Personal Info
Known For
Wrestling
Real Name
Kanji Inoki
Birthday
February 20, 1943
Place of Birth
Tokyo, Japan
Debut Year
1960
Status
Retired (1998)
Also Known As
- Antonio Inoki
- The Kamikaze
- Kanji Inoki
- Kazimoto
- Killer Inoki
- Kinji Onoki
- Little Tokyo
- Moeru Toukon
- Tokyo Tom
Known Matches
1
Record
0W - 1L (0.0%)
Promotions
- WWE 1987-1987
Appears In
Antonio Inoki
Biography
Kanji Inoki, better known as Antonio Inoki, was born on 20 February 1943 and died on 1 October 2022. A Japanese professional wrestler, trainer, martial artist, politician, and promoter, he is considered one of the most influential professional wrestlers of all time. He debuted professionally in the 1960s for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance under the tutelage of Rikidōzan, and adopted the ring name Antonio Inoki in 1963 as a homage to Italian wrestler Antonino Rocca. He is credited with developing strong style and shoot style wrestling and was a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, including being the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Inoki founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1972 and remained its owner until 2005. His 1976 fight against Muhammad Ali is regarded as a predecessor to modern MMA. In 1989 he was elected to the Japanese House of Councillors, and he was reelected in 2013, retiring from politics in 2019. He wrestled his retirement match on 4 April 1998 against Don Frye and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.
Promotions
Events/PPVs
Match History
Sources used for verification
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia