Mitsuhiro Momota, better known as Rikidozan, is a talent whose influence in the wrestling business was and is far reaching.
He’s generally regarded as the Father of Puroresu, essentially making him one of the forefathers of the Japanese wrestling industry and the hard-hitting strong style so commonly associated with Japan. In fact, Rikidozan was the founder of Japan’s first ever professional wrestling promotion, the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance.
Even though he tragically died at the age of 39 in 1963, no Korean-born talent has come anywhere close to matching the accomplishments of the iconic Rikidozan.