WCW PPVs
14, 13 & 12. New Japan Supershow
Co-promoted by World Championship Wrestling & New Japan Pro Wrestling, these events were a gathering of various stars from both promotions that ran for three consecutive years -- starting in 1991. The Supershows were even dubbed Starrcade in Tokyo Dome when they aired in Japan. The events were a result of the working relationship and talent exchange between WCW and New Japan -- which would eventually lead to the influx of wrestlers such as Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Jushin Liger, Ultimo Dragon, and Rey Mysterio, amongst others. Each incarnation of these Supershows were held in the famed Tokyo Dome, drawing between 60,000 and 65,000 fans each time. Furthermore, the shows were taped and subsequently aired on American television a few months later -- often after being edited slightly to remove certain matches. (For example, an advertised match between the Hell Raisers -- consisting of Hawk and Kensuke Sasaki -- and the Steiner Brothers was removed from the third version of the PPV, due to the Steiners leaving for enemy territory up North.) Many of the contests saw WCW stars face-off with New Japan talents in an unofficial battle between countries and companies. The first Supershow saw Japanese legend the Great Muta vanquish Sting after a thrilling contest. That show was also main-evented by a bout between Ric Flair and Tatsumi Fujinami for Flairs NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Fujinami would win the match and the NWA title -- Flair, however, would retain his WCW Championship, as the titles were considered separate entities by that point in history. The second Supershow saw further inter-promotional contests. Lex Luger defended and retained his World Heavyweight Championship in a bout with Masahiro Chono. The final contest of the evening featured the Steiner Brothers taking on the unique pairing of Sting and the Great Muta. The cross-promotional tandem would leave triumphant after a rollup by the Stinger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRSSMUJ3FQ The third incarnation of WCWs intercontinental PPV featured more Japanese talent than previous iterations. Only three of the televised contests saw WCW wrestlers compete -- often battling Japanese stars. For the third year in a row, however, Sting participated in a marquee match. This time he would do battle with and ultimately defeat Hiroshi Hase. Throughout its three-year run, the WCW/NJPW Supershows provided American audiences with a unique experience. The international flair of the events was a welcome addition and exclusive to WCW at the time. The continued talent exchange with New Japan also led to the aforementioned influx of new stars to the Southern promotion. This exclusively international feel would undoubtedly be a worthwhile inclusion to the WWE Network.