Antonio Inoki | |
|---|---|
 Inoki in 2012 | |
| Member of the House of Councillors | |
| In office July 23, 1989 – July 22, 1995 | |
| In office July 29, 2013 – July 28, 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kanji Inoki (猪木寛至, Inoki Kanji) February 20, 1943[1] Yokohama, Empire of Japan[2] |
| Died | October 1, 2022 (aged 79)[3] Tokyo, Japan[3] |
| Political party | Democratic Party for the People (2019) |
| Other political affiliations | Sports and Peace Party (1989–1995) Japan Restoration Party (2013–2014) Party for Future Generations (2014–2015) Assembly to Energize Japan (2015–2016) Independents Club (2016–2019) |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Tuck (separated after 1965) A third wife
(m. 1989; div. 2012)Tazuko Tada
(m. 2017; died 2019) |
| Children | 3, including Hiroko Inoki |
| Relatives | Simon Inoki (son-in-law)[4] Hirota Inoki (grandson)[5] Naoto Inoki (grandson)[5] |
| Ring name(s) | Antonio Inoki The Kamikaze Kanji Inoki Kazimoto Killer Inoki Kinji Onoki Little Tokyo Moeru Toukon Tokyo Tom |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 224 lb (102 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan |
| Trained by | Rikidōzan Karl Gotch |
| Debut | September 30, 1960[6] |
| Retired | April 4, 1998[2][6] |
| Part of a series on |
| Professional wrestling |
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Antonio Inoki (アントニオ猪木, Antonio Inoki, born Kanji Inoki (Japanese: 猪木寛至, Hepburn: Inoki Kanji) and later Muhammad Hussain Inoki (Arabic: محمد حسين اينوكي, romanized: Muhamad Husayn Aynwky); February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, professional wrestling trainer, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA). He is best known as the founder and 33-year owner of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is considered to be one of the most influential professional wrestlers of all time,[7][8][9] and one of the biggest key influences on MMA in Japan and internationally.[10][9]
After spending his adolescence in Brazil, Inoki began his professional wrestling career in the 1960s for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) under the tutelage of Rikidōzan. After he changed his in-ring moniker to Antonio Inoki in 1963, a homage to accomplished Italian wrestler Antonino Rocca, Inoki became one of the most popular stars in Japanese professional wrestling. He is credited with developing strong style and shoot style wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. He parlayed his wrestling career into becoming one of Japan's most recognizable athletes, a reputation bolstered by his 1976 fight against world champion boxer Muhammad Ali – a fight that served as a predecessor to modern day MMA. In 1995, with Ric Flair, Inoki headlined two shows in North Korea that drew 165,000 and 190,000 spectators, the highest attendances in professional wrestling history.[11] Inoki wrestled his retirement match on April 4, 1998 against Don Frye, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.[2] Inoki was a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, notably being the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the first Asian WWF Heavyweight Champion (and one of only four overall WWF/WWE Champions of Asian descent, the others being The Iron Sheik, Batista, and Jinder Mahal) – a reign not officially recognized by WWE.
Inoki began his promoting career in 1972, when he founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He remained the owner of NJPW until 2005 when he sold his controlling share in the promotion to the Yuke's video game company. In 2007, he founded the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). In 2017, Inoki founded ISM and the following year left IGF. He was also a co-creator of the karate style Kansui-ryū (寛水流, Kansui-ryū) along with Matsubayashi-ryū master Yukio Mizutani.[12]
In 1989, while still an active wrestler, Inoki entered politics as he was elected to the Japanese House of Councillors. During his first term with the House of Councillors, Inoki successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein for the release of Japanese hostages before the outbreak of the Gulf War. His first tenure in the House of Councillors ended in 1995, but he was reelected in 2013. In 2019, Inoki retired from politics.
- ^ "Power Slam". This Month in History: February. SW Publishing. January 1999. p. 28. 55.
- ^ a b c d e "Antonio Inoki's WWE Hall of Fame profile". WWE. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
deathwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lambert, Jeremy (16 January 2024). "WWE Contacted Simon Inoki To Book Charlie Dempsey In Japan". Fightful. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ a b "AEW WrestleDream Results". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
pwhfbiowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Antonio Inoki leaves behind a complicated, dual legacy - Slam Wrestling". 2 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Deadspin | Antonio Inoki leaves behind a legacy that rivals any in combat sports". deadspin.com. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Inoki, famed combat sports trailblazer, dies at 79". ESPN.com. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Combat sports world reflects on the life of Antonio Inoki, an MMA pioneer famous for first-of-its kind fight vs. Muhammad Ali | Sporting News Canada". www.sportingnews.com. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Hall, Nick (29 April 2020). "Collision in Korea: Pyongyang's historic socialism and spandex spectacular". NK News. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Sujitaro Tamabukuro (2017). 疾風怒涛!! プロレス取調室（毎日新聞出版）: UWF＆PRIDE格闘ロマン編. PHP.