10 Wrestling Geniuses you probably didn't know about

#3 Shohei 'Giant' Baba

Baba had one of the greatest runs as a promoter in wrestling history

Giant Baba is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestling promoters of all time. He demonstrated incredible booking savvy and storytelling expertise through his booking of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) during the 1990s.

Through meticulous match-making and symbolism-laden match structure, Baba managed to create a series of complex and intriguing storylines and rivalries that allowed AJPW to enjoy a critically-acclaimed and financially-successful run that lasted an entire decade.

By carefully booking four wrestlers (Akira Taue, Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa) together in a series of singles and tag team matches together, fans were glued to their seats every time these four wrestlers faced one another.

With these four wrestlers at the top (along with the odd inclusion of other Japanese and foreign wrestlers), AJPW experienced immense praise that led to many people calling its matches the best on the planet during its peak.

An example of his genius booking is the rise of Kenta Kobashi. Giant Baba booked Kobashi to lose his first 63 matches, all with the intention of making Kobashi a top babyface. The plan did wonders in showcasing Kobashi's fighting spirit and determination which would eventually mould him into the legendary wrestler that he's considered to be today

Moreover, Baba and his wrestlers managed to make a very comfortable living with this booking and wrestling style (known today as ‘King’s Road’) and didn’t have to constantly headline massive buildings or have an enormous roster. In fact, Baba managed to keep AJPW going strong for a decade on a crew of only 26 fulltime wrestlers.

By comparison, you’re likely to see more than 26 different characters appear on every single episode of Monday Night RAW, and even then it gets boring and repetitive.