Pro-wrestling icon Antonio Inoki, who was also a Japanese politician, has died, WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced Friday.
Born in Yokohama in 1943, Kanji Inoki rose to fame as a competitor in the Japan Pro-Wrestling Federation in the 1960s, fighting Muhammad Ali in 1976 in what was dubbed the “War of the Worlds”. It was also seen as the first modern example of a martial arts match.
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Inoki founded New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 1972 and was the owner of the company until 2005, when he sold a controlling stake to Yukes. NJPW is he one of the most successful wrestling promotions in the world outside of WWE.
He became the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion in 1987 after defeating Masa Saito in the tournament final.
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Inoki defeated Bob Backlund to win the WWF Championship in 1979, but it was due to outside interference. With the help of interference, he pinned Backlund again in a rematch, but the second match was ruled a no contest.
Backlund would win again against Bobby Duncombe. WWF did not recognize the title’s reign.
He confronted Ric Flair in 1995 in Pyongyang when the Japanese and North Korean governments worked together to promote peace. Inoki came out on top in the match.
The wrestling industry paid tribute to Inoki over the weekend.
Inoki entered the political arena in 1989 after winning a seat in the House of Councilors of Japan’s bicameral parliament. He led the Sports and Peace Party to Iraq in 1990, where he won the release of Japanese hostages.
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Active in politics until 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.