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After winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title from Scott Norton on the 1/4/99 Tokyo Dome show, Keiji Muto needed a worthy challenger. As a result, a tournament took place throughout the "FIGHTING SPIRIT 1999" tour to determine a top contender. Other than Shinya Hashimoto, who refused to compete (and was suspended), and Masahiro Chono, who was recovering from a serious neck injury, most of New Japan's top active heavyweights were involved, fighting it out for a shot at the prestigious title. It would be Kensuke Sasaki who earned the shot, scoring consecutive wins over Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima, but losing a near-30 minute war with Muto two days after sealing the tournament victory.
IWGP Heavyweight Title #1 Contender Tournament (1/27/99 to 2/12/99)
Round 1: Satoshi Kojima beat Kazuo Yamazaki (12:14) with a cross armbreaker.
Round 1: Manabu Nakanishi beat Tadao Yasuda (8:41) with an Argentine backbreaker.
Round 1: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shiro Koshinaka (10:46) with a diving headbutt.
Round 1: Kensuke Sasaki beat Yuji Nagata (14:16) with a Northern Light bomb.
Semi Final: Satoshi Kojima beat Manabu Nakanishi (12:43) with a lariat.
Semi Final: Kensuke Sasaki beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan (12:20) with a Northern Light bomb.
Final: Kensuke Sasaki beat Satoshi Kojima (16:01) with a Northern Light bomb.
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