10 Times WWE Actually Worked With Other Companies

5. SWS - Crossing The Pacific

Christian TNA
WWE

The WWE/SWS working relationship between 1990 and 1991 didn't leave much in the way of a lasting legacy beyond some stunning clips and pictures of Vince McMahon's neon colossuses working beautiful Japanese buildings, and two diametrically opposed nights in the life and career of Koji Kitao.

A few supershows between the two sides never saw McMahon make more of a dent in a marketplace already dominated by well established companies, nor did it help Super World of Sports last longer than 1992, but Kitao's mad week in 1991 remains the stuff of bizarre wrestling legend.

The former sumo star barely sold a blow as he cruised to victory over former three-time tag team champions Demolition at WrestleMania VII alongside Genichiro Tenryu. This might have looked weirder had WWE not been gradually moving the Smash and Crush version of the group down the card by then, but the weird vibe was topped by Kitao's performance a week later back on home soil.

On supercard between the two companies in Japan, his match with fellow former sumo star Earthquake descended into farce when Kitao decided to abandon the very notion of kayfabe halfway through. He stopped selling, attempted to shoot on 'Quake, pied the referee off and called wrestling fake over the house microphone.

This, unsurprisingly, wasn't covered on Superstars or Wrestling Challenge at the time.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett