Veteran Wrestler Sir Samurai Dies After Match and Miraculously Comes Back to Life

Independent wrestling veteran Josh Littell — better known to fans as Sir Samurai — technically died after a match at a public library just two months ago. Yes, died. But thanks to a quick-thinking fellow wrestler who also happened to be an EMT, he lived to tell the story.

The terrifying incident happened after Littell’s April 26 match at the Pinole Public Library in California. Speaking with KCRA 3 NBC, the Sacramento-based wrestler recalled, “We were the main event. We wrestled the match, and it was fine all things considered.” But after the show ended, things took a turn. Littell collapsed in the makeshift locker room.

“Evidently, my heart stopped, and I fell to the floor,” he explained. “Officially, I was dead. No nurse or doctor said anything different than: ‘You died on Saturday.’”

That’s when fellow wrestler Alex Bell sprang into action. Not only was Bell present at the show — he’s also a trained EMT.

“I started compressions, asked someone around me to get an AED,” Bell said. “The ambulance was already on the way. My first thought was really, ‘this isn’t going to work.’ I’ve done CPR many times before, and it has never worked before.”

Littell says he was clinically dead for up to four minutes. And while he doesn’t remember much, he described an eerie experience. “I didn’t see a light or anything, but I had a sensation of being pulled back before I woke up,” he said. “The percentage of people just to survive is .00001%, so I shouldn’t have survived anyway — but the fact that I survived and my brain and body are still working, nobody understands how that happened.”

Doctors still don’t know what caused his heart to stop. As a precaution, a defibrillator was implanted in his chest. And exactly one month after the incident, Littell made a final appearance inside the ring — not to fight, but to announce his official retirement from professional wrestling.

This story is nothing short of unreal — a man literally dies in a locker room and somehow lives to walk away. Sir Samurai might not be lacing up his boots anymore, but this warrior walked away with something stronger than a win: a second chance.

What do you think about Sir Samurai’s near-death experience and retirement? Do stories like this change how you view the risks wrestlers take? Drop your thoughts in the comments.