Luger battled on gallantly and there were several near falls but Luger clattered Yokozuna out of the ring, and he prevailed by count-out. All seemed lost until Luger choppered in, marking a sharp turn in character as he went straight form his Narcissist gimmick to All-American hero without much explanation or any transition time. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. Until then, yokozuna was merely a licence given to certain zeki to perform the dohy-iri ceremony. Virgil attempted a roll-up but Yokozuna outsmarted Virgil by flattening him. It was not always the strongest zeki but those with the most influential patrons who . During the match, Hart came to the ring, only to be pinned by Diesel. He spoke English to the fans, had Mr. Fuji wave an American flag during his matches, and challenged Vader to numerous matches. He was billed as the biggest Samoan wrestler ever[8] and given credit for breaking Greg Gagne's leg and ending his career.[2]. 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. Their casket match wasn't a technical masterclass but the match was tons of fun to watch. Nevertheless, the match flowed better than their Rumble match, and Undertaker turned the tables with a victory over the former two-time WWE Champion. Anoai took on the name of the "Great Kokina" while wrestling overseas in Japan. Undertaker triumphed and the Game destroyed the casket. Goldust defended his title, but it was a stern test as The Undertaker was looking to end his run with the gold. 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. Yokozuna had a refusal to stay down, and he powered out of Hogan's leg drop which rarely happens. Yokozuna will collides with the greatest rivals of his WWE Hall of Fame career. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ultimately, Bryan was victorious as he connected with the Running Knee with Kane locked inside the casket. The Ortons closed the casket for the win and set it ablaze afterward. This is, in some ways, an odd pick, because based on the feud these guys literally had on TV, it would probably fall toward the bottom of the countdown or miss altogether. The Big Red Machine was no stranger to casket matches, and he dominated proceedings with power moves. This storyline was used to allow the Undertaker to rest for several months to recover from lingering real-life injuries.[2][23]. These are the matches that exemplify the greatness of the United States 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. Im not sure if a more extended program was planned beyond that pointI can imagine one-on-one bouts being entertaining enough spectacles if the WWF kept them shortbut the attack, instead, marked the end of Earthquakes run with the WWF before he headed off to WCW, not to return until after the end of the decade, under a mask. To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USSIntrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, on Independence Day. Stone Cold's Hell Raisin' Moments 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. Attitude Era Royal Rumble Matches His uncles were The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the family business. [54], Teaming with Owen Hart and departure (19951998). Now relive the best, worst and most outrageous moments in the iconic career of one of wrestling's most remarkable big men. Yokozuna defended the WWE Championship against The Undertaker at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Your email address will not be published. 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This was a watchable casket match with both men giving their all in a physical encounter. The Best of Mickie James And while the rivalry between the two men began at Survivor Series 1993, it was the Royal Rumble in 1994 that featured the original rebirth of the Undertaker and kickstarted one of the five greatest feuds in Mark Callaways career. Vader gets the nod for the number four spot, though, because of the unspoken build that went down in 1993. Afterwards, Duggan was suffering from (kayfabe) internal bleeding. The Best of Survivor Series Survivor Series 1992 was the sight of Yokozuna's WWE pay-per-view debut. Yokozuna got tired, and the match finished prematurely. As it was, it was a fun spectacle while it lasted, and gave fans a taste of what theyd imagined a few years earlier. [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. 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. [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. A Tombstone was enough for Undertaker to put Henry into the casket and to go 14-0 at WrestleMania. Every Casket Match In WWE History, Ranked Worst To Best, Mideon & Viscera Vs. [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. 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. Despite using his big size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. Best of WrestleMania: 2000s WrestleMania 22 was the first time where The Undertaker didn't have to be pinned or submitted to lose his WrestleMania unbeaten streak. 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. [45] He made his final WWF appearance at the 1996 Survivor Series, still going after Vader, however he only briefly entered the match illegally and it ended with all remaining wrestlers being disqualified. Hart got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days. Many wrestlers and athletes alike tried to slam Yokozuna, with no success. When The Undertaker returned, it was only fitting the two would pick up where they started, and they staged a Casket Match rematch at Survivor Series 1994 to blow off their issue with Taker putting away Yokozuna with the aid of Chuck Norris to keep interloping heels at bay. He clobbered Virgil to the ground, and he finished off with Virgil with his patented Banzai Drop to open up his account in WWE with a comprehensive victory. 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. The two heavy-hitters went at it, but there was always going to be one winner. Although, the inaugural Casket match at Survivor Series 1992 saw the opponent have to be pinned first before they could win the match. All four competitors were fan favorites at the time, and seeing them all in the ring together was considered a dream match. Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout. This was the first time that the WWE Title was defended in a casket match. Yokozuna had an incredible WWE career, and he is a two-time WWE Champion.RELATED: WWE Icons: 10 Facts We Learned About YokozunaYokozuna had several noteworthy feuds throughout his career but he was at his peak in 1993. The WWE and Intercontinental Championships have been defended in casket matches and the titles haven't changed hands. 7 WWE Champion For Several Minutes 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. Unable to make the most important pay-per-view main cards, it was a fall from grace from a Superstar so integral to the goings-on in WWE. Best of 2021, Best of Royal Rumble Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage.[2][30]. 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