Wrestling World 2001
Masahiro Chono, who made it to the semi-finals of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament.
Promotion	New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date	January 4, 2001[1]
City	Tokyo, Japan
Venue	Tokyo Dome
Attendance	52,000[1]
Wrestling World chronology
← Previous 2000 Next → 2002

Wrestling World 2001 was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome. Wrestling World 2001 was the tenth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. The show drew 52,000 spectators.^[1] The focal point of Wrestling World 2001 was a tournament to crown a new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, which accounted for five of the nine matches on the show. No other championships were defended in 2001, marking the first year that only one title was on the line. The show saw Toshiaki Kawada wrestle twice; Kawada had previously been one of the main event wrestlers of NJPW's biggest rival All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Production

Background

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

Wrestling World 2001 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

IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament bracket