Yokozuna Memorial Show


The Yokozuna Benefit Memorial Show was a professional wrestling event produced by World Xtreme Wrestling promotion which took place on 29 November 2001, at the Lehigh Valley Sports Zone in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was held in memory of wrestler Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i, the nephew of promoter Afa Anoa'i and former two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, who died of pulmonary edema in Liverpool, England during a tour of Europe the previous year. The show served as a benefit show for his widow and two children, Keilani and Justin. Eleven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card, with two including championships.
Wrestlers from the Heartland Wrestling Association, Jersey All Pro Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation appeared on the show, as did members of the Anoa'i family including The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika Anoa'i, Afa Anoa'i, Jr., The Tonga Kid, and HWA Tag Team Champions The Island Boys. WWF Hall of Famer Bob Backlund and Extreme Championship Wrestling manager Bill Alfonso also made surprise appearances during the event.
The main event was a standard wrestling match between Da Hit Squad, and their mystery opponents, The Headshrinkers, in their first match together since 1994. In the semi-main event, The Brothers of Destruction wrestled The Acolytes Protection Agency. Another featured match was Shannon Moore versus Jamie Noble, in a revival of sorts of the feud between World Championship Wrestling rivals 3 Count and The Jung Dragons, which Moore won. A second former WCW star, and graduate of the Wild Samoan Training Center, Billy Kidman beat Low Ki, and The Tonga Kid and The Hungarian Barbarian defeated The Twin Tackles, accompanied by Bill Alfonso, in a non-title match for the WXW Tag Team Championship.
Two of the participants, Malachi and Supreme Lee Great, both called the show one their all-time favorites; SLG named the show one of the top three highlights of his career. Sal Corrente, co-founder of WrestleReunion, was also in attendance and later wrote "It was a night that won’t easily be forgotten if I ever forget it". The WWF's involvement in the event was featured in WWF Raw Magazine in March 2002.

Show results

29 November 2001 in Allentown, Pennsylvania