Katsuyori Shibata
On April 14, 2000, Fukuda suffered a fatal head injury during a match with Katsuyori Shibata in the Young Lion Cup Tournament after taking a flying elbow drop. He was rushed to the hospital but died five days later on April 19 due to a brain hemorrhage; he was 27 years old. The rest of the tournament was dedicated to Fukuda's memory and was honored with a ten-bell salute and a tribute show in September of that year.