Wrestling Dontaku 1993

Last updated
Wrestling Dontaku 1993
Promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling
DateMay 3, 1993 [1]
City Fukuoka, Japan [1]
Venue Fukuoka Dome [1]
Attendance55,000 [1]
Wrestling Dontaku chronology
← Previous
First		Next →
1994
NJPW Events chronology
← Previous
Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome 		Next →
Battlefield

Wrestling Dontaku 1993 was the first Wrestling Dontaku professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 1993, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. As part of working relationships between NJPW and American promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF), WCW's Sting and WWF's Brutus Beefcake, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart took part in the event. Professional wrestlers from Japanese promotion Wrestle and Romance (WAR) also appeared at the event. [1]

Contents

The event featured ten professional wrestling matches. [1] The main event was a tag team match featuring Japanese wrestling's top four wrestlers as Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami teamed to take on Genichiro Tenryu and Riki Choshu. Inoki and Fujinami won the match. The event also featured a "dream match" between Hulk Hogan, the reigning WWF Champion, and The Great Muta, the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion. [2]

Event

Preliminary matches

IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta represented NJPW in the first main event of the show. Great Muta.jpg
IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta represented NJPW in the first main event of the show.

The opening match was a six-man tag team match pitting the team of Akira Nogami, El Samurai and Takayuki Iizuka against Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Osamu Nishimura and Satoshi Kojima. In the end, Nogami hit a full nelson suplex to Yamamoto for the win.

Next, Akitoshi Saito took on Michiyoshi Ohara. In the climax, Ohara executed a powerbomb on Saito for the win.

Next, Masa Saito took on WWF wrestler Brutus Beefcake. In the end, Saito delivered two Saito Suplexes to Beefcake until Beefcake's manager Jimmy Hart climbed on the apron to distract the referee, allowing Beefcake to hit Saito with Hart's megaphone and then he hit two headbutts to Saito for the win.

Next, the Heisei Ishingun members The Great Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Masashi Aoyagi and Shiro Koshinaka took on Ashura Hara, Hiro Saito, Super Strong Machine, Takashi Ishikawa and Tatsutoshi Goto in a ten-man tag team match. In the climax, Koshinaka executed a powerbomb to Goto for the win.

The following match featured junior heavyweight wrestlers Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask competing against each other. Tiger Mask delivered a Tiger Suplex to Liger for the win.

WWF Champion Hulk Hogan wrestled the IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta in the most popular match of the event. Hulk Hogan July 2010.jpg
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan wrestled the IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta in the most popular match of the event.

Next, Scott Norton took on WCW wrestler Sting. Near the end of the match, Sting hit a face crusher to Norton but got a near-fall and then Norton began brawling with Sting but he suffered a cut on his face and then Sting continued to attack Norton and the referee stopped the match due to Norton's injury and Sting's valiant assault, forcing the referee to end the match in a double disqualification.

Next, Yoshiaki Fujiwara took on Hiroshi Hase. In the climax, Fujiwara made Hase submit to the Fujiwara armbar for the win.

Later, The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior) took on the team of Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto. In the end, Hell Raisers executed a Double Impact on Chono for the win.

The penultimate match of the event was a champion vs. champion dream match between the IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta and the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. Near the end of the match, Hogan hit a leg drop on Muta, but Muta kicked out of the pinfall attempt and then Hogan nailed an Axe Bomber to Muta for the win. In a post-match interview, Hogan infamously remarked that he considered the WWF Championship to be "just a toy" and saw the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as the greatest prize in professional wrestling.

Main event match

The main event was a tag team match featuring Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami against Genichiro Tenryu and Riki Choshu. Fujinami won the match by making Tenryu submit to the Cobra Twist in the end.

Reception

Wrestling Dontaku was a huge success as the event drew a huge crowd of 55,000 spectators at the Fukuoka Dome. However, the event received mixed reviews from critics. Kevin Wilson of Puroresu Central considered that he would not recommend the event to watch, with "Muta vs. Hogan was a spectacle worth watching but nothing else on this tape is worth going out of your way to see. The main event was old school, but nothing great. The Liger match was disappointing, the Sting match was short and inconclusive, the Warriors match was fun but pretty normal for them and the rest ranged from bad to decent." He praised the champion vs. champion match between Muta and Hogan, considering it the best match of the event and the only worthwhile match of the event. He gave the match a rating of 7.6. The main event tag team match considered it to be "classic old school battle, consisting of submission holds (many meaningless) and a slow pace that builds up to a hot ending. There was nothing really wrong with this match, but it was pretty slow and the crowd only got really into it when Inoki was involved". He noted that the match got underway just due to Inoki's fanbase but the quality of the match "wasn’t great by any means". [3] [4]

Results

No.Results [1] StipulationsTimes [1]
1 Akira Nogami, El Samurai and Takayuki Iizuka defeated Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Osamu Nishimura and Satoshi Kojima Six-man tag team match 15:01
2 Michiyoshi Ohara defeated Akitoshi Saito Singles match 09:26
3 Brutus Beefcake (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Masa Saito Singles match08:35
4 Heisei Ishingun (Great Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Masashi Aoyagi and Shiro Koshinaka) defeated Ashura Hara, Hiro Saito, Super Strong Machine, Takashi Ishikawa and Tatsutoshi Goto Ten-man tag team match11:26
5 Tiger Mask defeated Jyushin Thunder Liger Singles match14:25
6 Scott Norton vs. Sting ended in a no contestSingles match09:16
7 Yoshiaki Fujiwara defeated Hiroshi Hase via submissionSingles match12:11
8 The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior) defeated Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto Tag team match 12:22
9 Hulk Hogan (with Jimmy Hart) defeated The Great Muta Singles match15:55
10 Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Genichiro Tenryu and Riki Choshu via submissionTag team match26:35

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keiji Muto</span> Japanese professional wrestler (born 1962)

Keiji Muto is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego The Great Muta in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and during the 1980s and 1990s, and from his runs in other Japanese, American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican promotions. He was the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) from 2002 to 2013 and representative director of Wrestle-1 (W-1) from 2013 until its closure in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Van Vader</span> American professional wrestler and football player (1955–2018)

Leon Allen White, better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Catch Wrestling Association (CWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) during the 1990s and 2000s. He is widely regarded as the greatest super-heavyweight professional wrestler of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jushin Liger</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Keiichi Yamada, better known as Jushin Liger and later Jushin Thunder Liger, is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having worked for the company since his professional wrestling debut in 1984. Throughout his career, which spanned three-and-a-half decades, he wrestled over 4,000 matches and performed in major events for various promotions across the globe.

Hoyt Richard Murdoch was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the NWA, World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatsumi Fujinami</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Tatsumi Fujinami is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legends contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Known for his fluid catch wrestling submission style, he was famously nicknamed "The Dragon", and is credited for inventing the dragon sleeper and the dragon suplex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riki Choshu</span> Korean Japanese wrestler (born 1951)

Mitsuo Yoshida, better known by his ring name Riki Choshu, is a South Korean-Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers for his work in the 1980s and 1990s and is known as the first wrestler to popularize the Sasori-Gatame, better known in English as the Scorpion Deathlock or Sharpshooter. After leaving NJPW in 2002, he formed Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling (WJ), but eventually returned to New Japan in October 2005 as a site foreman, booker and part-time wrestler. Choshu once again left NJPW in 2010 and primarily worked in Tatsumi Fujinami’s Dradition, as well as his own self-produced Power Hall events as a freelancer. Choshu was a second generation Zainichi Korean. He was naturalized in 2016.

<i>Wrestle Kingdom 2</i> 2007 video game

Wrestle Kingdom 2: Pro Wrestling Sekai Taisen is a professional wrestling video game for the PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Yuke's Wrestle Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Wrestling Peace Festival</span> Professional wrestling supercard event

The World Wrestling Peace Festival was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, which took place on June 1, 1996 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The event was organized by Inoki to promote world peace with an interpromotional event involving major promotions from around the world. Forty wrestlers from six countries ended up taking part in the event.

Wrestling Dontaku (1995) was the third Wrestling Dontaku professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), held on May 3, 1995, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome.

Wrestling Dontaku 1994 was the second Wrestling Dontaku professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event was held on May 1, 1994, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured thirteen matches; three of which were contested for championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestling World 1997</span>

Wrestling World 1997 was a professional wrestling event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) promotions. It took place on January 4, 1997 in the Tokyo Dome. Officially, the show drew 62,500 spectators and $5,000,000 in ticket sales. The show featured 12 matches, including four matches that were promoted jointly with the BJW promotion and presented as a rivalry between the two promotions. The show featured 12 matches in total, including three title matches, two of which saw new champions crowned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCW/New Japan Supershow II</span> 1992 World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view event

WCW/New Japan Supershow II took place on January 4, 1992, from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The show was the first NJPW January 4 Dome Show, something that would become an annual tradition in NJPW and would become their biggest show of the year. The show was also the second under the name WCW/New Japan Supershow. The show was broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV) months later in America. The US PPV broadcast did not include several of the matches of the 12-match show, with only six being broadcast in America out of a total of twelve matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCW/New Japan Supershow I</span> 1991 World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling pay-per-view event

WCW/New Japan Supershow I, was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event that took place on March 21, 1991, in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was co-promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), who hosted the event, and the US-Based World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which supplied a number of the wrestlers on the show. The event was the inaugural WCW/New Japan Supershow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCW/New Japan Supershow III</span> 1993 World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view event

WCW/New Japan Supershow III took place on January 4, 1993, in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The show would be the third and final show available on pay-per-view (PPV) in America under the name WCW/New Japan Supershow. In Japan it was promoted under the name "Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome" and was the second annual NJPW January 4 Dome Show, NJPW's premier event of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit</span> Professional wrestling show

The Wrestling Summit was a professional wrestling supercard show that was produced and scripted collaboratively between the US-based World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. The joint venture show took place on April 13, 1990 in the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan and reportedly drew 53,742 spectators. The event was the only time the three promotions produced a joint show, although NJPW and WWF had previously worked together in the 1970s and '80s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJPW Final Dome</span> 1999 New Japan Pro-Wrestling event

Final Dome was a major professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on October 12, 1999 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan and was televised live on TV Asahi.

Battle Formation was an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place at the Tokyo Dome during the month of April in 1996 and 1997. It was a major event, drawing over 60,000 fans in attendance during both editions. Shinya Hashimoto headlined both editions, cementing his status as the ace of NJPW during that period.

The 1996 Battle Formation was the first Battle Formation event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The event was held on April 29, 1996 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was a major success with a crowd of estimated 60,000 people and an approximate revenue of $5,700,000 from ticket sales. The event featured competitors from various promotions including Michinoku Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Union of Wrestling Forces International, World Championship Wrestling and Wrestle Association R.

The 1997 Battle Formation was the second and final Battle Formation event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which took place on April 12, 1997 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was a massive success, drawing a crowd of about 60,000 fans and the revenue generated from ticket sales amounted to $5,000,000.

Strong Style Evolution was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on May 3, 1997 at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wrestling Dontaku 1993". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Mike (September 3, 2010). "YouTube wrestling classic: when Hogan met Muta, champion vs. champion". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ Kevin Wilson. "New Japan Wrestling Dontaku 1993". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Kevin Wilson (June 13, 2006). "Puroresu Review: New Japan Wrestling Dontaku 1993" . Retrieved 23 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.