(Photo : TORU YAMANAKA/AFP via Getty Images)
Antonio Inoki is regarded as a pioneer in combat sports that helped shape the mixed martial arts industry that we know today.
Antonio Inoki, a highly influential wrestling legend and politician in his home country of Japan, passed away on Friday at the age of 79. His promotion, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), made the official announcement.
The reason for the death of Inoki has not been disclosed, however, he had been sick for some time and used a wheelchair. CNN reported that Inoki's promotion mentioned that the combat sports pioneer suffered from a rare condition called amyloidosis, which attacks the body's organs.
On Saturday, Japanese media agency NHK reported that Inoki had become the first athlete to enter politics, having been elected to the Diet (Japan's national legislature) in the upper house in 1989 and again in 2013.
Inoki left politics in 2019, at the age of 81. Although Inoki was one of the most well-known Japanese citizens for his many contributions to several fields, the field of professional wrestling remains his most widely recognized legacy.
From the 1970s onward, Inoki was Japan's most popular professional wrestler, packing arenas and stadiums to capacity. In 2010, he became the first Japanese wrestler to enter the WWE Hall of Fame by being the first Japanese wrestler to win the WWF championship.
A Trailblazer in Combat Sports and Politics
According to ESPN, Inoki and Ali had arguably the most famous mixed martial arts fight ever on June 26, 1976. Inoki studied catch wrestling with Karl Gotch and built his own combat technique, which he termed "strong style," on a foundation of amateur wrestling and judo. Ali was one of the greatest and highly renowned boxers in the world.
Mixed martial arts, which can trace its lineage back to Ali vs. Inoki, has grown from a regional fad to a worldwide phenomenon led by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), initiated in 1993.
The Inoki vs. Ali bout was a highly attended combat sports event, even by modern standards. More than 14,000 people attended the show in person in Tokyo's Nippon Budokan, while millions more saw it through a closed-circuit broadcast.
Inoki was first elected to the Diet in 1989, and he was re-elected to the upper chamber in 2013.
Inoki made many trips to North Korea to mend fences between Japan and the communist nation following decades of tension over Pyongyang's kidnapping of Japanese citizens.
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In 2014, he staged a wrestling contest in Pyongyang that featured 20 professional wrestlers and martial arts specialists from Japan, France, and the United States. Moreover, ten thousand people showed out to the event, completely selling out the arena.
From 2016 to 2018, Inoki made three trips to North Korea to meet with Ri Su Yong, the vice chairman of the governing Workers' Party. He said that he discussed the matter of Japanese citizens being kidnapped by North Korean agents during his discussions with Ri.
Wrestling Personalities Honor Inoki
The sad news of Antonio Inoki's death stirred tributes from personalities in the world of wrestling, honoring the Japanese wrestler's legacy in the industry.
Wrestling icon Ric Flair shared a photo of himself with Inoki and former North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il. Flair and Inoki engaged in a historic wrestling match in Korea, witnessed by a massive crowd coming from the two Koreas, according to Essentially Sports.
Rest In Peace Antonio Inoki! Thank You For The Great Matches & Memories My Friend! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/ocHcqf7bvZ
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) October 1, 2022
WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque a.k.a. "Triple H" honored Inoki on Twitter, saying that the late WWE Hall of Famer is the epitome of "fighting spirit."
One of the most important figures in the history of our business, and a man who embodied the term “fighting spirit.” The legacy of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki will live on forever.
— Triple H (@TripleH) October 1, 2022
All Elite Wrestling Owner Tony Khan tweeted that "Inoki's influence and his achievements will live on forever in the wrestling world."
RIP Antonio Inoki, a pioneer in the pro wrestling industry. Inoki’s influence and his achievements will live on forever in the wrestling world; he’s an inspiration to all of the dreamers. Thank you sir.
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 1, 2022
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