10 Wrestlers Who Took Kayfabe WAY Too Seriously

The likes of Jake Paul and KSI should count themselves lucky a menace like Inoki isn't competing in their celebrity fights. When the New Japan founder squared off with the iconic Muhammad Ali in 1976, it was not all fun and games, but rather a grim showcase of Inoki's obsession with maintaining the realism and legitimacy of professional wrestling.

Under the tutelage of catch wrestling legend Karl Gotch, Inoki went through a hellish training regimen for the bout. Ali, meanwhile, stepped into the ring in boxing gloves, showboating ahead of a match with a bizarre ruleset that forbade his opponent from grappling, tackling, or throwing standing kicks.

Inoki took to the mat and threw kicks from the ground, badly hobbling The Greatest over 15 punishing rounds of combat that left audiences worldwide scratching their heads. The puroresu megastar later claimed that Ali and co. expected a more performance-oriented exhibition, whereas the architect of strong style was determined to keep it real. The damage done to Ali's legs was horrific, with blood clots threatening a potential amputation.

The notoriously harsh Inoki went on to pulverise others in the name of kayfabe, including The Great Antonio the next year, who was beaten into a bloody, unconscious heap after no-selling and going off-script. Bizarrely, the 21st century saw the Rikidozan student set kayfabe alight, from inexplicably interrupting a match to punch a young Shinsuke Nakamura in the face to calling off a match in IGF because he wasn't enjoying it.