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. Tevon is a big fan of professional wrestling, who has followed wrestling since the Attitude Era. Kevin Owens' Biggest Fights 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 you can imagine, there was a lot of hype leading into the Royal Rumble. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. 10 Greatest Matches From the 2010s The Best of WWE: AJ Styles: Most Phenomenal Matches The Best of Goldberg NXT's Most Defining TakeOver Matches Stone Cold's Hell Raisin' Moments The Best SmackDown Matches of the Decade The Best Raw Matches of the Decade The Best of Money in the Bank The Undertaker's Most Brutal Last Rides Kevin After the debacle at WrestleMania 9, Yokozuna had the chance to regain the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan at the inaugural King of the Ring event in 1993. This is an underrated casket match, and Goldust held his own here. The Best of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa Best of Ruthless Aggression [1][2][22] Eventually, Yokozuna was forced to accept a Casket match with the Undertaker. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. He also knocked out Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette, who tried to enter the ring. Undertaker looked a dead cert to pick up the win but Mankind emerged from the casket. The contract Luger had signed for the match, as orchestrated by Yokozuna's new spokesman and advisor James E. Cornette, stated that if he did not win the championship, he would not get another shot at the title. Most of Yokozuna's stuff still looks good, but the man himself just didn't have the cardio for fast-paced matches anymore. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Mr. Prior to the match starting, the two stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those two facing each other. 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. Business was at hand here, and the Supreme Fighting Machine had one of the best matches in his career. 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. Tully . At WrestleMania 10, Yokozuna pulled double duty, and he put the WWE Championship on the line against Lex Luger, who was co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble match. Undertaker triumphed and the Game destroyed the casket. It was the only way to move a man of Yokozuna's size. Their match was physical but it wasn't anything special. Randy Orton and The Undertaker's feud dominated SmackDown in 2005. The All-Americans - Survivor Series 1993, Yokozuna Vs. Hulk Hogan - King Of The Ring 1993, Yokozuna Vs. 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. 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. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. Aiden English got his nose involved in proceedings, but Undertaker sealed both men's fate by dumping them into the casket. 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. Best of WrestleMania: 1990s 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. [2][37] Their second reign was shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts. However, Undertaker's brother Kane was feuding with Snitsky, and he dealt with him. 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. The Best of TLC The Phenom dominated the match, and Rusev was frightened when he rolled onto the casket. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. Not only was Yokozuna forced to accept the first of their two Casket matches, but once it was revealed that the unstoppable Yokozuna had a fear of coffins, The Undertaker used that knowledge to gain a psychological advantage over the big man. 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). 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. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later (April 8), when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, (kayfabe) breaking it. The casket match has become The Undertaker's signature match. King Kong Bundy distracted Norris, and IRS assaulted the Deadman. To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USSIntrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, on Independence Day. Required fields are marked *. While not the first casket match and certainly not the best, the feud between Undertaker and Yokozunas is one of the most memorable rivalries of that era, and while this match isnt a technical classic, theres no denying that watching Yokozuna and a small army of wrestlers try and bury the Deadman, is nothing of sheer fun. The Best of Jeff Hardy Ultimately, Undertaker weathered the storm and he went on to win another casket match. It was not always the strongest zeki but those with the most influential patrons who . Yokozuna was bidding to become the first heel to walk out of WrestleMania as WWE Champion. Thus, there were few better candidates for Yokozuna to flatten on his way to the main event than Duggan, whose gimmick had become marginally less about carring a two-by-four, and more and more about waving an American flag and getting the crowd to chant USA with him. Nonetheless, the match itself was average, but it was memorable. Cowboy Bob was past his prime here, but the Ortons worked as a cohesive unit. Undertaker and The Rock's chemistry together has never been there which is quite surprising considering the quality of the pair. Next 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. This storyline was used to allow the Undertaker to rest for several months to recover from lingering real-life injuries.[2][23]. 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. 10 Best Matches of 2020 Best of Unboxing As expected, neither man held back, and Undertaker connected with a Tombstone on Vader. Goldust defended his title, but it was a stern test as The Undertaker was looking to end his run with the gold. 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. Wrestling as Kokina, he defeated Ron Neal. At the end of WrestleMania 9, Hogan re-enetered the main event picture, though, to infamously challenge Yokozuna for the world title at he end of the show and steal the big win. Vader kayfabe broke Yokozunas leg weeks laterseemingly another monster passing the torch moment, like Yokozuna similarly injuring Earthquake. [2], The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels for the title, teasing turning heel again. Neither booking nor work rate were top-notch in the period between Hulkamania and Attitude, when Yokozuna was in the limelight. 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. Anoai was a member of the Anoai wrestling family: Roman Reigns, Rikishi, Samu, Rosey, Manu, Umaga, and The Rock were among his cousins, The Usos were his first cousins once-removed and Afa and Sika were his uncles. Stone Cold's Hell Raisin' Moments When Cornette tried to interfere to break a pinfall, Piper decked him. Royal Rumble 1994 Undertaker vs Yokozuna Casket Match. [48], After his WWF career ended, he performed for various independent promotions. It was total domination from Yokozuna right from the word go as Virgil had no answers to stop Yokozuna in his tracks. (Something Rikishi himself would later do. In late 1992, Yokozuna joined WWE and he pushed right to the top almost instantly in his WWE career. Forever Flair: Ric Flair's Defining Matches Until then, yokozuna was merely a licence given to certain zeki to perform the dohy-iri ceremony. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. )[11] He made his pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil with his huge weight advantage. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hold the Drama! Tito Santana, Yokozuna's future WWE Tag Team Championship winning partner Owen Hart, Repo Man, and Bob Backlund were Yoko's next victims. All four competitors were fan favorites at the time, and seeing them all in the ring together was considered a dream match. 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. Yokozuna missed the Banzai Drop on Undertaker, and he attempted to retreat to the locker room with Undertaker in hot pursuit. He was a top heel in the New Generation Era, and he was under the tutelage of Mr. Fuji. Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage.[2][30]. For its unfulfilling resolution and absence of good matches, it hits the glass ceiling at number three. This was the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a casket match. SummerSlam Classics The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Challenged For A World Title Multiple Times (But Never Won It). However, when Luger went for the pin, Perfect occupied himself with the unconscious Fuji and Cornette who were still lying on the ring apron. [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. I didnt pull the trigger, however, for what I imagine are similar reasons to why the WWF never pulled the trigger on Luger taking the world titlehe just wasnt quite over or good enough in the ring to justify it. 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. 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. There have been numerous casket matches in WWE over the years, with some better than others. [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. Hart got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days. 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. Matches Yokozuna vs. Koko B. Ware: January 11, 1993 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 1993 Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart: WrestleMania IX 2012 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee: Yokozuna Money Matches and Moments The Extreme [50] At the pay-per-view event, Yokozuna was scheduled to take on King Kong Bundy in one of the event's two featured matches. The reigning WWE Champion managed to contribute to one elimination by taking out Scott Steiner with a leg drop. Again, the answer is no. The winner of that match would go on to face Bret Hart later in the evening with the title on the line. He applied the Mandible Claw and Vader picked up the win, all thanks to Mankind. Just the same, this rivalry makes the countdown, and Ill go so far as to call it very good, on account of what it did for Yokozuna. However, outside interference from Kane aided Michaels in a successful WWE Championship title defense. At No Mercy, Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob faced The Undertaker in a handicap casket match. 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. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage 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. The Best of the Holidays On March 31, 2012, Yokozuna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his cousins, The Usos and Rikishi. 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. That my friends, is great storytelling, something lacking in wrestling these days. 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. Nevertheless, the match flowed better than their Rumble match, and Undertaker turned the tables with a victory over the former two-time WWE Champion. This was a forgettable WWE Championship match, and there was a possibility that Luger could finally add the WWE Championship to his collection. Your email address will not be published. Now relive the best, worst and most outrageous moments in the iconic career of one of wrestling's most remarkable big men. 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. 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 Best of Survivor Series Best of Rob Van Dam Yokozuna won on account of his manager Mr. Fuji throwing salt in Harts eyes to set up the finish. Heidenreich wasn't a good in-ring competitor, and Undertaker was unfortunate to face Heidenreich for the second time in three months. Undertaker got the upper hand in his quest to regain the WWE Championship. RELATED: The 11 Worst SummerSlams, According To Cagematch.net. Your email address will not be published. Is it disappointing that Fuji called out the troops, bringing out a dozen heels to help Yokozuna defeat the Undertaker? Best of WWE Backlash: Part 2 Best of Mankind Is it disappointing that Yokozuna (accompanied by Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette) took full advantage of the no-disqualification rule and used everything in his reach to inflict damage on his opponent? Name: Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i Preferred Name: Yokozuna Date Of Birth: Oct 2nd 1966 Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States Nationality: USA Gender: Male Matches: 215 (30 Pay Per View) Date Of Death: Oct 23rd 2000 Cause of Death: pulmonary edema Place of Death: Liverpool, England, United Kingdom Ring Name(s): Great Kokina, Kokina, Kokina Maximus, Kokina the Samoan, Yokozuna At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop, when he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Depending on your perspective and how you value world title reigns versus being the most popular or famous wrestler in a company, you can argue that Hulk Hogan either passed the torch to Yokozuna as the face of the WWF, or Yokozuna was the long-term transitional champ between the last gasping breath of Hulkamania before attempts at moving along to Lex Luger and ultimately going to Bret Hart (though he himself, was arguably just part of the transition to the great Diesel experiment). [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).
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