Antonio Inoki

Antonio Inoki was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name Antonio Inoki, a homage to fellow professional wrestler Antonino Rocca. Inoki was a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, notably being the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the first Asian WWF Heavyweight Champion – a reign not officially recognized by WWE. He also famously fought boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial arts match in 1976, which ended in a draw. Inoki was the founder and former president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, one of the most successful and influential wrestling promotions in Japan. He also created several other promotions, such as the Inoki Genome Federation, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye, Inoki Peace Festival, and Inoki Party. Inoki was a pioneer of mixed martial arts, having competed in several shoot-style matches and cross-promotional bouts with fighters from various disciplines. He was a mentor and inspiration to many MMA fighters in Japan, such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Naoya Ogawa, and Fedor Emelianenko. Inoki was also a prominent figure in Japanese politics and diplomacy. He was elected to the House of Councillors twice, in 1989 and 2013, representing different political parties. He was known for his efforts to promote peace through sports, especially with North Korea. He organized several wrestling events in Pyongyang, involving wrestlers from Japan, the United States, and other countries. He also negotiated with Saddam Hussein in 1990 and helped secure the release of Japanese hostages before the Gulf War. Inoki was widely respected and admired in Japan and around the world for his achievements and contributions to sports and society. He was inducted into several halls of fame, including the WWE Hall of Fame, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. He died on October 1, 2022, at the age of 79, after battling a rare disease called wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis.