| Battle Formation 1997 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | April 12, 1997 | ||
| City | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Venue | Tokyo Dome | ||
| Attendance | 50,500–60,500[1][2] | ||
| Battle Formation chronology | |||
| |||
| New Japan Pro-Wrestling events chronology | |||
| |||
The 1997 Battle Formation was the second and final Battle Formation event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which took place on April 12, 1997 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was a massive success, drawing a crowd of about 60,000 fans and the revenue generated from ticket sales amounted to $5,000,000.[1]
Ten professional wrestling matches occurred at the event. The main event was a non-title Different Style Fight, in which the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinya Hashimoto took on the debuting Naoya Ogawa, a former judoka who won seven medals in the World Judo Championships and a silver medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Ogawa got a shocking upset win by knocking out Hashimoto with a choke. The result set the stage for a lengthy rivalry between the two that resulted in a series of matches.
The undercard of the event featured two championship matches, in which Jushin Liger retained the J-Crown Championship against The Great Sasuke, while Kensuke Sasaki and Riki Choshu defeated Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Other prominent matches included Antonio Inoki's second last singles match of his career against Tiger King, The Great Muta taking on Masahiro Chono, and a continuation of the real-life WCW feud between Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan.[2]
- ^ a b "Battle Formation 1997". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b "New Japan Pro-Wrestling Results: 1997". PuroLove. Retrieved 4 December 2023.