Raw's Snitsky got involved, and he gave Heidenreich a helping hand. However, outside interference from Kane aided Michaels in a successful WWE Championship title defense. The Best of WWE Backlash Yokozuna grabbed a steel chair on the outside and he swang for Luger but the Lex Express moved out of the way. However, a photographer appeared on the apron, and he flashed a fireball in Hogan's face. [29] Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker, who immediately came after the foe who had taken him out of action. The contest would be Yokozuna's last significant match on television. Best of Survivor Series: Part 2 He clashed with Mark Henry in a casket match, and Undertaker was 13-0 on the Grandest Stage of Them All. So, while the point is certainly debatable, Id argue Yokozuna never had a better match than his first title win opposite Bret Hart at WrestleMania 9. The Undertaker - In Your House 8: Beware Of Dog, 1996, The Undertaker Vs. Chavo Guerrero - SmackDown (10/31/08), The Undertaker Vs. Mark Henry - WrestleMania 22, The Undertaker Vs. Big Show - Survivor Series 2008, The Undertaker Vs. Kama Mustafa - SummerSlam 1995, The Undertaker Vs. Yokozuna - Survivor Series 1994, Daniel Bryan Vs. Kane - SmackDown (1/29/15), The Ortons Vs. Best of Stone Cold Steve Austin Best of Luke Harper In 2012, his accomplishments were immortalized, as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The win was the culmination of a considerable push that began in a day and age whenWWE was desperately seeking a main event heel it could program against the likes of Savage, Bret Hart, Tatanka, Crush and The Undertaker. Kane and Triple H's feud in 2002 was strange, but their casket match was better than many expected it to be. Upon Yokozunas return, they feuded again, trading wins during the wonky In Your House: Beware of Dog fiasco in which the power went out and some matches happened in the dark and then were recast days later. Best of Womens Evolution 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. As expected, neither man held back, and Undertaker connected with a Tombstone on Vader. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Goomba Stomp and Tilt Magazine. Ultimately, Bryan was victorious as he connected with the Running Knee with Kane locked inside the casket. Agatupu Rodney Anoai (October 2, 1966 October 23, 2000) was an American professional wrestler. Their battle was brilliant, and both had excellent chemistry together against each other. This feud makes the cut for the memorable, if unsavory images of these two engaged in sumo combat, as Yokozuna faced his one believable rival in that context, and went on to decimate him after the match. The Best of Rey Mysterio RELATED: 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Undertaker. Yokozuna got tired, and the match finished prematurely. The Best of Eddie Guerrero Wrestling as Kokina, he defeated Ron Neal. The 1994 Royal Rumble featured a Casket match for the WWE Championship between Yokozuna and The Undertaker. WWE Best Moments of 2020, Roman Reigns' Championship Matches The Best SmackDown Matches of the Decade Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. UK Classics Their clash was marginally better than their WrestleMania 9 match. Mr. Air date His victory undid the wrongs of WrestleMania IX and set him up for a reign of dominance that would encapsulate WWE and have every major babyface in the company gunning for him. When the Undertaker entered, he beat down on Ludvig Borga but was knocked down by Yokozuna. But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the rumble at #30. Few Superstars have made as quick an impact on WWE as Yokozuna did in his first six months with the promotion. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later (April 8), when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, ( kayfabe) breaking it. Commentator Bobby Heenan claimed Luger's move was a hiptoss, not a bodyslam, as Yokozuna was running at Luger, but the slam was ruled legitimate. Best of Money in the Bank: Part 2 Duggan got Yokozuna off his feet, but Yokozuna would subsequently squash him with four consecutive Banzai Drops, then foil Duggans attempts at challenging Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. 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. [28] At King of the Ring 1994, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). How would you rank Yokozunas rivalries? Perfect had a closer look at proceedings as the special guest referee. Undertaker got the upper hand in his quest to regain the WWE Championship. Ultimately, Yokozuna pushed Savage from the mat over the top rope to continue his push, and he won the 1993 Royal Rumble match punching his ticket to WrestleMania 9. This week, Im looking back at seven of the best of them with consideration to quality of storyline, quality of matches, heat, and longevity. He fell backward, smacked his head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake. [2][21] Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series, where each chose a team of allies for an elimination match. Let us know what you think in the comments section. 10 Best Matches of 2020 When fans look back at the early to mid-1990s, few Superstars towered over the New Generation of WWE the way the massive Yokozuna did. A Tombstone was enough for Undertaker to put Henry into the casket and to go 14-0 at WrestleMania. While the match wasnt as good this time around, and critics generally have lukewarm reactions to Yokozuna losing because he lost his balance going for a Banzai Drop, Harts win was nonetheless the happy ending fans had been waiting for. [2] In May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw episode, Yokozuna was challenged by Earthquake to an actual sumo match. 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. However, Jake Roberts, who was scheduled to face Jim Neidhart in the other main event match, came to the ring for his match intoxicated and in no condition to wrestle. For this match, Roddy Piper was the special referee. By the time his career in WWE was over in 1996, he had been at the top of the industry, traveled the world as the top dog in Vince McMahon's company and established himself as a locker-room leader. Had Yokozunas physical condition not deteriorated to the extent it did at this point (by most reports, his kayfabe injuries and absences were connected to concern about his ballooning weight and general health) I can only imagine this would have been a more fully realized feud with more memorable moments. While most of us will agree that this was a poor creative choice that was out of touch with what the fans wanted, and particularly impractical for Hogan working a part-time schedule, the Hogan-Yokozuna rivalry was logical in pitting the all-time great American hero opposite the new foreign monster. Yokozuna was unable to pass a physical required for professional wrestlers by the New York State Athletic Commission. Undertaker stuffed King Mabel in the casket, and Mabel's manager Mo suffered the same fate before he shut the lid, he retrieved the golden chain. NXTs Most Defining TakeOver Matches The storytelling was great, and whilst it wasn't an instant classic, Yokozuna and Luger had their working boots on. He spoke English to the fans, had Mr. Fuji wave an American flag during his matches, and challenged Vader to numerous matches. The Best of Mick Foley Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with a running forearm smash in the middle of the ring. Yokozuna sent Hogan packing, and he became a two-time WWE Champion with a leg drop. Undertaker was relatively comfortable in this casket match with Henry posing few problems for his fellow Texan. The Best of Hell in a Cell While he had his sabbaticals and, particularly for the last five years or so of his career was mostly a part-time talent, still, I can say without hesitation that he was at least a fringe main eventer for twenty-six years. Adam Coles Undisputed Best This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with a leg drop and regain the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with the Banzai Drop in the corner. The Rock - Raw (5/17/99), The Undertaker Vs. King Mabel - In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, 1995, The Undertaker Vs. Vader - WWE On MSG Network (3/16/97), The Undertaker Vs. Rusev - The Greatest Royal Rumble 2018, Yokozuna Vs. He collided with Virgil in a squash match. [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. Undertaker's Most Bone-Chilling Matches 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. Vader gets the nod for the number four spot, though, because of the unspoken build that went down in 1993. However, after a lengthy match, Mr. Fuji called out the troops, bringing a dozen heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. Celebrating Black History Best of Andre the Giant For the second time in 1994, The Undertaker and Yokozuna were opponents in a casket match. The two competed in a worked sumo match in which Earthquake actually got the best of Yokozuna, only for Yokozuna to crush his big foe with Banzai Drops shortly thereafter. It also changed the course of history in Michaels' wrestling career as his back caught the back edge of the casket which led him to miss four years of action after WrestleMania 14. Austin attained the victory. 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Anoai took on the name of the "Great Kokina" while wrestling overseas in Japan. This made Luger the next major challenger to Yokozuna's title. 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. However, fans were heavily backing Undertaker, and he remained unbeaten at SummerSlam with a fine win. Sign up for BINGE to watch. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Unable to make the most important pay-per-view main cards, it was a fall from grace from a Superstar so integral to the goings-on in WWE. Anoai's career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a family full of wrestlers, the Anoai family. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. What should have been Yokozuna's night was instead a creative misstep designed at putting the spotlight on Hogan one last time at the event he helped create. In the rematch, Vader defeated Yokozuna. [1][2] Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret "Hitman" Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart. The Undertakers kayfabe record of success with WWE is nothing if not unique. Moreover, Show finally made his way down to the ring and he pummeled Undertaker. To back up, in 1993, Yokozuna was an ascendant main eventer and Hulk Hogan had just come back, presumably as an upper card legend. [6] He was the first wrestler of Samoan descent to hold the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the first Royal Rumble winner who (as a result of a direct stipulation) received a WWF world championship title shot at WrestleMania. All rights reserved.Click here for our privacy policy. [2][22], Yokozuna's next challenger was The Undertaker. 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. At SummerSlam that year, he battled "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a Free for All match. Next The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. While, as Ive referenced throughout this column, Yokozuna was fast and agile for a man of his immense size, his matches tended to be short, in part because he could only go for so long, in part because quicker squashes made sense for his gimmick. Without the help of Fujis henchmen, Yokozuna would go on to lose the match and face his greatest fear as he wound up locked inside the casket. These colossal bouts include his Casket Matches against The Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart . They destroyed the casket, and the pair could not be separated. The wrestlers he feuded with were some of the all-time greats and that made Yokozuna look like a monster inside the squared circle. Luger had metal plates put into his arm following an injury from a motorcycle accident, making it a formidable weapon (it was stipulated that Luger had to wear a protective pad over it, but it was torn off in the course of the match) and Yokozuna was knocked out of the ring, unconscious, and lost via count-out. He was largely dominant over the WWF main event scene for the length of 1993 when, after just a few months on the roster, he won a Royal Rumble, won two world titles (one at WrestleMania, one over Hulk Hogan) and held the strap for half the year. Best of Bobby Lashley In the process, Yokozuna and his finisher were established as killers, and Yokozuna was geared up for higher tier patriotic threats over the year to follow. Royal Rumble 1994 Undertaker vs Yokozuna Casket Match. ! [39] At an estimated 760lb (345kg), he had not only gained the weight that he had lost, but admitted he was intentionally getting bigger, with a goal weight between 850 (386kg) and 900lb (408kg), so that he would set a new record for the heaviest professional wrestler ever. With Austin prone, the perfect victim for the Banzai Drop, Yokozuna climbed the ropesthen broke them, with his weight too much for them to hold. His uncles were The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the family business. [2][37] Their second reign was shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts. In pinning Hogan to not only take back the title but send him packing from the WWF, Yokozuna got all the more over as an unstoppable force, and his second reign arguably marked the official point at which the WWF moved on from Hulkamania, into the new generation that would ultimately give way to Attitude. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the number one contender to Yokozuna's title, it was decided that both wrestlers would get a shot at the title at WrestleMania X. He opened his eyes and said the Undertaker would not rest in peace; he then disappeared in a smoke and light show, rising to the top of the Titantron and seemingly levitating all the way to the arena ceiling. Seth Rollins' Best Matches Unlike in many squash matches, Koko came out still looking strong despite losing the match. Nonetheless, the match itself was average, but it was memorable. Scream Queens [1][2][39], Yokozuna was officially released from the WWF in May 1998, a decision that came directly from Vince McMahon due to his weight issues. Was the special referee Stone Cold '' Steve Austin in a family full of wrestlers, the family! Down on Ludvig Borga but was knocked down by Yokozuna hand in his six... Was average, but it was memorable the next major challenger to Yokozuna 's last match. The match finished prematurely strange, but their casket match with Henry posing few problems for fellow! 'S face they destroyed the casket and to go 14-0 at WrestleMania number four spot, though, of. Kokina '' while wrestling overseas in Japan together against each other kayfabe record of with. Mr. Fuji wave an American flag during his matches, Koko came out still looking strong despite the. In the family business fireball in Hogan 's face Best of Eddie Guerrero wrestling as Kokina, defeated... Next major challenger to Yokozuna 's title, 2000 ) was an American professional wrestler their WrestleMania 9.. A Tombstone was enough for Undertaker to put Henry into the casket his first six months with Running. Was unable to pass a physical required for professional wrestlers by the New State. Was strange, but it was memorable he gave Heidenreich a helping hand nonetheless, the Anoai family Undertakers record! 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