After battling a rare disease called amyloidosis for several years, WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki sadly passed away on September 30, 2022, at age 79. The Japanese wrestling legend made his last public appearance in August when he appeared on a television show.

Mourning Inoki, WWE issued a statement in which the company dubbed him a “legend in his homeland” and a “tremendous ambassador for professional wrestling.”

The wrestling legend has had an eventful life. Nearly half a century ago, the WWE Hall of Famer went head-to-head against one of the greatest boxers in history. He also went on a mission to meet Saddam Hussein.

Here are five things you should know about late WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki.

Antonio Inoki’s controversial match against Muhammad Ali

First Ali, then Gene Lebell, now Antonio Inoki.

All three men involved in the most famous MMA fight of all time are now gone.

RIP to a Japanese wrestling icon.#antonioinoki pic.twitter.com/wMzqOa8GjB

— Paul Lazenby (@MaulerMMA) October 1, 2022

In 1975, boxing legend Muhammad Ali was the reigning WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing champion. According to famous promoter Bob Arum, Ali’s manager told him that some Japanese people had offered him money to fight Antonio Inoki.

When Ali later met the then-president of the Japan Amateur Wrestling Association, Ichiro Yada, at a party in the United States, he jokingly issued a challenge to Japanese fighters. When Yada brought Ali’s challenge back to the Japanese press, Inoki accepted it and pursued a fight against the boxing champion.

Ali and Inoki squared off in a fight billed as The War of the Worlds on June 26, 1976, at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. The match had special rules that prevented Inoki from using many of his moves. Surprisingly, the Japanese wrestling legend spent most of the bout lying on his back and throwing kicks at his opponent.

Bill Gallo of the New York Daily News recalled the events of the unusual match between Ali and Inoki.

“What could Ali do when his opponent spent his time safely flat on the floor and kicking the hell out of him? All Ali could do was look down at his foe, talking to him and waving his arms, urging the guy to get up and ‘fight like a man’. No dice, the canvas was a lot safer to the Japanese canvasback,” he said. [H/T: The Guardian]

The fight lasted 15 rounds. However, the fans in attendance were not happy. According to The Guardian, the crowd at the Budokan threw rubbish into the ring and chanted, “Money back! money back!” After the match ended, the judges announced the result as a 71-71 draw.

After the bout, Ali complained that he could not knock his opponent down when he was already on the floor. Inoki replied that he was unfairly “handicapped by the rules that said no tackling, no karate chops, no punching when on the mat.”

Meanwhile, Bob Arum revealed that despite the fight being awful, Ali almost lost his leg because of it.

“So fine, OK. It was terrible, it was embarrassing. But Ali is bleeding from the legs. He gets an infection in his legs; almost has to have an amputation,” he said. [H/T: The Guardian]

Arum pointed out that because of his fight against Inoki, Ali could have been a “cripple for the rest of his life.” Despite this, the two legends later became friends.