BEST OF SUPER JUNIORS 1994
The participants are Wild Pegasus, Black Tiger, Dean Malenko, Jushin "Thunder" Lyger, El Samurai, TAKA Michinoku, Super Delphin, Masayoshi Motegi, Tokimitsu Iskizawa, Dave Finley, Shinjiro Ohtani.
SHINJIRO OHTANI vs TAKA MICHINOKU
It’s a good thing they let you out of jr. kindergarten early in the afternoon otherwise TAKA would never have been able to make this tournament. Goddamn he looks like a little kid here. It’s just disturbing. When you watch his matches around this time period, it’s like watching a grown man heap child abuse on some poor kid. But anyway, THE BITCHMASTER is wrestling so I don’t care if TAKA gets beat down. TAKA works over the arm for a bit but then Ohtani takes control and works over the leg. TAKA escapes, hits a bodyslam and a nice elbowdrop for two. TAKA hits an overhead belly to belly suplex and a dropkick. To the outside and TAKA hits a SWEET springboard Plancha. Back in the ring and Ohtani hits a spin wheel kick and now he hits the patented springboard swandive Plancha. Back in the ring and Ohtani is destroying TAKA’s leg. Ohtani lets go and slaps TAKA a couple of times. Ohtani goes back to the leg and BITES HIS LEG! Ha ha, I say it every review I do; I LOVE THIS GUY! Ohtani lets go of the leg, TAKA whips him into the corner but Ohtani Flair flips out and hits the springboard dropkick. Another Irish whip, reversed by TAKA but Ohtani comes back with a spinning leg lariat. Ohtani goes after the leg yet again. Oh man this is just sickening. I bet TAKA would pay good money to have his leg amputated by this point. Ohtani goes for a German suplex but TAKA reverses into a roll up for two. TAKA with a German suplex for two. TAKA with a rana for two. TAKA goes for a second rana but we all know what happens when you go for a move twice in a row. Ohtani drops TAKA with a powerbomb. Poor kid has to learn sometime. Ohtani attacks the leg again but TAKA gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Ohtani is reversed by TAKA but Ohtani comes right back with a dropkick to the knee and he slaps on a leg bar. TAKA screams in pain and taps out. Ohtani holds onto the leg bar after the bell. HA HA! This was a relentless attack by Ohtani and was a real treat to watch. **1/2
At this point I would like to point out that this tape is full of severely clipped matches. We’re talking one-minute shots with the end shown so you know who won. I don’t rate mega clipped matches so you’ll just get the match and the end.
WILD PEGASUS vs TOKIMITSU ISHIZAWA
Pegasus wins the match with a reversal off of a German suplex attempt. No one in his or her right mind could think that Ka Shin was going over Benoit anyway.
EL SAMURAI vs MASAYOSHI MOTEGI
Samurai wins it with a roll up.
JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER vs DEAN MALENKO
They showed the last five minutes of this match and I can’t say as that was very good. I don’t want to think of what the rest was like if the "hot ending" sucked that much. Malenko wins it with a Tiger Driver. For some reason, Lyger always jobs to Malenko in these tournaments. I wonder if they have a rock/paper/scissors contest each year.
SUPER DELPHIN vs JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER
This is only partially clipped so it’s actually watchable. Match starts fast with Delphin hitting a spinning head scissors and three consecutive dropkicks. Lyger to the outside and Delphin comes off the top with a cross body block. Back in the ring and Delphin gets a sunset flip for two. Delphin goes for a clothesline but Lyger ducks and hits a quick Koppo kick. Delphin to the outside and Lyger hits a baseball slide. Lyger to the top and goes for a body block but Delphin moves and Lyger only hits pavement. OUCH!!! Delphin hits Lyger with a DISGUSTING piledriver on the floor. Back in the ring and Delphin hits a delayed brainbuster for 2 and ½. This is a shitkicking by Delphin. Delphin with a missile dropkick for 2 and ½. Delphin goes for a Victory Roll but Lyger rolls through for the three count. The time of the match was 19:42 and they showed about five minutes. It was a decent five minutes though so it gets **
WILD PEGASUS vs DAVE FINLAY
Pegasus takes it with a roll up reversal sequence. I would have liked to see this match because both guys work a very stiff style, which I enjoy quite a bit. Ah well…
BLACK TIGER vs TAKA MICHINOKU
Hey remember the Super J Cup 1994? Remember Eddie beating the shit out of TAKA? Well that’s what happens here. In fact, that seemed to happen to TAKA every time I saw him in New Japan. Ah well… Black Tiger wins it with Splash Mountain (top rope crucifix powerbomb).
EL SAMURAI vs SHINJIRO OHTANI
This just makes me sick. This match is in full format. Why the fuck does Samurai get a full-length match on this tape? Ohtani has some pretty heavily taped ribs here. Hmm… I guess he incurred an injury during a match that I didn’t get to see. Oy… anyway the idiot Samurai elects to work the leg instead of the injured ribs. MORON!!! Ohtani works over Samurai’s arm for a while. Wussy boy Samurai is forced to roll to the outside in order to escape THE BITCHMASTER’S continuous onslaught. Back in the ring and Samurai hits a waistlock suplex. Samurai with a nasty piledriver for 2 and ½. Ohtani is DEAD! Samurai goes for an inverted surfboard but Ohtani holds onto the ropes because he doesn’t have to take that move if Lyger isn’t doing it. Good for him. Samurai dropkicks Ohtani to the floor and… doesn’t follow up. Uh… OK. Ohtani gets to the apron, kicks Samurai and then hits the springboard dropkick. Ohtani hits a victory roll for 2 and ½. Samurai goes for a German suplex but Ohtani reverses and hits one of his own for 2 and ¾. Ohtani thinks that he’s won the match but no dice. Samurai hits a lariat and hits a NASTY Reverse Suplex. EEEWWW! Ohtani landed right on his head. You see? This is why I hate Samurai. This guy fucks up moves left right and center. Samurai hits a snap German suplex for 2 and 91/0. Samurai goes for a rana but Ohtani rolls through with a sunset flip for 2 and ¾. Samurai goes for a lariat but Ohtani ducks it. Ohtani goes for a spinning leg lariat but that’s ducked by Samurai and he hits a hart attack clothesline for 2 and ½. Samurai hits a jumping tombstone piledriver. WOW! That actually looked pretty damn good. Samurai hits a diving headbutt for 2 and 9/10. Ohtani looks so dead. You just want to cry in sympathy. Samurai goes for a German Suplex but Ohtani reverses into some kind of inverted reverse cradle. I don’t know what the hell it is called but it gets the three count. The crowd was hot near the end, which made this match seem all the better. I’d give it ***1/2
SHINJIRO OHTANI vs DEAN MALENKO
We’re back to mega clipping. It should be noted that Malenko had the two brain cells it takes to realize that you should work over the injured ribs instead of attack a healthy body part. Malenko wins it with The Texas Cloverleaf.
DAVE FINLAY vs TAKA MICHINOKU
Finley takes it with a pretty ugly Doctor Bomb.
SUPER DELPHIN vs TOKIMITSU ISHIZAWA
I HATE THE DELPHIN CLUTCH! It’s such an asinine move. You’re telling me that nobody can kick out of that jackass inspired piece of garbage? COME ON!!! Oh yeah… Iskizawa lost but I hate Kendo Ka Shin anyway so I’m not that mad.
BLACK TIGER vs JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER
You see… a match like this tells me that there really is no justice in the world. We got a pretty good Samurai vs Ohtani match in full format but we probably would have got a classic between Guerrero and Lyger. Lyger wins it with a roll up off of a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Wow… that I’ve never seen before.
BLACK TIGER vs WILD PEGASUS
YES!!! THIS IS COMPLETE! Tiger attacks before the bell. Irish whip but it’s reversed and Benoit hits a back body drop. Benoit lays the boots into Guerrero. Irish whip by Benoit and he DECAPITATES Guerrero with a lariat. HELL YEAH! Benoit continues the beat down with a belly to back suplex. Pegasus hits a rough bodyslam and hits a top rope splash for two. Benoit with some stinging Knife edge chops. Another Irish whip and Benoit flapjacks Guerrero. Wow, Benoit really launched Guerrero on that one. This is a murder! I LOVE IT! Snap suplex for a two count. Benoit goes for another flapjack and Guerrero reverses mid air into a dropkick. NICE! To the outside we go and Guerrero whips Benoit into the guardrail hard. Guerrero bodyslams him on the concrete and then beats him in the ribs with a chair. This is brutal stuff. Guerrero rolls Benoit into the ring and hits the slingshot senton. Guerrero hits a waistlock suplex and scrapes Benoit’s face with his boot. Uh oh… this was clipped after all. I do not like this lack of complete match. Benoit hits a superplex for 2 and ¾. Benoit goes for the Dragon Suplex but Guerrero reaches the ropes. Funny spot as Benoit lets go and stands right behind Guerrero until he lets go of the ropes and then hits the Dragon suplex for 2 and ¾. Benoit goes for another Dragon Suplex but Guerrero reverses into a roll up for a two count. Guerrero wins the match out of nowhere with a reverse roll up sequence. This was clipped which I don’t like but what they showed was great stuff and gets ***
MASAYOSHI MOTEGI vs TAKA MICHINOKU
If you can believe it, TAKA actually wins the match. You had to know that if anyone was going to job to TAKA in this tournament it was going to be Motegi or Iskizawa. TAKA uses the mystical power of La Majistral cradle to get the job done.
JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER vs SHINJIRO OHTANI
OH FOR GODS SAKE! You’d think they’d at least leave a match between these two in complete form. BUT NOOOO! That’s just crazy talk. Lyger wins it with a figure four leg lock all of things. I’m guessing that he worked over the leg for a while but we’ll never know now will we? Ugh… Lyger calls out Ric Flair and the pier six is on. What do you mean that would never happen? Sure it did, I’m watching it right now! No I’m not crazy. Hallucinating maybe, but crazy I am not.
EL SAMURAI vs SUPER DELPHIN
You know how there are dream matches? Well the pairing of Delphin and Samurai is my personal nightmare match. This match sucks large for quite a bit. I think my issue with Delphin stems from the fact that I can’t seem to take him seriously. His costume just screams "I’M A STUPID IDIOT!" Now I haven’t seen any Osaka Pro so I don’t know what Delphin is like now a days but I’m hoping that he’s at least dropped that asinine costume and started taking his matches a little more seriously. Also, he’s got to stop using the Delphin Clutch. I really, really hate that hold. Samurai finally hits a decent move about five minutes in with a jumping piledriver. Samurai hits an atomic drop. There’s a move you rarely see in Japan. Delphin sells it old school like Honky Tonk Man used to. They get into a chop fest, which leads nowhere. Delphin hits a dropkick and Samurai rolls out to the floor. Delphin hits a top rope cross body block. Back in the ring and Delphin hits a waistlock suplex for a two count. Delphin hits a top rope elbow drop for 2 and ½. Delphin hits a Tornado DDT and gives the sign for the Delphin Clutch but Samurai rolls him up FOR THREE!!! Actually it only gets two but it was three in my mind. Did I mention I hate The Delphin Clutch? Yes? Numerous times? Good! Delphin goes for a monkey flip but Samurai throws him off. Samurai hits a dropkick and Delphin rolls out to the floor. Samurai hits him with a sloppy tope suicida. Back in the ring and Samurai hits a devastating German suplex for 2 and ½. Samurai hits a jumping tombstone piledriver and hits a swandive headbutt for 2 and ¾. Samurai hits The Thunderfire Powerbomb for 2 and 9/10. Samurai hits a DISGUSTING Implant Reverse DDT for the three count! YES!!! DELPHIN LOSES! Well… the match wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. ***
JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER vs SUPER DELPHIN (Finals)
Hmm… something isn’t right. I was under the impression that the previous two matches were the semi finals of the tournament thus making a Samurai vs Lyger finals. However, we get Delphin vs Lyger. Odd… anyway Delphin loses all my respect right from the get go by dressing up in a Lyger costume that looks like a three-year-old took a scissors to. Ugh… no respect at all. Delphin starts out with a wristlock. Lyger kips through it and applies a hammerlock, which Delphin kips out of. Lyger gets a single leg take down and applies that weird variation on the surfboard. Lyger’s pulling back on that one pretty good. MAKE HIM SCREAM! Lyger lets go and segues into a camel clutch. Delphin escapes and applies an anklelock submission. He quickly lets go, snapmares Lyger and lays in a stiff kick to the back. Delphin lays in some shitty punches and kicks. Lyger’s had enough and stops Delphin cold with one Palm Strike. Irish whip and Lyger hits a nasty tilt a whirl backbreaker and puts on the regular inverted surfboard. Delphin escapes with a poke to the eye. I’m glad to see Delphin was paying attention in wrestling school. Lyger snapmares him over and slaps on a headscissors. Delphin escapes, applies a headlock which he segues into a hangman’s neckbreaker. Delphin drops two kneedrops to the face. OUCH!!! Delphin slaps on a really sloppy rear chinlock. Delphin is leaving a canyon of room for Lyger to breathe. Back to a vertical base where Lyger shoots Delphin into the ropes and goes for a tilt a whirl backbreaker but its reversed into a spinning head scissors. Lyger to the outside and Delphin goes for a Plancha but stops mid ring and does that weird twisting pose. Ugh… everything this guy does makes me pissed off and he’s supposed to be a funny face wrestler. Lyger gets back in the ring but Delphin trips him up and slaps on a half boston, which he then segues into a full boston crab. Lyger powers out of it but Delphin comes right back with a camel clutch. Delphin puts Lyger in the corner, climbs to the second rope and tries to rip Lyger’s mask off. Lyger responds by powerbombing Delphin really hard. Don’t fuck around with the booker’s mask buddy. Irish whip by Lyger and he dropkicks him in the knee. Funny spot as Lyger stands there for a while so Delphin can get to his feet only to hit him with another dropkick to the knee. HA HA! Lyger hits a top rope kneedrop on the leg. Lyger slaps on a figure four leg lock. Delphin is screaming in pain and I’m jumping for joy. Delphin eventually reaches the ropes after a good two minutes. Lyger nails him with a rough palm strike. Irish whip into the corner and Lyger goes for the Koppo kick but Delphin avoids the kick by falling down because of the injured leg. Now that’s creative. Lyger goes for a kick but Delphin catches it. Lyger goes for an enziguri but Delphin ducks it. Delphin slaps on a headlock but it’s reversed into a belly to back suplex. Nice sequence ends with Delphin dropkicking Lyger to the floor. Delphin hits his top rope cross body block. Back in the ring where Delphin goes for a victory roll and gets 2 and ¼. Delphin hits a waistlock suplex for 2 and ½. Delphin hits a slam and top rope elbow drop for 2 and ¾. Delphin goes for a tombstone but Lyger reverses into a tombstone of his own. Lyger goes for the swandive headbutt but misses. Lyger is selling that move pretty rough. I wonder if he was hurt. Hmm… anyway on the floor where Delphin hits a DDT. Delphin hits Lyger with a rana from the apron. Back in the ring and Delphin hits a Tornado DDT and gives the sign for the Delphin Clutch! The crowd ERUPTS! Wow is that move over or what? It’s slapped on and Lyger KICKS OUT at 2 and 99/100. Delphin puts Lyger on the top and goes for a Super Waistlock Suplex but it’s reversed mid air for a two count. Lyger goes for a German suplex but Delphin hits a low blow. Lyger no sells and hits a Koppo kick. To the outside and Lyger hits a top rope somersault Plancha. Back in the ring and Lyger hits a top rope Frankensteiner for 2 and 9/10. Lyger goes for the Lygerbomb but Delphin reverses into a huracanrana which Lyger reverses into a sunset flip for 2 and 99/100. That’s as close a near fall as you’re ever going to see. Lyger puts Delphin on the top and hits a SUPER FISHERMAN’S BUSTER for the three count. The crowd was hot throughout the whole thing and as much as I hate Delphin, he pulled his weight in this match. ****1/4
This tape is OK in my opinion. The heavy clipping did not sit well with me at all. If it weren’t for the great final match, this tournament would have been a complete write off. If you have to have every BOSJ tournament, then pick this up. Otherwise, look for the Delphin vs Lyger match on a compilation tape. Best Of Super Juniors 1994 tape is mildly recommended.
Justin Baisden
Rolling Germans Wrestling
