Two days after putting over his young protégé Katsuhiko Nakajima in the main event of his latest Diamond Ring show on Feb. 11th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Kensuke Sasaki shocked the Japanese wrestling world by announcing his immediate retirement due to the neck injuries he had been suffering from for over 18 months:
"But today in Tokyo, Sasaki officially announced that he is now retired following his match against Nakajima. There will be no retirement match going in the future as there is no other achievement and no regrets. He stated that he is fully satisfied with his last match against Nakajima.
Sasaki stated that he has been plagued with injuries over the last couple of years. The last major [one] being a herniated cervical disc that put him out of action for most of 2012. He said that he is still suffering from the effects of this injury and for his future with his sons he cannot go through anything more severe.
Sasaki’s wife Akira Hokuto stood by his side for the announcement and showed her appreciation for the big decision that he had to make. He stated that he now wants to live his life to his heart’s content, and even mentioned that he wants to try snowboarding."
According to Dave Meltzer on his subscriber only Wrestling Observer Radio show, Sasaki's doctors had told him that one more bad bump on his neck could leave him paralysed, so he had no option but to retire, like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge before him.
With the exception of Keiji Mutoh (aka The Great Muta), Sasaki was the biggest star of the 1990s Japanese wrestling boom that still competed on a regular basis.
He first found success in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a tag team wrestler with Hiroshi Hase and Road Warrior Hawk, which led to his first four runs as IWGP Tag Team Champion between 1990 and 1994.
A favourite of booker Riki Choshu's, he was groomed to be a headliner equal in stature to the Three Musketeers of Mutoh, Shinya Hashimoto and Masahiro Chono, but his big push didn't quite click with the fans and his first three runs with the IWGP Heavyweight belt in 1997, 2000 and 2001 were mild disappointments, although his first match with outsider Toshiaki Kawada at a sold out Tokyo Dome was a memorable career high spot.
In early 2003, he quit New Japan to be the top star of Choshu's new World Japan promotion, which was the biggest blemish of his career, as the company never took off and quickly died a death, leading to Sasaki falling out with his boss and mentor.
From that career low point, Sasaki achieved a remarkable turnaround as a freelancer having runs on top with every promotion in Japan, both little and large, for the next decade. His charisma, confidence and presence seemed to improve overnight without the pressure of being permanently tied to any one place. This freedom allowed him to headline the July 18th, 2005 Pro Wrestling NOAH Tokyo Dome in a dream match with Kenta Kobashi, which is the last match that sold out the huge 50,000+ seat arena.
Despite his muscular build, Sasaki rarely wrestled in North America after he became a player in his home country. Due to the talent sharing agreement between WCW and NJPW, he had a brief run with the WCW United States title in late 1995 where he wrestled Chris Benoit and Sting on pay-per-view. He also worked a few dates for Ring Of Honor in 2008.
Sasaki is expected to remain a part of the Japanese wrestling business by continuing to run shows under the Diamond Ring umbrella and train new wrestlers for his indy promotion.