Japanese wrestler Tomohiko Hashimoto passes away at 47

Japanese wrestling veteran Tomohiko Hashimoto has passed away at 47 years old following a battle with liver cancer.

His death was announced overnight by Pro Wrestling A-Team, a promotion founded by Hashimoto in 2017. Hashimoto was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and underwent successful treatment, but he announced this May that the disease had returned and he would need to take a leave of absence from pro wrestling. His final match took place for A-Team in June, with Hashimoto hoping that he would be able to return in the future.

“Tomohiko Hashimoto passed away at 7:55 a.m. on August 5, 2025,” A-Team announced on social media. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported him. We will provide further updates in the future, but for now, we ask for your understanding in making this announcement.”

Hashimoto got his start in pro wrestling in the 2000s and competed for DDT in the early part of his career. In addition to his pro wrestling work, Hashimoto had some MMA fights including a loss to Alistair Overeem at an Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event in 2003.

The legendary Atsushi Onita posted a tweet expressing his sadness at Hashimoto’s passing: “Received news of Hashimoto’s passing. A man blessed with a great physique who loved indie wrestling with all his heart. We fought many times, and the techniques he unleashed from his body were incredibly powerful. I pray for his soul to rest in peace.”

Hashimoto was involved in training WWE star IYO SKY, who broke into wrestling as part of Hashimoto’s Team Makehen group.