NJPW Big Wednesday 1998

NJPW BIG WEDNESDAY 09/23/1998

As the case has been as of late, I’m finding a lot of tapes in my collection that I thought would be great to watch but never got around to popping them in the VCR when they arrived. Case in point is this New Japan card. I had to consult the match list for a refresher in why I went out of my way to get this tape. It looked great on paper; I wonder how it’ll fare in execution.

Extra bonus for me (and eventually you as well). The cassette I recorded my thoughts on also had a review I did for a Battlarts TV block from last year. I had just forgotten about it. I’ll fire that one off next as it’s only four matches and should be a breeze to type up.

On a weird note, Smarks forum regular “Judas13” had to go on about Transformers and all the cool shit that went down with that series after the movie took place. Well… see I haven’t watched Transformers in oh… twelve years so when I learned about all this stuff, I obviously needed some info. So, with that in mind, I ask you the reader the following: Can you direct me to any really good Transformers web sites that have info specifically on the “Rebirth, Masterforce and Victory” storylines? Also, if you know of any good tape dealers/traders with an abundance of episodes within the three seasons I just listed, please pass them along. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

This review isn’t brought to you by any snack foods. Hmm… I’ll plug the Crystal Springs bottled water I drank though. Water is good for you and well… that’s about all I can say about it.

CHRIS JERICHO/BLACK TIGER vs TATSUHITO TAKAIWA/SHINJIRO OHTANI (IWGP Jr. Tag Titles)

This was an interesting match. WCW sent Guerrero and Jericho on a fourteen hour flight so they can work one match and then come back to America. I know they like working in Japan and all but come on; ONE DAY?! God only knows how fucked up their internal clock must have been after that one. Ah well… the payoff is Eddie vs Ohtani and nothing says fun like Rudo Black Tiger vs THE BITCHMASTER! Jericho and Takaiwa can come along for the ride… I guess. Eddie and Jericho work over Takaiwa but he no sells all of it (I can see how this match is going to go) and KILLS Jericho with a lariat. Ohtani gets the tag and pulls out the face scrape spot to it’s usual MONSTER POP! Eddie takes exception to it but Ohtani’s all “wha? You don’t like what you see? Oh I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m ripping your partners face off with my boot.” Jericho manages to get a tag and Guerrero 1 ups Ohtani with a face scrape – legdrop combo. HA! Now who’s face is being ripped off? It’s all back and forth after that with each team getting in some nice double teams. Takaiwa goes for a powerbomb on Jericho but he slips out and hits a TRIPLE POWERBOMB! HA HA! Takaiwa gets a taste of his own medecine. IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME! Jericho puts some icing on the cake yelling “FUCK YOU” to the crowd. Ah Jericho, you can always count on gratuitous swearing when he’s in Japan. WCW work over Takaiwa’s back for a good portion of the match. They pull out loads of double teams including a SWEET Slingshot Senton version of the Demolition Decapitation. AWESOME! Eddie charges but he’s caught in a powerslam. The champs go on the attack with a MISSILE DROPKCIK – QUADRUPLE BOMB COMBO but Jericho makes the save. Both guys get the tag but Ohtani gets the advantage with his trademark springboard dropkick. Jericho comes back with a lariat and The Lionsault for 2 and ѕ. More double team fun as WCW hits a powerplex – frog splash for 2 and ѕ. Eddie gets the tag and hits The Black Tiger Bomb but Takaiwa saves. He tries another but Ohtani slips out and hits THE BITCHMASTERBOMB for 2 and 9/10. He tries a suplex but Tiger reverses into LOCOMOTION BRAINBUSTERS! He tries for the Tornado DDT but Ohtani blocks and reverses into a RELEASED DRAGON SUPLEX followed up with a Dragon Suplex hold for the victory. Lots of innovative double teaming and cool spots here and there made this a real treat. ***1/2

KENSUKE SASAKI/KAZUO YAMAZAKI vs DON FRYE/IGOR MEINDERT

Hmm… total worked shoot style for this one. I don’t know who Meindert is but after watching this match I can honestly say he’s TERRIBLE! Maybe he’s a shooter I just haven’t come across but there’s no way this guy works pro style on a regular basis because he managed to nearly kill this match on more than one occasion. The shooters maul Sasaki for the majority of the match. Every time the natives go on offense, Frye takes a beating and tags, only to have Meindert sell nothing and kill their momentum. Fast forward to the end as Yamazaki gets the hot tag and Meindert tries to kill him with punches but Yamazaki’s all “GOD YOU SUCK! You won’t sell? I WON’T SELL!” and punks him out with an ankle lock. Whatever… should have contributed the time from this match to the junior tag. *

SHINYA HASHIMOTO vs KEIJI MUTOH

Mutoh was full fledged NWO Japan after the long and drawn out “will he/won’t he” Mutoh vs NWO Japan feud of 1997. Ugh… that went on FOREVER! Anyway, he’s heel (sorta, I always thought of “Mutoh” as face and “Muta” as heel. Hmm… paradox abounds). Mutoh’s workrate is in the shitter at this point and wouldn’t resurface until 1999 when he was at least tolerable. Of course then it went back into the shitter and got even worse during 2000. Now he’s kick ass but his knees are somewhere between fucked and screwed so he’ll probably retire soon. Anyway, I’m neglecting this match. Mutoh works the arm to start but Hash makes the comeback with a DDT. Mutoh stalls and I fall asleep. Back in the ring and Mutoh works over the arm some more but elects to just give up on it. I HATE THAT! There’s nothing that annoys me more than pointless filler. Irish whip and he hits the handspring elbow but it looks a lot like Chyna’s because Mutoh’s knees are a total mess. Mutoh heads up for the Moonsault but Hash cuts him off with a spin wheel kick and hits a DDT for 2 and Ѕ. He hits another DDT but heads up top (?). Here’s a word of advice, the words “fat” and “top rope” are not compatible unless your name is Vader or one of the Headhunters. Mutoh smokes him out with a Super Dragon Screw and follows up with the figure four. Mutoh works the leg but Hash makes the comeback with chops and kicks. AAAAHHH! WHY IS HE KICKING!? WHERE IS THE SELLING?! Hash hits a Jumping DDT for 2 and ѕ. He charges but Mutoh counters with a Frankensteiner and a Juji Gatame ON THE WRONG ARM! FUCK! THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! It’s not like these guys are rookies. They’re both excellent wrestlers. WHY IS THIS SUCKING?! Hash makes the ropes and comes back with chops. He looks for the Vertical Drop DDT but Mutoh counters with THE SHINING WIZARD! Heh… well he hit him with a knee to the head but the knee wasn’t shining nor was it imbued with magical powers so it wasn’t a knockout blow. Hash works him down some more and this time the Vertical Drop does hit. Game over! UGH… poor selling, crappy payoffs on the submissions (wrong limbs for instance) and a dead crowd. These guys are capable of WAAAAAY more than this. **

KAZ HAYASHI vs JUSHIN “THUNDER” LYGER (IWGP Jr. Title)

YES! Lyger won’t let me down. Great ground work from both guys as Lyger works on the arm but Hayashi makes the comeback working on the left leg. Hayashi absolutely destroys the leg with loads of innovate stuff including a SWEET Slingshot dropkick to the leg. Lyger manages to escape the leg bar and MAULS Hayashi with palm strikes. Irish whip into the corner and Lyger hits the Koppo kick. He’s sure to sell the leg afterwards. See, that’s the difference right there between this match and the last match. Lyger goes for a hardcore suplex but Hayashi lands on his feet (NICE) and pulls Lyger to the floor. He heads in and comes right back out with a Tope Suicida. Awww… it wasn’t the awesome Somersault Tope that he usually uses. Back in the ring and Hayashi goes for a German suplex, standing switch, flipped out by Hayashi who hits a Frankensteiner for 2 and Ѕ. AWESOME! Hayashi tries for a diving rana but Lyger KILLS him with a Lygerbomb. Another Lygerbomb gets 2 and ѕ. Lyger heads up top but Hayashi stops him with a SUPER JAWBREAKER! EEEWWW! THAT’S JUST DIRTY! Lyger rolls out but Hayashi stays on the attack with a TWISTING TOPE CON HILO! AWESOME! HAYASHI RULES IT! Back in ring and Hayashi hits a MOTHER FUCKING 450! 1… 2… 2.999999! DRAGON SUPLEX! 1… 2… 2.999999! Hayashi looks to put it away with a springboard rana but Lyger counters with the shotei. Lyger hits the RUNNING SHOTEI! 1… 2… 2.999999! SUPER FISHERMAN’S BUSTER! THAT’S GOTTA BE IT! 1… 2… 2.999999! HOLY SHIT! Finally Lyger puts it away with another running shotei. YOU WANT THIS MATCH! Hayashi carried almost the entire thing. A better crowd would have made this a classic. ****1/4

BRIAN ADAMS/NWO STING vs SHIRO KOSHINAKA/GENICHIRO TENRYU (IWGP Tag Team Titles)

Is this a joke? They put you on cloud nine with the junior match and then we get this? What the hell did Adams or Sting do to deserve a title shot? Where’s Kojima and Tenzan? My psychic powers tell me this match will suck large and what a surprise, I’M RIGHT! The NWO control the majority of the match, which obviously is the worst way they could have gone for this one. Adams no sells everything thrown at him. Someday he’s going to sell and that match will be ***** by default. Whatever… they hit Demolition Decapitation for 2 and Ѕ. Sting tries for a lariat but misses and Koshinaka hits ASS POWER! Tenryu gets the tag and a lariat for 2 and Ѕ. Diving Elbow gets 2 and ѕ. LARIATOOOOOO! DONE! UGH… So slow, so sloppy, so crappy. As for Sting, Tenryu and Koshinaka, they tried hard. *1/2

SCOTT NORTON vs YUGI NAGATA (Vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title)

Chono had defeated Fujinami for the title a month earlier but suffered a neck injury four days prior to this match. He vacated the title two days later and obviously someone from NWO Japan got a title shot. Mutoh already worked a match with Hash so Norton was next in the pecking order. I’m not sure why Sasaki wasn’t given the shot but Nagata works a better match and is willing to sell like a madman for Norton (like you have a choice). Norton brings the HEFTY chops to start. He misses an Avalanche and Nagata hits THE BAAAAAAACKDROPPAH! NO SOLD! NORTON LARIATOOOOOO! NO SOLD! We’re back to square one with the crowd totally jacked up after that exchange. Nagata tries to work the arm but Norton has none of it and kills Nagata a side Salto and a Samoan Drop. They go back and forth with Norton’s mega chops vs Nagata’s stiff kicks. Nagata looks totally outmatched here as Norton is absorbing everything without a problem. Norton tries a lariat but Nagata reverses into an Ipponzei segued into a Juji Gatame but Norton escapes and BRUTALIZES Nagata with chops. If you ever saw Norton vs Miller and cringed at those chops, add just a bit more behind Norton’s shots and you’ll have an idea of what he’s hitting Nagata with. Norton hits the Reverse Shoulderbreaker segued into a Wakigatame but Nagata reaches the ropes. Nagata is an absolute mess and he’s selling the arm like someone took a crowbar to it. Norton keeps on the attack with a second shouldbreaker, this time segued into a Juji Gatame. Nagata reaches the ropes but Norton refuses to break, drawing MASSIVE heel heat. He’s being booed right out of the building. NAGATA IS FUCKED! Irish whip and Norton hits the powerslam but Nagata reverses into a JUJI GATAME! HOLY SHIT! THE CROWD’S ON FIRE! “NA GA TA! NA GA TA!” Norton makes the ropes. GANMENGIRI! NO SOLD! GANMENGIRI! NO SOLD! LARIATOOOOOO! NAGATA’S DEAD! POWERBOMB FOR THE AGES! DONE! This was a total ass kicking from start to finish. It reminded me quite a bit of the Sting vs Vader matches and the Vader vs Inoki match from the 01/04/1996 dome show. If Norton’s selling was stronger, this could have been awesome. The heat was through the roof as everyone was rallying behind Nagata but you just knew he was working on borrowed time. ***

Final Analysis: This wasn’t too bad at all. Six matches, two clocked at ***+ and one at ****1/4. I probably came down a bit hard on Mutoh vs Hashimoto but I’ve seen those two work a lot better with each other (see G-1 Climax 1995 Finals). The junior match rocked bells and even the heavyweight title match was better than I expected. I’d have to mildly recommend picking up NJPW Big Wednesday 09/23/1998.

Justin Baisden

Rolling Germans Wrestling