Giant Baba Autographs
Shohei Baba (馬場 正平, Baba Shōhei; January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999), best known by his ring name Giant Baba (ジャイアント馬場, Jaianto Baba), was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota and Yoshihiro Momota, the sons of his mentor Rikidōzan. For the first 10 years of its existence, Baba was the top star of All Japan, while also serving as the booker, promoter, head trainer and president of the promotion from its inception in 1972 till his death in 1999. Baba was also responsible for recruiting much of the talent for All Japan, and was the public face of the promotion for much of his lifetime.
Considered one of the most beloved Japanese wrestlers ever, Baba was a national hero with a level of popularity in Japan comparable to that of Hulk Hogan in the United States. The 2006 Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan survey ranked Baba the 93rd greatest person in the history of Japan, as voted for by the general public. Among his many accomplishments, Baba was a record seven-time winner of the Champion Carnival, a four-time PWF World Heavyweight Champion, three time NWA International Heavyweight Champion and a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Shohei Baba was born on January 23, 1938, in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, the last son of Kazuo and Mitsu Baba. For most of his early childhood, Baba was one of the smallest children in his class, however, around the fifth grade, he began to grow at a rapid rate, and by the time he was in the ninth grade he was already 175 cm tall. It soon became apparent he was suffering from gigantism. Nevertheless, Baba excelled at baseball, becoming the top player at his local club. After graduating from elementary school, Baba enrolled in the department of mechanical engineering at Sanjo Business High School. Baba was forced to give up baseball when he joined high school as he was continuing to grow at an incredible rate (190 cm at the age of 16) and no cleats could be sourced in his size. He soon joined the art club instead, but this didn't last long as the school ordered custom cleats and Baba was invited to join the baseball team. Baba continued to impress, recording 18 strikeouts during a practice game, which led to tabloids reporting on "Sanjo High School's giant pitcher" and Baba garnering the attention of Nippon Professional Baseball scouts. In 1954, Baba met with Hidetoshi Genkawa of the Yomiuri Giants who invited Baba to drop out of high school and join the team full time. Baba accepted and began pitching for the Giants in January 1955 at #59.
Read more about Giant Baba on Wikipedia
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Current items with a signature of Giant Baba
These are the most current items with a signature of Giant Baba that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
Traded items with a signature of Giant Baba
The most expensive item with a signature of Giant Baba (Andre the Giant Giant Baba 19th Autographed colored paper Professional wrestling) was sold in June 2025 for $3,007.99 while the cheapest item (SIGNED JOEL DEATON 8x10! ALL JAPAN! GIANT BABA! NWA WRESTLING! JCP! TBS! GEORGIA) found a new owner for $25.00 in June 2026. The month with the most items sold (7) was November 2025 with an average selling price of $115.25 for an autographed item of Giant Baba. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in June 2025 with $1,545.86 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $83.82 was May 2026. In average, an autographed item from Giant Baba is worth $117.58.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Giant Baba were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
