The Olympics have shown that sport is one of the few things that can bridge cultural, political, and ideological gaps between groups. Professional wrestling legend Antonio Inoki knows this very well, and has decided to schedule a two-day International Pro-Wrestling Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea later this month. With over 20 athletes from numerous countries scheduled for the event, the main event status has been bestowed upon Bob “The Beast” Sapp, a former NFL lineman, kickboxer, pro wrestler, actor, and terrible mixed martial artist.
Inoki, a wrestler trained under the legendary, North Korean-born Rikidozan, has entered the world of politics following his retirement from in-ring competition. In 1995, he was part of the Sports and Cultural Festival for Peace in Pyongyang, where he wrestled Ric Flair, allegedly in front of an audience 380,000. He’s no stranger to making trips to North Korea in the interest of diplomacy, and is totally just going there to help smooth the relationships between the two countries and not to get his own wrestling promotion, Inoki Genome Federation, more notoriety. Everyone knows that Inoki doesn’t do anything for attention.
Sapp, of course, is a gigantic monster of a man (The only thing bigger than him is Inoki’s chin), who is much-beloved in Japan despite being terrible at combat. He’s lost his last twelve MMA “fights”, with only one contest making it out of the first round. He’s basically the reverse Ronda Rousey.
The full card hasn’t been released yet, but I’m pretty sure that Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un will team up to take on Sapp, who will submit during pre-match instructions.
