Adam Coles Undisputed Best 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. 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. Best of Andre the Giant Undertaker is out for retribution in his second Casket Match against Yokozuna at Survivor Series 1994 featuring Special Guest Referee Chuck Norris: Courtesy of WWE Network.WWE Network | Subscribe now: http://wwe.yt/wwenetwork\r---------------------------------------------------------------------\rFollow WWE on YouTube for more exciting action!\r---------------------------------------------------------------------\rSubscribe to WWE on YouTube: http://wwe.yt/\rCheck out WWE.com for news and updates: http://goo.gl/akf0J4\rWatch WWE on Sony in India: http://www.wwe.com/SonySportsNetwork\rFind the latest Superstar gear at WWEShop: http://shop.wwe.com\r---------------------------------------------\rCheck out our other channels!\r---------------------------------------------\rThe Bella Twins: https://www.youtube.com/thebellatwins\rUpUpDownDown: https://www.youtube.com/upupdowndown\rWWEMusic: https://www.youtube.com/wwemusic\rTotal Divas: https://www.youtube.com/wwetotaldivas\r------------------------------------\rWWE on Social Media\r------------------------------------\rTwitter: https://twitter.com/wwe\rFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wwe\rInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwe/\rReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/RealWWE\rGiphy: https://giphy.com/wwe\r------------------------------------\rWWE Podcasts\r------------------------------------\rAfter the Bell with Corey Graves: https://wwe.com/afterthebell\rThe New Day: Feel the Power: https://wwe.com/feelthepower\rUncool with Alexa Bliss: https://wwe.com/uncoolwithalexa 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. Michaels was in an insurmountable amount of pain, but he soldiered on, and they still had an excellent contest. To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USSIntrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, on Independence Day. Stage Information Misc. It was a competitive match, and Undertaker chokeslammed Rusev. 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. On May 16, 1994, Earthquake beat Yokozuna in the only (worked) sumo match[27] until WrestleMania 21, between The Big Show and an actual yokozuna, Akebono. 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. Tully . [2], The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels for the title, teasing turning heel again. 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. For Taker and Yokozuna feuded for a long timea full year, putting aside detours like The Dead Man disappearing from television to sell the loss to Yokozuna in a Casket Match. Best of the Elimination Chamber Match Mickie James 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. Hakuh Sh , born 11 March 1985 as Mnkhbatyn Davaajargal, Mongolian: ) is a professional sumo wrestler (rikishi) from Ulan Bator, M. The 1994 Royal Rumble featured a Casket match for the WWE Championship between Yokozuna and The Undertaker. These are the matches that exemplify the greatness of the United States Championship. However, instead of a stretcher, a real forklift had to be brought to carry Yokozuna out on that edition of RAW. 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. 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 He was up against Mideon and Viscera in a handicap casket match. [2][15][16] As he and Mr. Fuji celebrated, Hulk Hogan came to the ring to help Hart and was challenged by Mr Fuji to take on the champion for his newly won crown. [10] This would be the only time that Anoa'i wrestled under his former gimmick. 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. The Undertaker's Most Brutal Last Rides 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. Best Matches of 2022. He applied the Mandible Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind. The Undertaker was noticeably limping in this bout, and Rock's arm had a brace on it. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling. He fell backward, smacked his head and was pinned by the Texas Rattlesnake. Host of the Sordid Cinema Podcast and NXpress Nintendo Podcast. However, after a lengthy match, Mr. Fuji called out the troops, bringing a dozen heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. Best of 2021, Best of Royal Rumble The feud came to an anticlimactic finish with the two on opposite sides, but not blowing off much, at Survivor Series. [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. There have been numerous casket matches in WWE over the years, with some better than others. [3] The two first squared off against each other as parts of their respective teams at Survivor Series. 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. Your email address will not be published. The Hogan Era was officially in the rear-view mirror and Vince McMahon was looking to create some new stars to lead his company. This was the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a casket match. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later (April 8), when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, ( kayfabe) breaking it. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna, a reference to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. This proved to be a smart move from Hogan as Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji miscommunicated as Fuji accidentally threw salt in his charge's eyes. Length 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. 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. Both Yokozuna and Hart had a match under their belt, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper undertook special guest referee duties. Though he wrestled as a representative of Japan, in real life he was a Samoan American and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia. 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. Next Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. [2][20], At SummerSlam, Yokozuna, now weighing in at 568lb (258kg), and the newly reborn patriot Luger fought it out for the WWF Championship. For a main event heel, there may be no greater milestone than putting over a hero in a high-profile situation in such a way that feels deeply satisfying. Halloween Havoc's Most Hellacious Matches Some casket matches delivered and others failed to catch fire. In 2012, his accomplishments were immortalized, as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. After dropping the belt, Yokozuna's main event status began to fade away. [1][2][22] Eventually, Yokozuna was forced to accept a Casket match with the Undertaker. 8 WCW: Steiner Brothers (SuperBrawl 1991) At the first-ever SuperBrawl event, the highlight of the card was Sting and Luger teaming up to take on The Steiner Brothers. Best of WrestleMania: 2010s Yokozuna will collides with the greatest rivals of his WWE Hall of Fame career. 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. [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). Yokozuna defended the WWE Championship against The Undertaker at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Business was at hand here, and the Supreme Fighting Machine had one of the best matches in his career. 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