Former WWE Superstar Ryan Sakoda has passed away at the age of 46 years old.
Ryan Sakoda was best known for being one of Tajiri’s Yakuza-style henchmen during WWE’s ruthless aggression era, being paired with Jimmy Wang Yang – known as Akio – as Kyo Dai. While used sparingly on television, Sakoda shared the ring with John Cena on SmackDown and was immortalised in action figure form before becoming a part of MTV’s Wrestling Society X.
Sakoda passed away on September 2nd, according to PWInsider.com. No cause of death has been reported at this time. WWE veteran Paul London paid tribute to the late star.
“Heart is hurting by the sudden passing of Ryan Sakoda. From our time in OVW to Smackdown he was always able to make me laugh like none other. His impressions hysterical & his smile contagious. Met Ryan in 2001 at UPW & he was always a friend. Grateful for the moments. R.I.P”
Heart is hurting by the sudden passing of Ryan Sakoda. From our time in OVW to Smackdown he was always able to make me laugh like none other. His impressions hysterical & his smile contagious. Met Ryan in 2001 at UPW & he was always a friend. Grateful for the moments. R.I.P 💔
— London…Paul London (@LondonFu) September 28, 2021
Sakoda was also known as Vapor in Jimmy Hart’s XWF, as well as wrestling for NWA Zero-One Wrestling in Japan. Sakoda was a Tag Team Champion alongside Samoa Joe. PWInsider reports that Sakoda had been working for Disney until recently.
Everyone at Inside The Ropes sends their condolences to the family and friends of Ryan Sakoda.