10 Wrestling Bookers Who Damaged Their Own Promotions

One of the most extraordinary and historically important wrestlers of all time, Antonio Inoki was initially a solid booker as well. The New Japan founder had a knack for sparking blood feuds and building to big deal grudge matches. Throughout the '80s and '90s, his promotion was monstrously successful.

After decades of glory, Inoki, seemingly on a whim, just about flushed his own creation down the toilet during the early noughties. MMA had become the hot thing in Japan by then and the man who almost hobbled Muhammad Ali was determined to cash in. Even if that cashing in meant everyone going home with less cash.

The first major sign of trouble came in the form of Yuji Nagata. Groomed to be the next ace of New Japan, Nagata was, for reasons unfathomable to a saner mind, sent into legit MMA battle with Mirko Cro Cop. While Nagata is no doubt an insanely tough individual, he was not a mixed martial artist. The fight quickly ended with Mirko kicking his foe's brain into the third row.

Not taking the hint, Inoki started sending many of his talents into MMA. Worse still, he brought fighters into wrestling and pushed them ahead of the actual wrestlers. NJPW's popularity took a mountainous dive it never fully recovered from. The healing process only began after Inoki's controlling stock was bought by Yuke's in 2005 and his time in charge was no more.