Shinya Hashimoto - Tributes

Tributes

In the years following Hashimoto's death, numerous wrestlers and promotions have paid tribute to him. Immediately following his death, New Japan retired the second IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt as Hashimoto was the first to wear it. A third IWGP Title belt was created and debuted in October 2005 but New Japan lost it in July 2006 when Brock Lesnar left New Japan and took the belt with him which forced New Japan to bring the second belt back. After regaining the third belt in Feberuary 2008 and the creation of the fourth IWGP Title belt, the second was retired once again. On March 2, 2008, then IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura visited ZERO1 for their anniversary show where he defeated Kohei Sato. After the match, he gave the second IWGP Title belt to Hashimoto's son: Daichi.

In August 2005, Masahiro Chono used Hashimoto's Bakusho Sengen theme during the final match of the 2005 G1 Climax. At PRIDE Shockwave 2005, Naoya Ogawa wore Hashimoto's signature headband and came out to Bakusho Sengen for his fight against Hidehiko Yoshida. In late 2005, Hashimoto was posthumously awarded an achievement award by Tokyo Sports. At Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2007, Chono and Mutoh would pay tribute after defeating Ten-Koji as they wore Hashimoto's Headbands while his theme song played. On September 21, 2009, ZERO1 held the Shinya Hashimoto 25th Anniversary Destructive King Legend In Korakuen Hall show which celebrated Hashimoto's would be 25th anniversary. In 2010, Hashimoto would be inducted into both New Japan's Greatest Wrestlers Hall of Fame and the NWA Hall of Fame.