Hello and welcome back to picsandportraits. In the past I’ve made no secret of being
a huge wrestling fan. I won’t, but I could go on for hours about its athletic and artistic
merit. I also recognize that despite spikes in popularity this is still very much a niche
form of entertainment. However some performers find mainstream success outside the ring,
in politics or sometimes Hollywood. A select few even break through the barrier
of art or entertainment into the mythical. In my opinion, Antonino Inoki is such a performer. Today we are going to be looking at some of
his achievements as well as some more obscure clips and events from his life so even if
you have zero interest in wrestling, there should be something here you find interesting. Quick primer for those unfamiliar with Japanese
wrestling, or puroresu. It’s very different than North American or WWE style wrestling.
It’s still pre-determined but is much more physical, matches are longer, strikes are
harder; there is a more sports-like feel. Also, headdrops. Lots of headdrops. Inoki got his start in the JWA, or Japanese Wrestling Association. This was Japan’s first professional wrestling organization founded by former sumo
Rikidōzan. Rikidōzan himself lived a very interesting life, becoming a massive celebrity
in Japan, notorious for his party lifestyle. He wa s murdered by a member of the yakuza
in 1963. Before that though, he trained both Inoki
and the company’s other top star, Shohei “Giant” Baba. These two would more or
less define puroresu for the next three decades. The JWA struggled following Rikidōzan’s
death, and after an attempt to take the company over, Inoki left to found NJPW in 1972. New
Japan has experienced a surge in popularity over the past few years, garnering a reputation
as the best wrestling on planet. While Inoki hasn’t been actively involved with the company
since 2005, he certainly established the legacy it continues today. He put New Japan and actual Japan, the nation,
on his shoulders and toured the world, setting out to prove his style of wrestling superior. Wrestling was more segmented back then and
companies or territories would exchange and frequently rotate their talent. This ensured
things were fresh and no one got over exposed. Inoki wrestled many iconic performers in his
travels, I’m sure even those who have never watched a wrestling match are familiar with,
like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. While he had wrestled there before, Inoki
would be introduced to mainstream audiences, at least in America, through his feud with Mohammad Ali. This was part of a series of matches Inoki
performed against different styles of marital arts to prove wrestling’s supremacy. At the time, Ali was arguably the most popular
fighter in the world. In 1975, he put out a challenge to any fighter of Asian descent,
saying he would give them a million dollars if they could beat him. Inoki accepted, with the promoters reportedly
offering Ali $6 million dollars for his participation. It would take place on June 26, 1976 at Budokan. The fight was allegedly going to be gimmicked,
or fixed, but there are conflicting stories as to what side wanted that. In the build
to the match, Ali cut some some awesome promos. He was excellent on the mic and really hyped this
match, which is unfortunate because it’s really terrible. Under special rules that are very similar
to modern MMA, the fight went 15 rounds, most of which Inoki spent on his back, attempting
to kick Ali’s legs out, and ended in a draw. Personally, I would’ve preferred they gimmicked
it. In the early 90s, Inoki became involved in
politics. He was elected to the Japanese Diet as a member of the Sports and Peace Party,
a political party he himself founded. Inoki believed peace could be achieved through
wrestling. In 1990, shortly before the outbreak of the Gulf War, Inoki personally met with
Sadam Hussein to negotiate the release of several Japanese hostages. He would in turn
stage a wrestling show, titled The Festival of Sport and Peace. It was also during this
trip Inoki converted to Islam, a fact that wouldn’t come out until 2012. A series of scandals tarnished his political
image throughout the ‘90s. As he had done in Iraq, Inoki set out on an ambassador mission
to North Korea. Japanese relations with North Korea had been strained since the Korean War
and he thought if he could mend relations between the nations, his image would be improved.
To do so, Inoki organized another wrestling show that would become part of larger festival,
The Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace. Now this is a very bizarre story, in an already
bizarre industry, but New Japan had a working relationship with the American wrestling company
World Championship Wrestling, or WCW, owned by media mogul Ted Turner. The two companies
often exchanged talent, and for the North Korean show Inoki requested some American
wrestlers, with the dream match of Inoki versus Ric Flair headlining the event. These two
are often held aloft as the greatest ever, and this was to be their first and only meeting,
so seeing money in this, WCW executives agreed, without notifying the American government
a ballsy move as travel to North Korea was forbidden. All the foreign talent, including Inoki rival turned friend Muhammad Ali, had their passports taken from them, which I’m sure was terrifying, yet videos of the American wrestlers show them as appreciative. In between the matches there are these great
segments, featuring Flair and Ali touring around North Korean landmarks as well as footage
from the festival praising North Korea. It goes with saying, it’s propaganda, plain and simple. The event was sold as “Wrestling diplomacy”
and would take place over two nights. You can’t tell due to poor production but
this event drew over 340, 000 over the two nights, and Inoki and Flair performed in front of 190,000, a record, though most in attendence were forced to go. I can’t imagine the weirdness of being so
sheltered and isolated and one day you’re called to this, with no context. There is
limited media and what is available is all state sponsored and then wrestling. WCW would repackage the event as Collision
in Korea, which was later sold as an official pay-per-view but it has never been officially
released to the public again. I’ll link it in the description. Many involved believed in Inoki’s message
that wrestling could heal the tensions between North Korea and Japan and the States. It didn’t and Inoki retired from politics
later that year, due to scandal, but returned in 2013 before again retiring in 2019. He
wrestled his final match in 1998. So I hope if you aren’t into wrestling,
watching this helped you appreciate it a little more. If you’re new here and like the format,
check out some of our other videos and please subscribe. If you’re wondering where Sleepcore is,
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