Puroresu Power: Super J Cup 1994

Welcome to the first edition of Puroresu Power! I’ll be giving you guys the low down on all the best stuff from the land of the rising sun. I thought I’d start off with the one of the most famous events in puro history: The 1994 Super J Cup. Also, don’t hesitate to e-mail me with any thoughts, comments, opinons, etc. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter.

The Participants:

Chris “Wild Pegasus” Benoit
Eddie “Black Tiger” Guerrero
Jushin Lyger
Great Sasuke
Super Delfin
Hayabusa
Dean Malenko
Gedo
El Samurai
Masayoshi Motegi
Ricky Fuji
Negro Casas
Shinjiro Ohtani
Taka Michinoku

First Round

Dean Malenko vs. Gedo

Dean sends Gedo outside with a series of dropkicks. In the ring, Dean focuses his attention on the leg of Gedo. He takes Gedo down with a headscissors and gets a knee drop for 2, then a jackhammer for 2. Gedo slaps on an STF. Dean makes the ropes and they slug out. Gedo hits a tombstone, but misses a flying headbutt off the top. Dean captalizes with a lariat for 2 and flying bodypress for 2. Gedo snaps off a powerslam out of nowhere moments later for the win. Okay match thanks to Dean. **1/2

Super Delfin vs. Shinjiro Ohtani

OH YEAH!!! I love both these guys. Ohtani dropkicks Delfin’s knee and slaps on a half boston crab. Delfin makes the ropes and delivers a dropkick, followed by a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker. Ohtani slips out of another backbreaker and hits a great spinning heel kick. Delfin goes outside to re-group. Inside, Ohtani puts his attention back on Delfin’s leg with a legbar. Delfin escapes and gets a delayed brainbuster for 2. Ohtani dropkicks him back to the floor and follows with a springboard planca. Back in, He hits the springboard dropkick for 2 and re-applies the legbar. Delfin finishes him off seconds later with a tornado DDT and the Delfin Clutch. Great match, although Delfin could’ve sold his leg better. ***1/2

Black Tiger vs. Taka Michinoku

Tiger starts out quick with the slingshot hilo and a BIG powerbomb for 2. He hits a back elbow and locks in an abdominal stretch, then a sharpshooter. Taka fires off a headscissors. He snaps off an overhead suplex and dropkicks Tiger outside. He follows with a springboard planca. In the ring, he gets a german suplex for 2 and a rana for 2. Tiger hits a powerbomb for 2 and the Frog Splash for 2. Taka gets a rollup for 2 and a powerbomb for 2, tben a moonsault off the top for 2. He misses another, however, andTiger hits a brainbuster for 2. He picks up the win with the Tornado DDT. Really good little match. ***1/2

El Samurai vs. Masayoshi Motegi.

Motegi SUCKS big time. He starts out with a suicide dive. Samurai puts him in an STF and gets a piledriver for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2 and goes to a half boston crab, then gets a tombstone for 2 and an inverted suplex for 2. Samurai backdrops him to the floor and hits a suicide dive of his own. Back in, a missile dropkick scores 2. Motegi counters a rana with a powerbomb for 2 and goes to a table top submission, then to a inverted surfboard. He hits a spin kick for 2 and two rolling german suplexes. Samurai counters a third with a rollup for 2 and gets a german suplex for 2. Samurai puts Motegi away with the Thunderfire Bomb. Bad match, but Samurai looked good. **

Ricky Fuji vs. Negro Casas

This match sucks so much that it doesn’t deserve play by play. Fuji takes it with a Tiger Driver. *1/2

Jushin Lyger vs. Hayabusa

Now THIS is more like it. Hayabusa takes Lyger out with a sumersault planca and a missile dropkick for 2. He slaps on a surfboard and gets a leg drop for 2. Lyger takes control with a figure four and a powerbomb for 2. He gets a lariat for 2 and a back suplex, followed by the Capo Kick. Hayabusa ducks another lariat and gets a dropkick for 2. He delivers a flipping senton for 2 and a spinning heel kick off the top for 2. He gets a moonsault off the top for 2 as well. He botches an flying rana off the top and almost kills himself with a botched Shooting Star Press. Lyger gets the Lygerbomb for 2. He catches Hayabusa coming off the top with another powerbomb and hits the fisherman’s brainbuster for 3. Would’ve been better if Hayabusa hadn’t botched his last two big moves. Lyger looked awesome, but when doesn’t he? **3/4

Second Round

Super Delfin vs. Gedo

Delfin fires off an armdrag and goes to a half boston crab. He nails an enziguri and slaps on a chinlock. Gedo manages some chops, but Delfin takes him down with a low blow and a headscissors. Gedo kicks Delfin around and goes to a surfboard Delfin dropicks Gedo outside and follows with a planca off the top. Back in, Gedo gets a clothesline for 2. Delphn gets a victory roll for 2. Gedo hits a powerslam for 2 and a moonsault off the second rope for 2. Delphin gets a crucifix for 2 and a waitlock suplex for 2, then an elbow drop off the top for 2. He hits the Tornado DDT and sets up for the Delfin Clutch, but Gedo takes him over with an inside cradle for 3. Actually got good near the end. **3/4

Chris Benoit vs. Black Tiger

Benoit grabs a waistlock, but Tiger puts him in a wristlock and legbar. He hits the slingshot hilo and a side suplex for 2. Benoit slips out of a brainbuster and hits an inverted suplex, then a german suplex for 2 and the KILL DIE powerbomb for 2. Tiger gets a rollup for 2, a rana and german suplex of his own for 2. He slaps on a camel clutch and gets a blockbuster slam, but misses a missile dropkick. Benoit gets a back suplex for 2. Tiger hits the springboard rana for 2 and a top rope rana for 2. He fires off a brainbuster for 2. Benoit catches him coming off the top with an armdrag for 3. Not their best outing, but good. ***1/2

Great Saskue vs. El Samurai

Saskue takes Samurai down and tries a half boston crab, but Samurai gets to the ropes. Saskue counters a hammerlock with a headlock takedown. Samurai works over Sasuke’s leg for a while and gets a backdrop suplex for 2. He takes Sasuke down with a russian legsweep and goes to a Ziplock. Saskue sends Samurai to the floor with a handspring elbow and follows with the Space Flying Tiger Drop. In the ring, he hits a leg lariat for 1. Samurai delivers a lariat and dropkicks Saskue back outside. He follows with a sumersault planca. Back in, Samurai gets a german suplex for 2 and a flying headbutt off the top for 2. Sasuke snaps off a rana for 2 and takes Samurai off the top with a powerbomb for 2. He misses a leg lariat, however, and Samurai hits the Thunderfire Bomb for a CLOSE 2. Samurai hits a rana, but Sasuke rolls through it for 3. Awesome match. ****1/2

Jushin Lyger vs. Ricky Fuji

No play by play needed for this. Lyger takes it with a flying rana off the top. *3/4

Semi Finals

Chris Benoit vs. Gedo

Gedo grabs a headlock and gets a shoulderblock. They slap each other around and Benoit hits a HUGE lariat for 2, then a leg drop off the second rope for 2. Gedo slaps on an inverted full nelson and gets a piledriver for 2. They chop each other around and Gedo sends Benoit to the floor with a dropkick. He follows with a moonsault off the top. Back in, he snaps off a powerslam for 2 and a northern lights suplex for 2. He counters a back suplex with a crossbody for 2. Benoit hits a KILL DIE powerbomb for 2. Another powerbomb sets up the flying headbutt off the top, which gives Benoit 3. Okay match. **1/2

Jushin Lyger vs. Great Sasuke

They trade holds on the mat for a bit and Lyger takes Sasuke down with a knucklelock for 2. Lyger puts Sasuke in an inverse mexican surfboard, wich looks REALLY painful. Sasuke escapes the hold and tries a cross armbreaker, but Lyger clinches his hands together and slaps on the table top submission, which he turns into an inverted surfboard. Lyger gets a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker for 2 and applies a camel clutch. He hits the capo kick and locks in a crossface chickenwing, followed by a keylock and a cross armbreaker. Lyger gets a backdrop suplex and heads up top for a missile dropkick, but Sasuke cuts him off with a dropkick of his own. Lyger rolls outside and Sasuke hits him with an AWESOME quebrada, then with a sumersault planca off the top. That move, incidently, would cause Sasuke a cracked skull two years later in the finals of the J-Crown tournament. Back in, Sasuke gets a spinning heel kick for 2, a piledriver for 2 and a BRUTAL thunderfire powerbomb for 2. He misses a swanton bomb and Lyger fires off a palm strike for 2. The Lygerbomb gets 2. Lyger delivers a top rope rana for 2 as well. Sasuke rolls through that for 2. Lyger KILLS Sasuke with a release german for 2 and a fisherman’s buster for 2. He suplexes Sasuke outside and shows everyone he can fly too, with a planca off the top. Back in the ring, Lyger hits Sasuke with another capo kick on the apron. Sasuke botches a springboard move, but is able to snap off a rana for the pin. YES!!!! Awesome match that would be ***** if Sasuke hadn’t screwed up the finish. ****3/4

Final

Chris Benoit vs. Great Sasuke

Benoit puts Sasuke in a hammerlock and headlock. They trade wristlocks and Benoit tries a snapmare, but Sasuke lands on his feet. More flipping from Sasuke, and a takedown. Benoit grounds Sasuke with an armbar and hits him with a chops in the corner. Sasuke delivers a tiger wall flip and flips his way out of a boston crab. The man likes to flip, no doubt about that. Benoit ends up outside the ring. Back in, Benoit slaps on a headscissors. Sasuke counters with a bow and arrow and a surfboard. They run some near misses and Benoit hits a MONSTER lariat, followed by a german suplex for 2. Sasuke responds with a spinning heel kick and a leg drop for 2. He goes to a cross ambreaker and counters a powerbomb with an armdrag. Benoit drops him with another lariat and dumps him on the apron. Benoit knocks Sasuke to the floor with a springboard clothesline. In the ring, Benoit connects with a dragon suplex for 2, the swandive headbutt for 2 and the KILL DIE powerbomb for 2. Benoit slaps on the sharpshooter and gets a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker for 2, but misses a dropkick. Sasuke hits his own lariat, but runs into another german suplex, which gives Benoit a 2 count. Sasuke tries a rollup, but Benoit stays on top of him for 2. Sasuke hits a crossbody off the second rope, sends Benoit outside with a back kick and follows with the Space Flying Tiger Drop. Back in, Sasuke gets a german suplex for 2 and a perfectplex for 2. Benoit swats away a missile dropkick and both guys go crashing back to the floor off of a BIG suplex from Sasuke, who hits Benoit with a missile dropkick!!! Inside, Sasuke gets a corkscrew moonsault off the top for 2 and Benoit hits a gutwretch superplex for 3. They don’t get much better then this. See it NOW. *****

The 411: One of the best wrestling shows ever done. Benoit/Sasuke is one of the top 10 matches of the 90s. If you haven't seen this show already, do so NOW. You won't be disappointed, i guarantee it.
Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]