Wrestling World 2001 was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome. It was the tenth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. The show drew 52,000 spectators.[1]
| Wrestling World 2001 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Masahiro Chono, who made it to the semi-finals of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament. | |||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 4, 2001[1] | ||
| City | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Venue | Tokyo Dome | ||
| Attendance | 52,000[1] | ||
| Wrestling World chronology | |||
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| New Japan Pro-Wrestling events chronology | |||
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The focal point of Wrestling World 2001 was a tournament to crown a new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, which accounted for five of the nine matches on the show. No other championships were defended in 2001, marking the first year that only one title was on the line. The show saw Toshiaki Kawada wrestle twice; Kawada had previously been one of the main event wrestlers of NJPW's biggest rival All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Production
editBackground
editThe January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is NJPW's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest professional wrestling show in the world outside of the United States" and the "Japanese equivalent to the Super Bowl".[2][3]
Storylines
editWrestling World 2001 featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4]
Results
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kensuke Sasaki defeated Satoshi Kojima | Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament quarter-final | 16:33 |
| 2 | Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Yuji Nagata | Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament quarter-final | 16:45 |
| 3 | Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka defeated Shinya Makabe and Tatsuhito Takaiwa | Tag team match | 18:02 |
| 4 | Takashi Iizuka defeated Kendo Kashin | Singles match | 06:12 |
| 5 | Kensuke Sasaki defeated Masahiro Chono | Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament semi-final | 11:28 |
| 6 | Toshiaki Kawada defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament semi-final | 10:45 |
| 7 | Keiji Mutoh and Shinjiro Otani defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Manabu Nakanishi | Tag team match | 05:44 |
| 8 | Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto ended in a no contest | Singles match | 15:20 |
| 9 | Kensuke Sasaki defeated Toshiaki Kawada | Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament final | 10:30 |
IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament bracket
edit| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Satoshi Kojima | Sub | ||||||||||
| Kensuke Sasaki | 16:33 | ||||||||||
| Kensuke Sasaki | Sub | ||||||||||
| Masahiro Chono | 11:28 | ||||||||||
| Kensuke Sasaki | Pin | ||||||||||
| Toshiaki Kawada | 10:30 | ||||||||||
| Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 16:45 | ||||||||||
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||
| Toshiaki Kawada | 10:45 | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Wrestling World 2001". ProWrestlingHistory.com. January 4, 2001. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ "GFW News: New Japan Pro Wrestling "Wrestle Kingdom 9" press conference details". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. December 23, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Keller, Wade (December 13, 2016). "New Japan's WrestleKingdom 11 to air on AXS TV starting Jan. 13 in four weekly special episodes with Ross & Barnett on commentary". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
External links
edit- NJPW.co.jp (in Japanese)