Antonio Inoki passed away in October 2022, ending the life of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In the ring, he transformed pro-wrestling in Japan, with his cross-promotional matches with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Don Frye transforming Mixed-Martial Arts. However, as a promoter, he also created the modern-day wrestling that Japan ...
Professional wrestling has grown from a circus and carnival act for wannabe strongmen to one of the biggest forms of entertainment all over the world, with nearly every country in the world hosting their own form of the sport. Over the years, there have been an incredible amount of huge wrestling matches that drew in ...
Antonio Inoki wrestled the last match of his retirement tour against Don Frye at the Tokyo Dome, in one of his famouse “worked shoot” matches that blurred the line between reality and fiction. This put an end to a near-40-year career for Inoki, that brought him to the very top of the professional wrestlign world ...
Antonio Inoki passed away in 2022, at the age of just 79. The Japanese legend was long retired, wrestling his last match in 2003 before taking up a full-time role as a wrestling promoter and a politician. He ran New Japan Pro Wrestling until 2005, before starting up the Inoki Genome Federation in 2007, although ...
Antonio Inoki is one of the most eccentric and innovative wrestlers in history. The Japanese legend founded New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972, booked himself as the champion for decades before nearly killing the company in the 2000s with his obsession with “Inoki-ism“. An incredibly passionate man, he always expected the best from his wrestlers, ...
With the death of Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki still fresh in everyone’s minds, it is time to explore the long-forgotten and disastrous idea of “Inokism” (or Inoki-ism). While some have compared it to the modern-day interpretation of “Strong-Style” that New Japan Pro Wrestling promote, it has some very key differences. In this article, we ...
In 2008, Vince McMahon made an appearance outside the WWE for one of the few times in his professional career, appearing in the Inoki Genome Federation to honor Antonio Inoki. Prior to this, the only time he had a sustained run in a promotion other than the WWE was in the years before the Montreal ...
Hulk Hogan claimed he accidentally killed Antonio Inoki during a match in Japan. After their 1983 clash for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Inoki stayed down after a huge clothesline from Hogan for several minutes, swallowing his tongue and requiring medical treatment from the ringside doctors. Hulk Hogan was not told about this, and thought that ...
Wrestling and boxing have been intertwined for years. Boxers like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson have made multiple appearances in WWE, usually in guest spots or as enforcers. However, some boxers have fought in actual wrestling matches. These have been normal matches, no dq matches or even special rules matches, all which will be detailed ...
In 1995, Ric Flair travelled to North Korea for one of the most bizarre pro-wrestling events of all time. Collision in Korea was a 1995 collaboration between WCW and NJPW, following the death of Supreme Leader Kim Il-Sung. After Kim’s death, his son Kim Jong-Il wanted to make a statement, and was convinced by NJPW ...
Antonio Inoki is one of the most important figures in Japanese Wrestling history. In fact, he is one of the most respected wrestlers in the history of the business. He founded New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972 after was fired from JWA (Japanese Pro Wrestling Association) after failing a takeover of the company . Fellow ...
It’s always a great thing finding matches you never expected to have happened. Seeing two legends whose paths you never expected to cross find themselves accross the ring from each other, ready to lock horns, in something that every wrestling fan has to enjoy. However, sometimes soon after, the actual match happens and yo become ...
Hamish Woodward
