Antonio Inoki defeated Ric Flair in the Main Event of Collision in Korea, a jointly produced pay-per-view event by World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. The event occurred on April 29, 1995 in Pyongyang, North Korea. So I don’t exactly feel guilty about spoiling the main event, which was fairly lackluster considering the names involved. The show wouldn’t be remembered for the narratives painted heading into the event — there was very little in the way of storylines. There were no five star classics, innovative match types, or moments of promo poetry. But i’m going to drop a number on you, and I want you to hold that number in your mind. Picture it. See the comma. See the six digits and contemplate what the number actually means. Alright? You ready?
190,000
This number represents how many souls — men, women, girls and boys — made the journey to the second and final night of the event. One-Hundred and Ninety Thousand. Let’s try to understand that number. In scientific terms, and I could be wrong about this, I believe it would be considered a “Metric Fuckton”. But don’t quote me. It’s about 100,000 more than Wrestlemania III, which claims to be the North American attendance record for a sporting event. 190,000 people is roughly equivalent to the populations of Samoa, Guam, and Saint Lucia. And those are fucking countries.
It was a fucking LOT of people, you guys. Just to watch wrestling. WRESTLING. Men throwing each other around in their underwear while pretending to fight. Dressed in their best suits, filing into single files polite lines, stone-faced and respectful of the Sport of Kings being performed by men who, for all practical purposes, Flair and Inoki, were Kings of their trade. The audience, gargantuan in size, watching the two icons of their time do battle. Once-in-a-generation. Timeless. And you know what?
The crowd was ab-so-lutely dead.
So it goes.
How exactly did an event of this magnitude come to fruition? And who, exactly, is responsible for setting the Professional Wrestling Attendence Record? Let’s find out.
Kim Il Sung and the lead up to CiK.
On the morning of July 8, 1994, the “Great Leader” of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, grasped his chest and collapsed to the ground. Despite his, now public, efforts to find a way to medically ensure he lived to 100, Kim passed at the age of 86 — still 18 years greater than the average life expectancy of 62 years for the country. He had been receiving treatment because the arteries leading into his heart were, quite literally, hardening. Poetically, metaphorically, symbolically fitting as representation to the further isolation that his country was creating for itself. These treatments ranged from the simple — more laughter — to the deranged — forced blood transfusions from specially selected young men in their 20’s. By the time of his death, Il Sung’s North Korea was only conducting limited trade and contact with China, Russia, Vietnam, and Cuba. Four countries who, to many westerners, list like the equivalent of a heel stable of nations.
I promise you that understanding all of this is important to the comprehending this event.
A ten day period of mourning was ordered for the Revolutionary. Held from July 8 to July 17. Concluding with the “last parting with the respected leader Comrade Kim Il-sung” in Pyongyang on the final day. There is video of women watching his Heart pass by, screaming in agony as tears flow from their eyes, beating their chest in gorilla heartbreak. The pain of their loss is… from the look of it… unimaginable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zYsUqAYg6c
And so, in the days and months prior to the two-night event, North Korea was in mourning. And as Il Sung’s successor, it was Kim Jung Il’s duty to pull his nation out of the darkness and back into glory. Whispers of doubt of Kim’s ability had begun to sweep across the rooftops and villages of the nation, and combined with economic pressure from outside forces, the heat was on the Nation to regain it’s glorious image, and emerge from this loss stronger than before. All Kim needed was the right opportunity.
And so.
In stepped Antonio Inoki.
Antonio Inoki — Wrestler, Politician, Opportunity Taker.
In order to understand just how much Antonio Inoki has accomplished in his lifetime, you risk blurring facts with hyperbole. Imagine if Vince McMahon had not only built his WWE Empire, but had served as a senator for two terms, fought Muhammad Ali, and acted as an ambassador between the US and Middle East. Inoki was the first democratically elected official to ever meet with Fidel Castro. He held hostage negotiations with Saddam Hussein, who gave the wrestler a pair of Golden Swords for his efforts. He once saved a half dozen drowning puppies from certain death by swinging from a vine, swooping them up, and neutering them all in process. This last one isn’t true, but one were to tell me it was, that they had seen it, you’re damn sure I would believe them. The man is a come-to-life Video Game protagonist, coupled with a jaw so strong it could turn a diamond into dust. Chuck Norris ain’t got shit on Antonio Inoki.
Inoki’s “World Peace Through Sports” belief had been well-documented by the mid-nineties. The man was, despite his fighting spirit, hungry to bring peace and prosperity to Earth. In fact, when Inoki was elected to the House of Councillors in 1989 he ran as a member of a party founded around him — the “Sports and Peace Party”. His campaign promised to deliver an “Enziguri to the National Consumption Tax”. The picture that his actions begin to paint is that of a idealistic optimist aiming to use the platform of his fame in order to create a more united people.
Having been trained by North Korean legend, and “Godfather” of Japanese Pro Wrestling, Rikidozan gained Inoki the trust and acceptance he needed in order to enter negotiations with North Korean officials. The goodwill Inoki benefitted from as a Japanese man welcome in Korea provided for a unique opportunity to make diplomatic inroads where others couldn’t. And so when Inoki saw the opportunity, he decided to grasp it.
”…what a phenomenal opportunity.”
But instead of simply bringing the starpower of himself and NJPW, Inoki decided to up the ante. Add another flag to this display of unity under the power of Sports. And so… he made a phone call to someone he already had a standing business relationship with — World Championship Wrestling and Eric Bischoff.
Bischoff claims that the proposal went like this:
“Sometime in early ‘95, Antonio called and asked me for help in trying to get Muhammad Ali to come over to this event that he described as a world peace event…”
Oh. I should add… Antonio also wanted Muhammad Ali to go. To North Korea. Yeah.
“I thought, well, the little that I know about Muhammad and the kind of things he was interested in — it sounds unique. I said, ‘Where is it?’ I assumed it was in Tokyo. Then he said it was in Pyongyang, North Korea. Oh, wow. I thought, what a phenomenal opportunity.”
Bischoff was in. He contacted Ali’s people, the two were familiar due to a shared partnership with Turner Broadcasting. Not to mention The Champ’s wrestling fandom is well known. It was the perfect storm of comfort for Ali’s camp — they had worked with Inoki, they had worked with Bischoff and Ted Turner, and Ali would love to pal around with pro wrestlers for a week. Bischoff had this to say:
“So I reached out to Muhammad and he and the people that work for him were actually quite excited to do it. That was the easiest part of it.”
With Ali in tow, Inoki focused on crafting a card deserving of such a monumental event. And in Inoki’s mind… there was no better possible main event than him versus… Hulk Hogan.
“So I asked Hulk,” said Bischoff, “and I might as well have asked him to row a boat to Pluto. It was not gonna happen.”
So it goes.
Never ones to be deterred, however, Inoki and Bischoff went to the obvious option B, Ric Flair, who saw it as a new adventure to an already illustrious career. And the Main Event was set. And is there a better possible representative for how the behind-the-curtain Koreans probably envisioned the brash, cocky, pretty-boy Americans? Flair’s bleach blond hair, lavish robes, and floppy in ring style was enough to cement any preconceived notions of those outlandish and savage Americans. Look no further than the patented WOOOOOOOO. An animalistic mighty yawp that screamed “I am who I am, bitch. Deal with it.”
The cast of Americans that followed Flair were under NJPW, and thus, really had no choice. Reports suggest they received no added bonus for attending, and were paid their usual appearance fee. Too Cold Scorpio joined in, opening the show in a bout against Wild Pegasus, better known as Chris Benoit. Road Warrior Hawk made a short appearance, as well as the Steiner Brothers, Rick and Scott. Scott Norton rounded out the crew, having this to say “I wasn’t aware of what was going on in North Korea too much….I talked to the Japanese guys all the time and they were just freaking. They were nervous.”
Antonio Inoki had, once again, been successful. And with WCW, NJPW, and The Greatest Fighter of All Time behind him — - the event was set to be main event of the International Sports and Cultural Festival for Peace. It was to be held in Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium — regarded as the largest stadium in the world with a capacity of 150,000 thousand seats.
But as easy as the planning had been, the execution and experience proved to be a little more… problematic.
And when Sonny Onoo informed the Japanese Embassy his plans to travel to North Korea their response was this: “…no. You understand we cannot guarantee your safety’ — that was about the last thing they told us.”
To Be Continued….
Quotes from Dan Greene of SI and his amazing Oral History of this event.
