In examining the life and death of Rikidōzan, one can only conclude that no figure has had a greater impact on modern professional wrestling than him, with perhaps the exception of the combined forces of Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. Tragically, Rikidōzan’s murder also marks the beginning of a modern tragedy in wrestling: not only do many wrestlers die too young, but some also meet violent ends.
While McMahon and Hogan benefited from the 1980s media machine, Rikidōzan was the creator of that machine. The WWE often cites the Hogan-Andre the Giant matchup on Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1988, which drew 33 million TV viewers, as the most-watched wrestling match of all time. However, this is a case of wrestling hyperbole. In reality, Rikidōzan’s 1963 match against The Destroyer (Dr. X, Dick Beyers) on Japanese television drew a staggering 70 million viewers. Many Japanese families purchased their first TV sets to watch that match. Unfortunately, Rikidōzan did not live to see 1964.
True to professional wrestling’s roots, Rikidōzan’s story is a work of both fact and myth. The father of modern Japanese wrestling was not even Japanese by birth. Born Kim Sin-Rak in North Korea in 1924, he was disowned by his parents at age 13 and adopted by a Japanese family after his father’s death when he was fifteen. He took on the name Mitsuhiro Momota and began training as a sumo wrestler, adopting the ring name Rikidōzan, which means “rugged mountain road.”
Although Rikidōzan experienced some success in his early twenties, he faced racial discrimination and struggled with the strict sumo lifestyle. Frustrated with his stagnant career and limited pay, he left sumo wrestling despite some fame in Japan. He then took on various “construction” jobs through Japanese mob connections he had made as a sumo star, working primarily as a black-market dealer of household goods. Inspired by an American pro wrestling show he saw in 1951, Rikidōzan decided to leverage his sumo fame to establish a professional wrestling promotion in Japan, booking himself as the star.
Rikidōzan’s venture was extraordinarily successful. In the wake of Japan’s defeat in World War II, the nation was ripe for a hero who could stand up to American “invaders.” This narrative was skillfully crafted by Rikidōzan’s JWA (Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance) promotion, which portrayed him as a homegrown hero triumphing over foreign antagonists, despite his Korean origins.
Rikidōzan gained international fame when Lou Thesz wrestled Japanese stars in a series of matches, allowing Rikidōzan to score victories in their rivalry. These wins helped him claim recognition as one of the best wrestlers in the world.
To expand his wrestling promotion, Rikidōzan continued to work with Japanese mobsters, using bad loans and money laundering to fund his endeavors and acquire nightclubs, hotels, and other properties. Unfortunately, this overextension and questionable practices left him in massive debt by the time of his death.
Despite his dubious business dealings, Rikidōzan became a national sensation. He consistently sold out venues and achieved high ratings by facing top wrestling names from America and around the world, such as The Destroyer, Freddie Blassie, and King Kong (an intriguing figure with an Australian-Indian background born in Hungary). Rikidōzan was cast in more films than Hulk Hogan and was a frequent tabloid subject. In many ways, he became a real-life prototype for the flamboyant, high-flying heel champions we see in wrestling today (e.g., Nick Bockwinkel, Ric Flair, Chris Jericho).
However, Rikidōzan’s success was tragically short-lived. On December 8, 1963, he was involved in a fight with a lower-level mobster at one of his nightclubs. Accounts vary, with some suggesting a dispute over a stepped-on foot, while others indicate that Rikidōzan had a tendency to provoke fights when drunk. Regardless, he ended up in a brawl with a gangster who pulled a knife and stabbed him in the stomach.
In a noir-like twist, Rikidōzan secretly went to a women’s clinic in the middle of the night, where a gynecologist performed emergency surgery to keep the incident out of the press. Although the surgery was successful, Rikidōzan’s recovery was compromised by his continued heavy drinking and eating. Mafia members, including his attacker, visited him to apologize, which Rikidōzan accepted.
Despite expectations that he would recover, Rikidōzan developed internal bleeding due to his heavy drinking and died a week later, on December 15 1963.
Rikidōzan’s death marked the beginning of a troubling pattern in modern pro wrestling: untimely and violent deaths. While earlier eras of wrestling saw their share of illicit deaths and even murders, Rikidōzan appears to be the first major TV wrestling star to die under such circumstances. His tragic end prefigured the deaths of other wrestling stars like Bruiser Brody, Gino Hernandez, Chris Adams, Dino Bravo, Neil Superior, Ricky Lawless, and Alberto and Alejandro Perez Jimenez. His funeral, attended by over 12,000 people and covered internationally, underscored the impact of his death.
Yet, despite his tragic demise and some questionable actions during his life, Rikidōzan achieved what he set out to do. Although he only witnessed the first decade of professional wrestling’s growth in Japan, his influence was profound. His promotion and training efforts were directly responsible for the rise of Japanese pro wrestling. Rikidōzan’s two most famous students, Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, carried on his legacy, with Inoki founding New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Baba establishing All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Both promotions continue to thrive and produce some of the best wrestlers from Japan and around the world.
In this way, Rikidōzan stands alone. No other wrestler has matched his level of stardom and success as both a performer and promoter. While Cody Rhodes’ story is still unfolding, Rikidōzan remains unique in his achievements. Hulk Hogan, Lou Thesz, and Nick Bockwinkel never ran their own promotions at the peak of their fame. Though Vern Gagne did, his iconic status outside Minnesota did not reach the heights of Hogan or Rikidōzan.
Ultimately, no single wrestler or promoter has had a greater impact on modern professional wrestling, both in terms of shaping its product and influencing its darker narrative of untimely demise. Rikidōzan’s life and murder serve as a poignant reflection of the highs and lows inherent in the wrestling world—a cycle of fame and tragedy familiar to fans of the sport.
