He then vanished. The Best of Mick Foley Stream WWE on. Next Now relive the best, worst and most outrageous moments in the iconic career of one of wrestling's most remarkable big men. However, fans were heavily backing Undertaker, and he remained unbeaten at SummerSlam with a fine win. Mr. [2][31][32] Following the match, Jim Cornette stated, "Michael Jordan's back and so is Yokozuna", in reference to Jordan's first return to the NBA. The Hogan Era was officially in the rear-view mirror and Vince McMahon was looking to create some new stars to lead his company. Let us know what you think in the comments section. Best of Andre the Giant Jim Cornette also joined the Yokozuna camp as his American spokesperson. He clashed with Mark Henry in a casket match, and Undertaker was 13-0 on the Grandest Stage of Them All. [41] The splash was shown on television as a leg break, in reality it was performed to allow Yokozuna to take some time off to lose weight. 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 And though the feud figured into the main event picture and started with the WWF Championship at stake, The Undertaker never actually put his hands on the gold during this time. This was a forgettable WWE Championship match, and there was a possibility that Luger could finally add the WWE Championship to his collection. The Deadman was hugely popular with the fans, and many believed that he had a legitimate chance of ending Yokozuna's WWE Championship reign. Raw's Snitsky got involved, and he gave Heidenreich a helping hand. Yokozuna collides with the greatest rivals of his WWE Hall of Fame career. The contest, the most ludicrous and outrageously booked in WWE history, saw Yokozuna benefit from the assistance of 10 other Superstars to defeat The Deadman, shoving him into a casket as the spirit of the enigmatic competitor poured from an urn and into the Rhode Island night. RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Challenged For A World Title Multiple Times (But Never Won It). The 1994 Royal Rumble featured a Casket match for the WWE Championship between Yokozuna and The Undertaker. [18][19] Soon after, Hogan left the WWF to pursue other interests, which left Yokozuna and Fuji to claim that they had ended "Hulkamania" (to wit, that would be Hogan's last appearance in the WWF for nine years). However, several heels including Diesel and Jeff Jarrett assaulted Undertaker. The storytelling was great, and whilst it wasn't an instant classic, Yokozuna and Luger had their working boots on. The finale along with the bizarre post-match shenanigans was not only needed but was a breath of fresh air and is still to this day, quite the sight to behold. It was mission impossible for Triple H as there was no way that he was going to stuff both Mideon and Viscera in the casket. 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. Match: Yokozuna is the first and only stage in Bug Sumo Finals . RELATED: 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Undertaker. All the remaining participants tried to eliminate Yokozuna but he powered through them with ease. 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. Matches Yokozuna vs. Koko B. Ware: January 11, 1993 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 1993 Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart: WrestleMania IX Bryan upped the tempo to get things going his way. A monster heel, he embarked on a series of squash victories, including a memorable one against Virgil at the 1992 Survivor Series, before arriving at the 1993 Royal Rumble match as a heavy favorite to win the popular gimmick match. Best of The Rock 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. The Best of Goldberg 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. 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 Undertaker - Royal Rumble 1994 Yokozuna defended the WWE Championship against The Undertaker at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Yokozuna was deathly afraid of caskets, and his WWE Championship was under grave danger at Royal Rumble 1994 as The Undertaker was determined to beat him for the WWE Title. When Undertaker returned, he would avenge his defeat, beating Yokozuna in another Casket match and ending their feud once and for all. Best of Ronda Rousey UK Classics All rights reserved.Click here for our privacy policy. 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. 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. The Best Raw Matches of the Decade Yokozuna got plenty of offense in the early proceedings and he controlled large portions of the match. The Yokozuna Memorial Show was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania in November 2001, shortly after the first anniversary of Anoai's death. The two heavy-hitters went at it, but there was always going to be one winner. The contest would be Yokozuna's last significant match on television. Yokozuna missed the Banzai Drop on Undertaker, and he attempted to retreat to the locker room with Undertaker in hot pursuit. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. What he lacked in mobility, he made up for with overwhelming size and strength, tossing his opponents around the ring and wearing them down with his sheer girth. That my friends, is great storytelling, something lacking in wrestling these days. 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. These are the matches that exemplify the greatness of the United States Championship. Yokozuna grabbed a steel chair on the outside and he swang for Luger but the Lex Express moved out of the way. These colossal bouts include his Casket Matches against The Undertaker and WWE Title Matches with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. 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. Without their help (although Irwin R. Schyster did successfully interfere on Yokozuna's behalf), Yokozuna could not win and eventually ended up locked inside the casket. On October 23, 2000, three weeks after his 34th birthday,[51] Anoai died from pulmonary edema in his room at the Moat House Hotel on Paradise Street in Liverpool while on a wrestling tour of the UK for All Star Wrestling. Yokozuna barely wrestled in this match and his major feud with Undertaker kickstarted at this event. [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. The Best of Halloween Havoc Yokozuna then gave the Undertaker a Banzai Drop, but the Undertaker sat up when Yokozuna went for a second Banzai Drop. Former two-time Intercontinental Champion Mr. As they celebrated afterwards, however, a mysterious figure appeared on the Titantron, looking like the Undertaker inside the casket. [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. Best of Womens Evolution Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1997 WWF WWE Playmates Yokozuna Ahmed Johnson Grudge Match Wrestling Figures WCW at the best online prices at eBay! 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. The Game's World Heavyweight Championship was not on the line, and Triple H clocked Kane in the head with a ring bell. The Best of TLC RELATED: 10 Undertaker Moments That Were Actually Hilarious. Required fields are marked *. The Rocks Most Electrifying Matches Yokozuna was, in so many ways, a throwback character as the WWF leaned upon a combination of conventional ways of pushing monster heels to get this guy over. He had two children, Justin and Keilani. Moreover, the way to win a casket match is simple, it's to incapacitate your opponent and dump them in the casket with the lid closing. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling. It was an emotional night but one that ensured the story of the super heavyweight would live on in the annals of WWE. The Best of Money in the Bank Hogan seemed to have the match won, but a photographer, planted at ringside among a legitimate Japanese wrestling press group, shot a blast of fire into Hogan's face. Afterward, Paul Bearer gave Undertaker a hammer and nails to seal Kamala's fate. When the Undertaker entered, he beat down on Ludvig Borga but was knocked down by Yokozuna. The Best of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa The Best of Miz & Morrison Luger vs. Yokozuna was largely paint-by-numbers booking, with the super strong American hero going after the foreign menace, and all signs suggest the WWF intended to crown Luger at WrestleMania until the fans started cooling on him, and it became apparent Bret Hart was at least equally over (not to mention significantly better in the ring). [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. By late spring 1994, Yokozuna was already on the decline of his WWF run, but nonetheless regained some momentum and asserted himself as the alpha-super heavyweight in a short feud with. Luger battled on gallantly and there were several near falls but Luger clattered Yokozuna out of the ring, and he prevailed by count-out. Drew McIntyres Road to the WWE Championship Yokozuna was the 27th entrant, and he wasted no time by eliminating Tatanka, Carlos Colon, and most impressively, he took care of Earthquake with ease. However, Undertaker's brother Kane was feuding with Snitsky, and he dealt with him. Theres little argument that Lex Luger was Yokozunas most famous rival, and I was tempted to push him all the way to the top of this countdown, just like the WWF pushed him all the way to the top of the card the summer of 1993. There is nothing I like more than basketball, travelling, and animals. 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. The Best of The Undertaker The Best of Jeff Hardy [2][21] Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series, where each chose a team of allies for an elimination match. October 13, 2020 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. [2] Wrestling as a Samoan superstar, he was managed by Sheik Adnan El Kassey. Whether it was by design or pure happenstance, 1993 was the year of the super heavyweight monster heel, with Yokozuna in the main WWF main event scene and often as not holding the world title there, while Vader held WCWs top title for all but ten (non-consecutive) days of the year. Stage Information Misc. 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. In terms of it being a pure cinematic spectacle, the match had everything going for it including a thunderous crowd standing and cheering at the edge of their feet; an animated Vince McMahon overselling the supernatural angle on commentary; a slew of special effects including green smoke escaping the from the urn that was taken from a helpless Paul Bearer; and even a disappearing act courtesy of The Undertaker who vanished from the casket only to reappear on the Titan Tron, and ascend like a messiah-like figure to the top of the stadium. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion's face. 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. 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. WWE Best Moments of 2020, Roman Reigns' Championship Matches The Best of The New Day Luger repeatedly kicked Yokozuna's leg to wear him down. This week, Im looking back at seven of the best of them with consideration to quality of storyline, quality of matches, heat, and longevity. But his final elimination would be top star Randy Savage, who entered the rumble at #30. During the event, a severe thunderstorm in the area caused the pay-per-view broadcast feed to blackout. The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. Undertaker and Kamala were on opposing sides of the ring in this bout, and the Ugandan Giant was deathly afraid of Undertaker. Luger took control late in the match, scoring on Yokozuna with a bodyslam and flying forearm. Undertaker was the favorite once more, and he imposed himself on proceedings. At SummerSlam that year, he battled "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a Free for All match. 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. Big Show was standing on the ramp and he was selling a throat injury. Unlike in many squash matches, Koko came out still looking strong despite losing the match. Randy Orton and The Undertaker's feud dominated SmackDown in 2005. Best of Luke Harper This should have been the start of a decent WWE Championship run for Yokozuna but Hulk Hogan intervened, and he challenged Yokozuna to an impromptu WWE Title match. Their casket match wasn't a technical masterclass but the match was tons of fun to watch. Sign up for BINGE to watch. Best of Fastlane In late 1992, Yokozuna joined WWE and he pushed right to the top almost instantly in his WWE career. When Luger got angry and pushed Mr. 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). For the amount of attention and early fervor of this rivalry, it earns a high spot on this countdown. Uk Classics All rights reserved.Click here for our privacy policy was selling a throat injury in many Matches... To lead his company almost instantly in his WWE career Yokozuna collides with the greatest rivals of WWE... 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