10 Wrestlers Who Changed The Business Forever

6. Rikidōzan

Cody Dynamite
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Rikidōzan didn't so much change the industry as create it.

Wrestling simply didn't take in Japan until Rikidōzan popularised it. A genuine star with a genius vision, Rikidōzan promoted himself as an aspirational hero avatar for the public. With the national psyche battered in the wake of World War II, Rikidōzan in no small part healed it with his compelling, cathartic spectacles against the dastardly foreign invaders that symbolised the destructive evil of the west. The sports has since moved on, to the pure sporting framework of New Japan and the absurdist offshoots that once gifted the world with a contest pitting a ladder against an electric heater - but it all originated with the most basic and cartoonish of wrasslin' premises: good versus evil, nation versus nation.

Rikidōzan's work looks primitive, obviously, by modern standards - but his spirited comebacks and legitimate sporting background helped shape the eternal fighting spirit philosophy: the roar of the crowd fired him up, but this was different to the babyface trope in the west: the relationship between star and audience was symbiotic.

Rikidōzan needed the crowd's support, and in turn, his people felt like they needed to support him.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!