One of the greatest wrestlers and promoters in wrestling history, Antonio Inoki, was a man who wanted wrestling to be taken seriously. He wanted to see wrestlers respected at the same level that boxers and MMA fighters are today. For this, he did everything in his power to make that happen. For instance, his legendary bout with Muhammad Ali. While people only remember this interaction between the two, there is another one in one of the most unexpected places on the planet.

Nearly 30 years ago, the most bizarre pro wrestling trip took place when some North American and Japanese wrestlers went to North Korea. The trip, which came into being because of Inoki, saw the legendary strong-style wrestler go against one of the most prominent wrestling figures in wrestling history.

This rare photo shows Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali with another WWE legend

In a photo that features boxing’s greatest Muhammad Ali, Japanese wrestling’s greatest Antonio Inoki, and American wrestling’s greatest Ric Flair is making the rounds once more than Inoki passed away this morning. The trip was to North Korea, where the dictator wanted to hold a wrestling PPV. The NJPW founder talked with WCW to have some of its wrestlers accompany them to North Korea.

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Also, as we all know, his bout with Ali led to a friendship between the two. Which he made use of here and brought Ali and his photographer to North Korea. Ali’s photographer is the only reason we have these three legends in one frame. Because Inoki’s teacher was from Korea, he had a huge following in North Korea. Which the Nature Boy talked about in his podcast, when asked about working in North Korea.

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Apart from Flair, there were other WWE legends as well. The Steiner Brothers, Road Warrior Hawk, Chris Benoit, and the WCW promoter himself, Eric Bischoff. The headliner of the show was Ric Flair vs Antonio Inoki, and Flair said that the whole crowd was silent until Inoki came out. His presence, even in a country that doesn’t have the best track record with Japan, was massive. Truly, in every sense of the word, Inoki was a legend.

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Have you watched Inoki’s matches? If you have, tell us your favorite one in the comments below.