NJPW G1 Climax 1992 - for NWA Heavyweight Title DVD

This is the 2nd of New Japan's annual Grade-One Climax tournament which featured stars from World Championship Wrestling to determine who would become the 75th NWA World Heavyweight Champion. (New Japan recognizes the lineage going back to Hackenschmidt).

The NWA Board of Directors stripped then-champion Ric Flair after September 8, 1991 because he had signed a contract to join the WWF. (Details in the 1st comment).

THE BIG GOLD BELT had been vacant for almost 1 year until...

In June of 1992, with the arrival of new WCW Vice-President of Operations, Cowboy Bill Watts, the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt was resurrected and given to New Japan Pro-Wrestling to decide a new champion as announced by Watts with the championship belt presented to NJPW representative, Hiro Matsuda, at The Great American Bash 1992 pay-per-view event on July 15th. Also on that WCW event, new NWA World Tag Team Champions were crowned as All Japan Pro-Wrestling's Terry Gordy & "Dr. Death" Steve Williams (the WCW World Tag Team Champions) won the tournament for those belts.

The previous time this belt was defended in Japan was at '91 Starrcade in Tokyo Dome on March 21, 1991 that saw IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pin Ric Flair to become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion in a highly controversial match with the title change unrecognized in America by WCW.

LINEUP:

PART 1
0. Introduction

N.W.A WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
1st ROUND BATTLE - A Block - 1992.8.6 - Shizuoka Industrial Hall
1. Masahiro Chono ['91 G1 Climax winner/defending champion](NJPW) vs (NJPW) Tony Halme
2. Keiji Mutoh (NJPW) vs (WCW) Barry Windham
3. Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow (NJPW) vs (NJPW) Scott Norton
4. Arn Anderson (WCW) [World Television Champion] vs (WCW) Steve Austin

TAG MATCH - 1992.8.11 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
5. Koji Kanemoto & Osamu Nishimura vs Hiroyoshi Yamamoto & Satoshi Kojima

SINGLE MATCH - 1992.8.12 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
6. Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Pegasus Kid
7. ENDING

PART 2
0. Introduction

N.W.A WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
1st ROUND BATTLE - B Block - 1992.8.7 - Nagoya-Aiichi Prefectural Gymnasium
-RESULTS-
(results are shown because New Japan did not tape this show.)
o K. Sasaki (Powerslam->Single Prawn Hold*, 8:20) Jim Neidhart x
o S. Hashimoto (Jumping DDT->Single Prawn Hold*, 11:29) The Barbarian x
x S.S.Machine (Diving Knee Drop->Single Prawn Hold*, 11:54) Rick Rude o
x H. Hase (Forfiet, due to Hase's broken arm**) Terry Taylor o

(*Single Prawn Hold (KA-TAI-EBI-GA-TA-ME) is a lateral press with a single leg hook).

(**SUPER STRONG MACHINE eliminates Hase BEFORE the tournament!
Hiroshi Hase suffered a broken left arm at the hands of Super Strong Machine in a 6 man tag match that took place 2 weeks earlier in Tokyo Korakuen Hall, the arm break appeared to have occurred at the landing Hase took while his arm was chicken-winged because of Machine's Evil Windmill Suplex Hold finisher.)

N.W.A. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
2nd ROUND BATTLE - 1992.8.10 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
(NO COMMENTARY DURING THE FOLLOWING FOUR MATCHES)
1. Kensuke Sasaki (NJPW) vs (WCW) Terry Taylor
2. Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW) vs (WCW) "Ravishing" Rick Rude [WCW United States Heavyweight Champion] w/ manager Madusa
3. Mutoh or Windham vs Anderson or Austin
4. Chono or Halme vs Bigelow or Norton

TAG MATCH - 1992.8.12
5. Keiji Mutoh & Kensuke Sasaki
vs
IWGP TAG CHAMPION TEAM
Rick & Scott
STEINER BROTHERS

6. ENDING

PART 3
0. Introduction

TAG MATCH - 1992.8.12 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
1. Shinya Hashimoto & Osaumu Kido
vs
Kengo Kimura & Shiro Koshinaka

N.W.A. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
SEMI-FINAL ROUND - 1992.8.11 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
(NO COMMENTARY DURING THE FOLLOWING TWO MATCHES)
2. Semi-Final Battle 1
3. Semi-Final Battle 2

N.W.A. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
FINAL ROUND - 1992.8.12 - Tokyo Sumo Palace
4. Tournament Final Battle
(WINNER BECOMES THE 75th N.W.A. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!)

5. ENDING