Joe Doering, the two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in All Japan Pro Wrestling and a former TNA tag team titleholder, has died at the age of 44.
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling announced the news Friday morning, June 26, on behalf of his family. The promotion said Doering passed peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.
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“At 9:13 a.m. today, June 26, our brother Joe Doering passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family,” the statement read. “Though his time on this earth lasted only 44 years, Joe packed a thousand years’ worth of living into every one of them.”
The family added that Doering is survived by his wife, Lindsay, and leaves behind friends and fans who will remember his strength, courage, and spirit.
Doering had battled brain cancer for nearly a decade. He was first diagnosed in February 2016 and underwent surgery the following month. The disease returned in August 2022, forcing a second operation that left him with ataxia affecting his mobility. In November 2025, his sister-in-law Mandy Banh revealed he had been diagnosed with a third brain tumor. He entered hospice care earlier this month.
A Chicago native, Doering broke into wrestling in 2004 and found his greatest success overseas. He debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2007 and went on to capture the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice, alongside multiple World Tag Team Championship reigns with partners including Keiji Mutoh and Suwama. He also spent time in WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, under the name Drake Brewer.
Stateside, Doering joined TNA in 2021 as a member of Violent By Design, twice winning the Impact World Tag Team Championship with Eric Young and Deaner under the Freebird rule. His in-ring career ended in 2022 when his illness returned.
He was 44.