WCW/New Japan Supershow

WCW/New Japan Supershow was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view jointly promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). It was held from 1991 to 1993, and was known as "Starrcade" in Japan.^[1] The show would be taped in Japan and then edited and aired in North America at a later date in WCW.

I

WCW/New Japan Supershow I (known as Starrcade in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on March 21, 1991 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It aired in North America in April 1991.^[2]

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

• Dark match: Animal Hamaguchi, Kengo Kimura, Osamu Kido and Kantaro Hoshino defeated Super Strong Machine, Hiro Saito, Tatsutoshi Goto and Norio Honaga
  • Kimura pinned Goto.
• Shiro Koshinaka, Kuniaki Kobayashi and Takayuki Iizuka defeated Tim Horner, Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk (12:10)
  • Koshinaka pinned Horner with a Dragon Suplex.
• Dark match: Scott Norton defeated The Equalizer (2:23)
  • Norton pinned Equalizer after a Powerslam.
• Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Akira Nogami to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (16:08)
  • Liger pinned Nogami after an Avalanche DDT.
• Arn Anderson and Barry Windham defeated Masa Saito and Masahiro Chono (9:17)
  • Anderson pinned Saito after a Jumping Lariat.
• The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship (12:56)
  • Scott pinned Sasaki after a Frankensteiner.
• El Gigante defeated Big Cat Hughes (2:16)
  • Gigante forced Hughes to submit with a Brain Claw.
• Dark match: Big Van Vader and Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed) (13:17)
  • Vader pinned Reed after a Body Press.
• Dark match: Riki Chōshū defeated Tiger Jeet Singh (11:07)
  • Chōshū won by KO.
• The Great Muta defeated Sting (11:41)
  • Muta pinned Sting with a Diving Body Press.
• Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (23:06)
  • Fujinami pinned Flair with a Grounded Cobra Twist.
  • Flair's WCW World Heavyweight Championship was not on the line as the NWA and WCW titles were considered separate in Japan (WCW considered them the same title at the time).
  • On the American rebroadcast of the Supershow, they claimed that it was a title Vs. title match, however, they claimed that even though Fujinami won the bout, that he didn't win the WCW Championship on the basis that Flair was thrown over the top rope, which was considered a disqualification as per WCW rules at the time.

II

WCW/New Japan Supershow II (known as Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on January 4, 1992 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.^[3]

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

• Dark match: Black Cat defeated Hiroyoshi Yamamoto (10:28)
  • Black Cat pinned Yamamoto after a DDT.
• Dark match: Osamu Kido and Kuniaki Kobayashi defeated Kengo Kimura and Kantaro Hoshino (11:54)
  • Kido pinned Hoshino with a Cradle.
• Jushin Thunder Liger, Masashi Aoyagi and Akira Nogami defeated Hiro Saito, Super Strong Machine and Norio Honaga (15:12)
  • Nogami pinned Saito with a Dragon Suplex.
• The Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko) defeated Michiyoshi Ohara and Shiro Koshinaka (12:32)
  • Anderson pinned Ohara after a Spinebuster.
• Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes defeated Masa Saito and Kim Duk (14:23)
  • Dustin pinned Duk after a Bulldog.
• Dark match: Tony Halme defeated Scott Norton (8:41)
  • Halme pinned Norton after a Diving Lariat.
• Dark match: Shinya Hashimoto defeated Bill Kazmaier (8:37)
  • Hashimoto pinned Kazmaier after a Jumping DDT.
• Big Van Vader fought El Gigante to a double disqualification (4:49)
• Dark match: Antonio Inoki defeated Hiroshi Hase (10:09)
  • Inoki forced Hase to submit with the Octopus Hold.
• Lex Luger defeated Masahiro Chono to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (15:09)
  • Luger pinned Chono.
• Riki Chōshū defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (12:11)
  • Choshu pinned Fujinami after a Lariat.
  • Choshu's Greatest 18 Championship was also on the line.
• Sting and The Great Muta defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) (11:03)
  • Sting pinned Scott with a Cradle.

III

WCW/New Japan Supershow III(known as Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on January 4, 1993 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.^[4]

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

• Dark match: Shiro Koshinaka, The Great Kabuki, Masashi Aoyagi and Akitoshi Saito defeated Super Strong Machine, Hiro Saito, Tatsutoshi Goto and Norio Honaga (14:20)
  • Kabuki pinned Honaga after a Backdrop Suplex.
• Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Último Dragón to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (20:09)
  • Liger pinned Dragon after a Frankensteiner.
• Ron Simmons defeated Tony Halme (6:10)
  • Simmons pinned Halme after a Spinebuster.
• Masa Saito and Shinya Hashimoto defeated Scott Norton and Dustin Rhodes (13:57)
  • Hashimoto pinned Rhodes after an Enzuigiri.
• IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta defeated Masahiro Chono to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (19:48)
  • Mutoh pinned Chono with a Moonsault.
  • The IWGP Championship was also on the line.
• Takayuki Iizuka, Akira Nogami and El Samurai defeated Nobukazu Hirai, Masao Orihara and Koki Kitahara (15:11)
  • Nogami pinned Orihara after a Powerbomb from Iizuka.
• Sting defeated Hiroshi Hase (15:31)
  • Sting pinned Hase with a Diving Body Press.
• Dark match: IWGP Tag Team Champions The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior) fought The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) to a Double Countout (14:38)
  • Although this match was advertised for the PPV, it was changed, due to the Steiners leaving for the WWF.
• Dark match: Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Takashi Ishikawa (11:41)
  • Fujinami forced Ishikawa to submit with a Dragon Sleeper.
• Dark match: Genichiro Tenryu defeated Riki Chōshū (18:14)
  • Tenryu pinned Chōshū after a Powerbomb.

See also

• World Championship Wrestling
• New Japan Pro Wrestling
• List of WCW pay-per-view events
• Collision in Korea

References