Many wrestling fans won’t remember the Great Antonio. For some, they’ll only know him from one infamous match that he had in Japan with Antonio Inoki. We’ll get more to later, but let’s dig a bit deeper to look back at who the Great Antonio was.
In the world of professional wrestling, there have been many larger-than-life characters who captured the imagination of fans. Among them, The Great Antonio stands out as a true enigma. With his immense size, remarkable strength, and eccentric personality, Antonio has become something of a legend, if only for his match with Inoki.
Born as Antonio Barichievich in 1925 in Croatia, The Great Antonio was destined to become a pro wrestler. Raised in a family of modest means, Antonio possessed incredible physical strength from a young age. Antonio’s journey in the wrestling world began when he immigrated to Canada in the 1950s. His remarkable strength and imposing physique quickly caught the attention of promoters, leading to his debut as a professional wrestler. His massive size, which exceeded 6 feet 4 inches and 500 pounds, made him an instant attraction as a superheavyweight.
The Great Antonio was known for his astounding displays of strength, including that he would perform jaw-dropping feats like bending steel bars with his bare hands, lifting cars, or supporting several people on his back. These spectacles added to his mystique and made him a stand out attraction during his heyday.
What set The Great Antonio apart was not just his strength but also his eccentric personality, which presented even more so in his later years. He often displayed unconventional behaviour, which included wearing bizarre outfits, speaking in a unique language that only he understood, and engaging in erratic and unpredictable actions both in and out of the ring.
Legendary Matches and Memorable Moments: Throughout his career, The Great Antonio had notable encounters with renowned wrestlers of his time, including the earlier mentioned match with Antonio Inoki. I’ll hold from beating around the bush further as I’m sure that’s what a lot of people want to hear.
Having been flown out to Japan, The Great Antonio was to face Antonio Inoki in what I can imagine was dubbed the battle of the Antonios. I don’t know if the winner would have the full rights to be the one true Antonio, but what I do know is it was one heck of a spectacle. Maybe someone said that ‘Antonio is winning tonight’ and the Great Antonio thought that meant him, but the Canadian giant didn’t seem to realise that Inoki was the biggest star in Japan.
As the match started Inoki attacked Great, but Great Antonio refused to sell any of Inoki’s moves. Then for reasons that I can only speculate on, The Great Antonio starting really laying into Inoki. Whatever communication the two had between them The Great Antonio started thumping down on Inoki with live rounds and clubbing the back of his head.
It was at this point that Antonio Inoki saw red and started his comeback. He decided that the big man was going down now whether he liked it or not. To be fair to The Great Antonio he probably didn’t realise that Inoki was about to knock his ass out, and I can only assume he thought some random Japanese wrestler was meant to do the job to him. In fairness to Inoki, how could Great Antonio not know who Inoki was, and think it was OK to start taking liberties with his opponent?
Inoki gave a few blows to his face and then did a leg take down. Then as quick as anything Inoki started stomping a mud hole in the Great Antonio’s head. With a boot to the face the Great Antonio was knocked out and the referee quickly stopped the match as Great Antonio’s manager protested. This match would become legendary in the internet age.
/imBeyond the wrestling ring, The Great Antonio made appearances on television shows, participated in films, including Quest for Fire in 1981. It was reported in his later years that he started to claim to people that he wasn’t Croatian, but was in fact an extra-terrestrial…bet you didn’t see that twist in the story coming did you?
He was a true eccentric, and although it is easy to laugh at his match with Inoki or scoff at his claims of being E.T’s uncle, he was just a man who had had a difficult time in his life. It’s something of a sad story that in his last years he would carry around postcards of himself to sell to people and his other possessions in a garbage bag, and I’m sure in a slightly more modern era of pro wrestling there would be more support for wrestlers who have fallen out of the limelight.
As it is the legend of the man who was the Great Antonio is sure to live on for many years to come.
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