Former WWE superstar Ryan Sakoda, who was best known for his brief stint on the SmackDown brand in 2003-2004, passed away on September 2, 2021, at the age of 48. His death was not announced until September 27, 2021, and the cause of death has not been revealed yet.
Early Career and WWE Run
Ryan Keiji Sakoda was born on December 31, 1972, in Tokyo, Japan. He started his professional wrestling career in 1998, training with Bill Anderson and Jesse Hernandez in California. He worked for various independent promotions, such as Empire Wrestling Federation, Ultimate Pro Wrestling, and Xtreme Wrestling Federation.
In 2003, Sakoda was signed by WWE and made his debut on the Raw brand as a judge for a pose down between Triple H and Scott Steiner. He was soon moved to the SmackDown brand, where he formed a tag team with Akio (Jimmy Yang) as the henchmen of Tajiri. The team was called Kyo Dai, which means “brothers” in Japanese. They feuded with several tag teams, such as The Dudley Boyz, Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty, Paul London and Brian Kendrick, and The World’s Greatest Tag Team. Sakoda was released by WWE in August 2004.
Post-WWE Career and Personal Life
After leaving WWE, Sakoda returned to the independent circuit and also appeared on MTV’s Wrestling Society X in 2007. He retired from wrestling later that year and worked as a server for Disney at their Grand California Hotel. He also became a part-time trainer for UPW and an auto sales executive.
In 2015, Sakoda filed a class action lawsuit against WWE, along with Luther Reigns and Russ McCullough, alleging that they suffered traumatic brain injuries and neurological damage while working for the company. They claimed that WWE knew about the risks of concussions and CTE, but concealed them and promoted a violent style of wrestling. The lawsuit was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2020.
Tributes and Condolences
The news of Sakoda’s death was met with shock and sadness by many fans and fellow wrestlers, who took to social media to pay tribute and offer condolences. Some of the messages are as follows:
- “RIP Ryan Sakoda. He was a great guy and a talented wrestler. I enjoyed working with him in WWE and WSX. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.” – Jimmy Yang
- “Sad to hear about the passing of Ryan Sakoda. He was one of the first guys I met when I started training at UPW. He was always helpful and friendly. Rest in peace, brother.” – John Morrison
- “I’m heartbroken to learn of the passing of Ryan Sakoda. He was a good friend and a great wrestler. He helped me a lot when I was in UPW and WWE. He will be missed by many. RIP Sakoda.” – Rikishi
