DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Antonio Inoki vs. Harley Race
It’s time for match 22 in round 1 of the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament, a fun way to do some pro wrestling biographies.
On this edition, we have a very close match-up: Antonio Inoki vs. Harley Race. Inoki was the ace (and founder) for New Japan Pro Wrestling for many years. In storyline, he also was the World Martial Arts Champion, defeating not just every major pro wrestler of the day but several other combat sports athletes including Muhammad Ali in their famous draw.
Then, there’s Race, the eight-time NWA World Champion and, by reputation, the toughest barroom brawler around.
Enjoy this GKT edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show and check out previous editions of the tourney in the archives.
Karl Stern is a pro wrestling historian specializing in the 1980s and pioneer era (pre-1900) of pro wrestling. He is an author who has written several books on wrestling and independently runs the When It Was Cool retro pop culture website.