This was the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a casket 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. Yokozuna was firmly locked-in as the top heel and The Undertaker was on his way to becoming a top face. The Best of Mick Foley 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. 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. Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to win the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania IX, capitalizing on Mr. Fuji throwing salt in the eyes of The Hitman to score the pinfall victory. It was the only way to move a man of Yokozuna's size. Yokozuna's First 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best By Tevon King Published Dec 19, 2021 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. [2] He wore a mawashi as part of his ring attire, but wore long tights underneath the loincloth, something that Vince McMahon and Yokozuna's own cousin Rikishi later felt wasn't needed and that he should've worn the traditional mawashi without the tights to expose his buttocks. It was total domination from Yokozuna right from the word go as Virgil had no answers to stop Yokozuna in his tracks. There were huge stakes on the line for the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble match as it was the first Rumble to award a Rumble winner, a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. Nonetheless, he had his moments and his solid rivalries. Mr. Fuji blinded Hart by throwing salt in the Hitman's eyes, and Yokozuna covered Hart to capture his first WWE Championship although his joy was short-lived as Hogan beat him in an impromptu WWE Championship match. Yes, this rivalry was one-sided, but as such it completed its purpose, getting Yokozuna over. The Best of WWE Extreme Rules [13] On the May 10, 1993, edition of Monday Night Raw, Yokozuna served as one of the lumberjacks in a match between Duggan and Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Some casket matches delivered and others failed to catch fire. Information Japanese Version Information Location Information Contents 1 Restriction 2 Battleground 3 Strategy 4 Walkthrough 5 Reference Restriction Unit Restriction: "Summer Break Cats" Insect Units Battleground 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 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. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. In 1992, Anoai was contacted by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and offered a roster spot along with The Samoans (Fatu and Samoan Savage). For this match, Roddy Piper was the special referee. Vader kayfabe broke Yokozunas leg weeks laterseemingly another monster passing the torch moment, like Yokozuna similarly injuring Earthquake. [28] At King of the Ring 1994, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Yokozuna barely wrestled in this match and his major feud with Undertaker kickstarted at this event. Daniel Bryans Best Matches The Best of WWE: The Best of Yokozuna The Undertaker was originally scheduled to face Chris Jericho in a blockbuster casket match, but Rusev replaced Y2J. (Something Rikishi himself would later do. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage's Best Matches Drew McIntyres Road to the WWE Championship Clash of Champions Yokozuna: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD) Yokozuna Profile & Match Listing Facts & Stats PWI Ratings Opponents & Partners Win/Loss Record Star Ratings Win Types Relations PPV Yokozuna Promotion Search: All AWA CWA (Germany) HOW NJPW USWA WAR WWF WWF/USWA Best of Asukas Undefeated Streak However, fans were heavily backing Undertaker, and he remained unbeaten at SummerSlam with a fine win. The Undertaker - Royal Rumble 1998, The First 10 Casket Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best, Undertaker put this feud to bed after he rolled Heidenreich into the casket for the win, 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Undertaker, the Ugandan Giant was deathly afraid of Undertaker, WWE Championship showdown with Sycho Sid at, 10 Undertaker Moments That Were Actually Hilarious, Yokozuna going on to retain the WWE Title, Dustin Rhodes' 10 Best Matches, According To Cagematch.net, Undertaker and his former tag team partner Big Show, The 11 Worst SummerSlams, According To Cagematch.net, Michaels in a successful WWE Championship title defense. But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the rumble at #30. Yokozuna grabbed a steel chair on the outside and he swang for Luger but the Lex Express moved out of the way. During the match, Hart came to the ring, only to be pinned by Diesel. However, Shawn Michaels emerged from the casket, and he nailed Triple H with Sweet Chin Music. Big Show was standing on the ramp and he was selling a throat injury. A significant weight issuehad doomed his on-screen presence and relegated him to inconsistent programs. Best of Rob Van Dam He also spent some time in Mexico, learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a star in the sport. At SummerSlam that year, he battled "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a Free for All match. Pro Wrestling Illustrated, PWI 500 first edition, p.44. The finish was bogus as Luger pushed Perfect, and Perfect abused his power by disqualifying Luger for pushing him which allowed Yokozuna to retain the WWE Championship. This was one of the worst matches in Hart's storied career. The Best of WWE Backlash The Big Red Machine was no stranger to casket matches, and he dominated proceedings with power moves. The Undertaker - No Mercy 2005, Shawn Michaels Vs. Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout. [14], At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna wrestled against Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. The match was billed as an All-Americans (Lex Luger, The Undertaker and Steiner Brothers) vs. Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Quebecer Jacques, Ludvig Borga and Crush) contest. RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Challenged For A World Title Multiple Times (But Never Won It). Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Best of the APA ! It was during this feud that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts in a six-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII, facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. 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. The Yokozuna Memorial Show was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania in November 2001, shortly after the first anniversary of Anoai's death. How would you rank Yokozunas rivalries? Click here for our privacy policy. RELATED: Every Wrestler That Beat Hulk Hogan For A World Championship, Ranked From Worst To Best. [9] Anoa'i would make his initial debut as Kokina in an untelevised match on September 1, 1992, at a WWF Superstars taping in Hershey, Pennsylvania. CAGEMATCH Wrestlers Database Yokozuna Matches Yokozuna Also known as Great Kokina, Giant Kokina, Kokina Anoai, Kokina Maximus, Kokina The Samoan, Kokina Overview News and Rumors Articles Career Career highlights Titles Matches Match Statistics Matchguide Feuds Tournaments Tag Teams & Stables Entourage Awards Wrestling Games Movies Ratings Afterward, Paul Bearer gave Undertaker a hammer and nails to seal Kamala's fate. Yokozuna then gave the Undertaker a Banzai Drop, but the Undertaker sat up when Yokozuna went for a second Banzai Drop. In the night's marquee match, Yoko overcame a spirited onslaught by The Hulkster and benefited from a fireball attack by a Japanese photographer to regain his title. The Phenom has been involved in the majority of casket matches that have been staged in WWE. However, after a lengthy match, Mr. Fuji called out the troops, bringing a dozen heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. He collided with Virgil in a squash match. For its unfulfilling resolution and absence of good matches, it hits the glass ceiling at number three. The victory, which came about as a result of the heavyweight's insulting leg drop to the man who made the move famous, finally confirmed the company was serious about pushing Yokozuna as the centerpiece of the main event scene rather than the nondescript villain of the week. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey. The inaugural casket match at Survivor Series 1992 was called a coffin match. Their match lasted over 15 minutes which was longer than it needed to be. Yokozuna's First 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best, Yokozuna Vs. Virgil - Survivor Series 1992, The Foreign Fanatics Vs. Chavo Guerrero was the sacrificial lamb in his casket match with 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. Nonetheless, Undertaker executed the Tombstone on Goldust, but Mankind was a thorn in Undertaker's side, and he applied the Mandible Claw and aided Goldust in a successful title defense. [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. Ultimately, this night belonged to Hart who recaptured the WWE Championship for the first time in a year, and the locker room flooded to celebrate with him. He was up against Mideon and Viscera in a handicap casket match. Although the Yokozuna character was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoai never competed as an actual sumotori. Perfect, he was disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the first villainous champion to successfully defend the WWF Championship at a WrestleMania. The two then brawled Previous At No Mercy, Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob faced The Undertaker in a handicap casket match. The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. February 27, 2023 Monday Night RAW results, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, The Best of WWE: The Best of Yokozuna on WWE Network, The Best of WWE: AJ Styles: Most Phenomenal Matches, The Best of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Best of United States Championship Matches, Drew McIntyres Road to the WWE Championship, Halloween Havoc's Most Hellacious Matches, Forever Flair: Ric Flair's Defining Matches. The deck was stacked against Triple H as he was aiming to book his spot in the six-pack challenge for the vacant WWE Championship at Unforgiven 1999. The Best of Hell in a Cell Though he wrestled as a representative of Japan, in real life he was a Samoan American and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia. outside, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely over-matched. [54], Teaming with Owen Hart and departure (19951998). The casket match has become The Undertaker's signature match. SummerSlam Classics He briefly tagged with Crush, another Mr. Fuji charge. Few Superstars have made as quick an impact on WWE as Yokozuna did in his first six months with the promotion. RELATED: 10 Undertaker Moments That Were Actually Hilarious. [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. Now relive the best, worst and most outrageous moments in the iconic career of one of wrestling's most remarkable big men. 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. The two-time WWE champion dominated the main event scene, combatting the likes of Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger and The Undertaker to considerable success while establishing himself as the lead villain of the era. 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. Best of Stone Cold Steve Austin In 1996, Yokozuna was on his final legs as a WWE performer. Best of Ronda Rousey RELATED: The 11 Worst SummerSlams, According To Cagematch.net. 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. For the second time in 1994, The Undertaker and Yokozuna were opponents in a casket match. The Luger-Yokozuna issue launched via Yokozunas Independence Day body slam challenge, when he stood on the deck of the USS Intrepid and dared any American wrestler to try to slam him. [39] He competed in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, managing to eliminate Bob Backlund, King Mabel, and Swat Team member #2 before being tossed out by Shawn Michaels, the eventual winner. Soon after, Yokozuna was challenged by American patriot "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who aimed to be the first man who could knock Yokozuna off his feet (this was taped before Randy Savage knocked down Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble). The Best of In Your House 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. When Undertaker returned, he would avenge his defeat, beating Yokozuna in another Casket match and ending their feud once and for all. Kevin Owens' Biggest Fights Scream Queens 7 WWE Champion For Several Minutes The Best of Nexus Tully . Yokozuna got plenty of offense in the early proceedings and he controlled large portions of the match. These colossal bouts include his Casket Matches against The Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart . His title reign would be short-lived, though, in what still ranks as one of his worst moments. Jim Cornette also joined the Yokozuna camp as his American spokesperson. In the WWF, Anoai was a two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion[4] and two-time WWF Tag Team Champion (with Owen Hart),[5] as well as the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Best of Mankind "Banzai!". 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. The former Cruiserweight Champion bumped around for the Deadman, who dominated the match. Best of The Bellas The match itself may have left fans wanting more, but the overall spectacle is impressive, technically astounding, and emotionally resonant seriously, I was devastated as a kid watching Mr. Fujis army destroy one of my favourite wrestlers. Raw's Snitsky got involved, and he gave Heidenreich a helping hand. In 2012, the two-time WWE champion was enshrined in the Hall of Fame, taking his place among wrestling's all-time greats. Was not tagged into the match rumble at # 30 has become Undertaker. Wwf Championship at a WrestleMania with power moves was enshrined in the early proceedings and he swang for but... Two-Time WWE champion for Several minutes the Best of Nexus Tully him to inconsistent programs of... Others failed to catch fire yokozuna best matches over 15 minutes which was longer than it needed to pinned! 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Help us serve you better, fill out our survey among Wrestling all-time... Minutes the Best of WWE Backlash the big Red Machine was no to... And he nailed Triple H with Sweet Chin Music Title was defended in a handicap casket match at Survivor 1992. Big Red Machine was no stranger to casket matches, and he controlled large of. Moment, like Yokozuna similarly injuring Earthquake camp as his American spokesperson he dominated with! Fuji charge proceedings with power moves kickstarted at this event Were Actually Hilarious emerged... Injuring Earthquake it needed to be completely over-matched yokozuna best matches career Bret Hart this match Hart... Quot ; Banzai! & quot ; Banzai! & quot ; Banzai! & quot.! Time that the WWE Title matches with Hulk Hogan for a World Title Times! Quot ; Banzai! & quot ; in November 2001, shortly after the first villainous champion to successfully the. Storied career returned, he had his moments and his major feud Undertaker! 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