Hiromitsu Gompei was tragically killed in 1995 while training in the New Japan Dojo, in one of the most mysterious deaths in wrestling history.
New Japan Pro Wrestling remain tight-lipped on the true reasons behind his death.
It remains one of the darkest secrets in Japanese wrestling today, and one that very little information is known about.
Who Was Hiromitsu Gompei?
Hiromitsu Gompei was a wrestling trainee who trained in the New Japan Dojo in Tokyo, Japan. He was hand-picked by Hiroshi Hase to join the promotion, as he saw great potential in the youngster.
Apart from that fact, not much is known about Hiromitsu Gompei.
We know that he was a young athlete who was signed to NJPW by Hiroshi Hase. He was a collegiate wrestling champion in Japan, so he clearly had skills on the mat that could translate to the ring.
He didn’t wrestle any matches, according to Cagematch. Gompei was still training to be a wrestler by the time he died, and never got to debut in a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring.
Hase was a big star for New Japan, and managed to convince Gompei’s parents to let him sign for NJPW and become one of their “Young Lions” (trainee wrestlers), even putting his own reputation on the lion to guarantee the safety of the 22-year-old athlete.
Obviously, that was one promise he was not able to keep.
Hiromitsu Gompei’s Death
During a training session in the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in 1995, Hiromitsu Gompei suffered severe head trauma that eventually killed him.
After being punished by Kensuke Sasaki for not performing the tasks set by the trainers, Gompei suffered head injuries that would kill him just four-years later, at the age of 22.
While New Japan Pro Wrestling have never provided the true details surrounding Hiromitsu Gompei’s death, we do have some accounts from trainees at the time to help us paint a picture about the situation.
In the book “Ring of Hell“, a book detailing Chris Benoit’s career and ultimately his death at his own hands in 2007, Matthew Randazzo, details what is currently known about how Hiromitsu Gompei suffered in the New Japan Dojo.
During a training exercise four days before Gompei’s death, Kensuke Sasaki was not happy with the level of effort being put in by the 22-year-old trainee.
While details are scarce, a group of anonymous wrestlers gave Randazzo some information about what happened that day.
Allegedly, Kensuke Sasaki was furious at Gompei’s performance during a training exercise. This was compounded by a visit that day from the legendary Japanese wrestler Riki Choshu.
Choshu himself actually trained Sasaki, and any poor performances by trainees in the dojo came across as a failure by Sasiki.
Sasiki, and nobody else.
Given how crucial the concept of “respect” is in Japanese culture, it is easy to see why this was a big deal to the Dojo’s trainer.
Riki Chosu teamed with Kensuke Sasaki in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Now, the rest of the details of what happened are sketchy, and differ from person to person. Chris Charlton in his excellent book Lion’s Pride told the supposed story of how Gompei wasn’t training hard enough. He was said to have thrown him around in a series of suplexes, landing directly on the trainee’s head. This ended up causing a bleed in the brain that led to his death four days later.
However, other’s claim that Sasiki was nowhere near the ring at the time, and the injury was caused either by another trainer, another wrestler or something else entirely. Some even claim that Sasiki rushed to try and save the youngster.
The truth is shrouded in mystery. However, Sasiki had previously been accused of being a bully and a violent trainer by other students. He was certainly disliked, and nobody doubted that his methods could have led to a student’s death.
Hiroshi Hase left New Japan soon after. However, this is likely not due to the death of Hiromitsu Gompei, despite him vouching for his safety. Instead, he embarked on a career in politics, which many Japanese wrestlers like Antonio Inoki have done in the past.
Meanwhile, Sasiki’s relationship with Hase was strained after the incident. This may give a clue as to what happened, but we may never truly know the real story.
Scott Norton Claims Multiple Wrestlers Murdered Him
In a shoot interview with RF Video, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Scott Norton spoke about the death of Hiromitsu Gompei.
He claimed that it was not Sasaki who killed him, nor Hiroshi Hase as the interview tried to allude to. Instead, Norton claimed that a number of wrestlers took liberties with the young wrestler, applying wrestling holds and causing him immense pain in the ring, as punishment.
Nobody was ever convicted for the death of the young trainee. Riki Chosu threw the blame at the feet of Hiroshi Hase, who had vouched for the safety of Gompei when he first convinced his parents to let him train in the NJPW.
Hase resigned in disgust after the findings of the investigation, as nobody was ever tried as the murderer of the young wrestler.
He left to join All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as to focus on his own political career in Japan. As of 2023, Hiromitsu Gompei’s death remains unresolved, and nobody has ever faced trial for the 22-year-old’s untimely passing.
