>>262Height of Hogan was his first Japan run. 1983 Hogan was still shoot 6'7" and he is at his physical peak of 300 lbs+ of muscle. He moved like a cruiserweight with speed and force that we will probably never see again. Hogan was so strong and so fast that right at the end of his run Inoki booked the debut IWGP tournament to crown the first IWGP heavyweight champion. Hogan pretty clearly decided to go into business for himself and shoot palm struck Inoki right on the chin when Hogan was performing the signature move he used in Japan, the axe bomber. He rattled Inoki's brains so hard that the ref and every NJPW employee at ringside was desperately trying to get the shook Inoki back in the ring while Hogan smugly circled the ring for over a minute working the crowd onto his side. Eventually the ref had to declare Hogan the winning in order to maintain kayfabe. Inoki was so seething with unmitigated anal fissures that Hogan stole the founding lineage that Inoki planned to be his promotions most prestigious title that he dissolved the title and quietly rebooted it a few years later just so Hogan wouldn't be the first champ and Inoki himself the first loser.
Hogan Ichiban
