Dave Meltzer discusses Takeshi Morishima’s WWE Tryout matches

A name from wrestling’s past found its way back into the public eye in recent weeks as YouTube channel WWE Vault dug deep into their archives and released official footage of former ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima’s 2008 tryout matches. The star Japanese, flanked by Tony Atlas of all people, won two convincing bouts against Charlie Haas and Jamie Noble respectively, but was never hired by the company and instead ended his time with ROH later that same year, before finishing the rest of his career primarily in Japan.

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Morishima was seen as a megastar on the independent scene in the 2000s, as well as a guy who could take the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion to the next level once the older wrestlers decided to retire, so if that’s what everyone thought at the time times. he, why didn’t WWE hire him? During a recent episode of “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer recalled a conversation he had with a WWE executive the day after Morishima’s tryouts, and Vince McMahon was less than impressed.

“Vince looked at him and thought it was so disrespectful that the guy showed up and his body looked the way he did, even though that’s what his body looked like. He was a great worker back in the day, he was a great guy who works, like Terry Gordy-ish, but Vince saw that body and it wasn’t even like, “oh, whatever,” it was like, “This guy has has been so disrespectful to our company by looking so fit.” Morishima reportedly retired in 2015 due to poor physical health, as well as citing mental health issues, and has not fought since.

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Please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” when using quotes from this article and give a H/T Wrestling Inc. for transcription.