Dramatic DDT

Earlier this week Pro Wrestling A-TEAM announced Tomohiko Hashimoto passed away on 5th August after a year long battle with liver cancer. He was 47 years old. A former judoka, Hashimoto made the switch to pro wrestling by training under Koichiro Kimura. Shortly after his debut match in 2000 he started working for DDT where he was a mainstay of the company for six years (he officially joined them in 2002). He found success there as a tag team wrestler, winning a few Tag Leagues in the early 2000s and also holding the KO-D Tag Team Title three times with three different partners (Sanshiro Takagi, Seiya Morohashi and Nobutaka Moribe).

He got to team with Big Van Vader for Vader’s only DDT appearance ever in 2005. The Vader association stuck with him because they continued working together elsewhere and Hashimoto also won a singles tournament named after the man in 2008. Hashimoto also competed in several MMA fights during his time in DDT. With a 1-4 record, the most notable opponent he faced was Alistair Overeem in a bout that only lasted 36 seconds before he lost by TKO.

He went freelance in 2006, only appearing in DDT on rare occasions. He created TEAM MAKEHEN and during his time there trained The Shirai Sisters for their pro debuts. Apache Pro Wrestling became his next home when MAKEHEN closed down in 2010. When that promotion went away in 2016 Hashimoto went on to create its successor Pro Wrestling A-TEAM where he remained until his death.

Hashimoto was diagnosed with stage 2 liver cancer last September after dealing with health issues going back to February of that year. He used radiofrequency ablation treatment to continue wrestling until he reached a point where he had to step away from the ring. After wrestling his last match on 22nd June he made a promise to his fans he would come back one more time no matter what.

A-TEAM were planning to run a charity show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING to raise money for Hashimoto’s medical expenses. Everyone taking part in the show had agreed to do it for free and all of the proceeds outside of necessary expenses would have went to Hashimoto. After the news of Hashimoto’s passing came out, A-TEAM said they will make an announcement about the show’s future on a later date.

Among the wrestlers who have paid tribute to Hashimoto on social media these past few days include Iyo Sky, Atsushi Onita, Satoshi Kojima, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga and Yuu.