Former ROH champion & Pro Wrestling NOAH star Takeshi Morishima announced his retirement yesterday from in-ring action. The announcement was made on the official website of Pro Wrestling NOAH, noting that Morishima opted to retire after getting unfavorable medical results back from doctors about his physical condition. Morishima had been dealing with a number of injuries over the last few years to his knee, his shoulder and his elbow. It was found out after a recent blood test that Morishima was at risk of becoming a diabetic and doctors told him that if he kept wrestling at a high level, he could run the risk of becoming crippled.
Morishima had been a staple for NOAH over the last decade, winning the GHC Title, NOAH’s top title, on multiple occasions. However, Morishima is most known for shocking ROH fans in early 2007 when he ended Homicide’s reign as ROH champion out of nowhere and having a lengthy reign with the title before losing it to Nigel McGuinness in the fall of 2007. Morishima also had a well-known rivalry with Daniel Bryan in ROH that included giving Bryan a detached retina in a match back in 2007.
Due to his condition, Morishima will be not competing in a retirement match, with his last match taking place at a NOAH live event on April 11. NOAH is said to be planning on holding a retirement ceremony for Morishima in the near future.
Source: Puroresu Spirit