Rikidôzan

Korean-born, Japanese-raised professional wrestler who was the first Japanese wrestling star. He debuted in 1951 after abandoning sumo wrestling a year earlier. His first match was a ten-minute draw against Bobby Bruns. He became a star by defeating every American wrestler that promoters could throw at him. He defeated Lou Thesz for the NWA International Heavyweight Championship on August 27, 1958. He would hold several titles in Japan and the U.S. He also trained Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, who would go on to be two of the biggest and most important stars in the history of Puroresu (Japanese professional wrestling.) He established Japan's first formal promotion, the Japan Wrestling Association. He was stabbed on December 8, 1963 while partying in a club and died of peritonitis a week later. He was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006, the NWA Hall of Fame in 2011 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.