Joe Doering's Enduring Legacy
Wrestling Legend Joe Doering, 44, Dies After Prolonged Brain Cancer Battle
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Key Points
1
Doering briefly competed in WWE's developmental system in 2010 under the ring name Drake Brewer, before finding his greatest success overseas.
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He was one of the few foreign ('gaijin') wrestlers to win All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and he also had multiple All Japan Tag Championship reigns.
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In Impact Wrestling, Doering captured the Impact World Tag Team Championship and was part of the Violent By Design faction, underscoring his role as a dominant big man in the promotion.
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Josh Alexander recalled that Doering wrestled his final match on July 1, 2022, and Doering still gave everything—taking hard bumps and delivering offense despite pain.
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In November 2025, Mandy Banh launched a GoFundMe to support Doering as he battled a third brain tumor, and Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling later noted he had entered hospice care days before his death.
Joe Doering, one of professional wrestling's most celebrated big men, died on June 26, 2026, at age 44 after a decade-long fight with brain cancer. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling confirmed he passed away peacefully in Columbus, Ohio, surrounded by his family, including his wife Lindsay.
Doering's death ends a 22-year career that took him from a Chicago upbringing to the top of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he became one of the few foreign wrestlers — known as 'gaijin' — to win the prestigious Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. He claimed it twice. NTD called him a performer defined by a 'physical, hard-hitting style and dominance in the ring.'
From WWE Developmental to Japan's Biggest Prize
Doering's path to stardom was anything but direct. He debuted in 2004, trained by Scott D'Amore, and made a brief stop in WWE's developmental territory in 2010 under the name Drake Brewer. That run never took off. He returned to Japan, where he had first appeared for AJPW in 2007, and found his true calling.
Standing 6'5" and weighing around 300 pounds, Doering was compared to legends like Stan Hansen for his stiff, brawling style. He captured his first Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship on July 27, 2014, defeating Suwama. He won it again in October 2017. WBAL noted he also held the AJPW World Tag Team Championship four times, cementing him as one of the promotion's all-time foreign stars.
Three Brain Tumors Over Ten Years of Fighting
Doering was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2016. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, then made a remarkable return to the ring on January 2, 2017. The wrestling world marveled at his recovery. But cancer came back. In August 2022, he officially stepped away from wrestling after announcing a second tumor.
In November 2025, his sister-in-law Mandy Banh launched a GoFundMe called 'Help Joe Pin Cancer' after a third tumor was discovered. The campaign raised over $3,600 within days. By June 22, 2026, the family confirmed Doering had entered hospice care as the tumor kept growing despite aggressive chemotherapy. He died four days later. His 2022 surgery on the brain stem had left him with ataxia — a loss of muscle control on his right side — and confined him to a wheelchair in his final years.
His Final Match Was a Display of Pure Defiance
Doering's last singles match came on July 1, 2022, against Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship at Against All Odds. Alexander, now an AEW star, later recalled that Doering 'was down for everything' — including taking an Angle Slam off the ring apron to the floor. Alexander called him 'an absolute warrior.'
Doering had joined Impact Wrestling in November 2020 as the powerhouse of the Violent By Design faction alongside Eric Young and Cody Deaner. During that run, he captured the Impact World Tag Team Championship twice. Head Topics noted that his final televised years showed a performer still at the top of his game, even as his health deteriorated behind the scenes.
Tributes Pour In as Industry Mourns a 'Throwback' Star
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling — run by his longtime trainer Scott D'Amore — made the official announcement and wrote that Doering 'packed a thousand years' worth of living into every one of them.' TNA Wrestling called him 'a commanding in-ring performer and a wonderful person,' adding, 'we are heartbroken.' Peer Sami Callihan described him as 'everyone's big brother' and 'a throwback to a different era.'
Doering's death has also reignited a painful industry debate. His family's reliance on a crowdfunding campaign — with an initial target of just $4,500 — highlighted the lack of long-term health insurance for independent contractors in professional wrestling. TNA is expected to hold a tribute, and AJPW is anticipated to honor him with a ten-bell salute in the coming days, WBAL reported.
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