 Sakaguchi (center) along withDory Funk, Jr. (left) andGiant Baba (right), c. 1973. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Seiji Sakaguchi (1942-02-17)February 17, 1942 (age 83) Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Children | Kenji Sakaguchi Yukio Sakaguchi |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Saka Giant Saka Great Saka Great Sakaguchi Mighty Saka Seiji Sakaguchi |
| Billed height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Billed weight | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan |
| Trained by | Karl Gotch Michiaki Yoshimura |
| Debut | 5 August 1967 |
| Retired | 15 March 1990 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing Japan | ||
| Men's Black BeltJudo | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 1965 Rio de Janeiro | +80 kg |
Seiji Sakaguchi (坂口征二,Sakaguchi Seiji; born February 17, 1942) is a Japanese retiredprofessional wrestler andjudoka, Sakaguchi holds a 7th dan[citation needed] red and white belt in judo. Sakaguchi was a mainstay ofNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and also competed for theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation and theNational Wrestling Alliance. His sons areprofessional wrestler andmixed martial arts fighterYukio Sakaguchi and television actorKenji Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi currently works for New Japan as an advisor.[1]
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Sakaguchi was ajudoka with a fifth degree black belt and won the 1965All Japan Judo Championship. CoachKoji Sone was accused by Anton Geesink's teammates in the1965 World Judo Championships of having Sakaguchi throw the match against the more rested Matsunaga in order to allow Matsunaga take on the weary Geesink in the final round.[2]
Sakaguchi debuted in August 1967 for theJapan Wrestling Association. When JWA closed down in 1973, he joinedNew Japan Pro-Wrestling. He retired from the ring in March 1990. He was the president of theNational Wrestling Alliance from 1992 to 1993.
At age 61, Seiji Sakaguchi came out of retirement to team up withMasahiro Chono againstYoshihiro Takayama andShinya Makabe on September 14, 2003.
Sakaguchi appeared in the 1982 American filmForced Vengeance. His role was a minor one, though he did appear in the film's climacticfight scene, battling starChuck Norris.
