Twenty-seven years after his death... Kyohei Wada testifies to Giant Baba and Motoko's "unspoken understanding": At home, right and wrong were reversed.
1st February 2026 Tokyo Sports January 31st was the anniversary of the death of Giant Baba, who died of liver failure at the age of 61 in 1999. Twenty-seven years have passed since then. On April 17th, a farewell ceremony titled "Thank You" was held at the Nippon Budokan. Tokyo Sports reprinted the ceremony, which began at noon. The Wrestlers Association President Misawa Mitsuharu contributed an exclusive memoir to the paper. "I am often asked what my best memory is, this may not be the answer, but it can be summed up in one phrase: "Meeting Giant Baba." Several of my classmates also had starting salaries of 10,000 yen, but mine was a little more. Baba explained to me, "You're different from the others..." which made me really happy. It was a great encouragement for me thereafter. The president taught me to have compassion for others. He also taught me, "Don't betray people. Don't deceive them." He continued, "For a long t...
