Giant Baba Memorial Cup


The Giant Baba Memorial Cup was a professional wrestling memorial event produced by the All-Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, which took place from January 2 to January 14, 2002 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Hakata Star Lane in Fukuoka, the Nagasaki NCC Studio, Sasebo Sports Bunka Hall, Kokura Northern Gymnasium, Kagoshima Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka Central Gymnasium, and the Bunka Gym in Yokohama, Japan. It was the second event held in honor of AJPW founder Shohei "Giant" Baba preceding the Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular in 2001 and was followed by the Giant Baba Memorial Six Man Tag Team Tournament three months later. Thirty-one professional wrestling matches were featured on AJPW's "New Year Giant Series" tour over a three-week period, with the opening rounds, semi-finals and the final match airing on Gaora TV.
The Giant Baba Memorial Cup, held as a round robin tournament, had a uniquely different point system traditionally used by the Champion Carnival or World's Strongest Tag Determination League. Winners were awarded points on the duration of the match rather than simply defeating an opponent.
The participants were separated into two separate blocks; Shigeo Okumura, Nobukazu Hirai, Hideki Hosaka, Hi69, Mitsuya Nagai and Ryuji Hijikata were in "Block A" and Nobutaka Araya, Yaz Urano, Tomoaki Honma, Gran Naniwa, Kazushi Miyamoto, and Masato Tanaka were in "Block B". The winners of each block, Mitsuya Nagai and Nobutaka Araya, faced each other in the tournament finals at the Yokohama Bunka Gym on January 14, 2002.

Results

The Giant Baba Memorial Cup was a round-robin tournament consisting of two six-man blocks, and running from January 2 to January 14, 2002.
Block AMitsuya NagaiNobukazu HiraiRyuji HijikataHi69Shigeo OkumuraHideki Hosaka
Mitsuya NagaiXNagai Nagai Nagai Nagai Nagai
Nobukazu HiraiNagai XFujiwara Hirai Nagai Hirai
Ryuji HijikataNagai Hijikata XHijikata Okumura Hosaka
Hi69Nagai Harai Hikata XOkumura Hosaka
Shigeo OkumuraNagai Hirai Okumura Okumura XOkumura
Hideki HosakaNagai Hirai Hosaka Hosaka Okumura X
Block BKazushi MiyamotoMasato TanakaTomoaki HonmaYasu UranoGran NaniwaNobutaka Araya
Kazushi MiyamotoXTanaka Homna Miyamoto Miyamoto Araya
Masato TanakaTanaka XTanaka Tanaka Tanaka Draw
Tomoaki HonmaHomna Tanaka XHonma Naniwa Araya
Yasu UranoMiyamoto Tanaka Honma XNaniwa Araya
Gran NaniwaMiyamoto Tanaka Naniwa Naniwa XAraya
Nobutaka ArayaAraya Draw Araya Araya Araya X