On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nick Alexander, Tyler Wood, and Jake “The Man Scout” Manning dive into the life, career, and impossible burden carried by Mitsuharu Misawa.

From Tiger Mask to All Japan icon, from founding Pro Wrestling NOAH to quite literally giving his life in the ring, this is a sweeping look at greatness, loyalty, leadership, and the brutal cost of carrying an entire industry on your back.

It’s not just a greatest hits tour of five-star matches, it’s a meditation on sacrifice, responsibility, and how pro wrestling takes everything it’s owed, sometimes all at once.

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Episode Notes

Mitsuharu Misawa: The Pillar, the Standard, and the Cost of Greatness

This episode of 10 Bell Pod is a deep dive into the life, career, and legacy of Mitsuharu Misawa, one of the most important wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling and a central architect of modern in ring storytelling.

The episode explores why Misawa’s name is too often left out of American “greatest of all time” discussions, despite his unmatched influence on wrestling worldwide. We examine how Japanese wrestling culture, isolation from U.S. television, and differing values around spectacle vs. sport shaped his legacy.

Key topics include:

• Misawa’s difficult childhood and early path into All Japan Pro Wrestling

• His rise through the junior division, including the Tiger Mask era

• The historic unmasking that transformed him into a generational star

• The formation of the Four Pillars and the Super Generation Army

• Legendary rivalries with Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, and Jumbo Tsuruta

• Multiple Triple Crown reigns and record-breaking matches

• The physical toll of his style and his refusal to stop wrestling despite severe injuries

We also cover Misawa’s leadership role behind the scenes, including his eventual split from All Japan and the founding of Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he bet on himself, took his locker room with him, and tried to build a promotion centered on worker dignity and wrestling excellence.

The episode does not shy away from the darker realities of Misawa’s career: chronic injuries, spinal damage, economic pressures, and the impossible weight he carried as both a top star and company president.

We close by discussing his tragic death in the ring in 2009, the aftermath, and what his story reveals about sacrifice, responsibility, and the true cost of greatness in professional wrestling.

This is a long, passionate, occasionally unhinged conversation about a man who gave everything to the sport and never asked anyone to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself.