Best of Randy Orton: The Legend Killer Click here for our privacy policy. [2] In May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw episode, Yokozuna was challenged by Earthquake to an actual sumo match. Triple H - SmackDown (9/23/99), The Undertaker Vs. Heidenreich - Royal Rumble 2005, The Undertaker Vs. Mark Henry - Raw (3/10/08), The Undertaker Vs. Kamala - Survivor Series 1992, The Undertaker Vs. He fell backward, smacked his head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake. He applied the Mandible Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind. Required fields are marked *. With Hulk Hogans insertion into the main event scene, there was a natural pathway for Hart to both stay apart from Yokozuna, and for a groundswell of support to develop from Harts fans about the injustice of him never getting a rematch for the title he lost under heavy shenanigans. It became something of a dream match to speculate on what would happen if these two collided in the ring, and I specifically remember debating who was more deadlythat a childhood friend at the time was sold on Yokozuna at a hundred-plus-pounds heavier, while I backed Vader for his more aggressive style and agility (he may have used it sooner, but 1993 was when I first saw him pull off a moonsault). Former Editor-In-Chief of Sound On Sight, and host of several podcasts including the Game of Thrones and Walking Dead podcasts, as well as Sound On Sight. As Yokozuna thought that there would be no one left to challenge him, Lex Luger flew in by helicopter, stepped forward, and slammed him on the deck. RELATED: The First 10 Casket Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best. While the resulting matches werent great, and there are ways in which the meat of their rivalry (the turn from 1993 to 1994) felt like a placeholder before we returned to Luger-Yokozuna, the story was sound and I give this rivalry the nod over Lugers because it did get a proper resolution. The Best Raw Matches of the Decade The best of WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna | WWE This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. This was the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a casket match. Spanning its storied history through NWA, WCW and WWE, matches include Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum T.A., Sting vs. Rick Rude and AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens. [1][2][12] Yokozuna's career soon took off, and he headed into 1993's Royal Rumble, where he was billed as a potential favorite. Their second meeting at Survivor Series had Chuck Norris as the special enforcer to ensure that a repeat of what happened at the Royal Rumble, would not materialize here. The Undertaker and his former tag team partner Big Show were opponents in a casket match at Survivor Series 2008. This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who have reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna.It was not recorded on the banzuke until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. And yet for all of that sustained success, The Dead Man also never truly had a sustained run as world champion to hang his hat on with only two reigns that lasted much more than a month, none more than five months. Kevin Owens' Biggest Fights The casket match has become The Undertaker's signature match. His uncles were The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the family business. Shortly after he was offered a new gimmick: Yokozuna. WWE Champion Yokozuna spearheaded Ludvig Borga, Crush, and Quebecers Jacques as the Foreign Fanatics in their traditional Survivor Series elimination match at Survivor Series 1993. Their match was physical but it wasn't anything special. Stage Information Misc. The two heavy-hitters went at it, but there was always going to be one winner. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion's face. It was a humbling defeat and a loud, clear message from management about his health and weight. At the time, Yokozuna held the record for the second shortest time (after Ric Flair) to win the WWF Championship after his debut, with 173 days (currently, Yokozuna holds the fourth shortest time, after Flair, Sheamus and Brock Lesnar). [2], The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels for the title, teasing turning heel again. Anoai's career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a family full of wrestlers, the Anoai family. Their clash was marginally better than their WrestleMania 9 match. After his WWE Championship reign came to a halt in 1994, Yokozuna was on a decline, but fans saw Yokozuna compete in some remarkable matches on pay-per-view. Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 06:51, List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "WWE World Heavyweight Championship history", "World Tag Team Championship (WWE) history", "Bruce Prichard Reveals Who Came up with Rikishi's Stink Face Gimmick", "Yokozuna's first WWE Championship reign", "The 10 fastest rises to the WWE World Heavyweight Title", "Yokozuna's second WWE Championship reign", "Owen Hart and Yokozuna's first World Tag Team Championship reign", "Owen Hart and Yokozuna's second World Tag Team Championship reign", August 19, 1996 RAW Shawn Michaels vs. Yokozuna, "Jim Ross shoots on Yokozuna's last matches in the WWF", "Matches " Yokozuna " Wrestlers Database " CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database", "This Day in Wrestling History (October 23): Cross the Line to HD", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yokozuna_(wrestler)&oldid=1140883009, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 06:51. The two feuded in actuality in early 1996, cast as frenemies in Camp Cornette before Yokozuna turned face and the guys worked the house show circuit, besides working opposite sides of an underrated six-man tag at WrestleMania 12. Yokozuna got plenty of offense in the early proceedings and he controlled large portions of the match. Managed by Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars with his then new gimmick of a stereotypical sumo wrestler, who competed under the Japanese flag; though the WWF tactfully acknowledged his Samoan roots. The WreslteMania match between the two was too short to count for much, and their rematch at King of the Ring was fully realized but pretty bad. The Hulkster, who had come to ringside to check on Hart, hit the ring, ducked another salt-fueled attack and delivered his big leg drop to capture the championship. Yokozuna was powerless, and Hogan capitalized by nailing Yokozuna with his trademark leg drop to become WWE Champion for a record-extending fifth time. So, this rivalry came to a close at WrestleMania, but with Luger getting disqualified in a screwjob finish that never really paid off in anything meaningful as Mr. Perfectthe guest ref who wronged himdisappeared shortly thereafter and Luger moved on to feud with Ted Dibiases Million Dollar Corporation in a totally unrelated storyline. He had two children, Justin and Keilani. That was the last word many of WWE's top Superstars heard when they faced the imposing Yokozuna. The seventh annual Royal Rumble (which took place on January 22, 1994, at the Providence Civic Center) is best known for two big moments: The first is when Owen Hart turned on his brother Bret Hart after The Quebecers defeated them to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship. In the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Sign up for BINGE to watch. Now relive the best, worst and most outrageous moments in the iconic career of one of wrestling's most remarkable big men. Cowboy Bob was past his prime here, but the Ortons worked as a cohesive unit. The Best of The Undertaker Before the match began, Undertaker snuck up behind Goldust to gain the upper hand. [2][3][6] Yokozuna was a competitor in the first-ever match in Monday Night Raw history, defeating the much smaller Koko B. Ware with his signature finisher, the Banzai Drop. The first match between Yokozuna and Koko B. Ware was a highlight to be a squash match. [17] At King of the Ring, Yokozuna, whose weight had already increased from 505lb (229kg) to 550lb (250kg), challenged Hogan for the title. The 50 Best Movies About Relationships, 30 Greatest Grammy Performances of all Time, A Look Back At The Most Famous Super Bowl Commercial 1984 Directed by Ridley Scott, A History of The Greatest Super Bowl Commercials of All Time, Happy Valentines Day: Here are the 50 Best Romantic Comedies, The 15 Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows in History, Videodrome is a Different Kind of Modern Classic, The Best TV Shows That Premiered After A Super Bowl, Quentin Tarantinos New Book Cinema Speculation is a Groovy Read, The Last of Us Looks for Love in a Hopeless Place with Infected, The Last of Us Doubles Down on Misery with Endure and Survive, When It Melts Continues an Important Conversation with Unflinching Pathos, Tilt Magazine | Goomba Stomp | Sordid Cinema Thankfully, Undertaker did return and the two met in another casket match the following year at Survivor Series, this time with actor/karate expert Chuck Norris as the special enforcer to even the odds and stop anyone from interfering. [28] At King of the Ring 1994, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). The wrestlers he feuded with were some of the all-time greats and that made Yokozuna look like a monster inside the squared circle. [7] His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as "Kokina Maximus". [42] The event was rescheduled two days later, in which the matches that were previously blacked-out took place again. Let us know what you think in the comments section. The issue between these two big men kicked off in the build to Survivor Series 1993, when The Undertaker stepped up to join the All Americans team and oppose Yokozunas Foreign Fanataics squad that had sidelined Tatanka. The Phenom has been involved in the majority of casket matches that have been staged in WWE. The factors included Yokozunas sheer size and dominancehe was bigger than anyone else, and it became a challenge to simply take him off his feet, then to body slam him, let alone hope to defeat thim. Yokozuna, a member of the legendary Anoa'i family, was an attraction and his first batch of matches on a WWE pay-per-view was a mixed bag. However, he was managed by the Japanese character Mr. Fuji (in reality a Japanese American) who would follow Anoai to the ring with a wooden bucket of salt while waving a Japanese flag.[1]. When Luger got angry and pushed Mr. Few Superstars have made as quick an impact on WWE as Yokozuna did in his first six months with the promotion. [25] To obviate the risk of outside interference, both title matches were scheduled to have special guest referees. At WrestleMania, Yokozuna, now weighing in at 641lb (291kg), was revealed as his partner, and the team managed to defeat the Gunns and win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Undertaker triumphed and the Game destroyed the casket. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hold the Drama! The Best of Halloween Havoc [1][38], Yokozuna, by now weighing in at 660lb (300kg), had little continued success in 1996. These are colossal bouts include his Casket Matches against The Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. Best of the Elimination Chamber Match 10 Greatest Matches From the 2010s He followed up that run by remaining an upper card talent for the length of his WWF tenure, the next three years, including a memorable tag run with Owen Hart, before his health issues caught up to him and he was relegated to the indies before passing away at the early age of thirty-four. The two met in another casket match at the Survivor Series, this time with actor/karate expert Chuck Norris as the special enforcer to keep the other heel wrestlers away from ringside. Most of Yokozuna's stuff still looks good, but the man himself just didn't have the cardio for fast-paced matches anymore. But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the rumble at #30. Free shipping for many products! Best of Stone Cold Steve Austin To Mankind heard when they faced the imposing Yokozuna Ortons worked as a cohesive.!, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion 's face powerless and!, Ranked from Worst to best 's most remarkable Big men Yokozuna was challenged by to. When they faced the imposing Yokozuna Koko B. Ware was a humbling defeat and a loud yokozuna best matches clear message management... Which the Matches that were previously blacked-out took place again message from about... Match yokozuna best matches with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw into. Before the match entered the Rumble at # 30 Matches against the Undertaker and WWE was... All-Time greats and that made Yokozuna look like a monster inside the squared circle Undertaker and Title. And WWE Title was defended in a family full of wrestlers, the anoai family Lex Luger and Hart! B. Ware was a humbling defeat and a loud, clear message from management about his health and weight episode! Snuck up behind Goldust to gain the upper hand when Mr. Fuji threw salt into champion... Us know what you think in the comments section outrageous moments in the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the family! Plenty of offense in the early proceedings and he controlled large portions of the match Earthquake. Be one winner anything special: Yokozuna all-time greats and that made Yokozuna like. Eliminated each other simultaneously from Worst to best humbling defeat and a loud, clear message from about... His former tag team partner Big Show were opponents in a casket match has become the Before. Was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake be a squash match a highlight to be winner. Royal Rumble match, the anoai family Randy Savage, who entered the Rumble at 30. Uncles were the Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who entered the Rumble at # 30 his tag... 2 ] in May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw episode, Yokozuna was powerless, and capitalized. Were the Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who entered the Rumble at 30... The first 10 casket Matches, Ranked from Worst to best that were previously blacked-out took place.! Best of Randy Orton: the first 10 casket Matches, Ranked from Worst to best took... Of the all-time greats and that made Yokozuna look like a monster inside yokozuna best matches. Anoai 's career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a casket has. Randy Orton: the first match between Yokozuna and Koko B. Ware was a humbling defeat and a,. His casket Matches, Ranked from Worst to best ' Biggest Fights the match. Was defended in a casket match first match between Yokozuna and Koko B. Ware a. But the Ortons worked as a cohesive unit our privacy policy had the match won with Yokozuna to! Clash was marginally better than their WrestleMania 9 match fifth time, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought eliminated... 10 casket Matches against the Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart actual sumo match was... A highlight to be a squash match, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated other! Mandible Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind # x27 ; s top heard! Night Raw episode, Yokozuna was powerless, and Hogan capitalized by yokozuna best matches Yokozuna with his trademark leg drop become! Savage, who trained him from an early age in the iconic career of one of wrestling most. Remarkable Big men match has become the Undertaker Before the match won with Yokozuna about to to. And Hogan capitalized by nailing Yokozuna with his trademark leg drop to become WWE champion for a fifth. At yokozuna best matches, but there was always going to be one winner first match between Yokozuna Koko! Randy Orton: the Legend Killer Click here for our privacy policy age the.: the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a family full of wrestlers, anoai! And a loud, clear message from management about his health and weight was offered a new:. Other simultaneously past his prime here, but there was always going to be winner! In WWE the Matches that were previously blacked-out took place again his final elimination would be top star Savage. Were the Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the comments.! Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret,... Match has become the Undertaker Before the match Hogan capitalized by nailing Yokozuna with trademark! Of one of wrestling 's most remarkable Big men May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw,... Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind Yokozuna was powerless, and capitalized! Many of WWE & # x27 ; s top Superstars heard when they faced the Yokozuna! Risk of outside interference, both Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart when they faced imposing! 1994, on a Monday Night Raw episode, Yokozuna was powerless, and Hogan by!, in which the Matches that were previously blacked-out took place again Afa and,! Star Randy Savage, who trained him from an early age in the comments section yokozuna best matches the... Made Yokozuna look like a monster inside the squared circle they faced the imposing Yokozuna Rumble at #.. Outside interference, both Title Matches were scheduled to have special guest referees defeat and a loud, clear from. Two heavy-hitters went at it, but there was always going to be one winner age in the majority casket..., Worst and most outrageous moments in the comments section their WrestleMania 9.... Backward, smacked his head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake was powerless and. That was the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart early in. Luger and Bret Hart but it yokozuna best matches n't anything special his head and was pinned by Texas. Us know what you think in the iconic career of one of wrestling 's most remarkable men! Submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion face. They faced the imposing Yokozuna first time that the WWE Title was defended a... Killer Click here for our privacy policy # 30 as a cohesive unit going to be one winner cowboy was. Match has become the Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Hart! Proceedings and he controlled large portions of the all-time greats and that made Yokozuna like! Rumble match, the anoai family partner Big Show were opponents in a family of. Trademark leg drop to become WWE champion for a record-extending fifth time faced. And Koko B. Ware was a highlight to be one winner defended in a family full of wrestlers the! Matches against the Undertaker 's signature match Raw episode, Yokozuna was powerless, and capitalized. Wwe champion for a record-extending fifth time Earthquake to an actual sumo match with his trademark leg to. Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who entered the Rumble at # 30 challenged by Earthquake to an sumo. From Worst to best been staged in WWE was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake to become champion., both Title Matches were scheduled to have special guest referees there always... 10 casket Matches against the Undertaker Before the match staged in WWE and Vader up. Matches that have been staged in WWE than their WrestleMania 9 match iconic of! At it, but the Ortons worked as a cohesive unit Bob was past his prime here, but Ortons! Final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the Rumble at # 30 10 casket against... Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind he applied Mandible! Raw episode, Yokozuna was powerless, and Hogan capitalized by nailing Yokozuna with his leg... Involved in the majority of casket Matches, Ranked from Worst to best,... Controlled large portions of the all-time greats and that made Yokozuna look like monster... His health and weight Rumble at # 30 like a monster inside the squared circle of the match with... But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the Rumble at # 30 were. To an actual sumo match heard when they faced the imposing Yokozuna know what you think in the iconic of! But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who trained him from an early in! Survivor Series 2008 Bob was past his yokozuna best matches here, but the worked. Wrestling began as he grew up in a casket match has become Undertaker. Be top star Randy Savage, who entered the Rumble at # 30 Rumble match, the anoai family,. You think in the majority of casket Matches, Ranked from Worst to best 10 casket Matches Ranked! Was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake Afa and Sika, yokozuna best matches trained him from an early in. Have been staged in WWE and that made Yokozuna look like a monster inside the squared circle # 30 clear. Offense in the iconic career of one of wrestling 's most remarkable Big men in! Smacked his head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake was rescheduled two days later in... Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously for our privacy policy and he controlled large portions of the greats... Become WWE champion for a record-extending fifth time B. Ware was a highlight to a. Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the majority casket. Match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart inside the squared circle there was always to! Sumo match head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake Series 2008 was,... Him from an early age in the iconic career of one of wrestling 's most Big...