Kim you are without a doubt the BEST wrestling documentarian I’ve seen on here. You’re thorough and so professional, this could easily be shown on any service.
Kim, you have done what Dave Meltzer could never pull off, and that’s help me to understand the appeal of Japanese Pro Wrestling, and actually enjoy it in return. Bravo! Thanks to all your hard work, I’ve been able to watch and appreciate all kinds of older matches on various other channels. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that, as well. Keep informing us casuals to the best of your ability!
Yes, he has been so helpful in letting me experience the magic of Japanese wrestling. My favorite wrestler who wrestled in Japan is Big Van Vader, I’d already watched some of NJPW matches such as his debut, but I never knew he was an absolute beast in AJPW too, and his video definitely helped me. He’s also introduced me to other wrestlers I hadn’t know of before, such as Great Sasuke, Jun Akiyama, Nobuhiko Takada, etc.
There's the trope in media of "Red Oni, Blue Oni", where one guy is a hotheaded boisterous type and one is the calm and collected type and their stories are so closely intertwined. Baba and Inoki fit that perfectly.
Misawa vs Kobashi, another one. Misawa with his coolness, barely ever taunting or showing off to the audience, and Kobashi with his legendary Fighting Spirit.
Inoki was discovered in Brazil by Rikidozan. He wrestled Andre the Giant in 1974 in Maracanãzinho gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, 1974. He still have family here. He founded Jungle Fight, still a top MMA promotion in Brazil, and brought names like Shinsuke Nakamura and Katsuyori Shibata.
Jungle Fight has crazy fights I remember when Eric Silva came from there and maybe Pedro Munoz or someone similar nice information for the MMA fans brother cheers I also seen Inoki gave Machida a few shots at his Bom Ba Ye haha
NJPW, NOAH, AEW or WWE should straight up put you on staff and have you make these for them. This is an incredible documentary, as is everything you do!
An excellent viewing/listen! Also, 39:51 marks another famous event in pro wrestling history that occurred on May 19th joining the ranks of Robocop in WCW, The MSG Curtain Call, the birth of Andre The Giant and of course, WWE's See No Evil/Fake Kane storyline.
I have written this before on a previous video, I find it comical how loved Baba was for the most part, especially by the United States wrestlers and how Inoki was universally loathed. I mean Tanahashi who rarely disses anyone, didn't have many kind things to say about Inoki when he was alive, when he died, Tanahashi basically said no comment, which speaks volumes. I have often thought Baba and Inoki were two sides of Vincent K McMahon, Baba was the money making side and Inoki had the polarizing notorious earned reputation.
Very much so. Anytime I hear wrestlers (particularly gaijin) who wrestled for both companies, Baba had a ton more respect then Inoki. Maybe because All Japan used more gaijin, but nevertheless. Baba was one of the few promoters everyone seemed to respect.
Tanahashi was there when Inoki ran NJPW almost into the ground. He was the one who drag the company into the new boom period again before Okada took the reign. No surprise if Tanahashi and some wrestlers who were presents at that time would not speak well when it came to Inoki.
@@Rando1975Off the top of my head, I believe Hogan is the only United States wrestler that speaks well of Inoki, probably because Inoki paid Hogan a fortune, lol.
Baba had always stuck out as an affable and respectful promoter. Also, he was very trustworthy. The only shady thing Baba did was lobbying the Japanese police to let Doctor Death enter Japan after he was caught of having drugs in his posession.
I personally would love to see a video like this about Misawa and Kawada down the road. We always get bits and snippets of it in other videos, but it’s never the topic of focus. Maybe an idea for next June as that will mark the 15th anniversary of Misawa’s unfortunate passing.
Giant Baba spoke softly but carried a big stick and knew how to use it at the right moment, while Antonio Inoki had the scrappy, younger brother system. Both outgrew the promotion they rose from, but as rivals. I’d love to see this story in a film or TV series.
Inoki tried to do it, but unfortunately the script he was shopping around basically made him look like a brilliant visionary hero and everyone who read it thought it was ridiculous. New Japan probably still own it in their archive somewhere.
Great documentary many thanks, very informative. Saw an interview with Bruno Sammartino a while ago. He stated he wrestled Inoki just before Inoki and Karl Gotch left Baba's promotion to form their own. During that contest Inoki tried to shoot on Bruno but Sammartino realised what Inoki was doing and was too strong for Inoki. Sammartino stated that both Inoki and Gotch wanted to make Bruno look bad which would reflect negatively on Baba's promotion. Inoki/Gotch never succeeded and Sammartino deemed both men untrustworthy where as Baba was a man of honour.
Man my biggest takeaway from this is that when it came to Inoki and Baba, Inoki had a chip on his shoulder the size of a skyscraper, dude just couldn't accept the fact he was number 2.
Inoki was definitely an Ace in his own right and was probably a better wrestler than Baba. Unfortunately Inoki was an egomaniac and not as big a draw in the West as Baba (even though both were pushed by the McMahons).
Inoki did of course reach some colossal highs in the end -- he definitely outdraws Baba when NJ and AJ hit their heydays. Baba had absolute consistency though -- as dependably successful as it gets, even it's not anything that's going to reach the biggest Inoki levels. They're the two biggest names in Puro for different reasons.
@@thewrestlingroad Oh by no means am i discrediting Inoki's success, the guy was successful in the end. but those instances where Inoki made those public challenges without Letting Baba know in advance as well as those other comments he made about Baba, paints the picture of a man who wanted to prove something and he wouldn't take no for an answer.
@@BrolyChan It's just shrewd, if very mercenary, self-promotion on Inoki's part. If Baba accepts, then he gets to main event a show that's gonna draw huge attention and a massive gate, thus elevating his star. If Baba refuses or ignores it (as happened) then he gets to claim it's because Baba's scared of him, thus enhancing his own character or that of his company. Basically, a win-win situation from Inoki's perspective.
55:43 - Giant Baba is a real gift to videos like these; if you're ever in need of B Roll, you can always cut to archive footage of him doing something mysterious in an old advert!
Baba and Inoki were just polar opposites in terms of personality, the fame that Baba had in Japan, he could have cared less about, whereas that is what Inoki desired. Which is why most likely, Baba is remembered more fondly than Inoki.
I have to tell you I always look forward to these videos. I got really into Puroresu about 3 or 4 years ago, and nowadays it's kind of hard to get to know many of these stories, so I appreciate these videos massively!
Very interesting content that is not widely known or retold by other channels. Your channel definitely has a niche and has fast become one of my favourite wrestling channels along with the TNA focused MarkyD123 and WWW for classic reviews. I find Wrestling Bios to be good on the non review content, but his match recaps are SO boring as he recaps every punch and slap rather than just the highlights. I'll be recommending this channel to people as it deserves to be up there with those channels! ❤
Thank you for these fantastic videos, I hope you avoid the dreaded puro copyright strikes that put some of my favourite wrestling channels down for the three count.
I have been a wrestling fan for a long time but I never really go into older Puroresu until recently. Your videos have been an absolute inspiration on that front! Amazing quality. Thank you for all the effort you are putting into these. It really shows.
The greatest in ring era was late 80's and 90's All Japan. Where the REAL Four Pillars of Heaven worked. Baba was a rarity, a booker with integrity who treated his workers well. Even the foreign ones.
Dude your videos are always amazing, thorough, and very informative. I’m essentially learning Japanese pro Wrestling history through you. Keep up the great work! (And can we get one on the UWF/UWFI)
This is an absolutely fantastic video. Fascinating watch and and incredibly informative and very inviting to an American who is just learning about puroresu.
Fantastic video, as usual, I love hearing your wrestling related stuff, especially as someone who isn't knowledgeable about the super early days of puro but at least knows of Baba and Inoki. The old footage and the history really helps things along.
Amazing documentary on the careers of Inoki Bombaye and Baba the Giant! I’ve learned so much from this and much appreciated your work; thanks for bringing this info to us.
That was excellent, i remember one of my friends trying to explain the whole thing to me a while back. and. well..............I'm thankful for this channel
A cool (to me at least) note. The picture shown at 14:32 must have been taken around Pittsburgh, PA. The man holding the mic to Baba's right is Bill Cardille. He was a long time TV personality who, among other things, hosted the local "Studio Wrestling" program for many years.
An added note: Bill Cardille’s daughter Lori played the lead role in George Romero’s classic film “Day of The Dead”. Just one of those dumb facts you learn as a fan of both pro wrestling and zombie films I guess 😂
It's funny how often wrestling gets accused by non-fans of "not being real" and "obviously staged", but could you imagine if the interpersonal drama and off-the-mat violence unambiguously made it's way onto the mat? It'd be ritual carnage!
Fantastic work. I read the broken crown essays you referenced over a year ago so I was already familiar with a lot of these stories, but the pics and clips you use just add another dimension. Respect.
This was amazingly done. I'm not going to say the name of the other guy out here doing docs and consistently getting facts wrong, but he should take notes. You out do yourself every video.
Rikidozan looks like he was very very stiff. I hope that would not be allowed today with what we know about CTE. The blows in the non shoot matches look extreme too.
I adore this content I enjoy other peoples work plenty but there's something about your deep dives presentation & the fact we're the same age and there seems to be so few of us in the real world that soaked up all this culture & retained it.
"[Baba] couldn't trust Inoki as far as he could throw him" Considering Baba's a pro wrestler who could probably literally throw Inoki makes this all the more hilarious.
I will never forget the first time I heard that saying. It was when the British Bulldog said it in reference to JR asking him if there are trust issues between him and his tag team partner Owen Hart. And when JR took this for confirmation of there being a problem, Bulldog flexed his biceps and basically said: "You see these arms? I can throw Owen Hart pretty far with those"
What's shocking is the abuse both Inoki and Baba went through at the hands of their 'mentors'. Let's just say that Great Togo getting a good kicking later on added a spring to my step.
The fact it disgusted the other wrestlers in the case of Togo beating Baba backstage says a lot considering how I imagine the western wrestlers of the day were also probably fond of a bit of hazing and beating the shit out of newcomers. So for it to disgust them is a real sign.
I don’t know what surprised me more: -Learning that JWA did a brand split 35 years before the WWE did -The fact that Great Antonio didn’t learn his lesson?
Simply not true. Both men were universally respected as promoters by those who had a relationship with them. I find it offensive to find others who really didn't deal with Inoki (or others) belittling him today. There are also those who say things to elevate themselves decades later. As for being a superb athlete and grappler, it was Inoki who commanded respect all over the globe. Some schmuck who did ok in the U.S. but only had a few stints with AJPW goes on to say Inoki weighted 180 lbs. It's the nobodies for the most part that are saying crap. As far as the later generation Japanese wrestlers, they have their opinions, but wrestling was demystified in Japan with the advent of UFC and MMA genres from early 1990s. It was a challenging times in a nation where pro wrestlers enjoyed a social status quite different from America or anywhere else.
I think there is a serious argument for Baba being the best booker of all time, he did amazing work in JWA and AJPW plus both companies absolutely crumbled down as soon as he left 🤷🏻♂️
I've seen this videos since you had a separate channel and had to replace footage with FirePro stuff (or I might be confusing you with other puro channel, I'm sorry if that's the case). You mentioned Keiji Muto making the move to All Japan after NJPW and starting the ProWres Love era, is there any chance we could get a video on that? Or perhaps post-Misawa NOAH.
Could you make a video related to something about NJPW during the 90s? That era seems to get a lot less attention by wrestling fans than AJPW during the 90s. From what I understand, it's because the matches tended to be shorter? So it didn't entice people past the language barrier, even though they seemingly did very well business wise.
First of all, GREAT video! Thank you! However, your story of how Rikidozan died contradicts everything I read time and time again about it. The story I know, from multiple sources, is that Rikidozan beat that Yakuza in the night club and kicked him out, and then the Yakuza decided to get revenge, got a knife, poisoned/infected it (reportedly through pissing on it), then went to the night club the next day and stabbed Rikidozan. Rikidozan then beat him up and threw him out again, had some very basic closing of the wound done, returned to the bar and continued drinking ignoring advises to go to the doctor, then died within a couple days from the infection/poison. Any clue why you version differs so much and which is the correct one? as I am quite confused now.
I find the fact that the name of the Baba/Inoki tag team was "B-I Cannon" slightly amusing considering the rumour about Baba, not that I believe it of course.
Kim you are without a doubt the BEST wrestling documentarian I’ve seen on here. You’re thorough and so professional, this could easily be shown on any service.
Also! Jumping on the Patreon (for at least a few months) least I can do :)
I'd also recommend Joseph Monticello. They're the two best IMO.
@@WilliamJohnson-ml7ij Walking the Kings Road is great stuff amongst other killer vids Monticello has . But you know whats up !
Hell yeah ! I was gonna comment almost the same thing but you said it !
It was shown on a service. RUclips lol
Great Antonio:slaps belly
Inoki: How many times are we going to have to teach you this lesson old man?
Kim, you have done what Dave Meltzer could never pull off, and that’s help me to understand the appeal of Japanese Pro Wrestling, and actually enjoy it in return. Bravo!
Thanks to all your hard work, I’ve been able to watch and appreciate all kinds of older matches on various other channels. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that, as well.
Keep informing us casuals to the best of your ability!
Yes, he has been so helpful in letting me experience the magic of Japanese wrestling.
My favorite wrestler who wrestled in Japan is Big Van Vader, I’d already watched some of NJPW matches such as his debut, but I never knew he was an absolute beast in AJPW too, and his video definitely helped me.
He’s also introduced me to other wrestlers I hadn’t know of before, such as Great Sasuke, Jun Akiyama, Nobuhiko Takada, etc.
I guess The Great Antonio didn't learn his lesson the first time around.
Some suckers never learn.
How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?!
Beating up The Great Antonio is the official rite of passage for Rikidozan's students. Baba just missed the memo.
Some Mothersuckas are always trying to trying to ice skate uphill
Inoki one of the biggest frauds ever
There's the trope in media of "Red Oni, Blue Oni", where one guy is a hotheaded boisterous type and one is the calm and collected type and their stories are so closely intertwined.
Baba and Inoki fit that perfectly.
I didn't even know that. Got myself a TIL moment.
@@SuperNitroZ64poo
Misawa vs Kobashi, another one. Misawa with his coolness, barely ever taunting or showing off to the audience, and Kobashi with his legendary Fighting Spirit.
Inoki was discovered in Brazil by Rikidozan. He wrestled Andre the Giant in 1974 in Maracanãzinho gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, 1974. He still have family here. He founded Jungle Fight, still a top MMA promotion in Brazil, and brought names like Shinsuke Nakamura and Katsuyori Shibata.
Jungle Fight has crazy fights I remember when Eric Silva came from there and maybe Pedro Munoz or someone similar nice information for the MMA fans brother cheers
I also seen Inoki gave Machida a few shots at his Bom Ba Ye haha
NJPW, NOAH, AEW or WWE should straight up put you on staff and have you make these for them. This is an incredible documentary, as is everything you do!
An excellent viewing/listen!
Also, 39:51 marks another famous event in pro wrestling history that occurred on May 19th joining the ranks of Robocop in WCW, The MSG Curtain Call, the birth of Andre The Giant and of course, WWE's See No Evil/Fake Kane storyline.
I have written this before on a previous video, I find it comical how loved Baba was for the most part, especially by the United States wrestlers and how Inoki was universally loathed. I mean Tanahashi who rarely disses anyone, didn't have many kind things to say about Inoki when he was alive, when he died, Tanahashi basically said no comment, which speaks volumes. I have often thought Baba and Inoki were two sides of Vincent K McMahon, Baba was the money making side and Inoki had the polarizing notorious earned reputation.
Very much so. Anytime I hear wrestlers (particularly gaijin) who wrestled for both companies, Baba had a ton more respect then Inoki. Maybe because All Japan used more gaijin, but nevertheless. Baba was one of the few promoters everyone seemed to respect.
Tanahashi was there when Inoki ran NJPW almost into the ground. He was the one who drag the company into the new boom period again before Okada took the reign. No surprise if Tanahashi and some wrestlers who were presents at that time would not speak well when it came to Inoki.
@@Rando1975Off the top of my head, I believe Hogan is the only United States wrestler that speaks well of Inoki, probably because Inoki paid Hogan a fortune, lol.
Umm........Inoki made more money than Baba. He's the McMahon while Baba was the Crockett one.
Baba had always stuck out as an affable and respectful promoter. Also, he was very trustworthy. The only shady thing Baba did was lobbying the Japanese police to let Doctor Death enter Japan after he was caught of having drugs in his posession.
The puro atmosphere on RUclips is blessed by your presence
I personally would love to see a video like this about Misawa and Kawada down the road. We always get bits and snippets of it in other videos, but it’s never the topic of focus.
Maybe an idea for next June as that will mark the 15th anniversary of Misawa’s unfortunate passing.
This comment is crazy 5 months down the line
Rip to the legendary giant baba, rikidozan, and Antonio inoki... legends!
Giant Baba spoke softly but carried a big stick and knew how to use it at the right moment, while Antonio Inoki had the scrappy, younger brother system. Both outgrew the promotion they rose from, but as rivals. I’d love to see this story in a film or TV series.
Inoki tried to do it, but unfortunately the script he was shopping around basically made him look like a brilliant visionary hero and everyone who read it thought it was ridiculous. New Japan probably still own it in their archive somewhere.
Great documentary many thanks, very informative. Saw an interview with Bruno Sammartino a while ago. He stated he wrestled Inoki just before Inoki and Karl Gotch left Baba's promotion to form their own. During that contest Inoki tried to shoot on Bruno but Sammartino realised what Inoki was doing and was too strong for Inoki. Sammartino stated that both Inoki and Gotch wanted to make Bruno look bad which would reflect negatively on Baba's promotion. Inoki/Gotch never succeeded and Sammartino deemed both men untrustworthy where as Baba was a man of honour.
Man my biggest takeaway from this is that when it came to Inoki and Baba, Inoki had a chip on his shoulder the size of a skyscraper, dude just couldn't accept the fact he was number 2.
Inoki was definitely an Ace in his own right and was probably a better wrestler than Baba. Unfortunately Inoki was an egomaniac and not as big a draw in the West as Baba (even though both were pushed by the McMahons).
Inoki did of course reach some colossal highs in the end -- he definitely outdraws Baba when NJ and AJ hit their heydays. Baba had absolute consistency though -- as dependably successful as it gets, even it's not anything that's going to reach the biggest Inoki levels. They're the two biggest names in Puro for different reasons.
@@thewrestlingroad The Tortoise (Baba) and the Hare (Inoki).
@@thewrestlingroad Oh by no means am i discrediting Inoki's success, the guy was successful in the end.
but those instances where Inoki made those public challenges without Letting Baba know in advance as well as those other comments he made about Baba, paints the picture of a man who wanted to prove something and he wouldn't take no for an answer.
@@BrolyChan It's just shrewd, if very mercenary, self-promotion on Inoki's part. If Baba accepts, then he gets to main event a show that's gonna draw huge attention and a massive gate, thus elevating his star. If Baba refuses or ignores it (as happened) then he gets to claim it's because Baba's scared of him, thus enhancing his own character or that of his company. Basically, a win-win situation from Inoki's perspective.
55:43 - Giant Baba is a real gift to videos like these; if you're ever in need of B Roll, you can always cut to archive footage of him doing something mysterious in an old advert!
His expressions really helped, a sincere look of "what the hell is going on".
Baba and Inoki were just polar opposites in terms of personality, the fame that Baba had in Japan, he could have cared less about, whereas that is what Inoki desired. Which is why most likely, Baba is remembered more fondly than Inoki.
Your work gets better and better you are a gift to the wrestling community
I have to tell you I always look forward to these videos. I got really into Puroresu about 3 or 4 years ago, and nowadays it's kind of hard to get to know many of these stories, so I appreciate these videos massively!
I’m so glad this exists a video about the best two legends ever. Njpw forever bby.
Inoki was the better wrestler, Baba seemed to be the more generous promoter and nicer person.
Very interesting content that is not widely known or retold by other channels. Your channel definitely has a niche and has fast become one of my favourite wrestling channels along with the TNA focused MarkyD123 and WWW for classic reviews. I find Wrestling Bios to be good on the non review content, but his match recaps are SO boring as he recaps every punch and slap rather than just the highlights. I'll be recommending this channel to people as it deserves to be up there with those channels! ❤
They could make an entire manga about this story. I'd read the hell out of that.
Some details about the JWA implosion I'd never heard before, detailed and entertaining as always.
Thank you for these fantastic videos, I hope you avoid the dreaded puro copyright strikes that put some of my favourite wrestling channels down for the three count.
QUALITY WORK
Kim, you do great work in video games, and now from I've recently discovered wrestling.
This is fantastic, just fantastic. Thank you and kudos!!!
I absolutely love these videos on puro history. Fantastic job Kim.
I have been a wrestling fan for a long time but I never really go into older Puroresu until recently. Your videos have been an absolute inspiration on that front! Amazing quality. Thank you for all the effort you are putting into these. It really shows.
The greatest in ring era was late 80's and 90's All Japan.
Where the REAL Four Pillars of Heaven worked.
Baba was a rarity, a booker with integrity who treated his workers well. Even the foreign ones.
You cant touch 80s and 90s AJPW.....NJPW then or now cant touch that era......
What an absolutely FASCINATING story. Fantastic job. First time on this channel and it won't be the last.
Man, amazing stuff. Documentary footage is great. Really professional result.
Dude your videos are always amazing, thorough, and very informative. I’m essentially learning Japanese pro Wrestling history through you. Keep up the great work! (And can we get one on the UWF/UWFI)
Best wrestling docs anywhere! Keep up the good work Kim!
This is an absolutely fantastic video. Fascinating watch and and incredibly informative and very inviting to an American who is just learning about puroresu.
Super awesome video
thats how documentaries should be, great work
I’ve been watching at least one of your videos everyday for the past 2 weeks lol
Fantastic video, as usual, I love hearing your wrestling related stuff, especially as someone who isn't knowledgeable about the super early days of puro but at least knows of Baba and Inoki. The old footage and the history really helps things along.
Amazing documentary on the careers of Inoki Bombaye and Baba the Giant! I’ve learned so much from this and much appreciated your work; thanks for bringing this info to us.
Incredible video. Thank you, this was so informative on a topic I know little on. Cheers
thanx kim been watching your channels a long time one of my fav youtubers always informative always entertaining
Rikidozan may have beat the crap out of The Great Antonio, but Inoki did it IN COLOUR.
That was excellent, i remember one of my friends trying to explain the whole thing to me a while back. and. well..............I'm thankful for this channel
Fingers crossed on Miracle Power Combination video
Huss Huss Huss!
A cool (to me at least) note. The picture shown at 14:32 must have been taken around Pittsburgh, PA. The man holding the mic to Baba's right is Bill Cardille. He was a long time TV personality who, among other things, hosted the local "Studio Wrestling" program for many years.
An added note: Bill Cardille’s daughter Lori played the lead role in George Romero’s classic film “Day of The Dead”. Just one of those dumb facts you learn as a fan of both pro wrestling and zombie films I guess 😂
Fml I love these videos the professional documentary quality of them it's so impressive
It's funny how often wrestling gets accused by non-fans of "not being real" and "obviously staged", but could you imagine if the interpersonal drama and off-the-mat violence unambiguously made it's way onto the mat? It'd be ritual carnage!
Damn, this video is quality! It's such a fascinating story, and I had no idea that Rikidozan had... issues to put it lightly. Great work!
Wow. This doc was outstanding. Very, very well done!
What a great documentary with footage and research! Bravo!
Fuck yeah new video thank you!!
Really enjoyed watching that, thank you.
Anothet steller wrestling documentary as always Kim. You deserve so much more exposure and views!
Your videos wrestling videos are always top notch, keep up the good work!
Amazing work once again! Thank you!
I've been meaning to watch this video for a while, and it was well worth the wait. Thanks Kim!
Baba and Inoki, the bantering pillars of Puroresu
Thank you for all the cool content, you are very gifted
Learned a lot from this, thanks 🤟
Phenomenal work, Kim. The joy of discovery these videos bring is immeasurable. Can’t wait for the next one.
Fantastic work. I read the broken crown essays you referenced over a year ago so I was already familiar with a lot of these stories, but the pics and clips you use just add another dimension. Respect.
This was a fantastic documentary! I really enjoyed this! Thank you very much for providing the foundational elements that contribute to Puroresu 💯❤️✊🏾
Man,love this times videos,amazing job Kim.
I'd love to see a Tsuruta Vs. Tenryu video.
Great doc.
hey man, another great video. please keep it up, I'd love to see more!
amazing doc!
I absolutely LOVE your videos! This one was amazing!!
good video
This was amazingly done. I'm not going to say the name of the other guy out here doing docs and consistently getting facts wrong, but he should take notes. You out do yourself every video.
Rikidozan looks like he was very very stiff. I hope that would not be allowed today with what we know about CTE. The blows in the non shoot matches look extreme too.
I adore this content I enjoy other peoples work plenty but there's something about your deep dives presentation & the fact we're the same age and there seems to be so few of us in the real world that soaked up all this culture & retained it.
"[Baba] couldn't trust Inoki as far as he could throw him"
Considering Baba's a pro wrestler who could probably literally throw Inoki makes this all the more hilarious.
I will never forget the first time I heard that saying. It was when the British Bulldog said it in reference to JR asking him if there are trust issues between him and his tag team partner Owen Hart. And when JR took this for confirmation of there being a problem, Bulldog flexed his biceps and basically said: "You see these arms? I can throw Owen Hart pretty far with those"
Kim always dropping a banger thanks so much 😊 🇺🇲🇯🇵
This sooooo good !!!!!!!!
What's shocking is the abuse both Inoki and Baba went through at the hands of their 'mentors'. Let's just say that Great Togo getting a good kicking later on added a spring to my step.
The fact it disgusted the other wrestlers in the case of Togo beating Baba backstage says a lot considering how I imagine the western wrestlers of the day were also probably fond of a bit of hazing and beating the shit out of newcomers. So for it to disgust them is a real sign.
Great job
Look forward to the Dozan doc.
Thank For The Rivalry Video Video 📖🙊🤯💞💝🥰💕😍💐🌟🥇🏆
I don’t know what surprised me more:
-Learning that JWA did a brand split 35 years before the WWE did
-The fact that Great Antonio didn’t learn his lesson?
True Pioneers of Japanese Pro Wrestling.
50:45 damn that champion is so small on baba hand
38:40
Holy shit! Look at Abdullah the Butcher fly!
😮
I've never seen him do anything other than walk and brawl (and stab of course)
Fuck yeah! Another video!! I love this shit
Riki Dozan legit knocking out Kimura is more impressive than it sounds. Kimura was a very famous judoka
Simply not true. Both men were universally respected as promoters by those who had a relationship with them. I find it offensive to find others who really didn't deal with Inoki (or others) belittling him today. There are also those who say things to elevate themselves decades later. As for being a superb athlete and grappler, it was Inoki who commanded respect all over the globe. Some schmuck who did ok in the U.S. but only had a few stints with AJPW goes on to say Inoki weighted 180 lbs. It's the nobodies for the most part that are saying crap. As far as the later generation Japanese wrestlers, they have their opinions, but wrestling was demystified in Japan with the advent of UFC and MMA genres from early 1990s. It was a challenging times in a nation where pro wrestlers enjoyed a social status quite different from America or anywhere else.
I think there is a serious argument for Baba being the best booker of all time, he did amazing work in JWA and AJPW plus both companies absolutely crumbled down as soon as he left 🤷🏻♂️
Shoutouts to Kim's judicious use of Shadow of the Beast 2's music
I've seen this videos since you had a separate channel and had to replace footage with FirePro stuff (or I might be confusing you with other puro channel, I'm sorry if that's the case). You mentioned Keiji Muto making the move to All Japan after NJPW and starting the ProWres Love era, is there any chance we could get a video on that? Or perhaps post-Misawa NOAH.
Damn, the Baba/Inoki split plays out like a Mafia movie.
Elbow Pads and Knee Pads and Taped Wrists and MMA Style Gloves
Could you make a video related to something about NJPW during the 90s? That era seems to get a lot less attention by wrestling fans than AJPW during the 90s. From what I understand, it's because the matches tended to be shorter? So it didn't entice people past the language barrier, even though they seemingly did very well business wise.
Giant Baba is the least intimidating big man. Its just something about his body that looks more weird than imposing.
It's his arms. He has tiny skinny arms. It looks like a joke create a wrestler
First of all, GREAT video! Thank you!
However, your story of how Rikidozan died contradicts everything I read time and time again about it. The story I know, from multiple sources, is that Rikidozan beat that Yakuza in the night club and kicked him out, and then the Yakuza decided to get revenge, got a knife, poisoned/infected it (reportedly through pissing on it), then went to the night club the next day and stabbed Rikidozan. Rikidozan then beat him up and threw him out again, had some very basic closing of the wound done, returned to the bar and continued drinking ignoring advises to go to the doctor, then died within a couple days from the infection/poison.
Any clue why you version differs so much and which is the correct one? as I am quite confused now.
Baba >> Inoki
ALWAYS!
Inoki is bigger though. In money making and draw people.
Dude. Thank you. I love your videos. Your stuff is seriously incredible and I’m really glad you do them. I learn so much.
I find the fact that the name of the Baba/Inoki tag team was "B-I Cannon" slightly amusing considering the rumour about Baba, not that I believe it of course.
What rumor?
@@echorebelex3973I did a little light searching I think the rumor is that baba was Bisexual
1:00:43 whats the song? Its epic.
I've had stomach issues before and I've read up on peritonitis incase it ever happened. You can be dead in a matter of hours. It's that serious...