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The third super-show of 2001 for New Japan was "WRESTLING DONTAKU 2001", hosted at the Fukuoka Dome on May 5th. Featuring a stacked lineup, the event, like the 4/9 Osaka Dome outing, had a heavy outside influence, featuring numerous MMA fighters. The main event and match of most interest saw titans, Riki Choshu and Naoya Ogawa, clash for the first time in a tag match, as New Japan battled UFO fighters injected by Antonio Inoki. Chono's Team 2000 vs. Muto's BATT also raged on, a major six man tag match the semi final in Fukuoka, with Chono, Tenzan & Kojima battling Muto, Hase & Kea. Tadao Yasuda, a New Japan trueborn, made his first appearance for the company since leaving to train under Inoki's wing, facing one of New Japan's elite technicians, Takashi Iizuka. There was also junior action, including an IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title match, and Minoru Tanaka vs. Kendo Kashin in a battle of the top technicians in the junior division.
Foreign participation:
Don Frye (BATT)
Rainy Martinez
Scott Norton (Team 2000)
Taiyo Kea (All Japan/BATT)
Dr. Wagner Jr. (CMLL)
Silver King (CMLL)
Special participation:
Hiroshi Hase (BATT)
Kazunari Murakami (UFO)
Naoya Ogawa (UFO)
Tadao Yasuda
NJPW "WRESTLING DONTAKU 2001", 5/5/01 (WPW)
Fukuoka Dome
35,000 Fans
1. Shinya Makabe & Katsuyori Shibata beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Wataru Inoue (11:51) when Makabe used a German suplex hold on Tanahashi.
2. Shiro Koshinaka, Osamu Nishimura & Yutaka Yoshie beat Hiro Saito, Tatsutoshi Goto & Michiyoshi Ohara (11:00) when Nishimura used a ground Cobra Twist on Hiro.
3. Minoru Tanaka beat Kendo Kashin (10:18) with a cross armbreaker.
4. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai (c) beat Dr. Wagner Jr. & Silver King (19:09) when Liger used a brainbuster on Wagner (1st defense).
5. Don Frye beat Scott Norton (7:05) with a triangle choke hold.
6. Tadao Yasuda beat Takashi Iizuka (7:33) with a front neck lock.
7. Different Style Fight: Yuji Nagata beat Rainy Martinez (2:29) by referee stop.
8. Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Hase & Taiyo Kea  beat Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (27:00) when Muto used the Shining Wizard on Kojima.
9. Riki Choshu & Manabu Nakanishi beat Naoya Ogawa  & Kazunari Murakami (9:07) when Nakanishi used a chickenwing armlock on Murakami.
Points of note:
Minoru Tanaka established himself as not only the champion of the junior division, but also it's top technical wrestler, when he defeated Kashin in the first of two junior matches. Kashin's long slump continued when he was locked in his own finisher, a cross armbreaker, and tapped out.
Liger & Samurai made an impressive V1 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title when they beat Mexican brothers, Dr. Wagner Jr. & Silver King. Following a shotei, Liger spiked Wagner with a brainbuster to pick up the win, and after the match, said he and Samurai would keep the belts until Koji Kanemoto returned from injury.
Frye and Norton continued their series of matches in an clash of New Japan's top foreign regulars. After losing the IWGP Heavyweight Title on the last major show in April, Norton again fell to a MMA star, this time Frye, who scored the win for BATT over T2000.
Antonio Inoki and IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuyuki Fujita, appeared after the intermission, Inoki striking his disciple with a fighting spirit slap. Fujita said that his PRIDE fight with Yoshihiro Takayama on 5/27 was his first priority, but accepted Nagata as his first challenger for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on 6/6 at Tokyo Nippon Budokan. The interview was rounded off with Inoki's famous "1-2-3 DA!" call.
Tadao Yasuda returned to New Japan for the first time since leaving the promotion in January to study MMA fighting with Inoki. Yasuda faced one of New Japan's top technicians, Iizuka, and was able to defeat him with a front neck lock.
Yuji Nagata's younger brother, Katsuhiko, entered the ring to New Japan's World Pro Wrestling theme, and gave a speech to the fans. Katsuhiko said that he would do his best in New Japan's Fighting Spirit Club, and asked the fans to think of him as "Katsuhiko Nagata" and not "Yuji Nagata's younger brother".
After his brother's speech, Yuji Nagata faced an outsider threat from former UFC fighter, Rainy Martinez. Fujita's #1 contender made short work of Martinez in this Different Style Fight Match, using a side throw into a grounded headlock for the quick tap out.
Team 2000 faced BATT in six man tag competition, with Muto, Hase & Kea tackling Chono, Tenzan & Kojima. In a long match that lasted close to half an hour, the teams traded offense, before Muto used a dragon screw leg whip on Kojima, then struck his former disciple with a Shining Wizard for the big win. When Team 2000 attacked after the bell, Nishimura and Liger helped BATT, and were offered a handshake by Muto. Muto, hoping for two new acquisitions, was rejected, the two New Japan army members leaving the ring.
Before the main event began, fans witnessed ZERO-ONE's Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Naohiro Hoshikawa, along with a mysterious white masked man in a judo costume, trail UFO's Naoya Ogawa and Kazunari Murakami to the ring. The masked man was clearly ZERO-ONE founder, Shinya Hashimoto, hinting at a union with his long-time rival Ogawa by following him.
The main event saw history made, as two titans, Riki Choshu and Naoya Ogawa, after many arguments and brawls, squared off for the first time, doing so in tag competition. In a controversial match, where the UFO team was reluctant to follow the pro wrestling rules, the fans waited eagerly for Choshu and Ogawa. When Ogawa attacked Choshu from a mounted position, the TV ratings for the taped broadcast spiked to an incredible 21.1, showing the immense interest in their duel. Neither man was involved in the finish though, as Nakanishi caught Murakami in a chickenwing armlock for the submission. The fans booed heavily, disappointed by the content of a bout titled "Match of the Century".
Miscellaneous:
After the disaster of 4/9 for New Japan regulars in feature matches, things improved a little at the Fukuoka Dome. It started badly when Iizuka lost to Yasuda, but Nagata's victory over Martinez, and Choshu & Nakanishi's win over Ogawa & Murakami gave New Japan a favourable record on the night. Despite the huge TV rating, the main event received harsh negative feedback from many, and Ogawa was banished from New Japan for the entire year by President Fujinami.
Back to: "STRONG ENERGY 2001" (4/19/01 to 5/2/01)
Forward to: "BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. VIII" (5/18/01 to 6/4/01)
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