Joe Doering: Two-Time Triple Crown Champion and Powerhouse Wrestler Dies

Joe Doering was an American professional wrestler best known for his years as a heavyweight star with All Japan Pro Wrestling. Born on April 16, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois, the towering competitor became one of the most respected foreigners to work in Japan.

Doering won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice, in 2014 and 2017, and the AJPW World Tag Team Championship four times. He won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League three times and later captured the Impact World Tag Team Championship twice, in 2021 and 2022. In 2014 he became only the sixth non-Japanese wrestler to hold the Triple Crown.

Doering battled brain tumors in 2016, 2022 and 2025, and entered hospice care on June 23, 2026. He died three days later in Columbus, Ohio, at age 44. Remembered as a tough, gracious champion, he leaves behind a legacy of hard-fought matches around the world.

Achievements: Two-time AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion (2014, 2017), four-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion, three-time winner of the World's Strongest Tag Determination League, two-time Impact World Tag Team Champion (2021, 2022).

Birth: April 16, 1982 - Chicago, Illinois.

Profession: Professional wrestler.

Interesting Facts: In 2008 Doering beat Zodiac in a hair versus mask match, winning Zodiac's mask. He also wrestled as Drake Brewer during a 2010 stint in WWE's developmental territory.