RIKIDŌZAN - A Japanese National Hero with a SECRET PAST

Within a few years after that fateful night in early 1954, Rikidōzan became the most recognizable name in Japan, the owner of a vast business empire and the country’s FIRST post-war national hero… while actually NOT being Japanese!... And despite seemingly having had such a bright future ahead of him, this man lived a life that was short, but also EVENTFUL, a life that was just as intertwined with fame and the pro wrestling scene as it was riddled with crime, violence and controversies. Today, let’s explore HOW Rikidōzan became so beloved, where he ACTUALLY came from, how he got involved with Japan’s highest-ranking Yakuza leaders, and how his life abruptly and tragically ended at the HANDS of the Yakuza! THIS is the story of Rikidōzan: A Japanese National Hero with a secret past! #wrestling #japan #yakuza SOURCES: “Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan” by Robert Whiting https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-w... https://www.thesportster.com/japanese... https://www.tokyoreporter.com/japan-n... https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/y... https://www.wwe.com/superstars/rikidozan https://tokyoreview.net/2019/12/remem...   / how-professional-wrestling-influenced-japa...   https://robertwhiting.substack.com/p/... https://sumowrestling.fandom.com/wiki... https://www.puroresu.com/history/?dec... https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/t... https://www.wikiwand.com/ja/%E6%97%A5... https://www.lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp/... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikid%C... https://web.archive.org/web/201901130... CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 04:20 - Kim Sin-Rak 05:59 - Sumo 08:10 - Getting into Wrestling 11:49 - JWA & Breakthrough 18:25 - Riki & The Yakuza 21:38 - Business Empire 23:11 - The Murder of Rikidōzan 27:16 - Outro