Super Power Series 1998

SUPER POWER SERIES 1998

You know, sometimes life turns up some little surprises. I was walking with my cousin Derek after school and he showed me some odd way to get to the parking lot. As I took this new route, I chanced upon the most kick ass computer lab in the school. Nineteen inch screens, reclining chairs, super fast processors. And the best part… NO ONE IS EVER IN HERE! Beats the hell out of hunting for a computer in the main lab. But anyway I’m going off on a tangent here. This little sanctuary will be where I write my reviews from now on (unless I’m home, obviously).

The majority of the stuff on this tape is clipped but the two complete matches more than make up for the clipped stuff. The one thing I’ll never understand about AJPW commercial releases is they always have the best match at the beginning. IT DRIVES ME NUTS!

KENTA KOBASHI vs TOSHIAKI KAWADA (Triple Crown)

Some of you might be wondering how Kawada ended up with the title between this review and when Misawa was defending it back in the New Year Giant Series 1998 review. Well… Kawada beat Misawa at the first AJPW Tokyo Dome show but I got really frustrated with the amount of crap on that tape and elected to come back to that review a little later when I’m in a more patient mood. As for the match, it’s the typical AJPW heavies match to start. Lots of chops and kicks which no one wants to sell. Then the big chop which Kobashi fires off and Kawada drops like a ton of bricks. They again go back and forth with the chops but Kobashi puts an end to that with a DDT. He goes for another but Kawada doesn’t go down with it and Kobashi falls on his ass. Ugh… Dangerous K doesn’t look like he wants to co-operate tonight and KOBASHI IS PISSED! Kawada doesn’t give a rat’s ass as he slaps the taste out of his mouth. BIATCH! Kawada fires off loads of stiff chops stiff kicks. FEEL THE PAIN BOY! Kawada goes for another kick but Kobashi grabs the leg and chops him down. He follows up with a hart attack clothesline. Kobashi goes for the half nelson suplex but Kawada blocks and fires off a back flip giri. He goes for a lariat but Kobashi ducks and then hits the half nelson suplex to a HUGE POP! The crowd’s starting to heat up. Kobashi hits a powerbomb followed up with a released Tiger suplex for 2 and Ѕ. Kobashi tries to a flying shoulderblock but Kawada clocks him with a jumping head kick IN MID AIR! NICE! Kawada comes hits a giri followed up with THE DANGEROUS BACKDROPPAH for 2 and ѕ. Kawada fires off a fold over powerbomb for 2 and ѕ. Kawada hits a high angle powerbomb for 2 and 9/10. Kawada fires off another backdrop driver and slaps on a torture style stretch plumb. SCREAM KOBASHI! SCREEEEAAAAAM! Kawada lets go of the hold and goes for the pin, which gets 2 and 9/10. Kawada hits another running high kick but Kobashi comes right back with THE LARIATOOOOOO for 2 and ѕ. Kobashi hits the Jacknife powerbomb for 2 and ѕ. He hits another powerbomb followed up with THE MOONSAULT! 1… 2… 2.999999! Kobashi hulks up and THIS CROWD IS HOT! He goes for another lariat but Kawada responds with a jumping head kick. Again they go back and forth with the chops but Kawada learns his lesson and slaps on a rolling Juji Gatame. Kobashi is flailing all over the ring but eventually makes the ropes. Kawada continues the assault with more stiff kicks but Kobashi sucks it up and hits another BIG TIME lariat. Kawada goes for yet another jumping head kick but Kobashi blocks and hits THE BURNING LARIATOOOOOO! 1… 2… 2.999999! HOLY SHIT! ONE MORE BURNING LARIATOOOOOO! 1… 2… COUNTO THREEEEEE! Obviously this match kicked ass. This match has been pimped to death but it wasn’t the super crazy amazing match that I had thought it was going to be. I don’t own any of their previous singles matches so I can’t tell if they built on anything from previous matches or what not. As it is, I’d give it ****3/4

WOLF HAWKFIELD/JOHNNY SMITH vs TAKAO OMORI/TAMON HONDA (Highlights)

Let us thank the good people at VAP for making sure that I don’t have to watch too much of Hawkfield or Honda. Johnny Smith has really come into his own over the last couple of years. He had a stellar match with Kobashi during the Champions Carnival 2000. His recent tag matches with Maunakea Mossman (another kick ass wrestler) has only served to make him look all the better. I should track down some of his “New British Bulldogs” matches when he was teaming with Dynamite Kid in the early nineties. Ah well…

STEVE WILLIAMS vs JUN AKIYAMA (highlights)

Hmm… they should have shown the whole thing. They only show the “hot ending” as Akiyama brings all sorts of good stuff (what a surprise). He hits a diving elbow smash, a running knee smash and not one but TWO EXPLOIDAAAAAAAHS! 1… 2… 2.999999! He goes for a brainbuster but Williams has none of it and sends Akiyama into the corner. He charges in but Akiyama moves out of the way and gets a schoolboy roll up for 2 and 9/10. He goes for a lariat but Williams ducks and hits THE HOMOCIDAL BACKDROP DRIVER! He goes for another but Akiyama gets a standing switch, another switch by Williams and the time runs out. Hmm… not liking that ending.

HOLY DEMON ARMY vs KENTA KOBASHI/JOHNNY ACE (Double Tag Titles)

Kawada and Kobashi start off. La la la, sell? Nooo… we’re not doing that. Kawada goes for a quick suplex but Kobashi blocks and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Tag to Ace who goes for an Irish whip but Kawada comes right back with a roundhouse kick. Tag to Taue and they hit a double running high kick. The Unholy Arm has their way with Ace as they lay in an ass kicking (literally) for a good seven or eight minutes. Ace eventually reverses a whip into the corner and hits Taue with a lariat. Tag to Kobashi and he hits the double kitchen sink into side Russian leg sweep. Kobashi gets distracted and Taue lays in a brutal roundhouse kick to the head. He fires off an atomic slam and Kobashi rolls out to the apron. Taue goes for the Nodowa Otoshi from the apron but Ace dropkicks Taue’s knee and sends him crashing into the guardrail. Back in the ring and Kobashi works over the leg with a half crab. Kawada tries to the make the save but Kobashi is right there with a BIG TIME lariat. Tag to Ace who hits a dropkick to the knee followed up an anklelock. It should be noted that Kawada is nowhere to be found as he’s sitting on the floor still reeling from the power of Kobashi’s lariat from a good two or three minutes ago. See… it’s the little things that makes certain moves seem all the more powerful. Ace throws Taue outside and Kobashi hits Taue with a KNEE BREAKER ON THE TABLE! EEEWWW! Back in the ring and Ace slaps on a Sasurigatame. He takes it up a bit higher so as to put pressure on the knee rather than the back. NICE! Tag to Kobashi who goes for another knee breaker but Taue blocks and hits an enziguri. Tag to Kawada and it’s KICKS FOR EVERYONE! He goes for a jumping head kick, blocked by Kobashi who hits a hangman’s neck breaker. Tag to Ace who hits a running Ace Crusher for 2 and Ѕ. Ace and Kobashi hit the Doomsday Powerbomb but Taue manages to make the save. Ace hits The Cobra Clutch suplex but Taue again makes the save. Tag to Taue and he hits a SUPER NODOWA OTOSHI but now it’s Kobashi that makes the save. Taue heads to the second turnbuckle on the inside (god bless you Gorilla) and hits a Super Dynamic Kick for 2 and 9/10. Taue goes for a locomotion Nodowa Otoshi but Ace reverses the second one into an Ace Crusher. Tag to Kobashi as they hit a BACKDROP ACE CRUSHER! 1… 2… 2.999999! Kobashi hits the Jacknife powerbomb for 2 and 9/10. He goes for the moonsault but Kawada cuts that off and sends him to the mat. Taue hits Kobashi with a running high kick but Kobashi no sells and hits THE LARIATOOOOOO! 1… 2… Kawada makes the save. THIS CROWD IS SUPER HOT! Kawada hits THE DANGEROUS BACKDROPPAH and then he and Taue hit a POWERBOMB NODOWA COMBO! 1… 2… Ace makes the save. HO…. LY SHIT! Taue hits a double arm suplex for 2 and 9/10. Kobashi is in all sorts of trouble. Taue goes for the locomotion Nodowa Otoshi but Kobashi blocks the second one. Taue comes right back with a Dynamic Kick for 2 and 9/10. He hits another Dynamic Kick and the fires off THE DYNAMIC BOMB! Kawada cuts off Ace and there’s no one to save the brutally beaten Kobashi as the three count comes down. AWESOME MATCH! Far better than their tag title match in January (at least in my opinion). It had an awesome build up and Taue played his role to perfection as he was sure to sell the knee injury throughout the whole thing and even after the match was done. ****1/2

MAUNAKEA MOSSMAN vs SATORU ASAKO (highlights)

Mossman was good back then, he’s awesome now. I recommend getting his stuff from 2000, as most of it was excellent. I’ve never seen Asako before so I don’t have a stupid joke about him or his past. Mass clipping all over the place. Asako hits a top rope Frankensteiner for 2 and ѕ. He hits a DISGUSTING Michinoku Driver for 2 and 9/10. Ugh… that was one of the nastiest moves I’ve ever seen. More clipping as Asako is crotched and Mossman hits a super reverse suplex for 2 and ѕ. Mossman goes for The Hawaiian Crush but Asako slips out and slaps on La Majistral cradle for 2 and ѕ. Mossman recovers first, fires off a few stiff kicks and then hits The Hawaiian Crush for the victory. DAMN… I wish this match was complete. It looked really good.

GRAN NANIWA/SUPER DELPHIN vs SATORU ASAKO/YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (highlights)

Oh lord… Fish boy and crab boy teaming together. Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke on me? Here’s to hoping that Asako uses that crazy Michinoku Driver on each guy at least oh… four times. CHEERS! Naniwa and Delphin control the majority of the clips until the end where Kanemaru nails Delphin with a springboard DDT on the apron (got to see it to fully understand) and Asako destroys Naniwa with what I understood to be a Super Driver. Pretty fitting name for a move that nasty to look at.

Final Analysis: Well… it’s a toss up. If you read my material, you know I don’t like clipping. However, the two complete matches on this tape more than make up for the crappiness of clipping. Some people might get more out of Kobashi vs Kawada. Even if I didn’t give it *****, it was a stellar match and one that everyone should try to see. The tag match was loads of fun with lots of near falls and nicely timed saves. If you can live with the fact that there’s only two complete matches then track this tape down, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Justin Baisden

Rolling Germans Wrestling