May 23 (tomorrow as of writing) marks the first anniversary of the passing of joshi star Hana Kimura. Had things panned out differently, star would be insufficient – Hana was headed towards being a bona fide superstar. I could talk for days about Hana Kimura, and likely will in either a podcast or article at some point – but for […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 2002: Jun Akiyama vs Yuji Nagata – GHC Heavyweight titleWrestling World 2002 (attendance: 52,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00159_1_10 GHC Heavyweight title? Yes, New Japan continues the co-operative approach with Pro Wrestling NOAH guest Jun Akiyama defending the Global Honoured Crown against NJPW’s Yuji Nagata. Jun Akiyama came through All Japan’s system and debuted against Kenta Kobashi in […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 2001: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Toshiaki Kawada – IWGP Heavyweight title tournament (semi-final)Wrestling World 2001 (attendance: 52,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00157_1_6 It’s 2001 and a lot has happened in the last twelve months. Since both promotions came into existence in 1972, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s main competitor had been All Japan Pro Wrestling. NJPW was formed by Antonio […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 2000: Keiji Mutoh vs Masahiro ChonoWrestling World 2000 (attendance: 53,500)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00155_1_11 Two years ago in 1998, it was NWO Japan member Keiji Mutoh challenging Kensuke Sasaki for the IWGP Heavyweight title while the group’s leader Masahiro Chono cheered him on from ringside. It’s the start of the new millennium and the two are now […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 1999: Jushin Thunder Liger vs Koji Kanemoto – IWGP Junior Heavyweight titleWrestling World 1999 (attendance: 52,500)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00153_1_4 Last time we saw Jushin Thunder Liger was at 1997’s event where he defeated Ultimo Dragon for 8 belts (the J-Crown). One of those was of course the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. This began his 8th reign […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 1998: Kensuke Sasaki © vs Keiji Mutoh – IWGP Heavyweight titleFinal Power Hall in Tokyo Dome (attendance: 55,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00150_1_9 Final Power Hall was the last stop on the Riki Choshu retirement tour and the departing star wrestled a series of matches dubbed the Riki Road Final Message 5. These were a short series of […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 1997: Ultimo Dragon vs Jushin Thunder Liger – J-Crown titleWrestling World 1997 (attendance: 62,500 / 52,500)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00148_1_9 You know that famous shot of Ultimo Dragon holding 10 belts at once? Well 8 of those are what makes up the J-Crown – a short-lived unification of weight class limited titles between 8 different promotions. A […]
1996: Keiji Mutoh © vs Nobuhiko Takada – IWGP Heavyweight titleWrestling World 1996 (attendance: 54,000) Back in August 1995, New Japan Pro Wrestling found itself in the midst of an invasion. The shoot style Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi), led by Nobuhiko Takada claimed that New Japan was fake and they were real. Note the use of the phrase […]
1995: Yuji Nagata vs Koji Kanemoto Battle 7 (attendance: 52,500) We make a departure from the IWGP Heavyweight title picture for 1995 and head to the undercard as the third Tiger Mask battles young Yuji Nagata. Kanemoto was one of Jushin Liger’s top dance partners through the 1990s and was an important part in building the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title […]
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 […]
