Hot on the heels of former NBA star Dennis Rodman's basketball antics in Pyongyang on the young leader's birthday, a Japanese pro wrestling legend turned politician is planning to entertain the North Korean capital with a martial arts extravaganza next month and hopefully meet some senior leaders while he is there.
Kanji "Antonio" Inoki was to leave for Pyongyang on Wednesday to set the final details for the Aug. 30-31 event, which organisers say will feature pro wrestling, taekwondo, the Japanese martial art aikido and a traditional Korean style of wrestling.
During the Gulf War, Inoki organised a pro wrestling show in Iraq and he has visited North Korea nearly 30 times. His proactive position on Pyongyang ties has gotten him in trouble before. He was suspended in parliament last year for 30 days after making an unauthorised trip to the North. Government officials are not expected to protest his current plans, however.
If all goes as planned, this will be the second time Inoki has helped arrange a pro-wrestling show in Pyongyang and the first was a huge success.
In 1995, Inoki fought American Ric Flair in what was called the "Collision in Korea." That two-day event, held in Pyongyang's huge May Day Stadium, drew a reported 380,000 spectators and was the biggest pay-per-view in pro-wrestling history. Ali was among the guest attendees.
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