Photo: ベースボール・マガジン社（Baseball Magazine Co. Ltd) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Giant Baba is one of those figures where the body alone tells half the story, 209 centimeters of him, the kind of tall where you stop seeing a wrestler and start seeing a landmark. What gets me is that he started out as a baseball pitcher before pivoting into the ring, which is such a beautifully unlikely career arc that I can't help but root for it. He became a Showa-era household name, the guy your grandparents would point at on the TV, and then went and built All Japan Pro Wrestling from scratch and carried it on those enormous shoulders. So he wasn't just a giant who could throw a chop, he was a promoter with real spine and patience. From small-town Sanjo in Niigata to a name people knew worldwide, there's something genuinely warm and old-school heroic about him that I find hard to resist.
Story
The 209-Centimeter Spine: How Giant Baba Carried an Era on His Shoulders
Overview
Giant Baba (born January 23, 1938, in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture) was a Japanese professional wrestler and former baseball player who became one of the most recognized figures in the history of Japanese sports entertainment. Standing 209 cm tall, he competed first as a baseball pitcher before transitioning to professional wrestling, where he rose to legendary status. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the sport. Baba passed away on January 31, 1999.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Giant Baba
- Name (Japanese)
- ジャイアント馬場
- Reading
- じゃいあんとばば
- Born
- January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Tiger (Tora)
- Origin
- Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
- Height
- 209cm
- Occupation
- baseball player / professional wrestler
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Giant Baba born?
January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999.
Where is Giant Baba from?
Giant Baba is from Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
What does Giant Baba do?
Giant Baba works as baseball player, professional wrestler.
How tall is Giant Baba?
Giant Baba is 209cm.
Baseball player — see all → · Professional wrestler — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.