The former TNA and All Japan Pro Wrestling champion had battled brain cancer for nearly a decade.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Joe Doering, a professional wrestler who won major championships in TNA and All Japan Pro Wrestling, died June 26 after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 44.
His death was announced by wrestling promotions and confirmed through family updates shared in the days before he died. Doering had been moved into hospice care after his health worsened. The announcement brought tributes from wrestlers, fans and companies that remembered him as a powerful in-ring presence and a respected person outside the ring.
Doering’s career stretched more than two decades and included long runs in the United States and Japan. He began wrestling in 2004 and later built his name in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he became a two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a four-time World Tag Team Champion. He also competed for TNA, later known as Impact Wrestling, where he won the world tag team title twice.
The 6-foot-8 wrestler was known for a direct, physical style and for a calm presence that made him stand out in major matches. TNA said Doering was a commanding performer and a wonderful person. All Japan Pro Wrestling also honored him after his death, marking the loss of a wrestler who became one of the promotion’s most successful foreign stars in the 2010s.
Doering’s cancer fight began in 2016, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent treatment and later returned to wrestling, a comeback that became a central part of his story. His family later said the disease returned, and a third brain tumor was found in 2025. His condition declined further after earlier surgery and complications that affected his movement.
In TNA, Doering was part of the Violent By Design group with Eric Young and Deaner. The group became one of the company’s featured acts, and Doering’s size and quiet intensity helped shape its presentation. He challenged for top titles and remained active until his health forced him away from the ring.
Before his later TNA run, Doering also spent time in Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE’s former developmental system. He did not reach WWE’s main roster, but his career continued to grow through work in Japan and on the independent scene. His success in All Japan gave him one of the strongest résumés of any North American wrestler to work regularly for the promotion during that period.
Wrestlers and fans shared tributes after the announcement, with many pointing to his toughness during years of treatment. Retired wrestler and WWE official Adam Pearce was among those who remembered Doering publicly. Others described him as kind, steady and respected by locker rooms across the wrestling business.
Doering is survived by his wife, Lindsay. Funeral or memorial details were not immediately announced. As of June 30, wrestling promotions continued to honor his career and his impact in both American and Japanese professional wrestling.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.