Shohei Baba
Shohei Baba (Baba Shōhei, January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999) was a Japanese professional wrestler. He was co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his time, with a popularity in Japan that was like Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America. He was also a 3 time NWA Champion.
| Shohei Baba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ring name(s) | Giant Baba Shohei Baba Big Baba Baba The Giant Great Baba Ishope Baba Babyface Baba Giant Zebra |
| Billed height | 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) |
| Billed weight | 128 kg (282 lb) |
| Born | January 23, 1938 Sanjo, Niigata, Japan |
| Died | January 31, 1999 (aged 61) Tokyo, Japan |
| Trained by | Rikidōzan Great Togo Fred Atkins |
| Debut | September 30, 1960 |
| Retired | December 5, 1998 |
| Shohei Baba | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 馬場 正平 | ||||
| Hiragana | ばば しょうへい | ||||
| |||||
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Coconut Crush (Side headlock facebreaker knee smash)
- Running neckbreaker
- Signature moves
- Nicknames
- "The Giant of the East"
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AJPW All Asia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Jumbo Tsuruta
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- PWF World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- Champion's Carnival (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982)
- World's Strongest Tag Team League (1978, 1980) – with Jumbo Tsuruta
- Japan Wrestling Association
- NWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Michiaki Yoshimura (1), Antonio Inoki (4), and Seiji Sakaguchi (1)
- World Big League (6 times)
- NWA Detroit
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (1 time) - with Jumbo Tsuruta
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #10 of the 100 best tag teams during the PWI Years - with Jumbo Tsuruta in 2003.
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Wrestler of the Year (1975, 1979) [2]
- Outstanding Performance Award (1974, 1980) [2][3]
- Special Popularity Award (1976) [2]
- Popularity Award (1988) [3]
- Special Grand Award (1977, 1980) [2][3]
- 30th Anniversary Special Achievement Award (1990) [4]
- Special Award for breaking 5000 Matches (1993) [4]
- Special Achievement Award (1999) [4]
- Tag Team of the Year (1978, 1980, 1982)- with Jumbo Tsuruta [2][3]
- Match of the Year (1979)- with Antonio Inoki vs. Abdullah The Butcher and Tiger Jeet Singh on August 26, 1979 [2]
- Match of the Year (1980)- with Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. on December 11, 1980 [3]
- Match of the Year (1981)- vs. Verne Gagne on January 18, 1981 [3]
- Match of the Year (1982)- vs. Stan Hansen on February 4, 1982 [3]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1994) with Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi vs. Masanobu Fuchi, Akira Taue, and Toshiaki Kawada on February 13
- Best Booker (1989-1991)
- Promoter of the Year (1990-1994)
- Worst Tag Team (1990, 1991) with André the Giant
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
Other websites
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