A natural in the ring, Inoki formed a winning tag team in the JWA with another future legend, Giant Baba, but the talented ... Muhammad Ali in a rare wrestler vs. boxer match.

Born Kanji Inoki in Yokohama, he and his family moved to Brazil when he was a teenager. He debuted in pro wrestling in 1960 and his longtime rivalry with Giant Baba led to a boom in pro wrestling.