10 Wrestling Bookers Who Made Themselves World Champion

10. Giant Baba

A pupil of Japanese wrestling hero Rikidozan, Shohei "Giant" Baba soon became a legend in his own right. After Rikidozan's murder and the subsequent decline of the Japan Wrestling Association, Baba formed his own outfit, All Japan Pro Wrestling.

AJPW joined New Japan Pro Wrestling (both formed in 1972) as one of the two major promotions in the country. Baba, a proven star who challenged for both the NWA and WWE World Titles in the U.S., was a clear choice to hold All Japan's top title, the Pacific Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Championship.

Not only was Baba the inaugural champion, but he would hold the belt another three times (for a total of more than 10 cumulative years) in the '70s and '80s. Baba's self-confidence was not misplaced, as the NWA also made him their World Champion three times during the same period.