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| Giant Baba ジャイアント馬場 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Baba in 1964 | |
| Birth name | Shohei Baba (馬場 正平, Baba Shōhei) |
| Born | January 23, 1938 Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Died | January 31, 1999 (aged 61) Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan |
| Cause of death | Colon cancer |
| Spouse(s) |
Motoko Kawai (m. 1971) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Baba the Giant Giant Baba Shohei Baba Shohei Big Baba |
| Billed height | 208 cm (6 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 140.5 kg (310 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | Fred Atkins Kazuo Okamura Rikidōzan |
| Debut | September 30, 1960 |
| Part of a series on |
| Professional wrestling |
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Shohei Baba (馬場 正平, Baba Shōhei, January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999), best known by his ring name Giant Baba (ジャイアント馬場, Jaianto Baba), was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota and Yoshihiro Momota, the sons of his mentor Rikidōzan. For the first 10 years of its existence, Baba was the top star of All Japan, while also serving as the booker, promoter, head trainer and president of the promotion from its inception in 1972 till his death in 1999. Baba was also responsible for recruiting much of the talent for All Japan, and was the public face of the promotion for much of his lifetime.
Considered one of the most beloved Japanese wrestlers ever, Baba was a national hero with a level of popularity in Japan comparable to that of Hulk Hogan in the United States. The 2006 Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan survey ranked Baba the 93rd greatest person in the history of Japan, as voted for by the general public.[2] Among his many accomplishments, Baba was a record seven-time winner of the Champion Carnival, a four-time PWF World Heavyweight Champion, three time NWA International Heavyweight Champion and a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
- ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ^ "Japanese rank their favorite 100 historical figures". Japan Probe. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2016.