NJPW: The unconventional story of the first and only black IWGP Heavyweight Champion

In 2004, Bob Sapp became the first and only black man to hold the most prestigious title in professional wrestling, NJPW’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Like many pro wrestlers, Bob Sapp started his career after a fail foray into the NFL. In 2001, he started training with NWA Wildside before he signed a developmental contract with WCW. Just three years later, Sapp raised the top prize for NJPW as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Chances are you recognized the name for Bob Sapp from movies like The Longest Yard or Elektra. He is also known for his stint in MMA and kickboxing, which interestingly led him back to wrestling.

Sapp signed with WCW, but his training was short-lived as the company was notoriously bought out by WWE in 2001. He spent the rest of the year training and competing as a kickboxer after he gained the attention of Kazuyoshi Ishii, the chairman of a Japanese kickboxing promotion called K-1.

In 2002, Bob Sapp worked with them and the MMA company, Pride Fighting Championship. His success with K-1 made him a prime candidate for New Japan’s founder, Antonio Inoki. Between 2003 and 2006, the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion implemented a new strategy that pit MMA fighters against pro wrestlers and vise versa. He believed this would add legitimacy to the product.

This controversial philosophy became known as Inoki-ism. Sapp’s brief background in wrestling and marketability made him a perfect fit in Inoki’s eyes. What he lacked in sheer in-ring ability, Sapp made up for in athleticism, crowd-pleasing feats of strength, and character. Yes, his “Beast” gimmick, which he created during his time with WCW, could be seen as a dated stereotype but it was effective.

“The Beast” wrestled his first match for New Japan at the Tokyo Dome on Oct. 14, 2002. For the next few years, he juggled his time with NJPW, All Japan Pro Wrestling, K-1, and Pride. By March of 2004, Sapp was at the height of his popularity, picking up major wins as both an MMA fighter and a kickboxer.

On Mar. 28, 2004, he defeated Kensuke Sasaki to become the first, and only, black IWGP Heavyweight Champion. This is where things get tricky. Despite his limitation, Bob Sapp had the potential to be an interesting champion but he only held the title for 66 days.

In that time, he only defended it once against a young and up-and-coming Shinsuke Nakamura. Then, he unceremoniously vacated the title after he suffered a loss to Kazuyuki Fujita at a K-1 event.

Sapp continued to wrestle on and off after this but the loss to Fujita, who won the vacant title later, damaged his mystique. He probably could’ve recovered from this but that was one of the drawbacks of Inoki-ism. Fighters like Bob Sapp and Tadao Yasuda weren’t elevated because they were in-ring mechanics. So, once they lost their value in a shoot fight it was hard to salvage them.

“The Beast” did return to New Japan in 2013 to compete in a six-man tag team match at Wrestle Kingdom 7. However, he never reached the success he had with the company in 2004 again. Unfortunately, many fans see his reign as one of the byproducts of Inoki’s ill-advised booking decisions, which nearly ruined the company.

Still, Bob Sapp made history as the first African American man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and no one can take that away from him. For what it’s worth, many talented black wrestlers have worked with the promotion since.  Hopefully, we will see a second black champion someday.