Established in 1882, the Japanese martial art known as judo focuses on using throws, locks, and chokes more than strikes, and competitors in judo use pins as well as submissions in order to beat an opponent. In other words, it’s a perfect discipline to incorporate into pro wrestling, where pinfalls and submissions are considered the decisive ways to win matches.
Over the years, there have been a number of wrestlers with judo backgrounds, many of whom have used that influence in their in-ring performances. Without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 well-known judo practitioners -- or judoka -- in pro wrestling, some of whom may prove surprising.
10 Gene LeBell
More than just the innovator of the LeBell lock -- or, as it’s known to WWE fans, Daniel Bryan’s YES! Lock -- Gene LeBell is one of the more fascinating figures in pro wrestling, as he’s also a prolific stuntman and considered one of the godfathers of mixed martial arts. But LeBell is also an accomplished judoka, having won several championships in the 1950s and ultimately attained the rank of 10th Degree Red Belt. He even trained in Japan’s judo headquarters, the Kodokan Judo Institute.
9 Tay Conti
Formerly known as Taynara Conti in NXT, the Brazilian star Tay Conti can be seen every week on All Elite Wrestling programming, where her in-ring skills get better and better. She’s also got a legitimate martial arts background, boasting a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but proving more accomplished in judo, as she’s got a black belt. In fact, before Tay Conti signed with WWE in 2016, she actually tried out for the Brazilian judo team in the 2016 Olympics.
8 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe’s nickname of “The Samoan Submission Machine” isn’t just a cool phrase. While he trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai, Joe actually studied judo in his younger days, going as far as actually becoming a California State Judo Champion while in high school
But Joe’s relationship with judo didn’t end in high school, as his moveset in pro wrestling incorporates many maneuvers based on his martial arts training. Most significantly, his Coquina Clutch submission finisher is actually a rear-naked choke, known in judo as a Hadaka-jime.
7 Seiji Sakaguchi
The career of Japanese competitor Seiji Sakaguchi might not be as well known to Western fans. Sakaguchi wrestled for National Wrestling Alliance territories and New Japan Pro-Wrestling throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Over the course of his career, Sakaguchi has been a WWE North American Heavyweight Champion as well as a tag champion alongside legends Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki. But before he debuted as a wrestler in 1967, Sakaguchi was a black belt in judo, and even won a bronze medal at the 1964 World Judo Championships in Brazil.
6 Santino Marella
Given that he’s best known as the goofy WWE comedy character, it may surprise fans to find out that Santino Marella has a background in judo, having trained in the art since he was nine-years-old.
After an injury sidelined his wrestling career and he was released from WWE in 2017, Santino took part in the Asahi judo tournament and ended up earning a bronze medal. A couple of years later, he showed off his shoot skills to take on Simon Grimm (a.k.a. Simon Gotch) at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 2.
5 Bad News Brown
Otherwise known as Bad News Allen, Bad News Brown -- a.k.a. Allen Coage -- might be one of the most accomplished judoka in pro wrestling. His judo career started in 1964, and he ended up winning gold medals in the 1967 and 1975 Pan American Games followed by a bronze medal in the 1976 Olympics. In 1977, Antonio Inoki would train him in wrestling and he’d perform for NJPW as “Buffalo Allen,” only becoming Bad News Brown when he signed to WWE in 1988.
4 Tiger Mask
Satoru Sayama is best known for his run as the first Tiger Mask in NJPW, where his classic matches with Dynamite Kid established the fast pace and athletic maneuvers that junior heavyweight wrestling has become known for. But before pro wrestling, Sayama originally trained in judo and maintained his love for martial arts throughout his career.
As the years went on, Sayama expanded his horizons to train in Sambo and Kickboxing and combined his various disciplines by forming his own mixed martial arts organization, Shooto, in 1985.
3 Taz
All Elite Wrestling fans who tune into AEW Dark every week can expect to hear resident color commentator (and ECW/WWE alum) Taz pontificate on judo maneuvers every now and again, going as far as knowing the Japanese names of the moves. This is because Taz has legitimate training in the form that precedes his venture into pro wrestling, attaining a second-degree black belt in the process. As fans might expect, Taz’s finisher, the Tazmission, is actually a judo move called the Katahajime.
2 Yoshiaki Fujiwara
The first graduate of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo, Yoshiaki Fujiwara -- the innovator of the Fujiwara Armbar -- wrestled for the company throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Since his debut, Fujiwara has been lauded by fans for his technique and submission ability in shoot-style matches, but he started out as a judoka before he entered pro wrestling. His background in judo actually came into play in the late 1970s when he entered a feud with a fellow judoka, the aforementioned Bad News Brown.
1 Ronda Rousey
Given Ronda Rousey’s accomplishments in mixed martial arts, it would be easy for fans to assume that she specialized in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as the form is a staple of MMA culture. However, Rousey actually started out practicing judo, as her mother AnnMaria De Mars won the 1984 World Judo Championship, becoming the first American to do so. She started training with her mother at age 11 and ended up winning loads of medals in judo, including a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was only then that Rousey decided to embark on a career in MMA.