39 Best Wrestlers From 39 Different Countries

18. Japan: Antonio Inoki

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Birthplace: Yokohama, Japan

Japan is the second biggest wrestling market next to the USA. As such, picking the greatest ever Japanese wrestler is hugely difficult.

Personal preference for me? That’d be Jushin Liger. But this piece isn’t about preference.

Liger is certainly in the argument for the greatest wrestler to come out of Japan, but so would be Antonio Inoki, Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuhara Misawa, Keiji Muto, Masahiro Chono, Satoru Sayama, Jumbo Tsuruta, Giant Baba, Ultimo Dragon and many others.

At a push, it's Antonio Inoki who just about nicks it (although ask me tomorrow and you’ll likely get a different answer) purely for the influence and global impact he had. Inoki is a man who tangled with huge American wrestling stars like Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, and also put himself on the map by famously matching up against Mohammed Ali.

As well as a legendary in-ring career that listed nearly 40 years, Inoki is also the man who founded New Japan Pro Wrestling and influenced the generations, be they Japanese or not, that came after him. No matter how you look at it, Inoki is the definition of an icon.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.