Antonio Inoki is perhaps the most famous Japanese professional wrestler of all time. Inoki started his career in 1960, when he was only 17. He would later found New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972 -- arguably the most successful Japanese promotion there is. Furthermore, Inoki famously battled boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a lackluster contest in 1976 -- a battle that would be a spiritual precursor to the sport of mixed martial arts. On August 4th, 1995, Inoki -- along with his New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion and a handful of World Championship Wrestling stars -- held a historic event in Pyongyang, North Korea. The infamously sheltered and closed-off country played home to a historic two day wrestling spectacle that was later broadcast on American pay-per-view, courtesy of WCW. Now, nearly two decades later, Inoki has returned to Pyongyang to deliver an equally historic sporting event. North Koreas relations with Japan are notoriously poor, and Inoki -- who is now a member of Japans House of Councillors -- is attempting to better the relationship via his so-called sports diplomacy. Inoki elaborated by saying, Sports events bring people together. Thats what Ive been saying for a long time. The event hopes to soften the tension between the two countries. Japan has accused North Korea of kidnapping 17 of their citizens back in the 1970s and 80s. These hostages were supposedly used throughout the years to teach Japanese culture and language to North Korean spies. The Communist country has since admitted to capturing these citizens, but after releasing five of them in 2002, claimed that the others had died. Kim Jong Un has agreed to open a new investigation into the matter following the international event this weekend. CNN more deeply explains the political relationship between the two nations in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMtoLbh-PCY Reportedly, the event -- which is to take place on Saturday and Sunday -- will feature taekwondo, aikido, and of course, professional wrestling. According to Inoki, the card will include competitors from various countries -- athletes from Japan, China, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, and the United States will be present. Notably, the event will feature appearances by former WCW Cruiserweight Champion Ultimo Dragon and current TNA World Champion Bobby Lashley, as well as actor, wrestler, MMA fighter, and former NFL player, Bob Sapp. It will be interesting to see what comes of this international wrestling festival, as Inoki has a long history of using sports and sports entertainment to create peace between nations at odds. Inokis original Korean event in 1995 was meant to strengthen the relationship between Japan and the Communist dictatorship. Meanwhile, back in 1990, Saddam Hussein and his regime captured more than 100 Japanese citizens. It was reported that Hussein had instructed his men to use the Japanese hostages as human shields in the forthcoming Gulf War conflict. Inoki personally flew to Iraq and helped organize a festival of martial arts and professional wrestling, meant to bring about peace. It worked, as the remaining hostages were all released days later. Despite his efforts, however, Inoki has faced criticism from his political colleagues in Japan. Some claim that Inokis efforts are all for show and to attract attention onto himself. Inoki himself has commented on his detractors by saying, Someday, someone will recognize that I have acted with goodwill.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
