Q 01/05

Which boxing legend did NJPW founder Antonio Inoki fight to a 15-round draw in Tokyo in June 1976?

A) Joe Frazier

B) Muhammad Ali

C) George Foreman

D) Ken Norton

Answer · why

B) Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali took 107 kicks to the legs because Inoki spent most of the bout on his back, a tactic the hastily agreed rules allowed.

Q 02/05

In which country did NJPW and WCW stage a two-night 1995 show that drew wrestling's largest ever crowds?

A) Russia

B) South Korea

C) North Korea

D) Vietnam

Answer · why

C) North Korea

North Korea filled Pyongyang's May Day Stadium with claimed crowds of 165,000 and 190,000, who watched Antonio Inoki face Ric Flair in the finale.

Q 03/05

Which American star beat Antonio Inoki in the 1983 final of NJPW's first IWGP tournament?

A) Hulk Hogan

B) André the Giant

C) Stan Hansen

D) Bob Backlund

Answer · why

A) Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan won by knockout, but that version of the title was later abandoned, so NJPW's official lineage begins in 1987 with Inoki as its first champ...

Q 04/05

In which country did NJPW founder Antonio Inoki stage a 1990 wrestling show to help free Japanese hostages?

A) Iran

B) Iraq

C) Libya

D) Lebanon

Answer · why

B) Iraq

Iraq freed 36 of its 41 Japanese captives after Inoki, then a member of Japan's upper house, went to negotiate with Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War...

Q 05/05

Which venue has hosted NJPW's biggest show of the year every January 4 since 1992?

A) Nippon Budokan

B) Yokohama Arena

C) Tokyo Dome

D) Saitama Super Arena

Answer · why

C) Tokyo Dome

The Tokyo Dome tradition began in 1992 with a joint card with America's WCW, and the show has been branded Wrestle Kingdom since 2007.