Antonio Inoki

[10.0] "Antonio Inoki is one of the most important figures in the history of professional wrestling and an absolute legend of the business. Not only was he an incredible wrestler, but he helped build New Japan Pro Wrestling into one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world. His matches against some of the biggest names in wrestling and other combat sports helped make him a worldwide attraction. He had an unmistakable presence, a unique style and a career that had a massive influence on generations of wrestlers who followed him. There's really not much more you can ask from someone in this business. An easy 10/10 for Antonio Inoki."

[10.0] "Antonio Inoki's in-ring work is fairly hit-or-miss for me (even factoring in the time period) but the man had every other aspect of the game down pat. He is also one of the most fascinating and influential sports figures of all time; and I don't mean that in a "for a professional wrestler" sense, I mean that in a "world history would be completely different without him and you will go down a rabbit hole of insanity if you look into this man's life because he was basically a James Bond villain" sense. Endlessly amusing, albeit mostly unintentionally on his part."

"Antonio Inoki was a monumental, albeit controversial, figure who redefined combat sports and professional wrestling. As the founder of NJPW he pioneered "Strong Style, " bridging the gap between professional wrestling and legitimate martial arts. His exhibition match against Muhammad Ali set the stage for modern mixed martial arts. Outside the ring, Inoki was an unorthodox visionary, becoming one of the first wrestlers to successfully transition into national politics."

"Genuinely the most pro-wrestling pro-wrestler to ever exist. Antonio Inoki truly believed pro-wrestling was the strongest art of them all and embodied that to the extreme. I don't think we'll ever come close to this man's belief in the sport."

[10.0] "One of the most important figures in puro history alongside Baba, without Inoki the modern puro scene would be much different/close to nonexistent ICHI! NI! SAN! DAAAA!"

[10.0] "Antonio Inoki was a mad man, and ultimately that's what makes him one of the all time greats. As a worker, Inoki had some of the best technical grappling on the ground, likely picked up from his training with Karl Gotch, as well as strong style striking with influences from karate. Most impressively, one could argue that Inoki was an elite in ring performer in three decades, which is nothing to sneeze at, he really only slowed down once he hit his 50s. Of course, Inoki also was a booker, and while I think he was a superior in-ring worker than his contemporary in Baba, he was also probably a slightly worse booker than Baba. Of course, he was still very very good, an MMA infused style was revolutionary, and the junior heavyweights would set the stage for workrate today, but while Baba gracefully pushed himself down the card, Inoki famously did not, even when it was clear that he wasn't the same physically. However, as a pure promoter, it's hard to argue that Inoki wasn't the best one in his time. As progressive and revolutionary as the King's Road style was, Baba's promotional tactics were less so, most famously taking an ultra-isolationist approach to working with other companies. Inoki however, took advantage of this with New Japan working with the likes of the NWA, the WWF, and probably most well-remembered, WCW in the 1990s. In a profession filled with larger-than-life characters both in and out of ring, Inoki was arguably the biggest in both worlds. He undoubtedly had an ego, and I think that slightly hurts his all-time standing, but at the same time, it's kinda like Barry Bonds with steroids. Yeah sure, but it's still Barry Freaking Bonds. And on that same note, It's still Antonio Freaking Inoki. RIP and Bom-Ba-Ye"

[10.0] "He's an Icon like Andre the Giant(they fought in the Japan btw). He's greatest giant of all time imo"

[8.0] "One of the two demi-gods of Japanese wrestling (alongside Baba), Inoki is a huge, huge legend of the game as an in-ring wrestler and as a promoter. However, I'm more ambivalent towards Inoki than many others. In the ring, Inoki was clearly incredibly talented and I've enjoyed a fair few of his matches but never as much as others seem to. And his booking leaves me feeling conflicted, on the one hand Inoki's allowing and pushing of the junior heavyweight style is basically the start of modern pro wrestling and it delivered us Jushin Liger and the Super J Cup, Inoki deserves credit for that. But his main event and tag scene really leaves me feeling cold and simply cannot compete to the achievements as a booker of his old rival Baba. And his obsession with MMA led to some very poor decisions. A legend but not one who I really love."

[10.0] "A visionary and a credit to the entire sport. I firstly want to point the very fit physique he maintained for eras and how much bumps he took, the hard training he had and the losses he was willing to have to make wrestlers like Vader, Hogan, Roland Bock, Tiger Jeet Singh, Shota Chochishvilli and his own students Fujinami and Choshu rise and bring light to the company. A kid's hero, Inoki motivated everyone to find their inner fires to success, and also showed us how he could put up great matches inside big cards in big arenas. Sadly, his only issue, which in my opinion makes Baba better than him, was that he tried to mix everything that was brand new inside wrestling (rising amateur wrestlers, judokas, karaticas, jiu-jitsu fighters and YES, also MMA fighters), which hurt the company and its wrestlers integrity for a period. But I'm not here to bash this sir, but praise and thank him for giving us one of the best wrestling companies and the best wrestlers in the history of our sport. May the flame of the fighter burn on forever! BOM-BA-YE!"

[10.0] "The founder of NJPW. For that alone he would get a 10 from me but Antonio Inoki was also a pretty damn great professional wrestler as well. His stuff was from before any era I am familiar with but the stuff I have gone back and watched is pretty darn great. A skilled technicial on the mat, a fantastic storyteller in the ring who is able to make each move he does count and contribute to the story being told in the ring."

[10.0] "I must admit, his stuff isn't that great to go back and watch. But Inoki is a product of his time and did something not many people could do, especially Japanese wrestlers, create another promotion and actually succeed the one they had left. Did a lot of good for professional wrestling, I do think his view on what wrestling should be wasn't quite right, as you can't portray a "legitimate mma contest" in the world of pro-wrestling, it just doesn't work and to be frank, it's not very fun to watch. I must absolutely give a big piece of criticism here, he almost ruined NJPW and the careers of wrestlers there. His idea of wrestling/mma was incredibly stupid and ruined Yuji Nagata and Shinya Hashimoto. Two guys who were 100% going to be major players for the promotion in the 2000s but were basically forced out (Hashimoto) or just weren't able to get past that MMA defeat (Nagata.) If his idea of mma/wrestling was any good, then IGF would've took off and become widely successful. Gotta say though, although his ambition to do something more than pro-wrestling wasn't good for wrestling itself, you can't hold it against him (mostly because NJPW managed to recover.) I think if NJPW had died because of his idea, then he would be looked at in a very, very different light. One of the most important people in wrestling history, both in-ring and outside of the ring."

"[6.4] He was the founder on NJPW and a Japanese's icon and had great charisma but thats really it he almost killed NJPW in the early 2000s and his in ring work was not really that good although he did manly wrestle in the 70's and 80's he importsnt in wrestling but nothing to write home about rip tho"

[10.0] "Antonio Inoki is one of, the 3 most important guys in the history of puroresu with his trainer and the god himself Rikidozan and his long time friend and rival Baba. Inoki is back in the end of the 60s and for the next 2 decade the ace of puroresu and his own promotion NJPW. The first mma fighter with the king Ali with this Inoki vs Ali in 76.As a wrestler he's a 10 yes he's selfish but so talented. As a booker sometimes really good sometimes it's bad for ex NJPW early 90s his booking and the booking of Choshu was great but his late 90s early 00s stuff as a booker (the Inokism era) was pretty bad. He's also one of the best trainer Fujinami, Fujiwara, Choshu, Tiger Mask, Bad News Allen, Maeda, Takeda, Chono, Hashimoto, Muto, Hase etc impressive. He's also in the foundation of mma with his match vs Ali, is dedication to put martial arts in pro wrestling and cause he trained guys like Tiger mask (who found Shooto) Fujiwara, Maeda, Takeda (who found UWF) and trained guys like Suzuki, Funaki etc (who found Pancrase the first ever mma promotion). Antonio Inoki is and for long time one of the most well known pro wrestler in japan (wrestler, promoter, booker, trainer, politician etc)."

[9.0] "One of the most iconic and influential wrestlers there ever was. Arguably a big inspiration for modern MMA. A great look and tons of charisma got him over with the entire nation of Japan and oversaw the hottest period of wrestling the country has seen. In his later days though, he did a good job of trying to undo all that success by attempting to make NJPW into legit MMA and had all his stars get murdered by proper fighters."

[10.0] "The most influential pro wrestler ever, founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling, carved modern MMA, and he was damn great wrestler too. May he rest in piece."

[8.0] "He wasn't the best booker but an immensely great wrestler. Antonio Inoki was a bit too egoistical & that caused some problems once he couldn't wrestle anymore. NJPW had no other stars but he himself was a top 2 draw in wrestling ever and that says something about him as wrestler. He was truly are marvel to look at in the ring & felt special whenever he pulled a big move. He deserved the spot he gave himself."

[9.0] "Inoki is an insanely talented and masterful wrestler. Of all the matches from the 70s I watch back his are the ones that jump out to me most still. Top tier babyface charisma and great skill in making his matches feel real and passionate and violent."

[10.0] "Inoki was one of the pillars for what pro wrestling in Japan. On top of being at the origin of its biggest promotion, he was always the main figure in the early development of Strong Style. Inoki wasn't just passionate about wrestling, he was also passionate about martial arts, and he wanted to include that in the style of his company. In addition to mixing the wrestling he learned under Rikidozan and Karl Gotch's style which contains British influences with hard submission and Indian influences with different athletic elements, which, amongst other things, gave birth to the bridging variations of moves. Throw in there martial arts, as Inoki also added elements of "shoot", real fights. The strikes are therefore harder and add to the realistic aspect of the Strong Style. If the strikes are harder, it's rarely with fists though. This style prefers chops, lariats and, of course, forearm shots. With the help of many other wrestlers who brought their experience in different styles of martial arts including Karate, Judo and Muay Thai, the Strong Style became a versatile discipline of which Inoki was the master and which is still today at the base of the success of the promotion, as well as its different glorious periods, notably the mid and late 90s. Today, Strong Style is one of the most recognized wrestling styles in the world and it is a style that continues to evolve, and that, much like how Ark style took cues from NJPW, Strong Style today took some from King's Road, and how it expesses its storytelling. It is difficult to put into words just how popular Antonio Inoki was, and not just in Japan. Think about it, when picking a wrestler to fight Muhammad Ali, he was considered the best pick for a fight that some refer today as the first ever MMA contest. As well as being a very talented wrestler, pioneer of his own style, Inoki also trained some future legends of the business. The Three Musketeers Mutoh, Chono and Hashimoto, Tiger Mask I, Choshu, Hase, Maeda, Takada, Fujinami, Fujiwara just to name some. Each of them would then build on the foundation set by Inoki to set up the wrestling we have today. As well as being a wrestling icon, he was also a politician, two time named as a Member of the House of Councillors. As a politician, he notably helped in the release of 41 hostages in Iraq with the help of a wrestling show he organised in Bagdad. He also was quite infamous for his attempts to bring peace with North Korea, notably with his Collision in Korea show in 1995 that saw the largest crowd in wrestling history attend the two-night event, in which he was the only one to pretty much get a very loud reaction from the bewildered crowd, thanks to his link to Korean-born Rikidozan. Not everything about Inoki was perfect mind you. Inokism did almost kill New Japan Pro Wrestling by shoving MMA into it and by putting wrestlers into real MMA fights, and his Inoki Genome Federation was a failure, but all of that doesn't negate what he has done."

[10.0] "Inoki is one of the biggest draws in Japanese pro-wrestling history, probably slotting himself right in front of Baba I reckon. Pretty revolutionary with his work with Muhammad Ali, and also being well regarded in the US as well. Inoki's martial arts background helped NJPW differentiate from the more western-inspired AJPW, which he became best known for. Inoki had great programs with the likes of Vader, Robinson, Fujinami, etc. He trained and inspired so much within professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, being the conduit for organizations like the UWF, which eventually led to organizations like PRIDE. He shaped pro wrestling in his vision, and his vision helped train some of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Pro wrestling is strong. Inoki's life isn't without controversy, which goes all the way back to an attempt to take over Rikidozan's Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance. Perhaps he was disgruntled because of Baba being treated as the true protege of Rikidozan. There's so much to say about the life of Inoki."

[10.0] "One of the most influential figures of all time in both Pro Wrestling and in Mixed Martial Arts. He was a Mainstream Household Megastar across Japan. He had many famous & straight up classic matches in Singles & Tag Team wrestling against the likes of Billy Robinson, Karl Gotch, Lou Thesz, Dory Funk Jr, Bob Backlund, Jack Brisco, Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami, Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Genichiro Tenryu, Hulk Hogan, Big Van Vader, Muhammad Ali (can you believe that? ), and other famous real life boxers, kickboxers, & judokas. He was 1/2 of one of the most dominant tag teams of the late 1960's & early 1970's as "B-I Cannon" alongside fellow legend, Giant Baba. He and Baba would leave the JWA, which was founded by their deceased mentor, the legendary Rikidozan, and would become the founders of NJPW (Inoki) & AJPW (Baba). These 2 world famous promotions still exist today and is also a major part of their respective legacies. He also created the "Enzuigiri" Jumping Kick to the back of an opponent's head that may be best remembered for being used by Owen Hart. He was the 1st ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He was also synonymous with the NWF Heavyweight Title and made it a highly respected championship title for the 1970's & 1980's. He made Hulk Hogan & Big Van Vader into overnight megastars in Japan for how he personally put them over. As a booker, he gave Tatsumi Fujinami, "Tiger Mask" Satoru Sayama, & Dynamite Kid monster pushes that made them into Puroresu Legends. He also trained MANY wrestlers who also became Legends. He was the final living link to Rikidozan's legacy. He was also a well known politician which took his international influence to another level. RIP to a True Legend, Icon, & a GIANT to not only the Professional wrestling & MMA world, but to the entire world in general."

[10.0] "A historic career. An historic human being. From day one, he seemed to have a mindset to set out on his own, trying to take over JPW, forming Tokyo Pro Wrestling and then New Japan. Travelling the world wrestling world like its the 1910s wrestling champions from Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Germany, even fighting legendary figures such as Muhammad Ali, of all people. Inoki is a legendary wrestler as well as a promotor. And while I would dock him marks as a promoter for tripping over his own feet with the biotech scandals that truly hurt the promotion for a while, his long term success turning a break-away promotion built on his and his pals backs into a massive promotion, #1 in Japan for years and even #1 in the world for a brief while, can never be disputed or discounted. Inoki as a wrestler was a phenomenon unlike any other. Classic matches up-to his 40s where he was stricken with diabeties, classic feuds with too many opponents to list. His imprint is still felt on wrestling long after his regular involvement simmered. His imprint extents outside of wrestling also. He was a strong political figure with his public relations with North Korea, Iraq and certainly more countries that have been unreported. Let us not forget his contributions to early form of what we call MMA now. Inoki is a man with as much contributions to the world as any in wrestling. His presence and legendary status was always earned. Inoki was a charismatic figure and the literal definition of icon."

[10.0] "What a life. The man was a driving force in some of the most important and outrageous moments in wrestling history. Beat to his own drum and gave the world a million and one reasons to love or hate him. A wrestler who was truly larger than life. RIP"

[9.0] "A pioneer of Japanese wrestling and a essentially a Hollywood star of wrestling, he founded one of the most well known wrestling companies worldwide and the number one company in Japan, he crossed sports to face Muhammad Ali. Inoki was a great in ring wrestler, a charisma fueled fan favorite with the look of a star, he was everything a promoter would want wether its as a top home field guy in Japan or a foreign babyface draw in other countries. I hope Inokis at peace now and is reunited with the likes of RikiDozan, Giant Baba, Shingo Hashimoto, Strong Kobayashi, Muhammad Ali, and everyone else who was apart of his story."

[10.0] "Consider as the greatest wrestling promoter of all time. He is the prime and ultomate one of New Japan. In his time, a true wrestling star and a true wrestling booker. Always shpuld jave been on top 10."

[9.0] "Inoki is an absolute legend, probably the most influential wrestler in puroresu history, and overall a legend everywhere else as well. With a very recognizable look, incredible technical prowess (was trained by Karl Gotch and Rikidozan, duh) and an unlimited amount of charisma, he basically invented the concept of 'toukon' or 'fighting spirit', a very essential component of japanese wrestling storytelling. Inoki was obsessed with legitimizing pro wrestling as 'the best martial art' and is also famous for his numerous shoots and worked shoots against several other athletes from different combat sports (most famously his controversial bout with Muhammad Ali). He was also the founder of NJPW, arguably the most important and successful promotion in Japan ever. His booking is heavily influenced by what's stated above about pro wrestling being viewed as more of a martial art than a spectacle or storytelling device; Inoki deliberately chose to blur the lines between MMA and pro-wrestling, sending out some of his workers to do shoot fights and bringing shootfighters into wrestling. Results of that way of booking have caused an extended period of low ratings for NJPW in the 2000s. Because of this one flaw during his illustrious and longevous career in the sport, my rating is one point short of perfection. Still, Antonio Inoki truly belongs in the Olympus of pro-wrestling."

"He created NJPW and created strong style, Became one of the most well known people in japan, which led him to 2 stints in Japans House of Councillors, Was one of the reasons that MMA has become as big as it is today. But he almost killed NJPW with Inokism, with making inexperienced MMA guys World Champ, and making the top guys in New Japan do MMA bouts (with very little having experience of it). However, that doesn't tarnish his legacy too much."

[9.0] "He created NJPW, which he should forever be immortalised for. Being said, he was a reet cunt on his day. Shooting for no reason, derailing promising wrestling careers because he suddenly had a hard on for MMA. Confusing the lineage of the IWGP Heavyweight title. But when all is said and done, he essentially created strong style, which is where the wrestlers decide to make the audience think they're actually hitting each other by actually hitting each other."

[9.0] "Inoki is rightfully considered one of the most iconic Japanese wrestlers of all time due to his innovations in Strong Style, a focus on more striking-based wrestling compared to AJPW's focus on high flying and technical expertise, as well as sensational storytelling and being incredibly charismatic inside and outside of the ring. In terms of being a draw, Inoki was easily one of the best around, and his match quality (even in his older years) was consistently solid, even when fighting guys who weren't really wrestlers. What holds back Inoki from the top is a few things: namely, his selling wasn't always on point. Sometimes he'd just shake off long efforts to work on his arm or leg within a minute or so and fight like nothing happened. When trying to sell these fights as legit, that can really take you out of the atmosphere of the match. Inoki also had a rather infamous tendency to keep putting himself on the top billing, even if there were people who were arguably more over than him at the time. This is understandable in his early years considering he WAS amazing in the ring and could draw like crazy, but his later years still had him at the same spot. Compare him to Giant Baba, who at the same time as this was moving himself into the lower card tag matches, and you notice the problem. Inoki's booking also nearly completely killed NJPW when he tried to mix it with MMA and combat sports due to a lifelong obsession with it himself, which is something that puts a big damper on his last years as the majority owner and had some of the worst belt holders in the entire company's history. All in all, Inoki is undoubtedly a legend of the ring, but he's not GOAT material, at least for myself."

[10.0] "Many of his classic matches have aged surprisingly well, always the sign of an amazing in-ring talent. Great draw and great promoter but his booking alternated between brilliant and clinically insane. Gave us Tiger Mask and Keiji Muto but also a whole bunch of poorly trained and unmotivated MMA guys with no business being in pro-wrestling. A legend for sure, but mercifully he turned to politics before he could do any more damage."

[9.0] "Antonio Inoki is a legend and was something of a cultural icon. But I can't give him a 10 because he very nearly put New Japan out of business."

[10.0] "As a wrestler: An incredibly skilled and hard hitting striker, physically charismatic and absolutely larger than life. A true icon of the business and a legend. As a booker: pants on head crazy. I appreciate that level of crazy. The world needs another Antonio Inoki."

[9.0] "Has a reputation as the japanese Hogan/HHH - someone holding down fresh and young talent, but I will try to judge him just as a wrestler. He was a proven draw and had a great look, his main weakness was probably his in-ring work. In that regard he was actually very good (much better than Hogan), but not great (although I have to admit, that I'm judging him mainly on his 80's work). Therefore he gets from me "only" a 9."