This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with a leg drop and regain the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with the Banzai Drop in the corner. )[11] He made his pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil with his huge weight advantage. It was during this feud that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts in a six-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII, facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. He is said to have possessed great physical strength even in childhood. Yokozuna Was Released From WWE Due To His Weight. Yokozunas grave is located at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Though he wrestled as a representative of Japan, in real life he was a Samoan American and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia. Lets take a look from the beginning. Whilst touring in England, Yokozuna was found dead in a hotel room on October 23, 2000, at just 34 years of age, which is such a young age to lose ones life. He rose to the top of the card in a remarkably quick rise, similar to only those such as Diesel and Brock Lesnar. Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage.[2][30]. [2][26] Afterwards on television, Cornette would blame the fall on a concussion suffered from Luger's forearm plate. During his death, he stayed at Moat house hotel, Liverpool, with his tour group. Yokozuna is a giant frog with yellow-brown skin and black hair worn in a chonmage. After several run-ins, Yokozuna left Cornette and began a short stint as a fan favorite. When Luger got angry and pushed Mr. Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story. He became chairman of the sumo association of Izumo Province (in today's Shimane Prefecture), where his sponsor daimy resided. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. However, when Luger went for the pin, Perfect occupied himself with the unconscious Fuji and Cornette who were still lying on the ring apron. He was 34 years at the time of his death. I don't buy this excuse as your staff would've been even more spread out. His fans are worried after hearing this news. Another theory has suggested that the reason for the snub may have been due to clan politics. Kitanoumi was promoted to yokozuna at age 21, becoming the youngest ever t o achieve sumo's top rank, and he remained a yokozuna for a record 63 tournaments. By John Kaag and Clancy Martin. One day, I will tell him `aloha again, as we embrace as we meet in the Kingdom of Our Savior in the sky. With the recent retirement of yokozuna great Hakuho and few compelling storylines entering 2022, a young wrestler with a fabled bloodline is breathing new life in the traditional sport. Translations [ edit] Translations An article revealed that his daily diet consisted of 120 eggs, 12 full pieces of chicken and a bucket-sized serving of Japanese rice. Optical Illusion: Can You Find the Different Instagram Logo From the Others in this Image? With the passing of the recent proposal, @IOST_Official Rewards have DOUBLED from 10K to 20K IOST daily for @yokozunafinance NFT's staked the DAO FUND app.yokozuna.fi @iost_japan01 @IOST_CN @IOST_KR #NFT #DAO #CRYPTO #ZUNA #SUMO #DEFI #YOKOZUNA. The rope is similar to the shimenawa used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto, and like the shimenawa it serves to purify and mark off its content. The Yoshida family, who held the privilege of awarding the yokozuna licenses, supported the Hosokawa clan, who had a history of supporting Ishida Mitsunari. The promoters made a last-minute change and ordered Yokozuna to team with Roberts against Bundy and Neidhart, and Yokozuna's team lost.[1]. To each member of that fine group, I wish my deepest sympathies and prayers. The 93 Rumble was the first year in which the winner of the match was granted a WWE title opportunity at WrestleMania, which set up the main event of WrestleMania 9, where Yokozuna defeated Bret The Hitman Hart. Yokozuna. Although the Yokozuna character was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoai never competed as an actual sumotori. Yokozuna biography for a quick get-through about the. - , . He was staying at Moat House Hotel in Liverpool, England at the time where hewas on an independent wrestling tour. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Hello?) The WWE inductedhim into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2012. Yokozuna stayed busythroughout 1993 in the WWF. Yes, Yokozuna belonged to the Anoai family. Jan 29, 2021 Tochinoumi, who was the oldest living yokozuna, died Friday from a type of lung infection known as aspiration pneumonia at the age of 82, a Japan Sumo Association official said.. To date, he holds the record for best top division win ratio of all time. Despite success with the WWF, one couldnt help but think that the Yokozuna death was always looming. He loved the wrestlers On October 23, 2000, while on an independent tour in Europe, Yokozuna was found dead in a hotel room in Liverpool, England. [2], The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels for the title, teasing turning heel again. [2][22], Yokozuna's next challenger was The Undertaker. He finished the final day . How did Kevin Greene Die? His real name was Agatupu Rodney Anoai, and Yokozuna was his ring name. Yokozunas career began as he grew up in the Anoai wrestling dynasty. [2][31][32] Following the match, Jim Cornette stated, "Michael Jordan's back and so is Yokozuna", in reference to Jordan's first return to the NBA. [2][40] Although Cornette had tried to make peace between him and new acquisition Vader, many observers felt Yokozuna was being relegated. Jul 31, 2022. As I close, I am reminded of Garth Brooks song, `The Dance., If we would have missed the pain, we would have missed the dance., Rodney, thanks for all the dances we shared around this world of ours. Rodney Anoa'i was just 34 years old at the time of his death. When Cornette tried to interfere to break a pinfall, Piper decked him. Unfortunately, fans have witnessed many wrestlers pass away far too young, and WWE Hall of Famer, Yokozuna, is one of them. Soon Raiden left his stable and unofficially joined Isenoumi-beya, where yokozuna Tanikaze became his coach. THE DEATH OF YOKOZUNA THE REAPER FILES 217K subscribers Subscribe 467 Share Save 146K views 7 years ago This video details the death of wrestler Yokozuna! The reason for the poor service is the roof top was closed. The Yokozuna deathoccurred onOctober 23, 2000. Yoko can be credited with giving Lex Luger his big baby face push of the 90s (who can forget the Lex Express?! The former WWE Champion and Royal Rumble winner was presented as a huge name in WWE throughout some of the 1990s, but his career was cut short as his health depleted, resulting in a truly sad death. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. Four-time makuuchi division champion Terunofuji was officially named sumo's 73rd yokozuna on Wednesday, as the Mongolian became the first wrestler in four and a half years to be promoted to the sport's highest rank following an epic . The wrestling world is mourning the loss of Rodney Anoai, better known as two-time WWF world champion Yokozuna, who was found dead in a Liverpool, England, hotel last Monday. He is an MA Graduate from the University of Manchester, and a BA Graduate from Liverpool John Moores University, both in Creative Writing. The WWE superstar tragically died of a heart attack One of the overlooked aspects of working as a professional wrestler has to be the physical toll it takes on the body. During the match, Hart came to the ring, only to be pinned by Diesel. The Yokozuna death occurred on October 23, 2000. He was especially talented in oshi-sumo techniques and was able to move at a high speed considering his size. He won when Luger was disqualified for pushing the referee (so much for that Luger babyface push). Rodney Agatupu "Yokozuna" Anoai. The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. Prior to the match starting, the two stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those two facing each other. He loved our sport, not because he was born into it. Using the ring name Kokina Maximus, he was billed as the biggest Samoan wrestler of all time. In total, he achieved 254 victories and only ten defeats, a winning percentage of 96.2, an all-time record. In 2000, Yokozuna died because of a fluid blockage in the lungs. All of them are the members of the famous Anoai wrestling family. Yokozuna (left) and Mr. Fuji on the first episode of Monday Night Raw Managed by Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars with his then new gimmick of a stereotypical sumo wrestler, who competed under the Japanese flag; though the WWF tactfully acknowledged his Samoan roots. [9] Anoa'i would make his initial debut as Kokina in an untelevised match on September 1, 1992, at a WWF Superstars taping in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He became the most improved wrestler of the year in 1993. in the same year, PWI ranked him number 5 among the 500 best singles and 145 of 500 best singles in 2003. To this day, only Brock Lesnar and Sheamus have won the WWE Championship in less time following their debut in the company. Yokozuna with manager, Mr. Fuji. Mummy of Ramses II. [6] nomatsu became the first new yokozuna in nearly 40 years. They were both eliminated by double-count-out. He also spent some time in Mexico, learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a star in the sport. Soon after, Yokozuna was challenged by American patriot "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who aimed to be the first man who could knock Yokozuna off his feet (this was taped before Randy Savage knocked down Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble). From there, Yokozuna was still fairly dominant, but he was much more beatable, with his only notable moments really being his Tag Title reign and feud with The Undertaker. Anoai took on the name of the "Great Kokina" while wrestling overseas in Japan. [33] The two would remain champions for several months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith),[34] the Smoking Gunns,[35] and others. That was the last word many of WWE's top Superstars heard when they faced the imposing Yokozuna. Your email address will not be published. I'm a little drunk and read that as "Yokozuna's involvement in various deaths in Japanese pro wrestling". Roman Reigns, real name Leati Joseph Anoa'i, was born in Pensacola, Florida on May 25, 1985. At King of the Ring in 1993, he took the belt fromHogan and reclaimed the championship (of course, Hogan doesnt lose clean, sothe finish can be credited to a bizarre flaming camera-flash incident. [8], Key:d=Draw(s) ();h=Hold(s) ();nr=no result recorded In real life, Anoai needed time off to lose weight. [39], Yokozuna returned at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog to wrestle Vader. No BS. The surviving members of the group Il Divo Urs Buhler , Sebastien Izambard and David Miller announced on Dec. 19 that Marn died at the age of 53. Following a feud with The Undertaker in which he lost a Casket Match, he took some time off in an attempt to actually gain weight. List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "WWE World Heavyweight Championship history", "World Tag Team Championship (WWE) history", "Bruce Prichard Reveals Who Came up with Rikishi's Stink Face Gimmick", "Yokozuna's first WWE Championship reign", "The 10 fastest rises to the WWE World Heavyweight Title", "Yokozuna's second WWE Championship reign", "Owen Hart and Yokozuna's first World Tag Team Championship reign", "Owen Hart and Yokozuna's second World Tag Team Championship reign", August 19, 1996 RAW Shawn Michaels vs. Yokozuna, "Jim Ross shoots on Yokozuna's last matches in the WWF", "Matches " Yokozuna " Wrestlers Database " CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database", "This Day in Wrestling History (October 23): Cross the Line to HD", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yokozuna_(wrestler)&oldid=1140883009, American professional wrestlers of Samoan descent, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 06:51. Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with a running forearm smash in the middle of the ring. His weight at the time was 580 pounds. [13] On the May 10, 1993, edition of Monday Night Raw, Yokozuna served as one of the lumberjacks in a match between Duggan and Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Vince McMahon expressed concernfor Yokozunas condition. Yokozuna () is the highest rank in sumo. Yokozuna's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Oct 2, 1966 Death Date October 23, 2000 Age of Death 34 years Cause of Death Pulmonary Edema Place of Death Liverpool, United Kingdom Profession Wrestler The wrestler Yokozuna Wrestler died at the age of 34. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna, a reference to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. Despite his size, Yokozuna was an incredibly athletic and talented wrestler who entertained fans worldwide and will remain remembered as one of the best wrestlers ever. He was 34 yearsat the time of his death. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling. Yokozuna is a giant sumo-wrestling frog, who was a friend (as well as pet) to the legendary shipwright Tom until his execution. . In the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Raiden's championships are, however, regarded as unofficial by the Japan Sumo Association, as before the current ysh system was established in 1909, there was no prize given for individual performances in tournaments. So when we searched for the information, we got to know that Yokozuna Cause of Death was Pulmonary edema (The information was sourced from wikipedia). Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Decades later, the 20th Yoshida Oikaze attempted to defeat the Gojo family, which wanted to promote Kashiwado and Tamagaki to yokozuna, by awarding a yokozuna licence to nomatsu Midorinosuke. The Anoai family is a well-known family in the world of professional wrestling. memorial page for Rodney Agatupu "Yokozuna" Anoai (2 Oct 1966-23 Oct 2000), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6674572, citing Green Hills Memorial Park, . [1][2][39], Yokozuna was officially released from the WWF in May 1998, a decision that came directly from Vince McMahon due to his weight issues. Yokozuna was initially reported to have died from heart failure, before the actual cause of death was revealed. In recent times, Yokozunas death was surfed by many individuals. He was found dead in his Liverpool hotel room on Monday. Raiden himself contributed a sake barrel made of stone in memory of his father. Its kind of hard to replace a partner like him.. The title did not change hands, but the match's result made it seem like Luger had a chance against his gigantic foe. Dixon added that Anoai was very dedicated and spent two hours in the gym every day. He has numerous scars on his belly (from testing his strength against the Sea Train, a task inspired by his comrade Franky's death-defying act). Who Is Sakai French Las Vegas? To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USSIntrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, on Independence Day. He would go on tolosethe title to Bret Hart. When Raiden trained as a wrestler, he developed a weight of 169kg (373lb). In April 1995, Owen Hart began promising that he would have a great tag team partner to face off against The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) at WrestleMania XI for the WWF Tag Team Championship. outside, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely over-matched. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The excess weight put a lot of stress on his heart and may have contributed to his death from pulmonary edema. . Is the accused innocent or guilty? Upon leaving WWE, Yokozuna hit the independent scene. His cousins, whether by blood or by marriage, include Rikishi, Umaga/Jamal, Rosey of 3-Minute Warning, Samu, Manu, Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Dwayne The Rock Johnson. What Happened To This Athlete? Much like sumo wrestlers, Yokozuna tried to make himself as big as possible at times, which meant crazy diets and oftentimes unhealthy tendencies. The career of Ahmed Johnson is highly controversial for a number of reasons, most famously for the fact that he was WWE's first African American Intercontinental Champion, and yet he claimed to have met an incredible amount of racism during his time in the company regardless of achieving that accolade. Pro Wrestling Illustrated, PWI 500 first edition, p.44. Who is current yokozuna? [2][46] For a second time, Yokozuna went to his home in Los Angeles to lose weight through exercise and dieting, being replaced by other wrestlers on a late November tour of the United Kingdom. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later (April 8), when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, (kayfabe) breaking it. He eliminated Randy Savage to win the Royal Rumble match,[1] cementing his movement towards main event status. [28] At King of the Ring 1994, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). How Did Ella DeYoung Die? He is petrified of them, but doesnt really like to talk about it. Of the 35 tournaments in which he participated (there were only two basho a year at the time), Raiden had the best record in no fewer than 28. At one stage, both Yokozuna and Vader were reprimanded by WWE, and taken off TV to try and better their physique, though this ended up with them both sneaking off at times to eat fast food. Members of the legendary Anoa'i Family and WWE Legends will look back on their friend and brother, Yokozuna. Remarkably quick rise, similar to only those such as Diesel and Brock Lesnar have from! Hit the independent scene optical Illusion: can You Find the Different Instagram Logo from the in... Been even more spread out left his stable and unofficially joined Isenoumi-beya, where his sponsor daimy.! It was just 34 years at the time of his death lot of stress his. Champion sumo wrestler, he wrestled for Maryland Championship wrestling skin and black hair worn a. 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Match 's result made it seem like Luger had a chance against his gigantic foe i was 34...
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