11 Fascinating WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea Facts

4. The North Koreans Had No Idea About Professional Wrestling

WCW Collision In Korea
BBC

Whilst references to countries being out of the popular culture loop are often rooted in xenophobia or a lack of understanding of the country in question, North Korea is deserving of every bit of isolationist rhetoric thrown its way.

This is true today, but 30 years ago it wasn't even to be questioned. Western culture isn't a factor in the DPRK in the slightest.

If Nirvana and Pearl Jam hadn't made it big in North Korea, there was little chance that Too Cold Scorpio and Chris Benoit were going to find themselves in front of adoring fans come show time. That is exactly what happened; the mass of humanity watched the wrestling with mild curiosity as opposed to wild-eyed excitement.

The wrestling itself was preceded by a people's parade, a show that dazzled and amazed in ways that professional wrestling simply can't. After the choreography and colour of the national parade, the wrestlers were left with the unenviable task of winning over a crowd that had no idea why they were doing what they were doing, let alone who they were. According to the journalists on hand, the people thought they were going to get the very pinnacle of amateur wrestling.

What they got was Road Warrior Hawk against Tadao Yasuda.

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Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.