Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome

Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on January 4, 1998 in the Tokyo Dome. Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome was the seventh January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. The show drew 55,000 spectators and $6,000,000 in ticket sales.[1]

Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome
Promotional poster featuring Riki Choshu
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
DateJanuary 4, 1998[1]
CityTokyo, Japan
VenueTokyo Dome
Attendance55,000[1]
January 4 Tokyo Dome Show chronology
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One of the focal points of the show was the retirement of wrestling legend Riki Choshu, who would wrestle five times that night against select opponents in what was billed as the Riki Road Final Message 5, the completion of a months-long "retirement tour" for Choshu. The show also featured successful defenses of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which made Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome the first January 4 Tokyo Dome show to not have a single championship change hands. Besides the five Riki Road Final Message 5 matches the show featured eight additional matches.

Production

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Background

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The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is NJPW's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest professional wrestling show in the world outside of the United States" and the "Japanese equivalent to the Super Bowl".[2][3]

Storylines

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Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4]

Results

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No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[1]
1Kendo Kashin defeated Koji KanemotoSingles match12:01
2Shinjiro Otani (c) defeated Último DragónSingles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship17:06
3Yuji Nagata defeated Hiroyoshi TenzanSingles match11:33
4Osamu Nishimura and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi KojimaTag team match12:39
5Riki Choshu defeated Kazuyuki FujitaSingles match: Riki Road Final Message 503:57
6Riki Choshu defeated Yutaka YoshieSingles match: Riki Road Final Message 501:42
7Riki Choshu defeated Tatsuhito TakaiwaSingles match: Riki Road Final Message 501:21
8Takashi Iizuka defeated Riki ChoshuSingles match: Riki Road Final Message 502:02
9Riki Choshu defeated Jushin Thunder LigerSingles match: Riki Road Final Message 505:09
10Don Frye defeated Naoya Ogawa via referee stoppageSingles match08:47
11Shinya Hashimoto defeated Dennis Lane via referee stoppageSingles match01:34
12Masahiro Chono defeated Shiro KoshinakaSingles match15:05
13Kensuke Sasaki (c) defeated Keiji Mutoh (with Hiro Saito and Hiroyoshi Tenzan)Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship25:18
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Power Hall in Tokyo Dome". ProWrestlingHistory.com. January 4, 1998. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  2. ^ "GFW News: New Japan Pro Wrestling "Wrestle Kingdom 9" press conference details". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. December 23, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Keller, Wade (December 13, 2016). "New Japan's WrestleKingdom 11 to air on AXS TV starting Jan. 13 in four weekly special episodes with Ross & Barnett on commentary". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
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