Wrestling Dontaku

The official Wrestling Dontaku logo

**Wrestling Dontaku** (レスリングどんたく, *Resuringu Dontaku*) is an annual event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center and aired as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV). Since 2015, the event has aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. Since 2018, Wrestling Dontaku will go over two back-to-back shows. "Dontaku" is an obsolete Japanese word for holiday, derived from the Dutch word for Sunday, "Zondag". In 2020, NJPW decided to cancel the 2020 edition, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, following recommendations by the Japanese Ministry of Health.

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The first Wrestling Dontaku was held on May 3, 1993, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured ten matches. As part of working relationships between NJPW and American promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF), WCW's Sting and WWF's Brutus Beefcake, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart took part in the event. The event featured a "dream match" between Hogan, the reigning WWF Champion, and The Great Muta, the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The second Wrestling Dontaku was held on May 1, 1994, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured thirteen matches; three of which were contested for championships. Much like the previous year, the event featured wrestlers from World Championship Wrestling (WCW), with Rick Rude defeating Sting for the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. The decision was, however, later reversed due to Rude cheating to win the match. The semi-main event saw Shinya Hashimoto defeat Tatsumi Fujinami to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time.

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The third Wrestling Dontaku was held on May 3, 1995, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured eleven matches, two of which were contested for championships. For the third year in a row, wrestlers from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) took part in the event. The event saw Sabu capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Koji Kanemoto and Keiji Mutoh capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Shinya Hashimoto, ending his reign which had started at the previous year's Wrestling Dontaku.

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The fourth Wrestling Dontaku, first in five years, was held on May 5, 2000, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured eight matches, two of which were contested for championships. The event opened with the finals of the 2000 Young Lion Cup, where Kenzo Suzuki defeated Shinya Makabe, who later became better known as Togi Makabe, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In the semi-main event, Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata successfully defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Kazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa, while in the main event, Kensuke Sasaki, using his Power Warrior persona, defeated The Great Muta to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The fifth Wrestling Dontaku was held on May 5, 2001, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured nine matches, one of which was contested for a championship. In the title match, El Samurai and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated the Mexican brother tag team of Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Silver King to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The event also featured appearances by mixed martial artists Don Frye and Rainy Martinez.

## References

1. ↑ *ja:濵かつ Presents レスリングどんたく 2017* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro-Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-05-03.
2. ↑ Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri . *Asianbeat*. Archived from the original on 2015-08-25. Retrieved on 2015-08-25.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Wrestling Dontaku 1993 . *Pro Wrestling History*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
4. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2010-09-03. YouTube wrestling classic: when Hogan met Muta, champion vs. champion . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2014-12-03.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Wrestling Dontaku 1994 . *Pro Wrestling History*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
6. ↑ "WCW International" World Heavyweight Title . *Puroresu Dojo*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Wrestling Dontaku 1995 . *Pro Wrestling History*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Keller, Wade 2015-05-03. NJPW Flashback - Ric Flair headlines New Japan's "Wrestling Dontaku" 20 yrs. ago today, plus Great Muta in main event, Sabu, Benoit, more . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2015-05-03.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Wrestling Dontaku 2000 . *Pro Wrestling History*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
10. ↑ *ja:真壁 刀義* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Wrestling Dontaku 2001 . *Pro Wrestling History*. Retrieved on 2013-10-18.