Rikidōzan

Rikidozan was the ring name of Mitsuhiro Momota, born Kim Sin-rak, a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler and sumo wrestler who lived from November 14, 1924 to December 15, 1963. He is widely called the father of professional wrestling in Japan, nicknamed the Father of Puroresu, and is regarded as one of the most influential people in the history of the business. Born in Korea under Japanese rule, in an area now part of North Korea, he first practised ssireum and then moved to Nagasaki to become a sumo wrestler, rising to the rank of sekiwake before retiring from sumo in 1951. Introduced to professional wrestling by members of the American National Wrestling Alliance, he popularised it in Japan and became a national icon. He died at 39 from peritonitis after being stabbed in a Tokyo nightclub, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.