Everybody loves a title change, right? The joy of seeing history being made, and another name being added to a litany of champions.

For wrestlers, title victories mean that long after their careers are over, long after their lives are over, what they achieved will live on in the annals of history.

But for some wrestlers, their title changes were not meant to be, and while they had the joy of winning, they also felt the pain of having that win taken away.

With Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal almost becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions this week, we’re looking back at six times titles changed hands, but then didn’t.

The Rocket’s Reign Fizzles Out

Bret Hart is considered one of the greatest WWF Champions of all time, but despite an impressive career of his own, his younger brother Owen would never win the gold.

Well, not officially at least, as during the August 17, 1994 taping of WWF Superstars, Owen defeated his big brother to capture the gold.

The problem for the Rocket though, is that Jim Neidhart had been caught interfering on his behalf, and the match was restarted.

In another excellent collision between the two, Bret would defeat Owen to retain his title, but the image of the Rocket with the title remains an epic sight.

Y2J Plays the Game

Chris Jericho’s arrival in the WWF in 1999 was a huge deal, and it wasn’t long before one of WCW’s most popular stars was hanging with the top guys.

On the April 17, 2000 episode of Raw is War, Jericho’s insulted Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, and was able to goad Triple H into putting his WWF title on the line.

With the hired APA holding DX at bay, Jericho was able to get the win over the Game, thanks to a fast count from Earl Hebner.

Hebner had been bullied by DX for weeks, but even he knew the decision couldn’t stand, and Jericho would have to hand back the title.

With this stricken from the record, Jericho would have to wait until late 2001 until he became the WWF Undisputed title, a title he’d ironically lose to Triple H.

The Miz Goes Over the Limit

Last year saw The Miz become a two-time WWE Champion, and while his reign was short, it was a long-time coming for fans of the A-Lister.

After losing the WWE title in 2011 to John Cena, Miz tried to win it back, and in a shocking turn of events, his I-Quit match with Cena saw Big Match John utter those two words.

As Miz celebrated, his NXT protege Alex Riley dropped an item, revealed to be a recording of Cena saying those words, and the jig was up.

With the match restarted, Cena made Miz quit for real, and the Marine star would wait a long time before he earned his real second WWE Championship.

The Wrong Rope Break

When you think of tag teams who never held gold in the WWF, few teams are more celebrated than The Rockers.

The pairing of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty would wow fans with their high-flying skills, and on one fateful night, would even win the WWF World Tag Team Titles.

During an October 1990 taping for Saturday Night’s Main Event, the Rockers dethroned the Hart Foundation in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match.

The ring-rope breaking mid-match did not stop the action, but it was this rope break that would cost them dearly.

Unsatisfied with the match because of the rope, WWF higher-ups planned for it to be re-taped, but that never happened.

Explaining rumors of a phantom title change, WWF President Jack Tunney reversed the decision because the broken ring rope meant the bout was partially contested in an unfair environment, and on this occasion, it was Shawn getting screwed out of a title that was back in the hands of Bret Hart.

Inoki Makes History

When Antonio Inoki died last October, fans reflected on his incredible career, which included a reign as WWWF Champion.

Unlike others on this list though, Inoki’s title win was not immediately reversed and would come in November 1979, with a win over Bob Backlund.

A title rematch between the two went to a no-content, and the decision was made to strip Inoki of the title.

Backlund would defeat Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match to fill the vacancy, but the title controversy was never acknowledged, and fans at the time wouldn’t learn about Inoki’s win until years later.

Dusty’s Dream is Shattered

We couldn’t have an article like this without the namesake of the ‘Dusty Finish:’ The American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

As a booker, Rhodes often used the trope of the face seemingly winning only to heel come out on top, but at Starrcade 1985, Rhodes got a taste of his own medicine.

The show’s main event, which pitted Rhodes against NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair was a match for the ages, and one that saw Rhodes win the gold.

It wasn’t until the next WCW show that the elated fans learned the truth that Flair was still champion, as referee Tommy Young had been knocked out during the title match, and that since the first ref was down, the pinfall wasn’t official.

Flair regained the gold in a crushing moment for the American Dream, as the master of the Dusty finish got a taste of his own medicine.

Fans of professional wrestling legend Antonio Inoki will soon be able to relive his life and career with a brand new movie.

The project was announced today at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, which is being dedicated to the legacy of Inoki.

Inoki died on October 1, 2022, of systemic transthyretin amyloidosis at the age of 79.

Antonio Inoki: Wrestling Legend

When it comes to wrestling, few lives and careers are more deserving of a motion picture than Antonio Inoki.

Born during the grips of World War 2, Inoki began his wrestling career in the 1960s under the tutelage of the legendary Rikidozan.

Fire from the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance in 1971 over an attempted takeover of the company, Inoki founded his own promotion in 1972: New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Inoki’s strong style made him a force to be reckoned with, and in November 1979, the NJPW founder defeated WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to win the title.

A rematch that saw Backlund win was later declared a no-contest, but Inoki’s reign is not officially recognized by WWE.

Inoki also battled boxing icon Muhammad Ali in 1976 in a unique boxing/shoot wrestling style match that resulted in a draw.

In 1995, Inoki was part of the Collision in Korea in Pyongyang and defeated Ric Flair at the most-attended wrestling event in history.

For years after, Inoki would remain a staple of Japanese pro-wrestling and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

Inoki Out of the Ring

Not only an accomplished wrestler, Inoki was elected to Japan’s House of Councillors in 1989, despite being active in the ring at the time.

In 1990, Inoki traveled alone to Iraq and negotiated with Saddam Hussein that saw 36 Japanese captives be freed in exchange for a wrestling show in the nation.

A series of scandals saw Inoki lose his seat in 1995, but he would be re-elected in 2013.

In 2019, Inoki retired from politics, citing health issues at the time as a large factor in his decision.

NJPW and WWE Share Touching Memoriam For Antonio Inoki

New Japan Pro Wrestling has honored the life and legacy of Antonio Inoki, making him the lifetime chairman of the promotion.

Inoki founded the promotion in 1972 and remained on as the owner until 2005 when he sold a 51.5% controlling share of the company to Yuke’s.

Inoki died last week at the age of 79 after a battle with systemic transthyretin amyloidosis.

Lifetime Chairman

In a statement on New Japan’s website, it was confirmed that Inoki has been dubbed the honorary lifetime chairman of the promotion.

This declaration was made while Inoki was alive on September 1, 2022, and was due to be publicly announced on October 10.

The announcement cannot take place as previously planned due to Inoki passing, but in the statement, New Japan vowed to follow Inoki’s wishes.

“In accordance with Mr. Inoki’s wishes, all of us at New Japan Pro-Wrestling will continue to move forward and lead the professional wrestling world to the utmost of our abilities.”

Inoki Out of the Ring

Antonio Inoki may be best known to wrestling fans as the founder of NJPW and first IWGP Heavyweight Champion but he did much more outside the ring.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Inoki entered politics in 1989, when he was elected into Japan’s House of Councillors as a representative of his Sports and Peace Party.

In 1990, Inoki negotiated with Saddam Hussein, for the release of Japanese hostages before the outbreak of the Gulf War.

A series of scandals ended Inoki’s political career in 1995, but he would return to politics in Japan’s Upper House as an MP from 2013 to 2019.

Read our Antonio Inoki Obituary

Antonio Inoki Was One of Pro Wrestling’s Great Achievements

The Daily Mail was one of the first online publications to post a story about the Sept.30 death of Antonio Inoki, the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Desperately seeking a sports figure to compare Inoki, the Mail called him “Japan’s Dennis Rodman.” Other than using their respective sports for ill-advised diplomacy to North Korea, the two had nothing in common. Rodman had taken a group of basketball players to North Korea in a diplomatic move, which was against advisement of the US government. Inoki ran a joint show in the country with WCW and New Japan in the 90s in front of 300,000 people.

There’s no one in Western life comparable to Inoki, someone who became as influential as any major politician and celebrity. His own life story and resume would make for a great museum exhibit.

His childhood was fraught with family tragedy and athletic accomplishment. His own ambition got him fired twice from Japan’s biggest promotion. His starpower led to a fight with Muhammad Ali when the heavyweight champion was the most famous person in the world. He saved pro wrestling in Japan and grew it to massive heights – then nearly killed it years later.

Inoki was born on Feb. 20, 1943, just weeks after the last Japanese soldiers retreated from Guadalcanal, the tipping point of the war. His father died when he was 5. In the 1950s, with Japan’s economy still reeling from the war, he moved with his mother, grandfather and family to Brazil. His grandfather didn’t survive the trip. In South America, he continued to excel in sports, mainly track and field. He met Rikidozan – the father of Japanese wrestling – when he was 17 years old and returned to Japan to train with the master himself and Karl Gotch. Among his fellow students was Giant Baba. The two were the clear standouts, and the trajectory of wrestling in Japan was set for the next half century.

When Rikidozan died in 1963, Inoki found himself on the outs with his mentor’s promotion, Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA). In 1966, he went to the U.S for nearly two years, wrestling in high profile matches throughout many of the of the top NWA territories at the time. Houston, Central States in St. Louis, Southwest Sports in Texas, Dallas, WWA in California among numerous others. He won the NWA Texas title wrestling for Fritz Von Erich in Dallas and two versions of the NWA World Tag Team titles, once in Dallas with Duke Keomuka (an innovative judo practitioner and father of 80s and 90s AWA, NWA and WWF star Pat Tanaka) and in Tennessee with Hiro Matsuda, who trained Hulk Hogan.

By late 1967, he returned to Japan and was wrestling tag matches with Baba. Their list of opponents included American names that would fill a Hall of Fame – including Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr. Baba and Inoki lost the NWA International Tag titles to the Funk Brothers in July 1971, according to cagematch.net. He opened New Japan a year later, defeating his former trainer Karl Gotch, on the Opening Series card.

The fight against Ali began with a flippant remark at a banquet, when he was introduced to a Japanese amateur wrestling official and said he would pay any “Oriental” fighter $1 million if they could beat him. .

The statement sparked headlines in Japan. Inoki accepted, with financial backers in Japan offering Ali millions for the fight. The two sides came to a deal in the spring, with Inoki famously giving Ali a crutch and it billed as The War of the Worlds. Gene LeBell was picked as the referee. Ali supposedly trained with The Sheik leading up to the fight, and took on pro wrestlers in two televised exhibition fights. Reaction to the fight was split between fans, reporters and fighters, with some deriding it as a fix and others seeing it as a true martial arts test. The fight later became known as a precursor to mixed-martial arts.

One factor was Inoki’s technique of laying on his back and swinging kicks at Ali’s legs, which he did constantly during the fight. This sparked outrage from people who watched the fight, but the same strategy was employed for years in the UFC whenever grapplers faced opponents with strong standup and boxing backgrounds. An estimated 1.4 billion people watched the fight on television, according to The Japan Times, in article published after Ali’s death in 2016.

The fight was a draw, which sparked a riot at Budokan and at several arenas worldwide where the event was being broadcasted. Ali suffered blood clots in his legs, which hampered his famous agility the rest of his career. The fight was considered a blemish on both men, with the draw and the negotiated rules of the fight giving both outs. Many blasted Inoki for laying on his back, accusing him of being fearful of approaching Ali, but he blamed the rules that were negotiated that didn’t allow him to exercise chops, tackles and other offensive moves.

Inoki held the WWF title after a 1979 win over Bob Backlund in Japan, but the win was never acknowledged by the company. He also remained active as a trainer. His students include The Great Muta, Shinsuke Nakamura, Akira Maeda, Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask) among dozens of others.

New Japan became the birthplace for the light heavyweight and cruiserweight style that became popular in the United States in the late 1990s in WCW. The style is now the default for wrestlers of all sizes in the U.S. A series of matches between Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid from 1981 to 1984 brought the style to prominence in Japan and to the WWF, when the two wrestled for the company in the U.S. Jushin Liger became one of the most traveled and influential wrestlers in the world as the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion.

By the mid 1990s, New Japan was a powerhouse, running the Tokyo Dome four times a year. By this time, Inoki was also in politics and was elected to office in 1989. He met with Saddam Hussein to negotiate for the release of Japanese hostages prior to the beginning of the Gulf War. Ironically, Ali was also in Iraq during this period asking for the release of U.S. hostages who were working in the country.

The promotion was working regularly with WCW during the period, including the Collision in Korea card. The show was broadcast on PPV in the U.S., but hasn’t been made available since. The show had many near-misses for talent who came into the country. North Korean officials wanted Ric Flair to read off a propaganda card claiming that North Korea was superior to the U.S. and could easily defeat them. He instead said the country was beautiful. Many of the WCW talent felt the show was an attempt by Inoki to push his political career, and weren’t ready for the circumstances they were going to deal with inside the country. They were monitored almost constantly and several incidents between security and wrestlers resulted. The show was the subject of an episode of Dark Side of the Ring.

Inoki’s last blast in pro wrestling led to him selling his company. With the emergence of MMA in the mid 1990s and the success of Pride Fighting Championships, Inoki began pairing pro wrestlers against shoot fighters in New Japan and in his own UFO fighting promotion. What resulted was a disaster for New Japan, with many of its top stars getting injured or having their images wrecked in shoot fights they weren’t trained. By 2002, many of New Japan’s top stars began leaving the company over “Inokism,” which was the name given to Inoki’s obsession with mixing pro wrestling and MMA and Inoki sold the company to Yuke’s – a video game maker – in 2005. Inoki would remain on commentary for many of New Japan’s shows, but he was no longer booking them. His brother remained involved until Yuke’s moved tag wrestled Gedo to the role in the late 2000s.

Gedo’s booking brought the company back to pro wrestling and into the present. Relying on Hiroshi Tanahashi, who brought the company back to profit and sellouts, starting with his first IWGP World title run in 2006. Emphasizing traditional Japanese wrestling, along with Gedo’s love of American NWA territory style storytelling, the company began to boom. One of Inokism’s biggest victims – Shinsuke Nakamura – would become one of New Japan’s new faces, as he dropped his MMA sports style and adopted a new style based on his love of rock stars Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson and became the company’s leading heel.

Inoki returned to politics in 2013, winning election to the Diet again. He stayed in office before retiring in 2019 from politics, around the time his second wife died. He would appear at an event for the ZERO-1 promotion that year.

Despite the achievements as a promoter and politician, Inoki’s most memorable moments were in the ring.

While his fight with Ali is still his most memorable bout – whether booked or shoot – it was two matches that have kept in the conscious of the modern wrestling fan. A match against The Great Antonio – turned into an actual fight. He began stiffing Inoki with shots and no-selling his offense. Inoki returned the favor by stomping his head repeatedly before the fight was called by the refs.

The other was the debut of Big Van Vader in 1987. Inoki was looking to create a hot gaijin, and Vader fit the role with his massive size and athletic ability. When the rookie Vader debuted against Inoki in 1987 at Sumo Hall, Inoki lost in mere minutes – his first defeat in years. Fans were so shocked by the loss they began rioting and tore the ring apart – similar to what happened after his fight with Ali.

Yesterday, the pro-wrestling world learned that Antonio Inoki, the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling, a former 12-time world champion, and respected Japanese politician, had passed away at the age of 79. Inoki’s legacy will forever be remembered, including in WWE, where he was an unrecognized world champion and entered their Hall of Fame in 2010.

Today both WWE and NJPW each shared their own touching memoriam to celebrate the life of Inoki, with each pointing out marquee moments in his prestigious career.

Statement From WWE

“WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki.

One of the key figures in the history of Japanese wrestling, Antonio Inoki was among the most respected men in sports-entertainment and a bona fide legend in his homeland.

Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943, Inoki grew into a natural in-ring competitor. The incredible squared circle figure found his greatest success in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a promotion he founded in 1972. Over the course of the next two decades, Inoki built NJPW into the most successful wrestling company in Asia. Utilizing talented Japanese competitors like Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu, innovative high-flyers like Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid and American Superstars like Bob Backlund and Vader, the young promoter created a product that was unique, influential and far ahead of its time. In addition to running the company, Inoki himself was one of the top stars in NJPW, carrying the championship and battling the likes of Stan Hansen, Tiger Jeet Singh and Hulk Hogan.

In his most-famous match, Inoki fought boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a rare wrestler vs. boxer match in June 26, 1976 – a contest that paved the way for the advent of Mixed Martial Arts, which would explode in popularity decades later. The bout also exemplified Inoki’s undying love and respect for professional wrestling. This passion for competition earned him the nickname “Moeru Toukon” amongst his peers, which translates to “The fighting spirit that burns.”

Inoki was also a tremendous ambassador for professional wrestling, bringing major events to places like Russia and China. And in 2010, WWE did the same by welcoming Antonio Inoki into the WWE Hall of Fame Class.

WWE offers it’s heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and fans of the squared circle legend and the wrestling world as a whole.

Statement From New Japan Pro Wrestling

“Antonio Inoki, founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, wrestler, promoter, politician and social activist, has died after a battle with amyloidosis. He was 79.

Inoki was born in Yokohama in 1943. Relocating with his family to Brazil at age 13, the promising athlete had been working on a coffee plantation when he was scouted by Rikidozan on excursion to the region and recruited into professional wrestling.

After making his debut on September 30 1960 under his birth name Kanji, his teenage years in Brazil would lead to him being renamed Antonio, with a legend being born in 1962.

In the wake of discord within the Japanese Wrestling Association following Rikidozan’s death, Inoki would depart the promotion, forming New Japan Pro-Wrestling in January 1972 before staging NJPW’s first event in Ota on March 6 that year.

As NJPW’s status grew, Inoki’s early career rival and former tag team partner Giant Baba would also become a promoter. In the face of his competition in All Japan Pro-Wrestling, Inoki would brand NJPW around the ideas of ‘Strong Style’ and ‘Fighting Spirit’. The rivalry sparked a boom in pro-wrestling that Inoki would be at the forefront of.

June 26, 1976 would see Inoki break new ground when he battled Muhammad Ali in the Nippon Budokan, a match credited with being the birth of what became mixed martial arts. From his martial arts fights, to bloody brawls with the likes of Tiger Jeet Singh, and an indomitable underdog spirit opposite the hulking Andre the Giant, Inoki blended an in ring versatility with an explosive charisma that made him the image of professional wrestling to generations both in Japan and worldwide.

Though Inoki would be active in ring until his Tokyo Dome retirement on April 4 1998, 1989 would see Inoki transition to the political arena, establishing the Sports and Peace Party and winning election into the Japanese House of Councillors on his first attempt. He would serve two terms in the Japanese Diet and was the first ever wrestler to serve in such a capacity.

Inoki would start NJPW’s 50th year celebrations on January 4 2022 with a special video message in the Tokyo Dome at the start of Wrestle Kingdom 16.

The thoughts and deepest sympathies of all at New Japan Pro-Wrestling go out to Inoki’s family, friends and fans.”

You can read our initial report on Inoki here.

Antonio Inoki, one of the biggest stars in the history of professional wrestling, has passed away. He was 79 years old.

Inoki had been battling systemic amyloidosis. According to Japanese press, Inoki had reportedly fell ill a few days ago and had been recovering at home. He was feeling better as of Friday, September 30th, however he took a turn and fell ill again the morning of Saturday, October 1st and passed away at home in Japan.

A 12-time world champion, Inoki changed the world of wrestling over the course of five decades in the business. In addition to being a 12-time world champion and the first-ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Inoki was also the founder and longtime owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Inoki was a pop culture icon, especially in his homeland of Japan. One of his most iconic moments came in 1976 when he worked a wrestler vs. boxer match with Muhammad Ali, drawing cameras from all over the world. The match was one of the earliest for the world of mixed martial arts and ended in a draw.

Ali was far from the only legendary world champion that Inoki worked with over the years. Later in his career, Inoki worked with Ric Flair in Pyongyang, North Korea (1995) as part of the Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace (Collision In Korea) that was promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling. The two-day event drew over 150,000 fans each day.

Inoki parlayed his fame from the wrestling world into politics. He was elected to the Japanese House of Councilors in 1989. He served until 1995 and was later re-elected in 2013, serving until 2019.

Inoki was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

Tributes to Antonio Inoki Pour In From Around the Wrestling World

It didn’t take long for tributes to begin coming in from around the wrestling world. Inoki’s death was mentioned during WWE SmackDown, as seen from the clip below.

WWE remembers Antonio Inoki.
1943-2022 pic.twitter.com/I9JF377dLb

— WWE (@WWE) October 1, 2022

“One of the most important figures in the history of our business, and a man who embodied the term ‘fighting spirit.’ The legacy of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki will live on forever,” wrote Paul Levesque (Triple H) on his Twitter account.

AEW’s Tony Khan also commented on Inoki’s death via Twitter, writing, “RIP Antonio Inoki, a pioneer in the pro wrestling industry. Inoki’s influence and his achievements will live on forever in the wrestling world; he’s an inspiration to all of the dreamers. Thank you sir.”

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A statement from New Japan Pro Wrestling read, “New Japan Pro-Wrestling is deeply saddened at the passing of our founder, Antonio Inoki. His achievements, both in professional wrestling and the global community are without parallel and will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with Inoki’s family, friends and fans.”

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Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki has recalled meeting Vladimir Putin in the 1980s, long before the Russian President’s rise to power.

In 1989, Inoki was elected to the Japanese House of Councillors and as part of a deal between Japan and the then-Soviet Union, invited USSR wrestlers to the New Japan Dojo.

Speaking with Tokyo Sports, Inoki recalled working with the USSR and his brief meeting with Putin (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

“When I first went to Moscow, I had a chance to meet with some important people over there. Putin, who is now in absolute power, was serving tea. I understand that Putin is KGB, but I don’t think he experienced the war. I wonder what kind of people are attached to the general staff there and how they give instructions.”

One of the Soviet wrestlers, Salman Hashimikov, won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship that year, which Inoki said showed the importance of relationships.

“I think the key figures in Russia knew that we were behind in many areas (compared to other countries) at that time. We exchanged a lot of information and things like that.”

“Putin, who is now in absolute power, was serving tea. I understand that Putin is KGB, but I don’t think he experienced the war.”

Antonio Inoki on his 1989 interaction with Vladimir Putin.

Inoki’s Political Career

Representing his own ‘Sports and Peace’ Party, Inoki was elected to the House of Councillors and used his celebrity status to succeed in diplomatic tasks.

In 1990, Inoki traveled to Iraq on what was called “an unofficial one-man diplomatic mission” and successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein to free Japanese hostages before the outbreak of the Gulf War.

He later personally organized a wrestling event in Iraq in an effort to secure the release of 41 captive Japanese nationals, of which 36 were freed.

After being re-elected in 1992, Inoki would face allegations of embezzlement and deals with the Yakuza and would fail in his 1995 election campaign.

In 2013, Inoki returned to politics, being elected to Japan’s Upper House as an MP and representative of the Japanese Restoration Party.

Six years later, Inoki announced his retirement from politics.

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