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"STRONG STYLE 2001" at the Osaka Dome was a very important event in New Japan history, as it saw Antonio Inoki attempt to regain control of the company he created, by injecting two of his representatives, Shinya Hashimoto and Kazuyuki Fujita, against New Japan wrestlers in the feature matches. Victory for the Inoki corps would force New Japan to succumb to Inoki's ideals, so much responsibility was in the hands of Kensuke Sasaki and Scott Norton. Another feature of the show was the new feud, pitting Masahiro Chono's Team 2000 against Keiji Muto's BATT in six man tag competition. G-EGGS stars, Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi, would clash in a match to determine a top contender for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. All Japan returned to New Japan, with Toshiaki Kawada & Masanobu Fuchi tackling Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka, Kawada vs. Choshu in particular generation much interest and anticipation. And to kick off the show, three New Japan heavyweights faced three New Japan junior heavyweights, just like on last April's super-show at the Tokyo Dome, in a trio of matches titled "STRONG STYLE".
Foreign participation:
Brian Johnston (G-EGGS)
Scott Norton (Team 2000)
Taiyo Kea (All Japan/BATT)
Special participation:
Jinsei Shinzaki (Michinoku Pro/BATT)
Kazunari Murakami (UFO)
Kazuyuki Fujita
Masanobu Fuchi (All Japan)
Shinya Hashimoto (ZERO-ONE)
Toshiaki Kawada (All Japan)
NJPW "STRONG STYLE 2001", 4/9/01 (WPW)
Osaka Dome
27,000 Fans
1. Takashi Iizuka beat Minoru Tanaka (9:37) with a sleeper hold.
2. Yutaka Yoshie beat Shinya Makabe (8:59) with a Canadian backbreaker.
3. Brian Johnston beat Kendo Kashin (2:20) with a front neck lock.
4. Jushin Thunder Liger beat Kazunari Murakami  (1:47) by DQ.
5. Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka beat Toshiaki Kawada  & Masanobu Fuchi (8:53) when Choshu used a lariat on Fuchi.
6. IWGP Heavyweight Title #1 Contender Match: Yuji Nagata beat Manabu Nakanishi (9:29) with a right high kick.
7. Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Keiji Muto, Taiyo Kea & Jinsei Shinzaki  (14:57) when Chono used a Yakuza kick on Shinzaki.
8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuyuki Fujita beat Scott Norton (c) (6:43) with a sleeper hold to become the 29th champion.
9. No Rules: Shinya Hashimoto  beat Kensuke Sasaki (7:52) by referee stop.
Points of note:
In the first of three matches pitting heavyweights against junior heavyweights, "Submission Master" Iizuka faced IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Tanaka. The two skilled technicians grappled on the mat, before Iizuka caught Tanaka in his deadly sleeper hold, adding bodyscissors and picking up a submission win.
One year and two days exactly after his return to New Japan from an overseas excursion, Yoshie faced former opening match rival, Makabe. Yoshie was able to put away the junior, showing superior strength and submitting him a Canadian backbreaker.
In a MMA-style match, G-EGGS' Brian Johnston faced a slumping Kendo Kashin, who aimed at picking up a victory for the junior division. It wasn't to be though, Johnston defeating Kashin with ease and forcing a submission out of the masked man with a front neck lock in just 140 seconds. Like last year, complete defeat for the junior heavyweights.
UFO maniac, Kazunari Murakami, faced much loved junior titan, Liger, in a wild brawl. Liger's mask was completely torn off, his face revealed. This provoked him further, and he tackled Murakami down with force, assaulting him like a maniac. Due to the terrorist's actions, Liger won by DQ in just 107 seconds.
Amidst the post-match mayhem, Naoya Ogawa, seconding Murakami, caused a stir. President Fujinami took a swipe at Ogawa, but missed the UFO star. Riki Choshu's entrance theme hit, signalling the start of the next match, but Choshu leapt off the ramp and rushed into the crowd after Ogawa! The two were separated, and Choshu's discontent with the outsider was again crystal clear.
An angry Choshu teamed with Koshinaka to face the two native remnants of All Japan's split last year, Kawada & Fuchi. Power Hall finished off Fuchi easily in the end, striking the veteran with two Riki lariats for the win.
Nagata won the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title by defeating G-EGGS friend, Nakanishi, in a #1 contender match. Nagata was able to survive Mr. Unbelievable's Argentine backbreaker, before striking him with a right high kick for the pinfall victory.
Muto's newly constructed BATT unit and Chono's Team 2000 met for the first time since Muto officially named his unique crew Bad Ass Translate Trading on 3/17, following Hiroshi Hase's shocking return to New Japan. Muto teamed with two recruits, All Japan's Taiyo Kea and Michinoku Pro's Jinsei Shinzaki, against Chono, Tenzan & Kojima. The combined strength of Mr. August and the IWGP Tag Team Champions was too much though, Chono sinking Shinzaki into the mat with a Yakuza kick for the win.
The first of two important matches pitting New Japan regulars against Antonio Inoki representatives saw Kazuyuki Fujita, returning to New Japan after leaving as a young lion at the beginning of 2000 to find great MMA success in PRIDE, challenge Scott Norton for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Norton's V1 defense of his newly won title went wrong, when he was defeated in a very physical match. Fujita choked out the gaijin ace with a sleeper hold to become the 29th champion, seizing New Japan's greatest prize for Inoki, and publically declaring New Japan's present state as hopeless following the match. Fujita refused Nagata as his first challenger, and showed more interest in defending the title in PRIDE.
It was up to New Japan ace, Sasaki, to regain New Japan's honour, as he faced the man he defeated to start his first IWGP Heavyweight Title reign, Shinya Hashimoto, in an all-star main event. ZERO-ONE's Hashimoto, representing Inoki's army against the company he led for so long, wore open finger MMA gloves, but later tore them off. In a shockingly one-sided match, Hashimoto pummeled Kensuke with many strikes, almost KO'ing him several times. Finally, the Destructive King struck Sasaki with a high kick to the neck, and the referee stopped the match when Kensuke didn't respond, Hashimoto sealing an overwhelming TKO/referee stop victory in his old haunt! A big brawl erupted post-match, with former New Japan wrestlers such as Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa fighting old friends. Inoki restored order, saying that New Japan was in it's "crisis of fate" now, after his fighters defeated New Japan's own and gained him control of it's mat. Inoki rounded off a tumultuous show with his famous "1-2-3 DA!" call.
Miscellaneous:
One of the lowest days in New Japan history, the company brought to it's knees by humiliating defeat. The company had to settle for minor wins, including Liger's unsatisfying DQ victory over Murakami, and Choshu & Koshinaka's success over All Japan representatives. The two most important matches were taken by Inoki's warriors convincingly though, neither match lasting over 8 minutes. In fact, Fujita's win over Norton was the second shortest IWGP Heavyweight Title change in history, behind only Hashimoto's win over Fujinami in May, 1994. Following his crushing loss to Hashimoto, Kensuke went into hiding, cancelling all scheduled appearances and announcing a long-term absence. A dark day for New Japan, who had to reform itself on the upcoming series and hope for better results in May at the Fukuoka Dome.
Back to: "EXCITING BATTLE IN NAEBA 2001" (3/23/01 to 3/24/01)
Forward to: "STRONG ENERGY 2001" (4/19/01 to 5/2/01)
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