Former wrestler Kazuo Sakurada widely known as Kendo Nagasaki has died on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at the age of 71. Kendo was a world famous wrestler. The character of Nagasaki was a Japanese Samurai with a mysterious past and reputed powers of healing and hypnosis
Kendo Nagasaki’s cause of death was associated with cardiac issue, stemming from his pacemaker stopping.
DeadDeath learnt about the passing of Sakurda through a Facebook announcement by Wrestling Glory’s days.
“The wrestling world has been rocked by the deaths of two international wrestling legends; La Parka (AAA) and Kendo Nagasaki (Japan).
“Jesus Alfonso Huerta Escoboza was given the “La Parka, Jr.” character after the original La Parka left AAA for WCW. When the original tried to take the character to CMLL, AAA sued and gave the character to Escoboza. Escoboza would use the La Parka character for the rest of his career, and was sometimes referred to as “The New La Parka” and “La Parka II”.
“During his final match on October 21, Escoboza performed a dive to the outside of the ring and missed his opponent. He hit the steel barrier headfirst and then landed face down on the concrete floor. He was instantly paralyzed and rushed to hospital where he would have a series of emergency operations to save his life. He would eventually regain feeling in his hands and feet and talking without assistance. There had been two false reports of his death before he finally succumbed to his injuries yesterday. He was 54.
“Kazuo Sakurada was a Japanese wrestler who achieved his fame in North America, and was a trusted friend and trainer of Stu Hart. He created his own version of the British Kendo Nagasaki character. While their names and backstories were the same, their appearance and styles were different. Sakurada helped popularize the use of Asian mist and martial arts strikes in matches, and carried a kendo stick as a signature weapon. Soon after the birth of his son, he took the Nagasaki character back to Japan for the rest of his career.
“The news of Nagasaki’s passing broke this morning. While there has yet to be confirmation, it is believed his pacemaker malfunctioned, causing him to have a cardiac issue and eventual heart failure. He was 71.
Our thoughts and prayers are with both families during this time. ~ Reverend Robski”