NJPW Super J Cup 1994
Introductory thoughts - It's 2019 and tournaments are in fashion again. The past three years it seems like there's a tournament everywhere you look. So, I thought it would be fun to look back at a similarly revolutionary tournament for Junior Heavyweight wrestlers, Super J Cup 1994. This has been heavily touted as what kicked off the high flying boom we would see in the US for the rest of the 90s and beyond, but does it hold up under the 2019 microscope?
Intro - Black and white snippets of post match interviews from various wrestlers. All of them sound like they're hurting, selling the grueling tournament. I liked this, very "MTV's Behind the Music"
Opening tournament ballyhoo - The ring announcer is inexplicably dressed like an American soldier from the Revolutionary War. Each guy gets a graphic showing their home promotion, height and weight as they jog out to the ring. . No one is in their gear yet, and all the masked guys are wearing their masks along with their finest Zubaz or sweat pants. Some guys are in their "public appearance" masks which hide less of their faces than their ring gear Really jarring to see guys like Hayabusa in a mask that looks more like El Samurai's mask, and Jushin Liger in a mask that doesn't hide his eyes. We get opening speeches from dignitaries, and we learn that the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship will be awarded to the winner (even though the plates clearly read 'WWWF'). We also learn that Wild Pegasus and Great Sasuke have byes. This is fun if you like stats and masked men in sweatpants, but entirely skippable otherwise.
First Round match
The story as the match progresses is that Dean is speedier, and a more competent grappler, but Gedo is a heavier brawler. Gedo is also working heel, jumping Dean from the bell and using eye gouges and hair pulls when the two are in submissions. That's what the majority of this match is, slow submission exchanges. However, unlike in today's age where "slow" is a derogatory remark, this is simple mesmerizing, watching someone get put into a submission and watching them slowly try to pry their way out. One of the first big suplexes we see after this is Dean literally hitting a Jackhammer for a two count. This is also one of the only times I've ever seen a body scissors counter into an STF. It goes to show how believable this all is when a missed diving headbutt from Gedo followed by a Malenko lariat is a believable finish, but it only warrants a two count. The finish we get is rather flat however, as Gedo hits a simple powerslam for the three. This match was defined by beautiful submission work, but once that ended the match becomes just moves.
First Round match
Otani looks bemused at Super Delfin as they go to start out, and immediately dropkicks Delfin in the knee and starts stomping the leg, immediate perfection. This starts out much the same way as Gedo vs Malenko, except Otani looks like the scariest man on Earth and Delfin is completely unprepared to have his leg pounded into ground beef so he's actually going for eye gouges and stuff because submission wrestling isn't his thing. After various offensive moves to the leg, Delfin finally crawls his way to the ropes to break it, but Otani simply drags him back to the middle of the ring and resumes his offense, fucking brilliant. Otani gets a little cocky and, after a single leg crab gets a rope break, Otani locks in a headlock, which Delfin manages to turn into an Irish whip, and now we're getting leapfrogs and a beautiful dropkick. I would bitch about the lack of selling, but I think that plays into the story of Delfin being a babyface, and makes the dropkick his does all the more impressive. Delfin hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but when he goes for a second Otani hits a spin kick and then a stiff sounding, running spinning wheel kick, to which Delfin bails out of the ring. Otani invites him back in the ring, holding the ropes open. Delfin pantomimes "Oh no no I'm not falling for that shit" and when he gets into the ring on his own, Otani starts working the leg again! Delfin eventually breaks out of it and hits a huge backdrop for a two. The crowd is definitely anticipating something big from Delfin now. Huge brainbuster for a two! Otani looks like he's knocked out, but when Delfin is pulling him up you can see him sneer which is brilliant in my opinion. Otani counters a suplex and dropkicks Delfin out of the ring. The crowd anticipates a suicide dive, as they rev up, as do the photographers who all flock into position. Otani hits the most air on a plancha I've ever seen. Springboard dropkick nets a two count. Otani starts working the leg again, which gets a "Delfin" chant going. Delfin blocks a running move to the turnbuckle by Otani, goes to the top rope, and after a brief exchange of strikes, hits a Tornado DDT, does the Bow and Arrow Pin from No Mercy 64, and gets the three. I would say the wrong man won, but Otani got Delfin over by being an awesome, ruthless heel, so mission accomplished
First Round match
Taka comes out wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a sword. Why he doesn't do that now is beyond me. Some chain wrestling to start, but BT gets the upperhand, BT is clearly Eddie Guerrero as the scrape your boot onto a downed opponent's face" spot was in his repertoire even then. BT hits Taka with a Powerbomb, and the crowd believes this to be a believable finish, as a kick out warrants a gasp from the crowd. At one point BT hits a Cesaro-style running uppercut to which Taka collapses. Now for some reason we're getting a double down spot where Taka is the first one up. More shoulder blocks. Lots of repeated spots. Lots of, landing on your feet from teased springboard moonsaults from Taka. This match is all over the place, I've lost interest. BT takes control, presumably to slow Taka the fuck down, allowing Taka to counter out and hit a big dive. More stuff, but less sloppy now. BT hits a freakin' Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. More stuff. BT hits a Tornado DDT for the win. The storytelling of the match was, if you'll forgive my terse language, schizophrenic. The first few minutes seemed to be "Get Black Tiger over" then Taka started to get in more and more (sloppy) offense in, and even when it settled down, it still seemed pointless. Also the fact that they recycled the finishing move from the last match irritated me enough to dock this a point.
First Round Match
Motegi jumps Samurai at the bell, but the thing that differentiates this from Otani vs Delfin is that the camera is close and focused on Samurai, so Motegi comes flying in from out of nowhere, and you can really see the impact. Samurai's immediately outside, and Motegi hits a dive. He goes for a springboard triangle jump but falls on his ass. Samurai just gets back in the ring and the two do a standoff because they are professionals. Submission exchange in which Samurai gets the upper hand and stomps on Motegi in a camel clutch. Motegi gets right up and the two start a strike exchange. Samurai hits a loud elbow to knock Motegi down. Samurai hits a Piledriver and a Powerbomb for two counts, and goes right back to submissions. Motegi reverses a Boston Crab into a rollup, and Samurai counters with a rollup of his own causing a rope break. Reset, and more submissons. Now Samurai hits a tombstone for some reason, and we get a two count. Strong style strike exchange, and then we get a lariat countered into a half nelson suplex for a near fall. It looks like Motegi was supposed to not bounce off the ropes to counter a dropkick because Samurai dropkicks him and he just no sells it. They then repeat the spot. It's Motegi's turn to get a dropkick now and now Samurai gets the big dive out to the ring after a counter. More big move exchanges. Motegi does a rolling Mexican Surfboard which I've never seen. Motegi follows that up by hitting what appears to be an attempted headscissors, but what ends up happening is Motegi somehow hits a crossbody in which he knees Samurai in the face with both knees. They fuck up a drop down and Samurai ends this mercifully with a Razor's Edge off the shoulder. While this had a lot of the same problems as Black Tiger/Taka, at least in that match I understood the story they were going for. Here, there was no story and Motegi actually looked dangerous to work with
First Round Match
Ricky Fuji is the most absurdly dressed man I've seen in a while. He's wearing a Canada leather jacket, with black Bret Hart shades, and tiger print tights Fuji gets a heartthrob reaction for his sexy bad boy jacket, while Casas gets the more genuine applause. Casas starts out with a simple dropkick, which elicits an "ohhhh" from the crowd and actually looks like it stuns Fuji. We go through several submission sequences which I can't do justice to describing. All I can say is that the story of the match is Casas is the experienced technical wrestler where Casas is the flashy, bigger young guy, who's early successes in this match comes when he hoofs his body out of submissions or onto Casas. and even then, Casas slips out like it's nothing. He's also a proficient striker, as he takes control when Fuji gets out of the hold. Fuji finds his opening and starts working the leg. Fuji gets his heelery over when he smugly asks the ref to "Ask him" during a leg lock. Casas tries to lock in a dragon sleeper, but Fuji wrenches the leg, Casas takes control again. Fuj rolls out, and Casas hits a wonky springboard clothesline. Finally Fuji gets the opening when he hits a sidewalk slam. This is exactly the story they should be telling. Casas stands up to avoid a diving move but Fuji just hits a diving clothesline. I wish we saw more of this. Casas goes for two diving sentons but only hits the first one. I'm glad we're getting to see Fuji power through stuff and look good. Fuji hits a gorgeous Tiger Driver to win. I loved this match. It was competently wrestled, and the young, cocky guy beat an established veteran clean. Go and find this match immediately.
First Round Match
Fun fact, Hayabusa had been portraying this character for less than a month before this tournament. Hayabusa jumps Liger before the bell, and does a suicide senton with his cape still on which is an amazing visual. Hayabusa lands a dropkick to the back of Liger's head which Liger sells like he's been shot. We then get Hayabusa slapping on submissions, which I'm not sure that I like. You've got this guy who looks like a ninja warrior straight from an anime who just beat the crap out of a guy who's basically a superhero to the crowd and you're now doing things similar to the other people in the tournament. But on the other hand I see that not every thing can be high impact like that. Liger dodges some leg stomps, hits a sweep to a running Hayabusa that looked insane, and followed that up with a Figure Four. Hayabusa rope breaks out, only to get hit with wacky rapid fire palm strikes which sends 'Busa crashing down. Powerbomb by Liger for a two. Liger slaps on the figure four again, only to be slapped by 'Busa in defiance. At this point I understand the story they're telling here, in which Busa is the defiant newcomer, while Liger is the dominant, but respectful veteran. Super strange story considering the heel/face alignments are reversed than how they normally would be , but what can you do with a guy who's been doing a character for a month? Liger seems reluctant to respond to the slaps, but one palm strike silences 'Busa. CRAZY lariat by Liger for a two count. 'Busa reverses out of a leg lock into a headlock, but is immediately backdropped out. Suplerplex by Liger for a two. Liger waits for 'Busa to stand before whipping him into the ropes, but Busa counters with a flurry of kicks to knock Liger down. Busa goes for a pin despite hitting three moves this entire match and gets a two. Spinning wheel kick and 450 Senton (!) by 'Busa. Top rope spinning wheel kick for a two, slam and a moonsault now for a two. Another two count, this time off a hurricanrana Busa overshoots a shooting star press (none of his torso landed on Liger. Liger immediately hits a powerbomb, but only gets a 2 and 3/4s count. Busa fights off a superplex attempt, only to get powerbombed for jumping off the top rope. Busa appears to have landed on his head, this was disgusting. Fishermen's Buster warrants a three count. Liger mimes his lasso taunt and shakes his head, as if to say that 'Busa wouldn't stay down. Liger brings a bottle of water to 'Busa, pouring some into the back of his mask and rubbing his neck. The two shake hands, and Liger raises 'Busa's hand after. This was a match that took a while to get the motor running, but when it did this was fantastic. Hayabusa also looked good in defeat.
Round 2 Match
For some reason, Delfin is working heel, jaw jacking with Gedo during his entrance and low blowing him at one point. Delfin does some lucha but Gedo slows down the pace, and starts with a series of snapmares and strikes to the back. Delfin fights out of a chin lock by running into the corner and slamming Gedo's face into it. A strong style strike exchange in which Delfin gets some comedy in by overseling chops to the chest. This match confuses me so much. What is Delfin supposed to be? More stuff happens and then Gedo hits a powerslam which nets a two. This is the only semblence of coherent storytelling I've seen so far. Gedo barely hits a moonsault for a two. Delfin hits a crucifix that was so believably synched in I thought it was the finish. Delfin hits a backdrop pin but barely bridges for a two. Delfin hits a Macho Man level elbow for a two. Delfin hits a Tornado DDT, and calls for the Delfin pin, which Gedo reverses into a rollup for a win. This is like Black Tiger vs Taka, except it's more of a sin because Otani was able to make Delfin look like a million dollars. I reverse my point from earlier, the wrong man did win Otani vs Delfin.
Round 2 Match
Oh shit, here we go. BT and Pegasus start out exchanging very rudimentary holds like waist locks and wrist locks, but except it looks like a fight, both to squirm out of, or lock in, the submission. Black Tiger takes control with a slam, Tope Atomico, and a backdrop. Tiger works the neck with a headscissors, but Pegasus fights out. Irish whip and a drop down which Pegasus trips and crashes over. Pegasus sells like falling has hurt his neck, brilliant. Tiger goes for a suplex, but Pegasus counters that into a reverse suplex. Pegasus runs off the rope, gets tilt a whirled. Tiger runs the ropes and gets clotheslined. We get some counter chains and Pegasus hits Tiger with a stiff looking clothesline. Tiger looks genuinely knocked loopy. Several suplexes prove everything Pegasus does looks powerful. Powerbomb gets a two. Now Pegasus works Tiger's neck with a headcissor hold, Tiger rolls through but maintains the hold, and Tiger has to get a rope break to get out. Tiger gets a schoolboy followed by a huricanrana, followed by a German suplex for a two. Camel clutch by Tiger, which he breaks to set up a Snap Fallaway Slam. Roman knuckle lock is rolled through, reversed, and transitioned into a springboard arm drag for a two. Frankensteiner gets kicked out of at two by Pegasus. Pegasus counters a Tornado DDT by throwing Tiger to nearly the opposite corner. Tiger blocks a Super Powerbomb, but his own top rope dive gets countered into an arm drag for the three. For 1994, I imagine this was the equivalent of watching a Tiger Mask/Dynamite Kid match in 1987, two expert workers going hold for hold and bringing new inversions of several styles into the craft. Unfortunately, this had longer periods of "just doing moves" than say Otani/Delphin or Fuji/Casas
Round 2 Match
Dueling chants for both guys. Sasuke picks the leg early and goes to set up for a single leg crab but Samurai gets the rope break. Sasuke tries to counter a Samurai wrist lock with a headlock, but eventually settles on one of those big lucha snapmares where you do a headstand. We get submission exchanges similar to Dean/Gedo, where you can see guys trying to paw their way into submissions to counter other submissions. until Samurai sneaks a dropkick to the knee out of a test of strength, and starts working the leg Samurai is crazy good at submissions, transitioning from leg submission to leg submission without giving Sasuke any room to breath. Sasuke's only relief seems to be when he can get out of the ring and shake some feeling back into his leg, at which point Samurai will jump back on him when he re-enters. Samurai hits a backdrop for a two, and then does a legsweep into some sort of arm submission the really gets the crowd behind Sasuke. I like how Samurai is such a killer that after two power moves and one submission on a bodypart he's barely worked over, Sasuke looks spent. Strike exchange, followed by a CRAZY handspring elbow. to a running Samurai. Handspring moonsault to the outside! Now Samurai takes control with some huge strikes and a suicide tope that was flawless. Samurai gets a german suplex but it only nets him a two. Diving headbutt by Samurai for a two. Sasuke reverses a top rope move into a powerbomb and that isn't enough1 Sasuke whiffs a Spinning Wheel Kick and gets powerbombed for quite possible the narrowest 2 1/2 count I've ever seen! Sasuke hulks up, and Samurai goes for a huricanrana, only for it to be countered mid pin for the three. Samurai's technical bit was perfect, and once Sasuke started moving, and both guys started bringing out the big guns, this became one of the best matches I've ever seen AND WE'RE ONLY IN ROUND (censored) TWO.
Round 2 Match
Some technical exchanges to start, but when Liger rolls outside to sell a dropkick, Fuji follows with a crossbody to the outside and powerbombs him outside the ring! The thuggery on display! Fuji gets some more power moves in, but when he goes up top he gets hit with a lariat on the way down. Now it's Liger's turn to slam Fuji on the outside, as well as hit a diving foot stomp, and the super unsafe heavy one. Big power moves from Liger fail to put away Fuji. Fuji does the Bret Hart Superplex reversal where it's basically a crossbody and gets a two. Fuji does a dropkick on the top rope to Liger who's also on a the top rope, and follows that up with a baseball slide. Backdrop for a two. Liger interrupts a top rope move with a palm strike and a Super Huricanrana for the three. This was a match where every move had some sort of purpose that fit in with the story, and Fuji was made to look like a big obstacle for Liger to overcome
Semi Final Match
An amazing exchange happens right at the beginning where Gedo stops running the ropes to avoid a monkey flip, Pegasus kips up and slaps him. Gedo takes control but gets lariat'd We get a slam and one of the most fluid jumps to the top rope followed by a top rope legdrop that I've ever seen. This gets 2 and 7/8s. Pegasus whiffs a standing dropkick and Gedo immediately goes for a submission When a rope break happens, a Gedo Piledriver gets a two. More submissions by Gedo. Throat chops to a downed Pegasus. Gedo chokes Pegasus A chop exchange which Gedo wins, followed by a horrific moonsault to the outside where Gedo basically knees Pegasus in the head. Powerslam for a two, Fisherman's suplex for a two. Gedo is supposed to do a spot where Pegasus moves out of the way of a diving headbutt, but Gedo isn't anywhere close. Gedo counters a backdrop for a 2 Some waist lock exchanges that end in a powerbomb for Pegasus for a two. a diving headbutt gets a three. Gedo messed up bad very noticeably in this match, but Pegasus' stuff in the end really picked it back up.
Semi Final Match
We smash cut to the intros for this one. Liger is super good at getting across facial expressions somehow despite having none. We get some amazing storytellng right off the bat, as Sasuke tries to intimidate Liger with some fancy martial arts footwork, which Liger has none of it, and we see a nervous looking Sasuke steel himself for what's ahead. The guys trade holds and do the standoff a-la all lucha in the 90s and get a pop. We get goofy spot in which it looks like instead of going for a Monkey Flip, Liger is on the ground and holding Sasuke's arms aloft, Sasuke gets out of it and the two trade submissions, which ends in Liger fighting for a Mexican Surfboard Stretch. Sasuke ties to squirm out, so Liger gets a crazy upside down Dragon Sleeper in response. Liger eventually breaks the hold because how could you hold something like that for any length of time? Liger whips him off for a BRUTAL looking Tilt-a-Whirl backbreaker for a two. Liger is working the back and screaming as he torques holds. After an elbow drop to the back, Sasuke defiantly stands up only to get hit with the rolling kick. Sasuke is knocked out, and the ref is checking on him. The ref deems him okay to continue, to which Liger punches him hard in the face. Again, the ref checks on a knocked out Sasuke. This is a good way to work around a gassed Sasuke, and while Liger isn't overtly working heel, he's definitely pissed, and I can see why in kayfabe. This is a NJPW hosted tournament, and Liger has to contend with some weird guy from the indies who looks like he's in sleepwear and a mask. Liger hits a tombstone and locks on a Chickenwing Body Scissors that looks as intense as a Coquina Clutch. Jesus, Liger is so good when he gets to be aggressive and scary. Sasuke is howling in pain now. Liger works the arm because of the chicken wing. Sasuke briefly gets a headlock, but Liger gets a backdrop. Liger slaps Sasuke awake, not wanting to deal with the KO dramatics from earlier I guess. Sasuke counters a Missle dropkick with a dropkick of his own, and unlike most spots like this where you can clearly see one guy going for a "flying nothing" to minimize his bump, both guys here connect with a dropkick. Sasuke leaps to the apron as Liger rolls out, kicks Liger away, and Sasuke hits a springboard moonsault which, judging by the reaction I don't think this crowd had ever seen before. There's an apron skirmish in which Sasuke slams Liger's head into the post. Sasuke hits a top rope senton to the outside, which, again I don't think the crowd has ever seen before, and Liger did not catch Sasuke at all, that looked gnarly. Knee drops to Liger as he crawls in. Sasuke apparently hulked up. Spinning Wheel Kick for a 2. Piledriver for a 2. Gnarly Razors Edge for a 2. Tombstone Piledriver by Sasuke. Sasuke misses a senton but no-sells it which shocks the crowd. Liger retaliates with a huge lariat and scrambling for a 2. Sasuke kicks out of a Liger Bomb. Frakensteiner for a 2, sunset flip reversal tease for a 2. Release German suplex by Liger for a 2. Fishermen's Buster by Liger for a 2. Liger suplexes Sasuke to the outside and follows up with a crossbody to the outside. Liger gets a rolling capo kick to Sasuke on the outside. Sasuke does a big dramatic hulk up, jumps to the ropes and collapses, to which Liger sarcastically claps. Sasuke hits a huricanrana out of nowhere for the three getting (judging by how the crowd reacted) the upset victory of Liger. Post match, Liger eagerly shakes Sasuke's hand, the young indy guy having gotten the surly veteran's respect
This match's drama was turned up to 11, and stayed that way until the end. Even after we strayed away from Liger having his way with Sasuke, Sasuke got over as a defiant babyface who was on another level, kicking out of the top guy's super moves, and even the botch at the end got over Sasuke's innate ability to rise up from adversity and be defiant in its face.
Super J Cup Finals
We get the overhead lights turned off along with colorful spotlights for the entrances. The other participants are around ringside. Sasuke starts things immediately by flipping and landing on his feet out of a snapmare Will Ospreay level (censored) here in 1994. Another flip to avoid Pegasus grabbing his foot, Sweep, kip up, standoff. Armlock by Pegasus leads to a break in the turnbuckle. Pegasus gets his chop on. Tiger Feint flip by Sasuke in the turnbuckle followed by a kick which sends Pegasus out. Sasuke teases a dive but Pegasus bails. Pegasus works him off his feet and into a head-scissors. Sasuke tries to go hold for hold but Pegasus out-wrestles him. Surfboard stretch by Sasuke. I like how Sasuke keeps his foot on his back even while Pegasus is to his feet coming fighting out. Arm drag to another standoff. Sasuke takes a crazy flip bump for an arm drag, and practically does a senton to avoid a monkey flip. Pegasus levels Sasuke with a lariat,
This is where it hit me that this exact match is a commentary on where the Junior Heavyweight style was at the time. On one hand, you had Pegasus, who was like Dynamite Kid in that his move set wasn't all that different from a heavyweight contemporary but he still hit like one. And then you have guys like Sasuke who was more like Tiger Mask, more overtly Lucha inspired, and taking the Tiger Mask style to the next level of crazy.
Pegasus hits a German Suplex for a two count. Sasuke ducks a clothesline and hits a running Spin Wheel Kick. Another spin kick by Sasuke, and in that moment you get a real sense of desperation that Sasuke was willing to repeat moves to beat his opponent. Sasuke is working the arm, because why wouldn't you try to take away technical grappler Pegasus' arms? Pegasus fights his way out and, while strikes are clearly happening, the camera crew has decided to cut to random people watching by the apron. Pegasus goes for a powerbomb, likely because someone trying to work his arm warrants trying to wrap this up as quickly as possible, but Sasuke counters out into an arm drag Another lariat knockdown by Pegasus. Suplex onto the ropes by Pegasus. Sasuke ends up on the apron, where he is hit by a triangle jump cross-body which looked like a terrible bump to take. Sasuke climbs back in and tries to fight off a full nelson suplex to no avail. Luckily Sasuke kicks out at two. Pegasus slams Sasuke to set up a flying headbutt, which only gets a two. Sasuke is spent. Powerbomb by Pegasus gets a two. Slam to set up a sharpshooter which Pegasus breaks. Crazy looking Tilt a Whirl Backbreaker by Pegasus for a two. Sasuke stays in the ropes to avoid a dropkick. An exchange of jumps and whirls which ends in Sasuke getting his own lariat. Surprise German Suplex by Pegasus. gets a two. Great roll-up counter false finish for a two. A spin kick sends Pegasus outside Handspring twisting quebrada to the outside. Now Sasuke is getting two counts off of German Suplexes. Fisherman Suplex by Sasuke for a two. Sasuke takes a horrific (planned) bump missing a missile dropkick .Crazy suplex off the apron sends both guys outside. Sasuke does a missile dropkick to the outside at one point. Sasuke hits a gorgeous moonsault for a two. Pegasus hits a superplex and wins! I He is awarded the belt and everyone poses for a picture. As much as you can say the "wrong man won" I'd disagree. Sasuke went hell for leather with Liger whereas Pegasus had much less of a struggle to the finals.
With that out of the way, let's not mince words. This was the same story as Liger vs Sasuke (the harder hitting wrestler against the high flyer), but it was told even better than that match. There were no pauses, and when there were, it was because they were reeling from thing's they'd done to each other. Both styles of this story have their merrits, and even though he didn't go nearly as hard as he did against Liger, he still saved his best for last
Conclusion
I shouldn't even have to tell you to go look up this show, but I'm gonna anyway. If you want to see where the style we enjoy today began abroad, if you want to watch an unprecedented three perfect matches Watch this show., Even with the bad matches, this is my favorite all time show. Even the bad matches deserve study as they hold nuggets of wisdom for people who want to study the art form of pro wrestling. Just in case I wasn't clear enough WATCH. THIS. SHOW.
Intro - Black and white snippets of post match interviews from various wrestlers. All of them sound like they're hurting, selling the grueling tournament. I liked this, very "MTV's Behind the Music"
Opening tournament ballyhoo - The ring announcer is inexplicably dressed like an American soldier from the Revolutionary War. Each guy gets a graphic showing their home promotion, height and weight as they jog out to the ring. . No one is in their gear yet, and all the masked guys are wearing their masks along with their finest Zubaz or sweat pants. Some guys are in their "public appearance" masks which hide less of their faces than their ring gear Really jarring to see guys like Hayabusa in a mask that looks more like El Samurai's mask, and Jushin Liger in a mask that doesn't hide his eyes. We get opening speeches from dignitaries, and we learn that the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship will be awarded to the winner (even though the plates clearly read 'WWWF'). We also learn that Wild Pegasus and Great Sasuke have byes. This is fun if you like stats and masked men in sweatpants, but entirely skippable otherwise.
First Round match
Gedo vs Dean Malenko - 6.5/10
The story as the match progresses is that Dean is speedier, and a more competent grappler, but Gedo is a heavier brawler. Gedo is also working heel, jumping Dean from the bell and using eye gouges and hair pulls when the two are in submissions. That's what the majority of this match is, slow submission exchanges. However, unlike in today's age where "slow" is a derogatory remark, this is simple mesmerizing, watching someone get put into a submission and watching them slowly try to pry their way out. One of the first big suplexes we see after this is Dean literally hitting a Jackhammer for a two count. This is also one of the only times I've ever seen a body scissors counter into an STF. It goes to show how believable this all is when a missed diving headbutt from Gedo followed by a Malenko lariat is a believable finish, but it only warrants a two count. The finish we get is rather flat however, as Gedo hits a simple powerslam for the three. This match was defined by beautiful submission work, but once that ended the match becomes just moves.
First Round match
Shinjiro Otani vs Super Delfin - 8.5/10
Otani looks bemused at Super Delfin as they go to start out, and immediately dropkicks Delfin in the knee and starts stomping the leg, immediate perfection. This starts out much the same way as Gedo vs Malenko, except Otani looks like the scariest man on Earth and Delfin is completely unprepared to have his leg pounded into ground beef so he's actually going for eye gouges and stuff because submission wrestling isn't his thing. After various offensive moves to the leg, Delfin finally crawls his way to the ropes to break it, but Otani simply drags him back to the middle of the ring and resumes his offense, fucking brilliant. Otani gets a little cocky and, after a single leg crab gets a rope break, Otani locks in a headlock, which Delfin manages to turn into an Irish whip, and now we're getting leapfrogs and a beautiful dropkick. I would bitch about the lack of selling, but I think that plays into the story of Delfin being a babyface, and makes the dropkick his does all the more impressive. Delfin hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but when he goes for a second Otani hits a spin kick and then a stiff sounding, running spinning wheel kick, to which Delfin bails out of the ring. Otani invites him back in the ring, holding the ropes open. Delfin pantomimes "Oh no no I'm not falling for that shit" and when he gets into the ring on his own, Otani starts working the leg again! Delfin eventually breaks out of it and hits a huge backdrop for a two. The crowd is definitely anticipating something big from Delfin now. Huge brainbuster for a two! Otani looks like he's knocked out, but when Delfin is pulling him up you can see him sneer which is brilliant in my opinion. Otani counters a suplex and dropkicks Delfin out of the ring. The crowd anticipates a suicide dive, as they rev up, as do the photographers who all flock into position. Otani hits the most air on a plancha I've ever seen. Springboard dropkick nets a two count. Otani starts working the leg again, which gets a "Delfin" chant going. Delfin blocks a running move to the turnbuckle by Otani, goes to the top rope, and after a brief exchange of strikes, hits a Tornado DDT, does the Bow and Arrow Pin from No Mercy 64, and gets the three. I would say the wrong man won, but Otani got Delfin over by being an awesome, ruthless heel, so mission accomplished
First Round match
Black Tiger vs Taka Michinoku - 3/10
Taka comes out wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a sword. Why he doesn't do that now is beyond me. Some chain wrestling to start, but BT gets the upperhand, BT is clearly Eddie Guerrero as the scrape your boot onto a downed opponent's face" spot was in his repertoire even then. BT hits Taka with a Powerbomb, and the crowd believes this to be a believable finish, as a kick out warrants a gasp from the crowd. At one point BT hits a Cesaro-style running uppercut to which Taka collapses. Now for some reason we're getting a double down spot where Taka is the first one up. More shoulder blocks. Lots of repeated spots. Lots of, landing on your feet from teased springboard moonsaults from Taka. This match is all over the place, I've lost interest. BT takes control, presumably to slow Taka the fuck down, allowing Taka to counter out and hit a big dive. More stuff, but less sloppy now. BT hits a freakin' Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. More stuff. BT hits a Tornado DDT for the win. The storytelling of the match was, if you'll forgive my terse language, schizophrenic. The first few minutes seemed to be "Get Black Tiger over" then Taka started to get in more and more (sloppy) offense in, and even when it settled down, it still seemed pointless. Also the fact that they recycled the finishing move from the last match irritated me enough to dock this a point.
First Round Match
Masayoshi Motegi vs El Samurai - 2/10
Motegi jumps Samurai at the bell, but the thing that differentiates this from Otani vs Delfin is that the camera is close and focused on Samurai, so Motegi comes flying in from out of nowhere, and you can really see the impact. Samurai's immediately outside, and Motegi hits a dive. He goes for a springboard triangle jump but falls on his ass. Samurai just gets back in the ring and the two do a standoff because they are professionals. Submission exchange in which Samurai gets the upper hand and stomps on Motegi in a camel clutch. Motegi gets right up and the two start a strike exchange. Samurai hits a loud elbow to knock Motegi down. Samurai hits a Piledriver and a Powerbomb for two counts, and goes right back to submissions. Motegi reverses a Boston Crab into a rollup, and Samurai counters with a rollup of his own causing a rope break. Reset, and more submissons. Now Samurai hits a tombstone for some reason, and we get a two count. Strong style strike exchange, and then we get a lariat countered into a half nelson suplex for a near fall. It looks like Motegi was supposed to not bounce off the ropes to counter a dropkick because Samurai dropkicks him and he just no sells it. They then repeat the spot. It's Motegi's turn to get a dropkick now and now Samurai gets the big dive out to the ring after a counter. More big move exchanges. Motegi does a rolling Mexican Surfboard which I've never seen. Motegi follows that up by hitting what appears to be an attempted headscissors, but what ends up happening is Motegi somehow hits a crossbody in which he knees Samurai in the face with both knees. They fuck up a drop down and Samurai ends this mercifully with a Razor's Edge off the shoulder. While this had a lot of the same problems as Black Tiger/Taka, at least in that match I understood the story they were going for. Here, there was no story and Motegi actually looked dangerous to work with
First Round Match
Negro Casas vs Ricky Fuji - 9/10
Ricky Fuji is the most absurdly dressed man I've seen in a while. He's wearing a Canada leather jacket, with black Bret Hart shades, and tiger print tights Fuji gets a heartthrob reaction for his sexy bad boy jacket, while Casas gets the more genuine applause. Casas starts out with a simple dropkick, which elicits an "ohhhh" from the crowd and actually looks like it stuns Fuji. We go through several submission sequences which I can't do justice to describing. All I can say is that the story of the match is Casas is the experienced technical wrestler where Casas is the flashy, bigger young guy, who's early successes in this match comes when he hoofs his body out of submissions or onto Casas. and even then, Casas slips out like it's nothing. He's also a proficient striker, as he takes control when Fuji gets out of the hold. Fuji finds his opening and starts working the leg. Fuji gets his heelery over when he smugly asks the ref to "Ask him" during a leg lock. Casas tries to lock in a dragon sleeper, but Fuji wrenches the leg, Casas takes control again. Fuj rolls out, and Casas hits a wonky springboard clothesline. Finally Fuji gets the opening when he hits a sidewalk slam. This is exactly the story they should be telling. Casas stands up to avoid a diving move but Fuji just hits a diving clothesline. I wish we saw more of this. Casas goes for two diving sentons but only hits the first one. I'm glad we're getting to see Fuji power through stuff and look good. Fuji hits a gorgeous Tiger Driver to win. I loved this match. It was competently wrestled, and the young, cocky guy beat an established veteran clean. Go and find this match immediately.
First Round Match
Hayabusa vs Jushin Thunder Liger - 7/10
Fun fact, Hayabusa had been portraying this character for less than a month before this tournament. Hayabusa jumps Liger before the bell, and does a suicide senton with his cape still on which is an amazing visual. Hayabusa lands a dropkick to the back of Liger's head which Liger sells like he's been shot. We then get Hayabusa slapping on submissions, which I'm not sure that I like. You've got this guy who looks like a ninja warrior straight from an anime who just beat the crap out of a guy who's basically a superhero to the crowd and you're now doing things similar to the other people in the tournament. But on the other hand I see that not every thing can be high impact like that. Liger dodges some leg stomps, hits a sweep to a running Hayabusa that looked insane, and followed that up with a Figure Four. Hayabusa rope breaks out, only to get hit with wacky rapid fire palm strikes which sends 'Busa crashing down. Powerbomb by Liger for a two. Liger slaps on the figure four again, only to be slapped by 'Busa in defiance. At this point I understand the story they're telling here, in which Busa is the defiant newcomer, while Liger is the dominant, but respectful veteran. Super strange story considering the heel/face alignments are reversed than how they normally would be , but what can you do with a guy who's been doing a character for a month? Liger seems reluctant to respond to the slaps, but one palm strike silences 'Busa. CRAZY lariat by Liger for a two count. 'Busa reverses out of a leg lock into a headlock, but is immediately backdropped out. Suplerplex by Liger for a two. Liger waits for 'Busa to stand before whipping him into the ropes, but Busa counters with a flurry of kicks to knock Liger down. Busa goes for a pin despite hitting three moves this entire match and gets a two. Spinning wheel kick and 450 Senton (!) by 'Busa. Top rope spinning wheel kick for a two, slam and a moonsault now for a two. Another two count, this time off a hurricanrana Busa overshoots a shooting star press (none of his torso landed on Liger. Liger immediately hits a powerbomb, but only gets a 2 and 3/4s count. Busa fights off a superplex attempt, only to get powerbombed for jumping off the top rope. Busa appears to have landed on his head, this was disgusting. Fishermen's Buster warrants a three count. Liger mimes his lasso taunt and shakes his head, as if to say that 'Busa wouldn't stay down. Liger brings a bottle of water to 'Busa, pouring some into the back of his mask and rubbing his neck. The two shake hands, and Liger raises 'Busa's hand after. This was a match that took a while to get the motor running, but when it did this was fantastic. Hayabusa also looked good in defeat.
Round 2 Match
Gedo vs Super Delfin - 2/10
For some reason, Delfin is working heel, jaw jacking with Gedo during his entrance and low blowing him at one point. Delfin does some lucha but Gedo slows down the pace, and starts with a series of snapmares and strikes to the back. Delfin fights out of a chin lock by running into the corner and slamming Gedo's face into it. A strong style strike exchange in which Delfin gets some comedy in by overseling chops to the chest. This match confuses me so much. What is Delfin supposed to be? More stuff happens and then Gedo hits a powerslam which nets a two. This is the only semblence of coherent storytelling I've seen so far. Gedo barely hits a moonsault for a two. Delfin hits a crucifix that was so believably synched in I thought it was the finish. Delfin hits a backdrop pin but barely bridges for a two. Delfin hits a Macho Man level elbow for a two. Delfin hits a Tornado DDT, and calls for the Delfin pin, which Gedo reverses into a rollup for a win. This is like Black Tiger vs Taka, except it's more of a sin because Otani was able to make Delfin look like a million dollars. I reverse my point from earlier, the wrong man did win Otani vs Delfin.
Round 2 Match
Black Tiger vs Wild Pegasus - 8.5/10
Oh shit, here we go. BT and Pegasus start out exchanging very rudimentary holds like waist locks and wrist locks, but except it looks like a fight, both to squirm out of, or lock in, the submission. Black Tiger takes control with a slam, Tope Atomico, and a backdrop. Tiger works the neck with a headscissors, but Pegasus fights out. Irish whip and a drop down which Pegasus trips and crashes over. Pegasus sells like falling has hurt his neck, brilliant. Tiger goes for a suplex, but Pegasus counters that into a reverse suplex. Pegasus runs off the rope, gets tilt a whirled. Tiger runs the ropes and gets clotheslined. We get some counter chains and Pegasus hits Tiger with a stiff looking clothesline. Tiger looks genuinely knocked loopy. Several suplexes prove everything Pegasus does looks powerful. Powerbomb gets a two. Now Pegasus works Tiger's neck with a headcissor hold, Tiger rolls through but maintains the hold, and Tiger has to get a rope break to get out. Tiger gets a schoolboy followed by a huricanrana, followed by a German suplex for a two. Camel clutch by Tiger, which he breaks to set up a Snap Fallaway Slam. Roman knuckle lock is rolled through, reversed, and transitioned into a springboard arm drag for a two. Frankensteiner gets kicked out of at two by Pegasus. Pegasus counters a Tornado DDT by throwing Tiger to nearly the opposite corner. Tiger blocks a Super Powerbomb, but his own top rope dive gets countered into an arm drag for the three. For 1994, I imagine this was the equivalent of watching a Tiger Mask/Dynamite Kid match in 1987, two expert workers going hold for hold and bringing new inversions of several styles into the craft. Unfortunately, this had longer periods of "just doing moves" than say Otani/Delphin or Fuji/Casas
Round 2 Match
Great Sasuke vs El Samurai - 10/10
Dueling chants for both guys. Sasuke picks the leg early and goes to set up for a single leg crab but Samurai gets the rope break. Sasuke tries to counter a Samurai wrist lock with a headlock, but eventually settles on one of those big lucha snapmares where you do a headstand. We get submission exchanges similar to Dean/Gedo, where you can see guys trying to paw their way into submissions to counter other submissions. until Samurai sneaks a dropkick to the knee out of a test of strength, and starts working the leg Samurai is crazy good at submissions, transitioning from leg submission to leg submission without giving Sasuke any room to breath. Sasuke's only relief seems to be when he can get out of the ring and shake some feeling back into his leg, at which point Samurai will jump back on him when he re-enters. Samurai hits a backdrop for a two, and then does a legsweep into some sort of arm submission the really gets the crowd behind Sasuke. I like how Samurai is such a killer that after two power moves and one submission on a bodypart he's barely worked over, Sasuke looks spent. Strike exchange, followed by a CRAZY handspring elbow. to a running Samurai. Handspring moonsault to the outside! Now Samurai takes control with some huge strikes and a suicide tope that was flawless. Samurai gets a german suplex but it only nets him a two. Diving headbutt by Samurai for a two. Sasuke reverses a top rope move into a powerbomb and that isn't enough1 Sasuke whiffs a Spinning Wheel Kick and gets powerbombed for quite possible the narrowest 2 1/2 count I've ever seen! Sasuke hulks up, and Samurai goes for a huricanrana, only for it to be countered mid pin for the three. Samurai's technical bit was perfect, and once Sasuke started moving, and both guys started bringing out the big guns, this became one of the best matches I've ever seen AND WE'RE ONLY IN ROUND (censored) TWO.
Round 2 Match
Ricky Fuji vs Jushin Thunder Liger - 7/10
Some technical exchanges to start, but when Liger rolls outside to sell a dropkick, Fuji follows with a crossbody to the outside and powerbombs him outside the ring! The thuggery on display! Fuji gets some more power moves in, but when he goes up top he gets hit with a lariat on the way down. Now it's Liger's turn to slam Fuji on the outside, as well as hit a diving foot stomp, and the super unsafe heavy one. Big power moves from Liger fail to put away Fuji. Fuji does the Bret Hart Superplex reversal where it's basically a crossbody and gets a two. Fuji does a dropkick on the top rope to Liger who's also on a the top rope, and follows that up with a baseball slide. Backdrop for a two. Liger interrupts a top rope move with a palm strike and a Super Huricanrana for the three. This was a match where every move had some sort of purpose that fit in with the story, and Fuji was made to look like a big obstacle for Liger to overcome
Semi Final Match
Wild Pegasus vs Gedo - 5.5/10
An amazing exchange happens right at the beginning where Gedo stops running the ropes to avoid a monkey flip, Pegasus kips up and slaps him. Gedo takes control but gets lariat'd We get a slam and one of the most fluid jumps to the top rope followed by a top rope legdrop that I've ever seen. This gets 2 and 7/8s. Pegasus whiffs a standing dropkick and Gedo immediately goes for a submission When a rope break happens, a Gedo Piledriver gets a two. More submissions by Gedo. Throat chops to a downed Pegasus. Gedo chokes Pegasus A chop exchange which Gedo wins, followed by a horrific moonsault to the outside where Gedo basically knees Pegasus in the head. Powerslam for a two, Fisherman's suplex for a two. Gedo is supposed to do a spot where Pegasus moves out of the way of a diving headbutt, but Gedo isn't anywhere close. Gedo counters a backdrop for a 2 Some waist lock exchanges that end in a powerbomb for Pegasus for a two. a diving headbutt gets a three. Gedo messed up bad very noticeably in this match, but Pegasus' stuff in the end really picked it back up.
Semi Final Match
Jushin Thunder Liger vs Great Sasuke - 10/10
We smash cut to the intros for this one. Liger is super good at getting across facial expressions somehow despite having none. We get some amazing storytellng right off the bat, as Sasuke tries to intimidate Liger with some fancy martial arts footwork, which Liger has none of it, and we see a nervous looking Sasuke steel himself for what's ahead. The guys trade holds and do the standoff a-la all lucha in the 90s and get a pop. We get goofy spot in which it looks like instead of going for a Monkey Flip, Liger is on the ground and holding Sasuke's arms aloft, Sasuke gets out of it and the two trade submissions, which ends in Liger fighting for a Mexican Surfboard Stretch. Sasuke ties to squirm out, so Liger gets a crazy upside down Dragon Sleeper in response. Liger eventually breaks the hold because how could you hold something like that for any length of time? Liger whips him off for a BRUTAL looking Tilt-a-Whirl backbreaker for a two. Liger is working the back and screaming as he torques holds. After an elbow drop to the back, Sasuke defiantly stands up only to get hit with the rolling kick. Sasuke is knocked out, and the ref is checking on him. The ref deems him okay to continue, to which Liger punches him hard in the face. Again, the ref checks on a knocked out Sasuke. This is a good way to work around a gassed Sasuke, and while Liger isn't overtly working heel, he's definitely pissed, and I can see why in kayfabe. This is a NJPW hosted tournament, and Liger has to contend with some weird guy from the indies who looks like he's in sleepwear and a mask. Liger hits a tombstone and locks on a Chickenwing Body Scissors that looks as intense as a Coquina Clutch. Jesus, Liger is so good when he gets to be aggressive and scary. Sasuke is howling in pain now. Liger works the arm because of the chicken wing. Sasuke briefly gets a headlock, but Liger gets a backdrop. Liger slaps Sasuke awake, not wanting to deal with the KO dramatics from earlier I guess. Sasuke counters a Missle dropkick with a dropkick of his own, and unlike most spots like this where you can clearly see one guy going for a "flying nothing" to minimize his bump, both guys here connect with a dropkick. Sasuke leaps to the apron as Liger rolls out, kicks Liger away, and Sasuke hits a springboard moonsault which, judging by the reaction I don't think this crowd had ever seen before. There's an apron skirmish in which Sasuke slams Liger's head into the post. Sasuke hits a top rope senton to the outside, which, again I don't think the crowd has ever seen before, and Liger did not catch Sasuke at all, that looked gnarly. Knee drops to Liger as he crawls in. Sasuke apparently hulked up. Spinning Wheel Kick for a 2. Piledriver for a 2. Gnarly Razors Edge for a 2. Tombstone Piledriver by Sasuke. Sasuke misses a senton but no-sells it which shocks the crowd. Liger retaliates with a huge lariat and scrambling for a 2. Sasuke kicks out of a Liger Bomb. Frakensteiner for a 2, sunset flip reversal tease for a 2. Release German suplex by Liger for a 2. Fishermen's Buster by Liger for a 2. Liger suplexes Sasuke to the outside and follows up with a crossbody to the outside. Liger gets a rolling capo kick to Sasuke on the outside. Sasuke does a big dramatic hulk up, jumps to the ropes and collapses, to which Liger sarcastically claps. Sasuke hits a huricanrana out of nowhere for the three getting (judging by how the crowd reacted) the upset victory of Liger. Post match, Liger eagerly shakes Sasuke's hand, the young indy guy having gotten the surly veteran's respect
This match's drama was turned up to 11, and stayed that way until the end. Even after we strayed away from Liger having his way with Sasuke, Sasuke got over as a defiant babyface who was on another level, kicking out of the top guy's super moves, and even the botch at the end got over Sasuke's innate ability to rise up from adversity and be defiant in its face.
Super J Cup Finals
Great Sasuke vs Wild Pegasus - 10/10
We get the overhead lights turned off along with colorful spotlights for the entrances. The other participants are around ringside. Sasuke starts things immediately by flipping and landing on his feet out of a snapmare Will Ospreay level (censored) here in 1994. Another flip to avoid Pegasus grabbing his foot, Sweep, kip up, standoff. Armlock by Pegasus leads to a break in the turnbuckle. Pegasus gets his chop on. Tiger Feint flip by Sasuke in the turnbuckle followed by a kick which sends Pegasus out. Sasuke teases a dive but Pegasus bails. Pegasus works him off his feet and into a head-scissors. Sasuke tries to go hold for hold but Pegasus out-wrestles him. Surfboard stretch by Sasuke. I like how Sasuke keeps his foot on his back even while Pegasus is to his feet coming fighting out. Arm drag to another standoff. Sasuke takes a crazy flip bump for an arm drag, and practically does a senton to avoid a monkey flip. Pegasus levels Sasuke with a lariat,
This is where it hit me that this exact match is a commentary on where the Junior Heavyweight style was at the time. On one hand, you had Pegasus, who was like Dynamite Kid in that his move set wasn't all that different from a heavyweight contemporary but he still hit like one. And then you have guys like Sasuke who was more like Tiger Mask, more overtly Lucha inspired, and taking the Tiger Mask style to the next level of crazy.
Pegasus hits a German Suplex for a two count. Sasuke ducks a clothesline and hits a running Spin Wheel Kick. Another spin kick by Sasuke, and in that moment you get a real sense of desperation that Sasuke was willing to repeat moves to beat his opponent. Sasuke is working the arm, because why wouldn't you try to take away technical grappler Pegasus' arms? Pegasus fights his way out and, while strikes are clearly happening, the camera crew has decided to cut to random people watching by the apron. Pegasus goes for a powerbomb, likely because someone trying to work his arm warrants trying to wrap this up as quickly as possible, but Sasuke counters out into an arm drag Another lariat knockdown by Pegasus. Suplex onto the ropes by Pegasus. Sasuke ends up on the apron, where he is hit by a triangle jump cross-body which looked like a terrible bump to take. Sasuke climbs back in and tries to fight off a full nelson suplex to no avail. Luckily Sasuke kicks out at two. Pegasus slams Sasuke to set up a flying headbutt, which only gets a two. Sasuke is spent. Powerbomb by Pegasus gets a two. Slam to set up a sharpshooter which Pegasus breaks. Crazy looking Tilt a Whirl Backbreaker by Pegasus for a two. Sasuke stays in the ropes to avoid a dropkick. An exchange of jumps and whirls which ends in Sasuke getting his own lariat. Surprise German Suplex by Pegasus. gets a two. Great roll-up counter false finish for a two. A spin kick sends Pegasus outside Handspring twisting quebrada to the outside. Now Sasuke is getting two counts off of German Suplexes. Fisherman Suplex by Sasuke for a two. Sasuke takes a horrific (planned) bump missing a missile dropkick .Crazy suplex off the apron sends both guys outside. Sasuke does a missile dropkick to the outside at one point. Sasuke hits a gorgeous moonsault for a two. Pegasus hits a superplex and wins! I He is awarded the belt and everyone poses for a picture. As much as you can say the "wrong man won" I'd disagree. Sasuke went hell for leather with Liger whereas Pegasus had much less of a struggle to the finals.
With that out of the way, let's not mince words. This was the same story as Liger vs Sasuke (the harder hitting wrestler against the high flyer), but it was told even better than that match. There were no pauses, and when there were, it was because they were reeling from thing's they'd done to each other. Both styles of this story have their merrits, and even though he didn't go nearly as hard as he did against Liger, he still saved his best for last
Conclusion
I shouldn't even have to tell you to go look up this show, but I'm gonna anyway. If you want to see where the style we enjoy today began abroad, if you want to watch an unprecedented three perfect matches Watch this show., Even with the bad matches, this is my favorite all time show. Even the bad matches deserve study as they hold nuggets of wisdom for people who want to study the art form of pro wrestling. Just in case I wasn't clear enough WATCH. THIS. SHOW.