Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and freestyle wrestling champion Salman Hashimikov died on Thursday.
Hashimikov was a major force in freestyle wrestling in the late ‘70s and ‘80s before wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Hashimikov won the gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1983 in the super heavyweight division. He added gold medals at the European Championships in 1979 and 1981 and took silver in 1980 and 1984.
After his amateur career, he was recruited by NJPW and joined the New Japan Dojo alongside fellow Russian wrestler Victor Zangiev. He debuted on February 22, 1989, with a pair of short exhibition matches with Zangiev and followed by Hiro Saito. It was a prelude for his “official” pro wrestling debut in April, where he beat Bam Bam Bigelow at New Japan’s first event at the Tokyo Dome.
Hashimikov was propelled to the top of the company, beating Big Van Vader for the IWGP heavyweight title three months later in Osaka. The run as champion was short, dropping the belt to Riki Choshu in July. It was his peak in the promotion, but he did stick around for over a year after losing the title, mainly teaming with Zangiev.
Hashimikov lost to Dr. Death Steve Williams on February 10, 1990, at the Tokyo Dome, where New Japan and All Japan cooperated after New Japan’s working agreement with WCW fell through and New Japan couldn’t secure Ric Flair for the show.
WCW booked Hashimikov with Zangiev for the Pat O’Connor International Tag Team Tournament in December 1990 at Starrcade. The tournament featured an international assortment of teams, including The Steiners, Konnan & Rey Misterio Sr., Great Muta & Masa Saito, and Norman Smiley & Chris Adams among the eight.
Hashimikov & Zangiev beat Danny Johnson & Troy Montour in the first round before losing to Muta & Saito in the second round.
Hashimikov’s final stop in professional wrestling was in UWF-I beginning in 1993, and he challenged Nobuhiko Takada for the promotion’s world heavyweight title on July 18 and put Takada over. In April 1994, he had a rematch with rival Big Van Vader in the Best of the World tournament, with Vader eliminating Hashimikov and going on to win that tournament by beating Takada in the finals.
He teamed with another ex-wrestler, Vladimir Berkovich, who was part of the group of Russian wrestlers recruited by New Japan in 1989. In June 1994, he teamed with Zangiev one final time and would finish his career with a match in August at Yuko Miyato.
