Collision in Korea
Collision in Korea | |||
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Pyongyang, North Korea | |||
Venue | Rungrado 1st of May Stadium | ||
Attendance | Total: 315,000 Day One: 150,000[1] Day Two: 165,000[1] | ||
Tagline(s) | Two Legends, One Country | ||
Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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New Japan Pro-Wrestling events chronology | |||
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Interpromotional Inoki shows chronology | |||
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Collision in Korea, officially known as the Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace (平和のための平壌国際体育・文化祝典, Heiwa no tame no Pyon'yan kokusai taiiku bunka shukuten),
The second day of the event holds the record for the largest ever attendance for a wrestling event, with a claimed audience of 190,000. The first day holds the record for the second-largest ever attendance, with a claimed audience of 165,000.[8][9] American wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported different attendance numbers of 150,000 and 165,000 respectively.[1][10] Day two of the event generated a live gate of $7,500,000 (equivalent to $14,997,000 in 2023) and day two of the event generated $8,500,000 (equivalent to $16,996,000 in 2023), which were two of the biggest live gates ever in wrestling.[11]
Retired
As of 2023, the event is one of the few WCW PPVs not available for streaming on the WWE Network. Collision in Korea is one of the topics covered in the third season of Vice TV's Dark Side of the Ring in May 2021.[13]
Production
The idea for a professional wrestling event in North Korea came from
While planning the event, Inoki wanted to get American wrestlers to participate, and he reached out to
Event
Day 1
Role: | Name: |
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Commentators | Eric Bischoff |
Mike Tenay | |
Kazuo Ishikawa | |
Ring announcer | Hidekazu Tanaka |
Referees | Masao Tayama |
Tiger Hattori |
The opening bout was a
The second bout was a
The third bout was a singles match in which
The fourth bout was a tag team match in which Ookami Gundan (
The fifth bout was a singles match in which
The sixth bout was a singles match in which Kensuke Sasaki defeated Masa Saito by pinfall.[5]
The main event was a singles match between Scott Norton and Shinya Hashimoto that ended in a time limit draw.[5]
Day 2
The opening bout was a
The second bout was a singles match in which Akira Hokuto defeated Bull Nakano for the CMLL World Women's Championship. The match ended with a pinfall.[5]
The third bout was a singles match in which Black Cat defeated El Samurai by pinfall.[5]
The fourth bout was a singles match in which
The fifth bout was a tag team match in which
The sixth bout was a singles match in which
The seventh bout was a tag team match in which
The main event was a singles match in which
Results
Day 1
No. | Results | ||||
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6 | Kensuke Sasaki defeated Masa Saito by pinfall | Singles match | 8:34 | ||
7 | Shinya Hashimoto (c) vs. Scott Norton ended in a time limit draw | Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | 20:00 | ||
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Day 2
No. | Results The Steiner Brothers (Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner) defeated Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki by pinfall Tag team match | 11:51 | | ||
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8 | Antonio Inoki defeated Ric Flair by pinfall | Singles match | 14:52 | ||
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Aftermath
Following the event, North Korean officials requested that Flair read a statement that the nation had the capability to dominate the United States, though Flair declined and instead made a statement wherein he expressed praise for the "beautiful and peaceful country" of North Korea and said, "His Excellency, Kim Il-sung, will always be with us".[7] In late 1995, an image taken during the event showing a bloody Flair being beaten by Inoki was featured on propaganda leaflets that were dropped by the North Korean government over Seoul.[7]
In the United States, the show garnered little news attention, and when the event was released as a
References
- ^ a b c Meltzer, Dave. "April 11, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter". f4wonline.com. Wrestling Observer. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
The all-time pro wrestling attendance record would be for shows on April 28 and April 29, 1995 at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The announced crowds for those shows were 165,000 and 190,000, although the real numbers were about 150,000 and 165,000. The first show was headlined by Scott Norton vs. Shinya Hashimoto and the second by Antonio Inoki vs. Ric Flair. While there were tickets sold, most of the people attending got in free and were pretty much ordered to attend, so it's not a fair comparison.
- ^ "北朝鮮でカシンvs永田の"前座黄金カード"". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). June 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "North Korea Allows Visitors A Tightly Controlled Glimpse Of Its Capital". Philly.com. April 28, 1995. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "Apr. 29 in history: Flair vs. Inoki seen by 150,000 in N. Korea". Pro Wrestling Torch. April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "New Japan International Cards". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Peddycord, Matt (January 18, 2011). "NJPW/WCW Collision in Korea 8/4/1995". WrestlingRecaps.com. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Serafino, Jason (August 22, 2017). "When Ric Flair Traveled to North Korea for the Biggest Wrestling Show of All Time". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-5351-7.
- Wrestling Observer. Archived from the originalon January 26, 2014.
- ^ Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ "NJPW International Shows". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Hall, Nick (April 29, 2020). "Collision in Korea: Pyongyang's historic socialism and spandex spectacular". NK News. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ Martinez, Phillip (April 8, 2021). "Newsgeek: 'Dark Side of the Ring' Season 3 Release Date and More Topics Revealed". Newsweek. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "NJPW/WCW Collision in Korea - tag 1". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "NJPW/WCW Collision in Korea - tag 2". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
External links
- Collision in Korea at IMDb