[New Japan] I.W.G.P. Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2002/02)

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

I.W.G.P. Heavyweight Championship Tournament will take place in February to fill the vacant title.

• Kensuke Sasaki vs. Rick Steiner
• Manabu Nakanishi vs. Yuuji Nagata
• Tadao Yasuda (free) vs. Giant Silva

• [Sasaki or Steiner] vs. [Nakanishi or Nagata]
• Masahiro Chono vs. [Yasuda or Silva]

Final: on the same card at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

New Japan president Tatsumi Fujinami also announced that he was willing to send the new champion for NOAH's Nippon Budokan card on the next day for the title defense.

[Peru-Yakuza]

Where's Tenzan and Kojima? **** it Chono is worse than Inoki as a booker!

[BadNews]

what the hell does Giant Silva do in there? And Rick Steiner? What about putting in Kojima? or Tenzan? or Muto? or someone from another promotion? how obvious can you book anyway? and for crying out loud, why is Sasaki now going to be a three-time champion? is he as good as Vader, Muto and Hashimoto? I don't think so!

[ElGringo]

OK, Raod Dogg, I'll answer youur questions for you.

Muto is'nt participating in the tournament because his knees are now inflamed and he needs time off. Also, There would be no point in having Muto in the tournament. Its obvious that Muto would'nt win the IWGP title because he already has the Triple Crown and both sets of tag belts. One guy can't hold the singles and tag belts in both big promotions!

Tadao Yusuda is in the tournament because Inoki wants a representive there. Fujita is injured. Ogawa refuses to job. Frye is in training for his upcoming fight against Shamrock. Murakami is too young. So, Yusuda is the only option.

Rick Steiner is poor, yes, but I'd rather have him in the tournament than Scott Norton.

I predict the final will be be Yasuda vs Sasaki w/ Sasaki winning (Sasaki has jobbed to Fujita and went to a no contest with Ogawa, so Sasaki will have a win over an Inoki Army member to help maintain his image as the 'ace' of New Japan)

Sasaki vs Nagata is what I'd hope for, with Nagata gettng the win to even the score, but after Inoki burried Nagata's career, I doubt Nagata will get past Nakanishi.

Inoki has moaned about the low ratings for the Dome show, but they are actually his fault. Inoki booked the Cro Cop vs Nagata match, and it is because of that match that interest in Nagata is so low. Inoki has also ruined the New Japan vs NOAH plans by burying Nagata; no-one will care now, and both Fujinami and Misawa were counting on the sereies to draw, big time.

[Peru-Yakuza]

Originally posted by roaddogg
what the hell does Giant Silva do in there? And Rick Steiner? What about putting in Kojima? or Tenzan? or Muto? or someone from another promotion? how obvious can you book anyway? and for crying out loud, why is Sasaki now going to be a three-time champion? is he as good as Vader, Muto and Hashimoto? I don't think so!

Actually Sasaki would be a four-time champion. Well, he may not be as good but even worse is Chono, who is also a former champion whose knees no longer hold up and just punches and kicks...

[ElGringo]

Chono may be even worse now, what with the fact that he'll be coming off a neck injury.....

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

2002/02/01 Sapporo

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Tournament: 1st Round

Rick Steiner (8'09" death valley bomb to pin) Kensuke Sasaki
* According to New Japan official site, this was a one-sided match.

Tadao Yasuda (2'39" sleeper hold) Giant Silva

Yuuji Nagata (12'31" back suplex hold) Manabu Nakanishi

[BadNews]

The other results were pretty predictable, but Sasaki going down is something I didn't expect.

[highpriest]

I didnt see that one coming either. Steiner is a pretty tough cookie, and him and 'Scotty' (lol) have held the IWGP Tag straps. So maybe there is a better push waiting for him there than in the states at this point in his career

[samoth]

Gos, what a pathetic tournament. You're telling me they couldn't get ANYONE better than Silva, Chono and Rick Steiner??? They have fan favorites Liger, Samurai and so on under contract, and they go with these losers on top? I realize the men I mentioned are Juniors and masked/gimmicked guys, but come ON. Vader was masked and they made him champion 3 times! This is on the level of Vince Russo booking here, and if Rick Steiner wins I will boycott buying New Japan tapes.

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Originally posted by samoth
They have fan favorites Liger, Samurai and so on under contract, and they go with these losers on top? I realize the men I mentioned are Juniors and masked/gimmicked guys, but come ON.

Yeah, the guys you mentioned are in junior heavyweight division, and the tournament you are talking about is a heavyweight division tournament.

Unlike in the US, they try to make it more like a sport in Japan.

[gaijinTIGER]

I'll be very interested to see where they go from here, as, in my opinion, the rest of the tournament will be pretty hard to call. Prior to the 12/31/01 Inoki show, there's no doubt in my mind that Nagata and Chono would have gone over, but now, I'm not so sure. With Yasuda now considered a legitimate threat of sorts due to his shoot win, and Nagata having to pick himself up after the shoot loss, it makes it a lot harder to call, in my eyes. What does everyone else think?

Jay

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Tournament: Semi-Finals
Yuuji Nagata (11'30" pin) Rick Steiner
Tadao Yasuda (6'36" shoulder lock) Masahiro Chono

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Top Contender Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (21'06" buffalo sleeper hold) Osamu Nishimura

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Minoru Tanaka (11'01"backsliding) Masahito Kakihara
* Tanaka wins the vacant title.

Manabu Nakanishi (11'10" german suplex hold) Kensuke Sasaki

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Tournament: Final
Tadao Yasuda (15'15" front sleeper hold) Yuuji Nagata
* Yasuda wins the vacant title.

Complete Results

[BadNews]

But didn't Liger make an attempt at moving up to the heavyweight ranks? Apparently, unlike Misawa, Onita and FUjinami, he hasn't succeded.

[BadNews]

After Sasaki going out, Yasuda's was obvious, since they couldn't have given the belt to neither Nagata nor Chono. And I guess Steiner is just a one-tour-only performer. However, with his reputation, he might become a puroresu mainstay.