11 Most Influential Japanese Wrestlers Of All Time

10. Antonio Inoki

Not only has Kanji €˜Antonio€™ Inoki been a highly influential figure in the history of professional wrestling, but he is also an important figure in Mixed Martial Arts as well. Inoki trained alongside his longtime rival Giant Baba before attempting to take over the Japan Wrestling Association. After being fired for doing so, he then opened his own wrestling promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, in 1972. As a wrestler, booker and promoter, Inoki became a significant figure in Japanese wrestling over the following twenty-plus years. Among his various in-ring accomplishments include a reign as WWF Champion, which he gained after pinning then-champion bob Backlund (though WWE does not recognize the reign); multiple G1 Climax wins, a reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and several tag team tournament wins with parnters like Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund. He is also a Hall of Famer for WWE, WCW, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Poruresu Hall of Fame, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. He is also famous for his fight against Muhammad Ali (though not necessarily in a good way), being elected to the Japanese House of Councillors, and for being a part of the biggest wrestling PPV in history: Collision in Korea, which had 360,000 attendants over two days. As for MMA, Anoki€™s style of wrestling, Strong Style, incorporated the more realistic elements of shoot wrestling, and was believed to be less €˜theatrical€™ than North American wrestling. Furthermore, Inoki was more open to international talent and inter-promotional exchange than was his rival Baba, which allowed WWF wresters to gain exposure in Japan and vice-versa. This allowed many of WWE€™s greatest wrestlers, such as the Harts, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dynamite Kid, and many others, to gain more experience and prove themselves as international drawn. In later years, he attempted to fuse wrestling and MMA into one entity, called €˜Inokism€™ by some commentators, though its success is debatable, at best. In any case, Antonio Inoki is a legendary name in professional wrestling, whose influence and decisions changed the industry forever.