” Roy Johnson wrote on X: “Awful news. Kurtis was such a character and so fun to be around. RIP.”
— This story originally appeared on thesun.co.uk and has been republished with permission
Discussion about this post