Rikidozan's Evaluation (2015)

Okay Cagesiders, let's just hear from you today, starting with what you loved:

The Notorious Eddie Mac:

"Lou Thesz put him over. LOU THESZ PUT HIM OVER."

Mr.P.Teacher:

"Name sounds like he’s a monster who is jockeying for a place in line with Mothra to be the next one to battle Godzilla."

Bryqan:

"Father of Puroresu, without him pro-wrestling is nowhere near what it is today. Think of how shitty wrestling would be without Puroresu influence. Now think of how awesome it currently is because of Puroresu influence."

Phil_X:

"Come on, son. Certified legend. Check this out (Roth Show: The Ballad of Rikizodan)."

cmujoiseyboy:

"Without Rikidozan, there would be no Antonio Inoki, no Giant Baba, no Hiro Matsuda,no Tastumi Fujinami, no Riki Choshu, no Masahiro Chono, no Keiji Mutoh, no Jushin Liger, no Hiroshi Hase, no Kenta Kobashi, no Kensuke Sasaki, no Hideo Itami, no Tajiri, no Taka Michinoku, no Funaki, no Hirooki Goto, no Hiroshi Tanahashi…get the picture? If not, there would be no professional wrestling in Japan if not for this man.

And if you don’t care about Japanese wrestling…WELL LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, BROTHER, about that name in bold.

Without Hiro Matsuda, there would be no "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, no Lex Luger, no Scott Hall (chico), no Ron Simmons (DAMN)…NO HULK HOGAN, BROTHERJACKDUDE!"

ReverendKain:

The internet is a magic box full of historical wonders. Match 1, Match 2, Match 3, Match 4, Match 5

anthony.dewayne.mack:

"He is a legend and hero of Japan, daring to lift Japan out of the morass of post-war depression and identity crisis. With his exploits in the ring, he gave a torn country a sense of pride and self-worth."

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What you loathed:

caseyfiore:

"Legend also has it his stabbing was retaliation for shooting on an opponent in the ring and injuring him, making his eventual untimely death the best possible example of why professionalism is so important in this business."

GrecoRomanGuy:

"He got put over by Lou Thesz. He helped train the greats and is in the canon of the greats. Yet, if the stories are to be believed, the reason he was killed is because he refused to put over Kimura and legit knocked him out. Obviously, Kimura didn’t have anything to do with his death (I hope), but it is still one hell of a black mark on what should have been an unsullied legend. But the circumstances of his death don’t impact his ability in the ring, and for that he gets one of the few 5s I’ve tossed out in this series."

Dave Nguyen:

"His grandson, Chikara Momota is the worst Puroresu wrestler ever. When he had a tryout with NOAH, he got laughed out of the building. It was that bad."

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On to the poll! With 73 votes, Rikidozan's average score is 4.5.

Thanks, Cagesiders! We'll be back on Sunday to recap with updated poll scores and the best comments of the week!

Until then!