Collision in Korea (found professional wrestling event in North Korea; 1995): Difference between revisions

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(One of the most fascinating pieces of wrestling media, fully recovered thanks to UserDragon12 V3 with assistance from the folks at the Lost Media en Español Wikia. I might have identified another piece of lost media during the research of this event.)
 
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==Background==
==Background==
In 1995, professional wrestler and NJPW founder Antonio Inoki was looking to revitalise his political career following scandals surrounding influence by the Yakuza and embezzlement.<ref name="stories">[https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/collision-in-korea/ ''Pro Wrestling Stores'' detailing the story behind ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> That year, he decided that the solution would be to hold an event in North Korea as part of ensuring peace through sports diplomacy, and to repair the strained relationships between North Korea and Japan at the time.<ref name="si">[https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/04/27/muhammad-ali-ric-flair-oral-history-pro-wrestling-north-korea ''Sports Illustrated'' detailing Inoki's motivations for producing the event, and providing multiple wrestlers' comments surrounding ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Thus, after negotiations with North Korea, he received permission from Kim Jong-II to produce a two-day event entitled ''Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace''.<ref name="stories"/>  
In 1995, professional wrestler and NJPW founder Antonio Inoki were looking to revitalize his political career following scandals surrounding influence by the Yakuza and embezzlement.<ref name="stories">[https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/collision-in-korea/ ''Pro Wrestling Stores'' detailing the story behind ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> That year, he decided that the solution would be to hold an event in North Korea as part of ensuring peace through sports diplomacy and to repair the strained relationships between North Korea and Japan at the time.<ref name="si">[https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/04/27/muhammad-ali-ric-flair-oral-history-pro-wrestling-north-korea ''Sports Illustrated'' detailing Inoki's motivations for producing the event, and providing multiple wrestlers' comments surrounding ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Thus, after negotiations with North Korea, he received permission from Kim Jong-II to produce a two-day event entitled ''Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace''.<ref name="stories"/>  


To ensure this major event was a credible success, Inoki contacted WCW President Eric Bischoff, requesting that his company jointly-participate in the event. After mending the NJPW-WCW relationship that allowed wrestlers from both organisations to freely compete on each other's shows,<ref>''The Death of WCW'' detailing the NJPW-WCW relationship. Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref><ref name="last">[https://lastwordonsports.com/prowrestling/2021/05/21/collision-in-korea-dark-side-of-the-ring/ ''Last Word on Sports'' detailing various revelations of ''Collision of Korea'' thanks to ''Dark Side of the Ring''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Bischoff agreed and began to make preparations for the event, even behind WCW's owner Ted Turner's back.<ref name="si"/> Originally, the plan was for Inoki to face Hulk Hogan in the main event, but Hogan refused to travel to North Korea. Thus, fellow WCW wrestler Ric Flair agreed to headline the event.<ref name="last"/> Additionally, Muhammad Ali agreed to be the guest of honour, with the boxer proving highly popular in the country.<ref name="last"/>
To ensure this major event was a credible success, Inoki contacted WCW President Eric Bischoff, requesting that his company jointly participate in the event. After mending the NJPW-WCW relationship that allowed wrestlers from both organizations to freely compete on each other's shows,<ref>''The Death of WCW'' detailing the NJPW-WCW relationship. Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref><ref name="last">[https://lastwordonsports.com/prowrestling/2021/05/21/collision-in-korea-dark-side-of-the-ring/ ''Last Word on Sports'' detailing various revelations of ''Collision of Korea'' thanks to ''Dark Side of the Ring''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Bischoff agreed and began to make preparations for the event, even behind WCW's owner Ted Turner's back.<ref name="si"/> Originally, the plan was for Inoki to face Hulk Hogan in the main event, but Hogan refused to travel to North Korea. Thus, fellow WCW wrestler Ric Flair agreed to headline the event.<ref name="last"/> Additionally, Muhammad Ali agreed to be the guest of honour, with the boxer proving highly popular in the country.<ref name="last"/>


==The Event==
==The Event==
The event took place over two days, from 28th-29th April 1995.<ref name="recaps">[https://wrestlingrecaps.com/2011/01/18/njpwwcw-collision-in-korea-841995/ ''Wrestling Recaps'' reviewing the WCW version of ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> The audience was the largest ever seen in a wrestling event, which was claimed to have been 165,000 on Day One, and 190,000 for Day Two. Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' however disputed these figures, claiming there were actually 150,000 and 165,000 respectively. Even so, the 165,000 figure is still the highest attendance for any wrestling event as of the present day.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/5yn7l6/wrestling_observer_rewind_may_8_1995/ Reddit post containing the 8th May 1995 issue of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', which detailed attendance figures.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> All the people present at the event were forced to attend.<ref name="last"/>
The event took place over two days, from 28th-29th April 1995.<ref name="recaps">[https://wrestlingrecaps.com/2011/01/18/njpwwcw-collision-in-korea-841995/ ''Wrestling Recaps'' reviewing the WCW version of ''Collision in Korea''.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> The audience was the largest ever seen in a wrestling event, which was claimed to have been 165,000 on Day One, and 190,000 for Day Two. Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' however disputed these figures, claiming there were actually 150,000 and 165,000 respectively. Even so, the 165,000 figure is still the highest attendance for any wrestling event as of the present day.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/5yn7l6/wrestling_observer_rewind_may_8_1995/ Reddit post containing the 8th May 1995 issue of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', which detailed attendance figures.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> All the people present at the event were forced to attend.<ref name="last"/>


A total of 15 matches, seven on the first day and eight in the second, were conducted. Day One was headlined by having Shinya Hashimoto defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Scott Norton, wrestling to a 20-minute time limit.<ref name="sports">[https://www.thesportster.com/infamous-collision-in-korea-facts-trivia-things-wcw/ ''The Sportster'' detailing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Another notable match included a women's tag team match that saw Akira Hokuto and Bull Nakano defeating Manami Toyota and Mariko Yoshida. For the traditionally conservative North Korean audience, this was an astounding spectacle, with most not knowing how to react.<ref name="si"/> The match itself was praised by Meltzer, who gave it four stars.<ref>[https://whatculture.com/wwe/11-fascinating-wcw-njpw-collision-in-korea-facts?page=7 ''WhatCulture'' detailing the women's tag team match.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Additionally, Hokuto and Nakano would face each other on Day Two for Hokuto's CMLL World Women's Championship, with Hokuto successfully retaining.<ref name="stories"/>
A total of 15 matches, seven on the first day and eight on the second were conducted. Day One was headlined by having Shinya Hashimoto defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Scott Norton, wrestling to a 20-minute time limit.<ref name="sports">[https://www.thesportster.com/infamous-collision-in-korea-facts-trivia-things-wcw/ ''The Sportster'' detailing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Another notable match included a women's tag team match that saw Akira Hokuto and Bull Nakano defeating Manami Toyota and Mariko Yoshida. For the traditionally conservative North Korean audience, this was an astounding spectacle, with most not knowing how to react.<ref name="si"/> The match itself was praised by Meltzer, who gave it four stars.<ref>[https://whatculture.com/wwe/11-fascinating-wcw-njpw-collision-in-korea-facts?page=7 ''WhatCulture'' detailing the women's tag team match.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Additionally, Hokuto and Nakano would face each other on Day Two for Hokuto's CMLL World Women's Championship, with Hokuto successfully retaining.<ref name="stories"/>


In general, the audience seldom reacted to the action in the ring.<ref name="stories"/> Flair believes that the audience were expecting Greco-Roman wrestling, but were confused regarding the less realistic wrestling action being presented in what appeared to still be legitimate competitive matches.<ref name="si"/> Things changed in the main event, with the crowd firmly behind Inoki, because he was a student of North Korean professional and sumo wrestler Rikidōzan.<ref name="sports"/><ref name="stories"/> Inoki successfully pinned Flair, to the delight of the crowd.<ref name="stories"/>
In general, the audience seldom reacted to the action in the ring.<ref name="stories"/> Flair believes that the audience were expecting Greco-Roman wrestling, but were confused regarding the less realistic wrestling action being presented in what appeared to still be legitimate competitive matches.<ref name="si"/> Things changed in the main event, with the crowd firmly behind Inoki, because he was a student of North Korean professional and sumo wrestler Rikidōzan.<ref name="sports"/><ref name="stories"/> Inoki successfully pinned Flair, to the delight of the crowd.<ref name="stories"/>


==Availability==
==Availability==
WCW would establish a pay-per-view containing highlights of the event on 4th August 1995, entitled ''Collision in Korea''. This contained a compilation of eight matches shown on both days.<ref name="recaps"/> However, due to little promotion of the pay-per-view, it remained relatively obscure, with WWE also not including the event on its WWE Network,<ref>[https://whatculture.com/wwe/16-ppvs-not-on-the-wwe-network?page=5 ''WhatCulture'' detailing how ''Collision in Korea'' is not on the WWE Network.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> having purchased WCW and its tape library in 2001.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2001/03/23/deals/wwf/#:~:text=WWF%20buys%20World%20Championship%20Wrestling,23%2C%202001&text=NEW%20YORK%20(CNNfn)%20%2D%20The,a%20near%2020%2Dyear%20rivalry. ''CNN Money'' reporting on the WWF buying WCW.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Therefore, the only two matches publicly accessible for some time included Hokuto vs Nakano and Flair vs Inoki, which were available on NJPW World.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/8hq6xe/the_infamous_collision_in_korea_ppv_may_not_be_on/ Reddit posts containing matches available on NJPW World.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> However, the WCW version would eventually be uploaded in full to YouTube.
WCW would establish a pay-per-view containing highlights of the event on August 4th, 1995, entitled ''Collision in Korea''. This contained a compilation of eight matches shown on both days.<ref name="recaps"/> However, due to little promotion of the pay-per-view, it remained relatively obscure, with WWE also not including the event on its WWE Network,<ref>[https://whatculture.com/wwe/16-ppvs-not-on-the-wwe-network?page=5 ''WhatCulture'' detailing how ''Collision in Korea'' is not on the WWE Network.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> having purchased WCW and its tape library in 2001.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2001/03/23/deals/wwf/#:~:text=WWF%20buys%20World%20Championship%20Wrestling,23%2C%202001&text=NEW%20YORK%20(CNNfn)%20%2D%20The,a%20near%2020%2Dyear%20rivalry. ''CNN Money'' reporting on the WWF buying WCW.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> Therefore, the only two matches publicly accessible for some time included Hokuto vs Nakano and Flair vs Inoki, which were available on NJPW World.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/8hq6xe/the_infamous_collision_in_korea_ppv_may_not_be_on/ Reddit posts containing matches available on NJPW World.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> However, the WCW version would eventually be uploaded in full to YouTube.


The full event proved more difficult to find. However, in August 2020, UserDragon12 V3 revealed to the ''Lost Media en Español Wikia'' that they had obtained a pirate copy from a Japanese fan, which contained the entire uncut event.<ref>[https://forums.lostmediawiki.com/thread/5164/original-wcw-collision-korea-broadcasting ''Lost Media Wiki Forum'' discussing UserDragon12 V3 finding the full uncut event.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> It was uploaded to Google Drive on 22nd August 2020, but was quickly taken down again. However, various copies of the event would resurface again on 15th January 2021, thus making the event fully publicly available.
The full event proved more difficult to find. However, in August 2020, UserDragon12 V3 revealed to the ''Lost Media en Español Wikia'' that they had obtained a pirate copy from a Japanese fan, which contained the entire uncut event.<ref>[https://forums.lostmediawiki.com/thread/5164/original-wcw-collision-korea-broadcasting ''Lost Media Wiki Forum'' discussing UserDragon12 V3 finding the full uncut event.] Retrieved 22 Dec '21</ref> It was uploaded to Google Drive on August 22nd, 2020, but was quickly taken down again. However, various copies of the event would resurface again on January 15th, 2021, thus making the event fully publicly available.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==

Revision as of 16:11, 22 December 2021

Collisioninkorea1.jpg

Collision in Korea logo.

Status: Found

Date found: 22 Aug 2020

Found by: UserDragon12 V3

Collision in Korea (officially known as Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace) is a professional wrestling event jointly-produced by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 28th-29th April 1995. Headlined by NJPW's Antonio Inoki vs WCW's Ric Flair, the event is famous for being held at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, in front of a record attendance for a wrestling event.

Background

In 1995, professional wrestler and NJPW founder Antonio Inoki were looking to revitalize his political career following scandals surrounding influence by the Yakuza and embezzlement.[1] That year, he decided that the solution would be to hold an event in North Korea as part of ensuring peace through sports diplomacy and to repair the strained relationships between North Korea and Japan at the time.[2] Thus, after negotiations with North Korea, he received permission from Kim Jong-II to produce a two-day event entitled Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace.[1]

To ensure this major event was a credible success, Inoki contacted WCW President Eric Bischoff, requesting that his company jointly participate in the event. After mending the NJPW-WCW relationship that allowed wrestlers from both organizations to freely compete on each other's shows,[3][4] Bischoff agreed and began to make preparations for the event, even behind WCW's owner Ted Turner's back.[2] Originally, the plan was for Inoki to face Hulk Hogan in the main event, but Hogan refused to travel to North Korea. Thus, fellow WCW wrestler Ric Flair agreed to headline the event.[4] Additionally, Muhammad Ali agreed to be the guest of honour, with the boxer proving highly popular in the country.[4]

The Event

The event took place over two days, from 28th-29th April 1995.[5] The audience was the largest ever seen in a wrestling event, which was claimed to have been 165,000 on Day One, and 190,000 for Day Two. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter however disputed these figures, claiming there were actually 150,000 and 165,000 respectively. Even so, the 165,000 figure is still the highest attendance for any wrestling event as of the present day.[6] All the people present at the event were forced to attend.[4]

A total of 15 matches, seven on the first day and eight on the second were conducted. Day One was headlined by having Shinya Hashimoto defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Scott Norton, wrestling to a 20-minute time limit.[7] Another notable match included a women's tag team match that saw Akira Hokuto and Bull Nakano defeating Manami Toyota and Mariko Yoshida. For the traditionally conservative North Korean audience, this was an astounding spectacle, with most not knowing how to react.[2] The match itself was praised by Meltzer, who gave it four stars.[8] Additionally, Hokuto and Nakano would face each other on Day Two for Hokuto's CMLL World Women's Championship, with Hokuto successfully retaining.[1]

In general, the audience seldom reacted to the action in the ring.[1] Flair believes that the audience were expecting Greco-Roman wrestling, but were confused regarding the less realistic wrestling action being presented in what appeared to still be legitimate competitive matches.[2] Things changed in the main event, with the crowd firmly behind Inoki, because he was a student of North Korean professional and sumo wrestler Rikidōzan.[7][1] Inoki successfully pinned Flair, to the delight of the crowd.[1]

Availability

WCW would establish a pay-per-view containing highlights of the event on August 4th, 1995, entitled Collision in Korea. This contained a compilation of eight matches shown on both days.[5] However, due to little promotion of the pay-per-view, it remained relatively obscure, with WWE also not including the event on its WWE Network,[9] having purchased WCW and its tape library in 2001.[10] Therefore, the only two matches publicly accessible for some time included Hokuto vs Nakano and Flair vs Inoki, which were available on NJPW World.[11] However, the WCW version would eventually be uploaded in full to YouTube.

The full event proved more difficult to find. However, in August 2020, UserDragon12 V3 revealed to the Lost Media en Español Wikia that they had obtained a pirate copy from a Japanese fan, which contained the entire uncut event.[12] It was uploaded to Google Drive on August 22nd, 2020, but was quickly taken down again. However, various copies of the event would resurface again on January 15th, 2021, thus making the event fully publicly available.

Gallery

Videos

WCW version of Collision in Korea.

Kento Bento video on Collision in Korea.

83 Weeks video on Collision in Korea.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Pro Wrestling Stores detailing the story behind Collision in Korea. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Sports Illustrated detailing Inoki's motivations for producing the event, and providing multiple wrestlers' comments surrounding Collision in Korea. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  3. ↑ The Death of WCW detailing the NJPW-WCW relationship. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Last Word on Sports detailing various revelations of Collision of Korea thanks to Dark Side of the Ring. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wrestling Recaps reviewing the WCW version of Collision in Korea. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  6. ↑ Reddit post containing the 8th May 1995 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which detailed attendance figures. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Sportster detailing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  8. ↑ WhatCulture detailing the women's tag team match. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  9. ↑ WhatCulture detailing how Collision in Korea is not on the WWE Network. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  10. ↑ CNN Money reporting on the WWF buying WCW. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  11. ↑ Reddit posts containing matches available on NJPW World. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
  12. ↑ Lost Media Wiki Forum discussing UserDragon12 V3 finding the full uncut event. Retrieved 22 Dec '21
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