There are some within WWE that are pushing for involvement in the upcoming Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Show.
Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Show
By now, most of you already know that the wrestling world suffered a tremendous loss on June 13, 2009. Mitsuharu Misawa, considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, passed away while working a match.
On July 4, 2009, a memorial show will be held in his honor at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The venue was chosen because it the location of the very first ever NOAH show.
WWE executive John Laurinaitis is heavily pushing Vince McMahon to allow the company to have some involvement in the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Show. He is hoping to convince WWE to send some wrestlers to work matches at the event.
Laurinaitis/Misawa Connection
Just like with so many other wrestlers, John Laurinaitis has a ton of respect and loyalty towards Mitsuharu Misawa. Despite the fact that WWE doesn't have much of a history with the Japanese superstar, John Laurinaitis still wants to honor the man.
There's some history between John Laurinaitis and Mitsuharu Misawa.
There's not a wrestler in the world that has had as many 5 star matches as Mitsuharu Misawa has. The man just knows how to put on legendary performances in the ring.
John Laurinaitis has been involved in two 5 star matches in his career. Both of those matches were tag team matches where he worked against Mitsuharu Misawa.
Also, when the feud arose between Mitsuharu Misawa and Motoko Baba (the widow of Shohei Baba) over control fo All Japan Pro Wrestling, John Laurinaitis sided with Mitsuharu Misawa.
Mitsuharu Misawa left the promotion to start his own (Pro Wrestling NOAH), while John Laurinaitis left the promotion and returned to the United States.
While WWE might not have a lot of history with Mitsuharu Misawa, John Laurinaitis sure does.
Laurinaitis' Choice
Right now, John Laurinaitis is heavily pushing for WWE to send a couple of wrestlers. The two that has definitely wants to send to the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Show are CM Punk and Evan Bourne.
Evan Bourne has a style that should serve him well in Japan. The fans over there appreciate in-ring performance a lot more than the fans here in the United States.
As far as CM Punk is concerned, it's no secret that he's a huge fan of Mitsuharu Misawa. The current World Heavyweight Champion paid tribute to the Japanese great by writing his name on his arm band. It would be such an honor for CM Punk to be able to work a match on the show.
Not sure who else John Laurinaitis has in mind, but it would definitely have to be guys that can work a pretty good match. Since Mitsuharu Misawa is known for legendary matches, everyone that is working the show is going to try to steal the show.
Request Denied
While John Laurinaitis does have a lot of stroke in WWE, it's highly unlikely that he's going to be able to get this request approved.
Vince McMahon will not send his wrestlers across the world if it is not going to benefit his business. Keep in mind that the company didn't even bother to do a quick tribute to Mitsuharu Misawa on any of the televised shows.
Closing Thoughts
I have to commend John Laurinaitis for trying, but this looks to be an uphill battle. |
