Trophies

[django]

I was wondering about trophies. I have seen several pictures and in it the winner has a trophy. Please help me out, i would like to know the origin and does it have a special meaning? Was it done in the states or is it strictly in Japan? any information on this will be appreciated.

[kurama_tengu]

I'm surprised Hisa hadn't chimed in about this one yet. Here is what I heard: the trophies are given to the winners of the big matches by the sponsors of the matches. So, I am guessing it's like the NBA All-Star Weekend, where Sprite sponsors the Slam Dunk Contest and the trophy, Foot Locker sponsors the 3-Point Challenge and trophy, etc. I am not sure whether the companies sponsoring the IWGP Championship matches are big companies or not, and I don't know whether it's a very prestigious thing or if it is just a tradition that they continue to follow. It's actually these formalities that makes puroresu more interesting to watch because the title matches seem to mean something and are defended maybe once a month or so, rather than on every PPV or house show like in the US.