ɪn mˈeɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti θɹˈiː, hiː tɹˈævəld tə dʒəpˈæn fɚðə fˈɜːst tˈaɪm ɪn hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ, tə ɹˈɛsəl ɹˈɪkɪdˌɑːzən ɪn ɐ mˈætʃ wˈɑːtʃt baɪ ˌoʊvɚ sˈɛvənti mˈɪliən tˌiːvˈiː vjˈuːɚz, bˌiːɪŋ dʒəpˈænz hˈaɪɪst ɹˈeɪɾᵻd ʃˈoʊ æt ðə tˈaɪm.
In May 1963, he traveled to Japan for the first time in his career, to wrestle Rikidōzan in a match watched by over 70 million TV viewers, being Japan's highest rated show at the time.