Mitsuhiro Momota, better known as Rikidōzan (Japanese:
力道山, Korean: 역도산, November 14, 1924 - December
15, 1963), was a Japanese professional wrestler, known as
the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most
influential men in wrestling history. He was credited with
bringing the sport of professional wrestling to Japan at a
time when the Japanese needed a local hero to emulate and
was lauded as a national hero - although was not Japanese at
all, but of Korean ethnicity. Rikidōzan is of similar
professional wrestling fame in Japan as Santo in Mexico,
Bret Hart in Canada, or Hulk Hogan in the United States.