Kim Tae-sik (February 24, 1929 – October 26, 2006) was a South Korean

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and ''

ssireum ''Ssireum'' (; ) or Korean wrestling is a folk wrestling style and traditional national sport of Korea that began in the fourth century. In the modern form each contestant wears a belt (satba) that wraps around the waist and the thigh. The co ...

'' player, better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

s Kintarō Ōki () and Kim Il (). His professional wrestling career spanned from the late-1950s to the early-1980s.

Professional wrestling career

Kim was originally a

Ssireum ''Ssireum'' (; ) or Korean wrestling is a folk wrestling style and traditional national sport of Korea that began in the fourth century. In the modern form each contestant wears a belt (satba) that wraps around the waist and the thigh. The co ...

player, but he had hopes of becoming a student of fellow Korean wrestler

Rikidōzan (born Kim Sin-rak; ; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (), was a Korean-born Japanese wrestler who competed in sumo and professional wrestling. He was known as The Father of Puroresu (professional wrestling ...

, who had emigrated to Japan in 1940. He entered Japan illegally in 1958 to do so, but was arrested in 1959. After being released he was able to train with Rikidōzan and joined the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA). Kim debuted in November 1959 under the

"Kintarō Ōki". On September 30, 1960, Ōki defeated fellow rookie Kanji Inoki (later Antonio Inoki), who was making his debut along with Shohei Baba (later

Giant Baba , best known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota ...

). Ōki, Baba and Inoki were a rookie trio groomed to become the eventual successors to Rikidōzan himself. Ohki was also trained by Mr. Moto and Yoshino Sato. Upon Rikidōzan's murder in 1963, Ōki returned to his homeland to raise the profile of professional wrestling there. In 1964 and 1965 he went to Texas, where he competed for Big Time Wrestling in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

as "Kintarō Ōki" and for

Dory Funk Dorrance Wilhelm Funk (May 4, 1919 – June 3, 1973) was an American professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and was a promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion. Earl ...

's Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo as "Tetsurō Sato". He'd return to Amarillo in 1970 under the ring name "Kim Il", along with another Dallas tour. In 1964, Ōki faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling coach. Considered to be one of the last true shooters (legitimate wrestlers) in professional w ...

in what turned into a legitimate

shoot Shoot most commonly refers to: * Shoot (botany), an immature plant or portion of a plant * Shooting, the firing of projectile weapons * Photo shoot, a photography session; an event wherein a photographer takes photographs Shoot may also refer t ...

contest. Originally scheduled for three falls, Ōki shot on Thesz in the first round. Ōki's move to shoot on Thesz ended things fast, as Thesz wounded him to the point that Ōki was stretchered off. After a brief JWA return in 1964 as "Kintarō Kongo", Ōki returned to the JWA when Toyonobori and Inoki left the promotion, though he returned the next year. In 1967, Ōki became the top star in Korea with his defeat of

Mark Lewin Mark Lewin (born March 16, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler. He worked for various promotions throughout his 35-year career, including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and the World Wide Wrestling Fede ...

to win the Worldwide Wrestling Associates World Heavyweight Championship. With this, the JWA wanted to rename him to "Rikidōzan", but the plan never went through. Ōki trained Kim Duk, who debuted in 1968. The duo went on to team together, winning the

NWA International Tag Team Championship ''This was a regional NWA championship based in Japan. For the version of this title that was promoted in NWA All Star Wrestling in Canada, see NWA International Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version).'' The NWA International Tag Team Champio ...

twice and several awards. Inoki and Baba left the JWA in 1972 to found the

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...

and

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

promotions respectively in 1972, letting Ōki become the JWA's top star, winning the NWA International Heavyweight Championship. In April 1973, the JWA closed and was absorbed into All Japan Pro Wrestling, and though Ōki competed for the new organization for a time he wrestled mostly as a freelancer in Japan and a main event star in South Korea, famously wrestling against his former fellow rookies Inoki and Baba in 1974 and 1975. He defended the NWA International Heavyweight Championship in

International Wrestling Enterprise was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1966 to 1981. Founded by Isao Yoshihara, it was affiliated with the American Wrestling Association in the United States and also had tie-ins with promotions in Canada and Europe. In 1972, it ...

and South Korea until ordered by the NWA to vacate it in 1981. Following then Ōki did not compete much, with his official retirement card on April 2, 1995, held at a ''Weekly Pro-Wrestling'' magazine sponsored show at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

in Japan. Wrestling legend

assisted Ōki at this, his last public appearance in Japan; Ōki was in a wheelchair at this time. During his career Ōki also held the Far East Heavyweight Championship, All Asia Heavyweight Championship, and

All Asia Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Originally, it was the top tag team title in the JWA, but its status became secondary once the NWA International Tag Team Championship was brou ...

four times each, the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship four times, and the

four times.

Death

Ōki died in the Eulji General Hospital in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

on October 26, 2006, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

brought on by

chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of long-term kidney disease, defined by the sustained presence of abnormal kidney function and/or abnormal kidney structure. To meet criteria for CKD, the abnormalities must be present for at least three mo ...

and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

. In 2020, he was reburied in the

Daejeon National Cemetery The Daejeon National Cemetery () is located in Hyeonchungwon-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. It is South Korea's second national cemetery after the Seoul National Cemetery and is overseen by the Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affai ...

with the approval of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Professional wrestling style and persona

Ōki's finishing moves were a

headbutt A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...

and a figure-four leglock.

Championships and accomplishments

** All Asia Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) **

( 2 times) - with Kim Duk **Champion Carnival Fighting Spirit Award (1976) **World's Strongest Tag Determination Fair Play Award (1977) – with Kim Duk **World's Strongest Tag Determination Effort Award (1978) – with Kim Duk **World's Strongest Tag Determination Team Play Award (1979) – with Kim Duk * Japan Wrestling Association ** All Asia Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) **

( 4 times) – with Michiaki Yoshimura (3 times) and

Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...

(1 time) ** NWA International Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **

( 2 times) – Seiji Sakaguchi (1 time) and Umanosuke Ueda (1 time) *Korean Wrestling Association **Far East Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * NWA Big Time Wrestling ** NWA Texas Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Pak Song *''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards References External links

* http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp Official website 1960 establishments in Japan Da ...

'' ** Fighting Spirit Award (1975) ** Service Award (2006) * Western States Sports **

NWA Western States Tag Team Championship The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. The title w ...

( 1 time) - with Pak Song * Worldwide Wrestling Associates **

WWA World Heavyweight Championship The World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling All-Stars. It was the primary championship in the WWA. The title was sanctioned by WWA as their wor ...

( 1 time) ** WWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Mr. Moto ** WWA International Television Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Mr. Moto *''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

( Class of 1996) * Korean Sport & Olympic Committee ** Korean Sports Hall of Fame (2018)

References

External links

Kim Il at Puroresu.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ōki, Kintarō 1929 births 2006 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers All Asia Heavyweight Champions All Asia Tag Team Champions Gimhae Kim clan Japanese male professional wrestlers Professional wrestling executives South Korean Buddhists South Korean emigrants to Japan South Korean male professional wrestlers NWA Americas Tag Team Champions NWA International Heavyweight Champions NWA International Tag Team Champions People from Goheung County Zainichi Korean professional wrestlers Burials at Daejeon National Cemetery 20th-century Japanese sportsmen