Minoru Suzuki and Yoshihiro Takayama shared an emotional moment at TAKAYAMANIA EMPIRE 3 on September 3rd.
Takayama has been paralyzed from the neck down since 2017 and Suzuki has continued to support his friend over the years with the creation of TAKAYAMANIA, a foundation and event where funds go to support Takayama's family and medical bills.
At TAKAYAMANIA EMPIRE 3, Suzuki begged Takayama to stand up and kick him if he was so upset and the two had an official match, which ended in a no contest. Suzuki would end up hugging Takayama in an emotional moment.
This had me emotional----
— AEWBlog (@AEW_Blog) September 3, 2024
Takayama is a famous Japanese wrestler. He had an accident some years ago that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Minoru Suzuki is a long-time close friend & ever since the accident, he has held a yearly event to raise funds for his recovery.-- pic.twitter.com/bKUN5ZobQj
みのる…@ABEMA で視聴中
— murasan (@DRAG0N_STORM) September 3, 2024
https://t.co/ElAzIE7rLM#TAKAYAMANIA pic.twitter.com/PPg2mIBqGW
Along with his time in wrestling, Takayama competed in MMA for various companies including PRIDE FC.
He is perhaps best known for his fight with Don Frye, where they grabbed the back of their opponent's head and proceeded to punch each other simultaneously.
