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From 1/4/00 to 10/9/00, Kensuke Sasaki maintained a strangle-like grip on the IWGP Heavyweight Title, having five strong defenses. A seemingly invincible warrior at times, wrestlers struggled to take down Kensuke and losses were scarce. As leader of New Japan, he became a proud champion, so his non-title loss to All Japan's Toshiaki Kawada at the Tokyo Dome on 10/9/00 was particularly bitter. Immediately following the match, Sasaki handed his title to ring announcer, Hidekazu Tanaka, officially vacating it. A tournament was determined to crown a new champion, with a star-studded lineup. Kensuke earned his spot by destroying Team 2000's Michiyoshi Ohara in seven seconds at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium on 12/10/00. The stage was set for the 1/4/01 Tokyo Dome show, and 62,001 fans watched Kensuke kill two birds with one stone, regaining the IWGP Heavyweight Title and downing Kawada in the final.
IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament (1/4/01)
Round 1: Kensuke Sasaki beat Satoshi Kojima (16:33) with a crab hold.
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