NJPW Battlefield – Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahiro Chono (January 4, 1994)

1994: Shinya Hashimoto © vs Masahiro Chono – IWGP Heavyweight title Battlefield (attendance: 48,000) Yesterday we looked at Mutoh and Chono, today we throw the third musketeer into the mix. Shinya Hashimoto. The Three Musketeers each used a different style of wrestling. For Mutoh it was speed, Chono used a more power-based game and Hashimoto the strike-based strong style. Between […]

NJPW Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome – The Great Muta vs. Masahiro Chono (January 4, 1993)

1993: The Great Muta © vs Masahiro Chono © – IWGP Heavyweight & NWA World Heavyweight title Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome (attendance: 63,500 / 53,500) http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00114_1_7 From looking to the past, to looking to the future (as of the time of the match anyway, it’s all looking to the past for us). Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono (alongside Shinya […]

NJPW Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome – Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Riki Choshu (January 4, 1992)

1992: Tatsumi Fujinami © vs Riki Choshu © – IWGP Heavyweight & Greatest 18 title unification Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome (attendance 50,000) http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00104_1_12 The feud that netted New Japan two of its biggest stars (not named Inoki) in the 1980s, Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami put on a number of classics over the years. Fitting that as we start […]

Koloff Topples Bruno (WWWF, January 18, 1971)

January 18, 2021 marked the fiftieth anniversary of an historic title change in Madison Square Garden back in 1971. “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff shocked the wrestling world by pinning Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Title, ending his incredible reign of seven years, eight months and one day.  The photo – taken by veteran wrestling reporter Bill Apter – captures […]

Vince Gets Nailed ​(WWF, December 14, 1992)

Kevin Walcholz (Nailz) first arrived in the World Wrestling Federation in May 1992, and immediately went after the Big Bossman. The backstory of his character was that he was an ex-convict, who served time in Cobb County, Georgia, where Bossman was a prison guard. He claimed he was wrongly convicted and that Bossman beat him regularly. In his debut on […]

Franchise throws Down NWA Title (ECW, August 27, 1994)

On August 27, 1994, one of the most controversial and talked about moments in professional wrestling took place, when ECW Heavyweight champion Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Title, moments after winning it in a tournament final. Philadelphia jewelry store owner and lifelong wrestling fan Tod Gordon started NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992. Previously, Gordon had been a silent partner […]

Austin 3:16 is Born (WWF, June 23, 1996)

The King of the Ring was one of the most prestigious pay-per-views on the WWF calendar. The purpose of the tournament was to crown a new star for the company, and there is arguably been no more memorable winner of King of the Ring than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. His meteoric rise, which had been simmering for some time after casting […]

Awesome v Taz(z) (ECW, April 14, 2000)

The Monday Night War was an interesting and entertaining time in professional wrestling. The epic war between the WWF and WCW was exciting from week-to-week, largely because you never knew what the hell was going to happen. But it’s important to note how much impact the war had on Extreme Championship Wrestling, a smaller company struggling to stay alive among these […]