11. Collision In Korea
A spiritual successor to the WCW and NJPW Supershows, Collision in Korea added a bit of a twist. Again, the show was co-promoted and featured talents from both companies. However, the event did not take place in Japan. Instead -- as its name would indicate -- the PPV took place in North Korea back in 1995. This was significant for a few reasons. Much like today, North Korea is a very closed-off country, being run under a Communist regime -- at the time ruled by Kim Jong Il. Furthermore, it was the first and only American wrestling PPV to be broadcast from the Communist country. In a manner similar to Japanese fans, the Korean crowd sat mostly silent -- respectfully applauding the wrestlers and their efforts on occasion. Although, unlike Japan, there was an eerie sense that the fans and their reactions were a bit forced. The silence was perhaps more bizarre, considering that over the events two days -- the show was filmed over a two-day period and broadcast months later on television -- there were supposedly 340,000 fans in attendance. (Dave Meltzer claims the figure is closer to 160,000 total.) That makes Collision in Korea the largest attended wrestling event of all time. The card featured unique bouts, pitting WCW wrestlers against New Japan competitors. Scott Norton battled Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship -- NJPWs top prize. The contest would end in a time-limit draw after some hard-hitting action. The Steiner Brothers also took on New Japans Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki. The Steiners would leave victorious after Scott hit Hase with his devastating Screwdriver maneuver.
In the main event, Japanese wrestling legend (and recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee), Antonio Inoki took on none other than the Nature Boy, himself. The two men traded blows, holds, and moves in their near-15 minute battle, but Inoki would walk out with his hand raised after hitting Flair with his signature Enzuigiri. Overall, the PPV event was acceptable. The match quality was pretty average across the board, and the television production wasnt exactly A-plus. However, the sheer spectacle of holding a PPV from inside North Korea is enough to warrant Collision in Korea a spot on the WWE Network lineup.