It has come to light that pro wrestler and sumo wrestler Akebono Taro has passed away at the age of 54. He is a former AJPW and NJPW star who had been dealing with heart issues as per the reports in Japan and they have claimed that the cause of his death is heart failure.
It has been noted that the severity of his heart issues led him to be unable to walk, and he had to use a wheelchair.
He was born in Hawaii as Chadwick Haheo Rowan and he adopted the name Akebono Taro upon moving to Japan and later acquired Japanese citizenship. He emerged as a prominent figure in sumo wrestling during the ’90s as he secured his place in history as the first non-Japanese wrestler to attain the prestigious title of yokozuna.
After ending his sumo wrestling career, Akebono had a stint in kickboxing and MMA, after which he switched to the pro wrestling industry, with his first match in WWE in 2005. He had a total of three matches in the promotion, the most high-profile of them all coming at WrestleMania 21, where he defeated Big Show in a sumo match, which the AEW star calls his most embarrassing moment in wrestling, but also his biggest WrestleMania moment.
After his brief run in WWE, he competed in Japanese promotions like AJPW, NJPW, Dragon Gate, and Pro Wrestling Zero1. His most successful run in pro wrestling came in AJPW, where he was two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, as well as two-time World Tag Team Champion.
