A Brief History of Japanese Professional Wrestling

Fans crowd around a television to watch a live broadcast of a match in Tokyo 1954. The start of commercial broadcasts the same year helped spread the popularity of professional wrestling. (© Yomiuri Shimbun/Aflo)

Olympic jūdō champion Anton Geesink (left) is joined by Giant Baba as he explains his decision to move to professional wrestling during a press conference in Japan in 1973. (© Jiji)