On Friday morning, Joe Doering passed away at the age of forty-four following a decade-long battle with brain cancer.
The former Triple Crown champion entered hospice care earlier in the week, with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling sharing the unfortunate news of his passing this morning.
At 9:13 a.m. today, June 26, our brother Joe Doering passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. Though his time on this earth lasted only 44 years, Joe packed a thousand years’ worth of living into every one of them. Joe is survived by his beloved wife, Lindsay, his family, and leaves behind countless friends and devoted fans around the world who will forever remember his strength, courage, and spirit. Rest in peace, Joe. You will never be forgotten.
Doering was born in 1982 and trained under Scott D’Amore at the Can-Am Wrestling school in Windsor, Ontario, debuting for D’Amore’s Border City Wrestling in 2004.
Doering wrestled on the independent scene in Canada and the U.S., was booked for WWC in Puerto Rico as “Hans von Doering,” but received his big break in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Nineteen years ago this week, Doering was booked by AJPW and debuted for the group in a multi-man tag at Korakuen Hall. He was viewed as a successor to Stan Hansen, one of the most popular foreigners in the history of Japan, as a big man with a cowboy character. He teamed with company president Keiji Muto in that year’s Real World Tag League and defeated Satoshi Kojima & Suwama in the final. Doering won the subsequent Tag League with Suwama in 2013 and Dylan James in 2018.
The Real World Tag League victory of 2007 propelled Doering to his first championship in the promotion, winning the AJPW world tag titles with Muto from Kojima & Taru to kick off the new year. Doering held the belts on four occasions, winning them with Kono as a member of the Voodoo Murders in February 2011, with Seiya Sanada in May 2012, and with Suwama in October 2013 as Evolution.
Doring briefly left All Japan when he was signed by WWE to a developmental deal in 2010 and assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling. He was cut later that year and returned to All Japan.
Doering’s big ascension occurred in 2014 when he was elevated to the top of All Japan, winning the Triple Crown from Suwama on July 27, 2014, in front of 1,378 fans at Korakuen Hall. The closing scene saw Dory Funk Jr. present Doering with the belt as he stood alongside his Evolution teammates, including Suwama. He held the title for the rest of the year, eventually losing it to Go Shiozaki on January 3, 2015.
His world was rocked in February 2016 when he was diagnosed with the first of three brain tumors, underwent surgery for the removal of the tumor, and missed a year of action. He returned in January 2017 and resumed his role as a top star in the group, winning his first Champion Carnival in April and regaining the Triple Crown in October.
His second and final Triple Crown reign ended in March 2018, losing the title to Kento Miyahara. Later that year, he won the Real World Tag League with Dylan James, but the pair came up short, losing to tag champions Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama.
Doering wrapped up with All Japan in 2019, competing in his last Champion Carnival and Real World Tag League tournaments before the pandemic hit in early 2020, and everything grinded to a halt. Doering took the rest of 2020 off and signed with Impact Wrestling the next year, where he spent the remainder of his career.
At Impact, he was working with Scott D’Amore again and was part of the Violet by Design group with Eric Young, Cody Deaner, Rhino, Kon, and Angels. The group won the TNA tag titles on two occasions, with various members elected to defend the belts.
A second brain tumor was discovered in 2022 and required another surgery. Doering’s wrestling career ended with this diagnosis, and he suffered from ataxia after the surgery, affecting his mobility and ruling out any type of athletic career continuation. A third tumor was found last November.
Doering was dealt an incredibly cruel hand over the last decade and died at the all too young age of 44, and we wish to send our thoughts, prayers, and condolences to those closest to Doering and his family.
