Kanji Inoki | WatchedThis
Kanji Inoki
Acting
Biography
Muhammad Hussain Inoki (Arabic: مُحَمَّد حُسَيْن إينوكي, romanized: Muḥammad Ḥusayn ʻIinuki; born Kanji Inoki (Japanese: 猪木寛至, Hepburn: Inoki Kanji)), was a Japanese retired professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name Antonio Inoki (アントニオ猪木, Antonio Inoki), a homage to fellow professional wrestler Antonino Rocca. Inoki is a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, notably being the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the first Asian WWE Champion – a reign not officially recognized by WWE. Inoki began his professional wrestling career in the 1960s for The Japanese Wrestling Association under the tutelage of Rikidōzan. Inoki quickly became one of the most popular stars in the history of Japanese professional wrestling. He parlayed his wrestling career into becoming one of Japan's most recognizable athletes, a reputation bolstered by his 1976 fight against world champion boxer Muhammad Ali – a fight that served as a predecessor to modern day mixed martial arts. In 1995, with Ric Flair, Inoki headlined two shows in North Korea that drew 150,000 and 190,000 spectators, the highest attendances in professional wrestling history. Inoki wrestled his final match on April 4, 1998 against Don Frye and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. Inoki began his promoting career in 1972, when he founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He remained the owner of NJPW until 2005 when he sold his controlling share in the promotion to the Yuke's video game company. In 2007, he founded the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). In 2017, Inoki founded ISM and the following year left IGF. He is also the co-founder of the karate style Kansui-ryū (寛水流) along with Matsubayashi-ryū master Yukio Mizutani. In 1989, while still an active wrestler, Inoki entered politics as he was elected to the Japanese House of Councillors. During his first term with the House of Councillors, Inoki successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein for the release of Japanese hostages before the outbreak of the Gulf War. His first tenure in the House of Councillors ended in 1995, but he was reelected in 2013. In 2019, Inoki retired from politics.
Filmography Movies
Acting
World Wrestling Peace Festival
The World Wrestling Peace Festival was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, which took place on June 1, 1996 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The event was organized by Inoki to promote world peace with an interpromotional event involving major promotions from around the world. Forty wrestlers from six countries ended up taking part in the event. Inoki's home promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as smaller independent groups, represented Japan, while World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) took part on behalf of the United States. Both of Mexico's top promotions Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) participated in the event, which was considered unlikely by many in the industry given their own heated rivalry.
In Search of Antonio Inoki
A look into the life and career of the legendary wrestler Antonio Inoki
Vice Versa: Chyna
The rise and fall of wrestler Joanie Chyna Laurer, whose life was cut short in 2016. Her contributions to the WWE business and her pioneering work and her gripping tale of the "comeback" starting in 2015.
WWE Showdown at Shea '80
WWF stadium show in the summer of 1980 from Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York.
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
A small time promotor/hustler takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best little league baseball team which sparks off a series of adventures and mishaps the boys come into.
NJPW Ganryujima Island Deathmatch
Antonio Inoki and Masa Saito fight in an Island Deathmatch, battling across Ganryujima Island.
Most Unusual Matches
Jesse "The Body" Ventura takes the WWE Universe on a trip down memory lane with some of the wildest matches in history; this presentation features everything from battle royals and lumberjack matches to an unforgettable bout inside a steel cage.
Life is a Battle
Two born rivals plot a new start after a string of ups and downs.
WWE The Brawl to End it All
The Brawl to End It All was a professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and broadcast live on MTV. It took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on July 23, 1984. The show was a major event in the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection in the mid-1980s WWF. The main event featured The Fabulous Moolah defending the WWF Women's Championship against Wendi Richter. Richter pinned Moolah to win the Women's Championship. It was the only match of the event that was shown on national television. The entire event was recorded and shown on the Madison Square Garden network however.
WCCW Christmas Star Wars '85
Witness a brutal battle when The Von Erichs clash with The Freebirds
Production
NJPW & WCW Collision In Korea
Collision in Korea was the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event ever that was jointly produced by World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. It took place over a period of two days on April 28 and 29, 1995, but did not air in North America until August 4, 1995, when WCW broadcast a selection of matches from the show on pay-per-view. The event was the first PPV from a North American wrestling promotion to be held in North Korea. The main event was Ric Flair versus Antonio Inoki. Other aired matches include The Steiner Brothers vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki, Tadao Yasuda vs Road Warrior Hawk, Shinya Hashimoto defending the IWGP Heavyweight Belt vs Scott Norton, and several other matches.
WCW/New Japan Supershow: Rumble in The Rising Sun
WCW/New Japan Supershow I (known as Starrcade 1991 in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on March 21, 1991 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It aired in North America in April 1991. The main event was Ric Flair defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Tatsumi Fujinami. Other matches included The Great Muta vs Sting, El Gigante vs Big Cat Hughes, Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki defending against The Steiner Brothers for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs Masa Saito & Masahiro Chono, Jushin Liger defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight CHampionship against Akira Nogami, and several dark matches.
WCW/New Japan Supershow III
WCW/New Japan Supershow III (known as Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on January 4, 1993 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Events included Sting vs Hiroshi Hase, Ron Simmons vs Tony Halme, Ultimo Dragon vs Jushin Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Dustin Rhodes & Scott Norton vs Masa Saito & Shinya Hashimoto, and IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta defending his title against Masahiro Chono.
WCW/New Japan Supershow II
WCW/New Japan Supershow II (known as Starrcade 1992 in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on January 4, 1992 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The main event was the Steiner Brothers versus Sting & The Great Muta. Other matches included Tatsumi Fujinami defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Riki Choshu, Lex Luger defending the WCW World heavyweight Championship against Masahiro Chono, Big Van Vader vs El Gigante, Dusty and Dustin Rhodes vs Masa Saito and Kim Duk, The Enforcers vs Michiyoshi Ohara & Shiro Koshinaka, and Jushin Liger, Masashi Aoyagi, and Akira Nogami vs Hiro Saito, Super Strong Machine, & Kantaro Hoshino.
INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2001
Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 took place Monday, December 31, 2001 with 7 fights at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
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