10 Most Influential Wrestlers Ever
3. Rikidozan
In many ways, the popularity and success that Rikidozan achieved in Japan are on a level with Santo in Mexico. Put simply, Rikidozan is the father of puroresu, or Japanese professional wrestling, and one of the most influential figures that the business has ever seen. Without him, Japanese wrestling simply wouldn't exist in the form that it does today.
Born Kim Sin-Rak in Korea, all Rikidozan initially wanted to do was become a sumo wrestler. Adopted into a Japanese family and taking their name to become Mitsuhiro Momota, he worked in sumo for ten years. Rikidozan was his shikona: his sumo ring name. In 1950, he switched to pro wrestling, and swiftly became a national hero in beleaguered post-war Japan through his canny defeats of visiting American wrestlers. The Japanese people, desperately in need of a focal point to rally their pride, took to Rikidozan in unprecedented style.
Rikidozan appeared in twenty-nine movies during his lifetime, usually playing a fictionalised version of himself. With his leadership, the pro wrestling business in Japan built to become a force in the industry. Rikidozan's fame finally spread beyond the borders of his adopted island nation when he defeated the NWA International Heavyweight Champion, the legendary Lou Thesz. Rikidozan held the title from August 1958 to December 1964, when he was stabbed to death in a Yakuza hit. He created Japans first ever wrestling promotion, and trained both Shohei Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki, who went on to become two of the most high profile promoters and performers in Japanese history.
Rikidozan may not quite have had the cultural significance that Santo did in Mexico, but his direct influence on the Japanese wrestling industry was monumental. He's the single most important figure in Japanese wrestling history.