Superstar Sleeze

Keiji Mutoh vs Masahiro Chono - NJPW 8/12/95 These two have amazing chemistry. Watched a bunch of their 2000-2001 shit earlier this year and I came away impressed how they consistently have great matches especially because I don’t like Chono. 1995 is probably Chono’s peak year with the heel turn and novelty of his American style cheating heel persona. Mutoh is also surging this year having won the IWGP title and have some spectacular matches this year. This G1 Climax alone is incredible with both Flair and Hashimoto matches being excellent. I heard the Koshinaka match is as well (if anyone has a copy of that hit me up). I thought this was another feather in the cap of both men for their 1995 campaigns. Even before their shenanigans that put the match over the top, they do their New Japan chain wrestling really well, great urgency and grit to it. When Mutoh is clearly getting the better of Chono, Chono goes for not one but two ball shots but doesn’t really get all of it…based on the selling of Mutoh, but you never know with him. It serves to piss off Mutoh who gets scuffle with Hiro Saito. In the chaos, Chono bashes Mutoh’s head into the post which results in busting him open. Hiro Saito does get ejected but the damage has been done. I like how Mutoh has one last burst of energy in the form of a back handspring elbow but after that last gasp Chono just works the cut. Lots of bashing into the exposed turnbuckles and punches & kicks to the cut. Chono gives Mutoh too much space and he begins his rally BUT crashes and burns on the Moonsault. A spooked Chono goes for STF but the first one is a choke so broken up but second is a proper version but Mutoh makes the ropes. Chono goes Yakuza Kicks but Mutoh snaps off a Frankensteiner for the win. Chono attacks after the bell but a bloody Mutoh runs him down in the aisle way in classic Mutoh fashion. I actually like the flash pin here because Mutoh was clearly in a big hole and has missed his Moonsault. After surviving Chono’s cheating and STF’s, it felt like a proper way for him to escape. It protects Chono as well. Very entertaining like 12 minute match. ****

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Koji Kanemoto vs Wild Pegasus - NJPW 9/25/95 If anyone has Kanemoto’s title defenses against Benoit, 3/13/95 and Ohtani, 4/16/95 please dm me. I plan on watching at least one of the two Sabu championship matches from this year. It seems like 1995 is important year to understand Kanemoto. Benoit had a wicked good match with Regal two days prior to this. I thought this was very good and not as good as Regal/Benoit match. This is a Benoit spot fest but what I like about a Benoit spot fest is at least the spots have snap and do not feel overly cooperative. There is just no connective tissue. Customary 5 minutes of New Japan wrestling to open. Benoit applies the surfboard really nice Kanemoto drop toehold escape into a heel hook. Benoit does his standard knuckle lock monkey flip sequence which always looks cool. The match picks up when Benoit catapults Kanemoto to the outside through the middle rope which looked cool as did his dive. Kanemoto quashed Benoit opening onslaught with leg kicks and leg lace. Kanemoto seemed to want to stymie Benoit who is an offensive dynamo by working holds. Kanemoto suplexed Benoit over the top rope to the floor in a sick spot. Kanemoto get his patented twisting senton but misses moonsault and this leads to Benoit finally opening up. We get the snap suplex. Top rope belly to back. He missed the first Diving Headbutt but scored with the second. He hits Mutha of All Powerbombs man when he busts that out against Juniors always looked wicked. Kanemoto snaps off some Frankensteiners and his moonsault but nothing doing. German Suplex and Dragon Suplex are Benoit’s last gasp. The Dragon Suplex got a lot of heat. Kanemoto hot a top rope twisting Senton and Tiger Suplex for the anti-climatic win. I have seen a smattering of Kanemoto I think he is solid but not special. I think that was the case here. It was missing that urgency and desperation down the stretch. All the moves looked tight but I was not emotionally stirred. *** 1/2

IWGP Tag Team Champions Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan - NJPW 9/23/95 Yes Chono & Tenzan won the vacant belts on 6/12 but according to everything I read had to vacate them because Chono’s Dad which might be true but I think this was to play into NJPW company screwing over Chono. Hashimoto & Hirata defeat Scott Norton & Mike Enos for the titles on 7/13 and then successfully defend against Chono & Tenzan on the 18th. Youre telling me they couldn’t wait 5 days. Definitely a booking move. After Hashimoto dropped the title to Mutoh in May and until he became the Defender of NJPW against UWFI this was his main feud. Four major matches against the Wolves…three of which I found, this is the 3rd chronologically. I think this was a clear step down from 6/12. This was more disjointed. Each segment didnt really depend on the last. The work within segment was right and looked good but never seemed to serve a higher purpose. Also I find Chono & Hirata to be pretty bland and I like Tenzan in a very specific environment so it led to very little investment in the characters. The work did not feel heated. There was only so much Hashimoto could do. Pre-bell the Wolves steal the belts and open a Can of whoop ass on the babyfaces on the outside but Hashimoto & Hirata are able to reverse the tide in the Ring and nothing really happens. The fun shine where Hashimoto double stomps Tenzan and Hirata sentons is done again. Chono is able to take over on Hirata with Yakuza Kicks. Hirata is not Chono-stopper like he was on 6/12. Hirata wins a pretty intense Headbutt battle with Tenzan. Chono needs help from Tenzan to get one over on Hashimoto. Honestly I just watched this match and I am blanking on the middle portion. There was not a lot that was sticky. It was just solid work. They gain control of Hirata and I know he tags out to Hashimoto who goes into full Destroyer mode. He is on a tear when Chono ball shots him. This is when the match picks up. Chono hits top rope shoulder block. STF with falling Tenzan headbutts to the back. Glorious. Love Hirata saving Hashimoto with his own top rope Headbutt. Hashimoto makes his comeback! All the Hashimoto staples knocks Hiro Saito off the apron. Then Brainbuster Chono while Hirata restrains Tenzan for the win. Last 5 minutes or so get this on the right side of the Mendoza Line but I don’t know the body of match really didnt much for me. *** 1/4

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Masahiro Chono & Hiro Saito vs Riki Choshu, Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata - NJPW 2/12/95 Some dude on Reddit: Tenzan/Chono/Saito vs Choshu/Hashimoto/Hirata absolutely killed it with this excellent history of how the Wolves were formed. Tenzan was back from excursion and being recruited by various stables. Chono/Saito and Sabu were a team; I had no idea that Sabu was in the Wolves. Tenzan chose them and apparently Choshu was pissed. In this short 5 minute match which in this video is clipped, Tenzan gets his ass absolutely beat especially by Chosu. Unfortunately theres a clip in the transition and Tenzan is able to get the shock win after a Spike Piledriver and a Tenzan Headbutt on Choshu! Found the full video: definitely track down the full video...Choshu singles Tenzan out right as he is making his entrance. He makes a beeline for him and just kicks ass from pillar to post. Great pre-match brawl. The whole match is just three of them wrecking Tenzan's shit. That spike DDT by Hashimoto and those Lariats by Choshu. The missing piece is Chono has enough and Yakuza Kicks Choshu a bunch, not the most creative way and Hiro Saito takes out Hashimoto & Hirata with a chair. Tenzan pummels Choshu with headbutts and Mongolian Chops. Then aforementioned badass finish of a Spike Piledriver and top rope headbutt. 5 star angle! This is how you get a new stable over! There is a big melee! Crowd brawling! Lots of chairs Sabu comes out and starts swinging like a madman. Tenzan ends up doing a top rope Senton onto Hashimoto through a table while the Wolves stand tall. Very effective heel beatdown. Like the rest of the nascent Wolves angle, this all felt very Southern-Fried, Crockett style wrestling. The locker room brawl was also a great touch. I highly recommend watching the video and reading the poster's comments very interesting.

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Grom Zaza RINGS 12/19/95 Zaza is a Georgian badass who represented Georgia in the Olympics the next year. Watched this because it got hyped pretty hard. I love Shoot-Style and I did enjoy this a lot but didn’t quite knock my socks off. It mostly stood out in the back drop of all the 2025 wrestling I watch. Seeing how competitive wrestling can be and how organic. It felt sporting. I am a fan of the points system in Shoot-Style but the confusing is depending on the year and which promotion it is hard to say what is going on. This is two rope breaks equals one knockdown. You have five knock downs before the match ends dont quote me on that though Kohsaka was at four and there were no more circles left so I believe if he got knocked down again he would have lost. A good amount of stand up in this RINGS match. Some wicked knees that lead to knockdowns. I would say every pass led to a point. Pretty much each grappling exchange ended in a rope break or before they got to the mat there was a knock down by knee. The wrist lock takedowns looked great. I loved some of the comebacks by Zaza who looked trapped a couple times but came out with some wicked leg locks especially that Arm Figure-4 on Koshaka’s legs. Kohsaka always has great energy and they really keep this one moving. Pretty definitive Zaza win as he gets a wrist lock takedown into the Rings of Saturn plus he was up 3.5 Downs to Kohsaka’s 4 so pretty clear cut victory for the Georgian. Very breezy, engaging shoot-style match but not a classic in my opinion. *** 1/2

Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama - AJPW 3/21/95 Championship Carnival The 1995 Championship Carnival was already my favorite tournament of all time so it was a joy to watch something I have never seen. I don’t think I have seen an Akiyama match from before 1996 actually. Terrific plucky young upstart against the ornery veteran. Akiyama was not to be denied early. He just kept moving forward. Every roadblock Kawada threw up. Every setback. Akiyama kept moving forward like a young lion should. He blitzes Kawada to start. I love how Kawada dumps on his ass on a knee or throws him into railing but Akiyama just keeps on coming with splashes and strikes. He is hurling his body headlong. The best defense is a good offense says Akiyama. Akiyama first mistake is slowing down the tempo and trading strikes with Kawada who clocks with an overhand right that sends the young lion reeling. Kawada can get into his groove now. The Senton. I loved the use of bodyslam, Cowboy Kick, Akiyama fires up get it again. It really tells the story of the match. One of best Kawada’s best spinning heel kicks is in this match. Akiyama now throws Kawada on his ass. They go out to the floor where Akiyama tries to suplex Kawada on the parquet but Akiyama eats it. Now Kawada is really grooving back in the Ring. The Single Leg Crab. Kawada is ready to put this away at 10 minute mark with a Powerbomb but Akiyama just keeps coming back. I LOVED The Northern Lights Suplex with Kawada sitting on the top someone needs to crib that. Most organic Northern Lights Suplex I have ever seen. Kawadas turn to block the Exploder but Akiyama rips a a couple inverted ones. Kawada Spinning Back Chop! Stretch Plum! Powerbomb but Kawada sells an incidental eye poke which I love. Second Powerbomb he LAUNCHES Akiyama! Stretch Plum For The Win! You don’t see that too often. It is a tale as old as time the young lion versus lion king and this is another excellent installment in the genre. *** 3/4

WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson vs Randy Savage - WCW Saturday Night 1/28/95 Savage’s debut in Center Stage and his second match in WCW based on TV Schedule after the Clash Tag with Hogan. Studd Stable is in effect with Parker & Meng at ringside. This is a Lo-fi, anti-work rate match that a lot of fans that type of work would love. You get more wrestling out of Savage at the beginning than normal… grabbing holds and working for a win. Two all-time great punchers and there were some fabulous ones. I loved the transition to heat as Double A tries to sneak behind Savage off of Colonel distraction but Savage has eyes in the back of his head and clocks him with an elbow but then Savage gets rammed into the post. I love the double fake out. There are so few high spots. Just gritty work. Savage is working against the clock. He only has 15 minutes to win the title. They do Anderson double noggin knocker. They work the Ring post a lot and the sleeper. At the two minute mark Savage is galvanized. High Knee to the back. Double axehandle to the floor. Blocks the DDT by holding onto the ropes. That was a good fake out to think he might win. Parker distraction costs him the title as the time limit expires but not the match as he throws Anderson off the top rope and hits the Big Elbow for the win! Buck, Slater and the Blacktop Bully hit the win but Sting and Dustin save. What a trio of babyfaces! An entertaining throwback match. *** 1/4

Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata - NJPW 6/12/95 Vacant IWGP Tag Team Titles I have had this match earmarked for a decade. It feels like people consider the high water mark of ChoTen run. I am glad I watched the Sasaki/Hase match from 3/7 first because it showed the type of heat they can generate. I actually preferred that match but this being for tag titles I can see why this is more famous. Two main reasons are felt the Hashimoto/Hirata shine had a lid on it. They were building pressure but it never boiled over. You wanted them to let it rip and go balls out. You get flashes of Hashimoto the Destroyer but he never gets there. I like Hirata as the Chono Stopper. Chono big times Hirata and says he wants the big boy but Hirata more than holds his own against Chono. There was one sequence in shine I loved Hashimoto Double Stomp, Hirata splash, Hashimoto Denton all on Tenzan. My other issue and bigger one the match hinges on Hirata being incapacitated and Hashimoto going it two on one. But the heat segment on Hirata lasts literally 2 minutes and in any other match would be blown off by any other wrestler. Plus he takes ChoTen double Powerbomb finish. No sells that, Powerbomb Chono multiple body slams and a top rope Headbutt which I guess hurts the knee. Sorry hit I am not buying it. It needs to be more emphatic and such a key plot point it needs to be felt more intensely. i will say the last like 7 minutes are fucking awesome. Hashimoto going it on his own. The Wolves trying to take down the Ace 2 on 1 with Hirata saving was epic. Loved the Hashimoto roar to start climaxing with the Brainbuster! I was rocking! In the fracas, Chono slips in a ball shot. Then it is just Yakuza Kicks, STFs and Powerbombs. Tenzan stretch of Tenzan Headbutt and Moonsault was electric with each Hirata save. Hiro Saito pulling Hirata off the apron when Hashimoto went for the tag also awesome. Hashimoto bleeding from nose and mouth on the second STF epic. Love Hashimoto defiant last stand with the chops and the LEGSWEEP~! Tenzan whacking him and the Yakuza Kick which I don’t love as a finish was a bit anticlimatic. It is a pretty easy thumbs up and that Hashimoto finish stretch is epic but the finish was anticlimatic and I didn’t love the first half. The Hirata injury not being more emphatic is my major bug bear. *** 3/4

Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase. - NJPW 3/7/95 We were some powder and a fireball away from me jizzing my pants. Raucous mayhem! Before Team 2000, Before NWO Japan, there were Wolves based on Cagematch, Chono started running with Tenzan and Hiro Saito in February so this has only been going on a month but the heat Is off the charts. Arena brawling, clearing the audience chairs, exposed turnbuckle, choking with the shirt, choking with the tag rope, steel chairs, announce table throws. This is just in the babyface shine. Hiro Saito beat Hirats in the match prior and the Wolves were laying a beat down so Hase & Sasaki and kick their asses. Chono gets an eye rake to stop red hot babyface shine. Saito & Tenzan double team Hase with a chair. Lots of cheating and double teams from the Wolves. Chono STF but Sasaki breaks it up. Sasaki gets the hot tag rips off powerslam. Hase urnages! Giant Swing! Sasaki gets distracted by Saito. Double team Powerbomb on Hase! They tie up Sasaki in the ropes. Saito chair shots to Sasaki. Yakuza Kick wins it! Molten hot brawl! There was some weird selling and transitions but fuck it it was so fun! The Saito chair shots in plain view of the ref was a little much. Sounds like I need to watch 2/17! Great shit ****

Bret Hart vs Jean-Pierre Lafitte - WWF RAW 10/2/95 The rematch of the moderately famous IYH match which I recall liking and thinking it one of the few examples of a Bret Hart spot fest. I thought this was in a similar vein. Pierre have very little going for him in between his high spots. Lots of clubbering and chinlocks but his high spots are good. Pierre wins the early clubbering battle but takes the Slaughter bump on missed charge. His bumping is also great. Bret SLAMS him hard in the stairs catching more edge than flat. OW! Pierre hotshots him. This match sounds better in review form because I am just hitting the high spots. Pierre jumps on Bret in various ways, Pierre cuts Bret effectively. You think a missed a Top Rope Legdrop would be the transition to heat but Pierre keeps cutting him off. Gnarly whip into the steps and Bret is clearly pissed. Bret revs up and goes through his usual moves. Pierre rallies with a somersault slam. He goes up top for Cannonball but a super plex into a Sharpshooter polishes him off. Great finish. Fun match. High spots land. Bret gets into with Lawler but Yankem attacks to set up Bret vs Yankem in a steel cage blowoff which I think I will skip. 1995 weird year for Bret but this was a good RAW match. *** 1/4

Keiji Mutoh vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan - NJPW 4/16/95 Keiji Mutoh Offensive Clinic. Four words not usually uttered together. I thought we were going to get mercurial stalling Mutoh but then he rushes at Tenzan and just starts wailing. He hits all his high spots in like 5 exhilarating minutes. Back Handspring Elbow. Backbreaker. Tenzan powders before the moonsault. Back Handspring elbow again. Bulldog. Tenzan pitches a fit and starts throwing chairs. He hits Mutoh with one and who no sells because he WILL NOT BE DENIED! Fist-pumping action! Power driver Elbow! I have watched so much fucking Mutoh this year and loved most of it but would never call him electric. This was electric. He crashes and burns on the springboard dropkick perfect transition to Tenzan heat. I have no idea why Mutoh was so pissed of but I loved it. Tenzan does his Tenzan thing. Clubbering loved Spin Heel Kick cutoff. Missed the diving Headbutt good transition back to Mutoh. Who now gets the Springboard Dropkick. Moonsault 1-2-NO?!? I was shocked! He wins the IWGP Title in less than a month of Hashimoto. In the spot of the match Tenzan stuffs a Top Rope Franksteiner with a POWERBOMB that nearly kills Mutoh. He FOLDED HIM IN HALF! Tenzansault in his head! 1-2-3! Massive upset! I loved Mutoh vs Tenzan title match a couple months after this. It now makes sense why Tenzan got it because he pinned Mutoh here. Genius booking. A hot sprint. Watch this and then watch title match which to be is a classic, MOTYC, **** 3/4 match, this is *** 3/4

Keiji Mutoh vs Scott Norton - NJPW 2/3/95 Scott Norton finally wrestles like how you want Scott Norton to wrestle. A big burly barrelchested Powerhouse like Norton is my weakness but more often than not I am left wanting more and am disappointed that he is not throwing his size around. Finally we get Norton the Brick Wall throwing Lariats with reckless abandon like he is swatting gnats. Immediately I pick up on this being a different Norton the violent Headbutt, the slashing chops, bulldozing Mutoh’s very attempt at offense. Mutoh bumped and sold for him so well. He made him a killer. Mutoh went to the playbook so many have when they overwhelmed target a body part and injure the stronger opponent. Here is the arm and I love he takes a Short Arm Scissors in a wrestling exchange. Take what the match gives you. He works the arm with various holes and good subtle selling by Norton. Norton bucks him off and he does great Monster Heel work on the outside using the hard metal objects and delivering stuff blows. He press slams Mutoh on the ramp. Where there is a ramp, you know what Mutoh will do. Bulldog. He comes running down only to run into a BRICK WALK~! Fuck yeah! Thats the perfect microcosm of how Norton worked so effectively in this match. Again they work outside so well. Mutoh evades a charging Norton who rams himself into the railing. A perfect setup for the Back Handspring Elbow taking what match gives you. Mutoh gets cocky and tries again In The Ring. Waist lock! Genius! Mutoh goes back to the arm! Hell yeah! I love how Norton absorbs all the Mutoh blows and just keeps swinging lariats. Perfect Big Man Brick Walk wrestling. Mutoh goes up top and finally knocks him down but it is not quite the collision you want to pump your fist. Mutoh misses the moonsault pretty bad when it was supposed to land. We get a top rope Frankensteiner and another Arm bar. Mutoh is fading, he gets a Misawa Rana out of a Powerbomb. Then Norton cleans up Bulldog Powerslam, Top Rope Shoulder Block and a Powerslam win it for the Brick Wall. Body of the match was damn near perfect. It did Peter out in the finish. I wish there was a big turning point where Norton’s steamrolled Mutoh and took it home. A little more heat on those Mutoh near falls. Tied for the best Norton match I have seen with Nagata match from 98. Great performances by both men wish we got this Norton more! *** 3/4

Bret Hart vs Sid - WWF Superstars 11/4/95 It is a Bret Hart on Superstars kind of Saturday morning. It is funny Sid’s death over a year ago is what sparked my return to reviewing and after earmarking this all that time ago here I am. It was a long windy road. Looks like they are in Saskatchewan as the Rough Riders are with Bret. This takes a normal match and elevates to a fun match. Sid has the MDC, DiBiase, Kama, Bundy and oddly Skip with him. Skip is here to bump for the football players I assume. Sid takes an early advantage but misses a charge. Here comes Bret. This turns into a lumberjack match with Rough Riders throwing Sid back in. DiBiase trips Bret. Great Sid Legdrop. Normal heat segment made better by Million Dollar Corp beating on Hitman. Skip takes a bump for the Rough Riders. Standard Bret comeback starting off the middle rope. Schmozz on the outside. Football players distract roll up win. This was billed as sort of a warm up for the Hitman as he takes on Diesel for the title but not a Elbert emphatic victory. This is the nadir of Sid’s career probably the only time he was in the midcard outside being in the Skyscrapers. They still protected him. It was fun with the inclusion of Rough Riders throwing but still nothing anybody has to see.

Bret Hart vs Hakushi - WWF 7/25/95 Steel Cage I went with the date the match happened because it was a dark match on a Superstars taping. Surprisingly Cagematch has it on 7/29/95 which is the air date for that episode of Superstars but since it is never aired it smacks me as strange to use the broadcast date for something that was never broadcast. Also it looks like this may have truly been unseen until the Vault showed it as all the CM reviews are around the release date of YT video. It is a Bret Hart steel Cagematch I should have known to avoid. Hakushi who had such cool look, attacks as Bret is entering the Ring. Bret roars back with great strikes. One Hakushi uppercut crumples him. Then they both clothesline each and they act like they are minute 22 of their match instead minute 2. Holy overselling! They wrestled the rest of the match like they were in deep waters. Just my turn your turn steel cage escapes. Bret execution was excellent as always Bulldog, DDT. Hakushi got the Tree of Woe and missed a top rope Headbutt. Bret super plex off top of the cage won it as he surprisingly went through the door. A soulless Cagematch as they both slept walked through the match in my opinion.

Wild Pegasus vs Lord Steven Regal - NJPW 9/23/95 A skill vs will match. That is not to say Benoit does not have mat skills or Regal did not have the will to win BUT it was Regal’s mat skills that allowed him to press his advantage and it was Benoit’s rabid wolverine tenacity that kept him in it. I was surprised this match happened in Japan as there was a rather strict hierarchy between heavyweights and juniors. I don’t know why it was apparent to me in this match but how much bigger Regal was both height and width than Benoit. That size advantage also played a role in Regal’s strategy but also in the story of Benoit’s pugnacity overcoming the size disadvantage. I am very much a narrative driven fan of pro wrestling. This is my favorite type of wrestling that is not narrative driven. It is very much a BattlArts ground based match. Both wrestlers especially Regal would have excelled in BatBat. Even for Benoit, having him work the mat for 12 minutes is unique. I would argue he looks better than Bret would in this setting. What keeps this compelling without the trappings of hooks and plot points is how much struggle and competitive it all is. I had the pleasure of watching Thatcher and Gulak do their thing in Lowell in October of this year thats what this was. There’s not as much to review from a beat to beat but is sporting competitive feel that wrestling promoters claim they are presenting and wrestling fans claim they want but so rarely do we actually get. As a fan of character-based and narrative-driven pro wrestling, I’d only want see one or two matches like this a card not every match. The grappling was really high quality. So much struggle and urgency. The short palm strikes by Regal. The desperation he held onto wrist control from Benoit’s counters. Benoit really cool entry into the Short Arn Scissors. It is a very Lo-fi match and I’d argue there are no high spots for about 12 minutes. Benoit flips Regal over the top on a monkey flip exchange. Benoit draws blood from Regal’s ear bashing it against the post. The chops and the Headbutts to the ear ensue. We get some high impact suplexes the swan dive Headbutt. Great Regal selling of the ear but is it great selling if it hurts? 1995 Benoit loved the Tombstone but only two. Regal sits down on tops rope sunset flip anti-climatic for most matches but perfect for this Lo-fi classic. A very cool unique match that really gets better with the blood. If it wasn’t for Benoit I’d give it a fullthroated recommendation but if you can stomach Benoit and love Lo-fi BatBat check this out. **** 1/4

Wild Pegasus vs Shinjiro Ohtani - NJPW 7/13/95 BOSJ 95 Finals I can see why this got left off the yearbook even though it is a pretty high profile match on paper for the Best of the Super Juniors Finals. A surprisingly tepid affair. Very symmetrical match. Loved each doing the knuckle lock bridge spot and kicking out the opponents leg. Toeholds. Ohtani got a dropkick and a springboard splash to outside then figure 4 the head. Pegasus hit two high impact duplexes then figure-4 the head. Very symmetrical. Ohtani invented Vaquer’s Bouncy Bouncy 30 years ago but didn’t get the same reaction I wonder why :p. Back to the match, there was no sense of progression or urgency. No desire to win. No semblance of strategy. Just working in and out of holds. Ohtani was late on a couple of his kick outs. We got a Liontamer from Benoit and of course one of his Mutha Of All Powerbombs! Excellent Powerbomber! The best part of the match was when Benoit crashed and burned on the Top Rope Diving Headbutt and that led to Ohtani rattling off a German, his patented Springboard Dropkick to the back of the head followed by a Dragon Suplex! That missed move had consequences and progressed the match. Then Benoit hit Alabama Slamma like nothing happened. Oh well. Middle Rope Tombstone by Benoit was a cool finish in this tourney. I’ll give it *** the work was solid but uninspired. The execution was there but they needed more character work and urgency, make me feel like you want to win. As an aside watched Raquel vs Vaquer live last night in Boston, I loved how Raquel stuffed a lot of her typical offense like the telegraphed Bouncy Bouncy. When Raquel missed her corkscrew elbow, Vaquer wrapped her into Bouncy Bouncy with urgency. Raquel is putting together quite the run this year.

Shinya Hashimoto vs Tatsuo Nakano - NJPW 10/9/95 The semi-main to first of three NJPW vs UWFi Tokyo Dome shows. It really goes to show how shallow the UWFi roster was after Takada. I like Nakano a good bit but he is a fun midcarder not your #2. I wish we got Hashimoto vs Takayama in the 21st Century at some point. Short match not much to it. It is similar to Kawada vs shooter match where they incorporate the aesthetic of shoot style without being shoot style. It is a hybrid between pro and shoot style. Lots of stand up wrangling. Hashimoto wrestles him to the ground. Hashimoto says bring it on little man. We get a due to our flurry of kicks from Nakano. Great struggle on the German and big reaction when Nakano gets him over. Nakano tries to finish with a choke and a cross arm breaker but Hashimoto does Backlund powerlift. We get the Right Hand of Hashimoto but what really does Nakano in is when Hashimoto STUFFS his Double Leg Takedown with a DDT. Wicked. Hashimoto High Kick and Rainbow Heel Kick knocks Nakano on his ass on the ramp. Hashimoto is feeling it. Game over Brainbuster and Inverted Triangle. Fun brisk 8-ish minute match but nothing incredible. ***

Wild Pegasus vs Black Tiger - NJPW BOSJ 7/13/95 Semifinals It is funny I have been so interested in heavyweight main eventers for the past year plus I was not sure I was ever going to come back to the juniors. I was going through heralded 95 New Japan matches and saw Kanemoto/Benoit and Kanemoto/Ohtani get rave reviews and that urge finally shifted. It was struggle to find those but this was easily found. Benoit and Eddie have a much more famous match the next year, the sleepers match also in the BOSJ. This follows the Japanese layout for he who dishes out the most loses the match. This is an extended version of their famous Nitro match in October. The match works in a lot of ways because there’s always the tension in the match of when will Benoit let it rip and tear into Eddie. Eddie stymies Benoit with holds to start good use of wrist control and the Gory Special. Love when these two Powerbomb each other. A juniors Powerbomb is always welcomed in my book. Eddie hits that Eddie splash and even under that Black Tiger mask you know it is him. You can tell Eddie is losing control and there’s this tension BANG Tilt a Whirl Backbreaker and then a Back Suplex with characteristic Stampede Snap to it. Benoit never gets a true control segment. Eddie suplexes Benoit to the floor in a gnarly bump. Superman Splash by Eddie which more people should steal and the classic Frogsplash. Eddie tries hooking Benoit up again for a suplex to the floor and they both tumble out and they make it look way easier than it is. Benoit Dives out on Eddie. Outside of Darby Allin nobody does that spot better than Benoit. The match does lack connective tissue. It is a high impact spot fest and what the match does really well is how well those spots are hit but they start to blur together at the end. I can’t remember the sequence per se. BENOIT THROWS EDDIE DOWN WITH MUTHA OF ALL POWERBOMBS! Is one. Dragon Suplex by Benoit. Eddie gets a Crucifix Powerbomb. Benoit reverses Eddie on the ropes with a Middle Rope Tombstone which was sick for the win. Not as good as the Nitro match which had Arn psychology and an out of this world pacing to all high impact moves. This is still very entertaining to watch. *** 3/4

IWGP Tag Team Champions Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase vs The Steiner Brothers - NJPW 1/4/95 Man if Bron Breaker wrestled like his dad and uncle he would probably be my favorite wrestler today. This is such fun, dumb jock wrestling. I forgot how good Scotty could be on the mat. The opening sequence with Hase was incredible. The power and drive on those double legs. The riding sequences were great. It felt so organic and competitive. There’s a dream world where Steiners stay in New Japan full-time instead of going back to WCW and Scotty makes it to the top. I would have also loved the Steiners in BattlArts. Rick is positively gleeful on the apron and wants in the worst way. STEINERLINE~! Powerslam isn’t as good as usual. Double Press Slam! The Wolverines are rocking! Hase retreats to get a kiss from his wife. Scotty gets stuff by her! So Rick goes out and kisses some random lady on the cheek! Some levity. Mutoh & Hase get their only real control segment working the legs of Scotty like they are white meat babyface team. Steiners were really guzzling them in this match. Steiners worked this slams into the buckles and STFs and Scotty even worked a Dragon Sleeper. As is custom on Dome shows, Mutoh ran down the ramp like a psycho but met the brick wall of Scotty’s Arm. A barrage of Steiner suplexes em which are cool looking but a spot fest is a spot fest whether it is floppy shit or cool throws. It was just too much ragdolling by the Japanese. There was no sense of struggle or competition. The Steiners were too strong. Mutoh reversed the Screwdriver into a Tombstone which was sick. Hase urnage into a GIANT SWING! That popped me! Rick says Fuck You with a STEINERLINE and back in offense. Steiner looked like juggernauts. Mutoh breaks up the Steiner Doomsday DDT. Victory Roll! No! Mutoh Frankensteiner on Scotty! Northern Lights Suplex on Rick with Mutoh stuffing Scotty! 1-2-3! Opening five minutes rule! It devolves into Steiner exhibition wrestling but finish is hot. Throw in some more struggle in the middle and you have a classic but this is still a fun watch. *** 3/4

Keiji Mutoh vs Ric Flair - NJPW 8/13/95 G-1 Climax Been watching a lot of Shining Wizard Mutoh rewinding back to Friar Tuck Mutoh. Within a couple minutes, you just know this will be good. Then the match keeps going and im like this is really damn good. By the end I am like this is fucking excellent why does no one talk about this match? I am loving finding a Flair performance I haven’t seen before that still gets me jazzed up. Flair encroaching on Mutoh’s space early and Mutoh taking time to hit three sides of the Ring before locking up was great psychology. Flair going down to the Knucklelock like he was facing the Hulkster did scare me BUT when Flair started working that all my fears & anxieties were allayed. We were all getting the Nature Boy! WOOOOOO! This is what all the Flair haters want a dominant Flair on top that works his opponent tough. Watch this match. He takes the majority of the match. The arm work is stellar. He works three different wrist locks, a hammerlock and some really good arm wringers. It is just beautiful NWA Championship style wrestling. He paces the match wonderfully letting Mutoh pop the crowd with uptempo offense, selling that he is overwhelmed but then finding ways to come back. After the Arm work they work a great rope running sequence where Flair sets way too early on a monkey flip and Mutoh evades and dropkicks Flair out the Ring. Flair switches gears and just starts punching Mutoh in the corner crowding him suffocating him. Mutoh is able to rally and the Flair Flip bump to the floor really sends Flair into desperation mode. I LOVE that Flair reaction to this is putting Mutoh into figure-4. No frills. Just go for the kill shot. I love that instead of being climax that just leads to more leg work At this point, as a big Flair fan I am just gobbling this up. He is working more in control than usual, he is feeding hope spots at the right time. Mutoh who is very mercurial wrestler is wrestling like a great White meat babyface and showing fire and vulnerability each in the right moments. Man after the super plex when all of sudden there is blood streaming down Mutoh’s face and he goes into Stinger in Greensboro mode the match elevates to excellent. He runs through his big offense you think he is going to win with a Backbreaker moonsault BUT he crashes & burns! SO FLAIR WORKS THE CUT! MUTOH IS SPORTING A FULL CRIMSON MASK! Flair turns into like best boxer in the world some amazing punches! Flair re-applies Figure-4 on the bloody Mutoh and the visual is insane! I was losing my mind. Mutoh goes full Great Muta but if Great Muta was a babyface. His Hulk Up with all the blood is like he is fucking Terminator. I wish he really tore into Flair there but Moonsault win was still awesome! Honestly if it was anyone else we would be ranting and raving about this match but it is Flair and it is such an embarrassment of riches still like this gets overlooked. It is a very good match that becomes a blood-soaked, fist-pumping triumph. Excellent Flair performance and Mutoh shines at the end. **** 1/4

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage vs The Giant - WCW Nitro 12/18/95 Nitro Recap: Covered the first 1/3rd of this LOADED show in Flair vs Eddie. 5/6ths of Nitro 6 are in action save for the Hulkster. Luger dispatched of Dont Call Me Buff Bagwell with a Powerslam and Torture Rack. Could fun shine spots but as boiler plate as boiler plate gets. Sting defeated Please Call Me Bobby Eaton after Eaton misses the Bombs Away Knee into Stinger Splash and Scorpion Deathlock. A couple Sweet Home Alabama Rights gets this into good territory. Alright with this match I have now watched & reviewed all the 95 Nitros and all the WCW Title defenses of 95. I thought this was pretty entertaining until the shit, dumbass Hogan finish. It was what you expected but done really well with Savage playing cat & mouse with Giant. Sticking and moving. He goes for the Sleeper. Big biel. This is only Giant’s 3rd competitive televised bout and he looks like a veteran. People talk about how quickly he picked this up. He looked confident in there. Savage gets the high knee to the back, but it all goes south on the bodyslam attempt. Tried to be a hero but came out a zero. Really good Giant heat segment with clubbing blows, bear hug. I liked the eye rake to cut off the Chokeslam by Savage. He tries to get something going with clotheslines but Giant cutoffs with a Backbreaker. Good work. There’s some cool spots that get as big of a pop as you expect like Giant press slamming Savage from THE FLOOR OVER THE TOP ROPE! Or how he misses the Top Rope Giant Splash! Excellent Transition to Macho Man Elbow Drop! Sullivan or Hart should have attacked here to protect Giant. Giant gets forceful kick out which makes him look like a million bucks. But if he is not going to win the title you’ve booked yourself into a corner. Giant dropkick and Chokeslam look cool BUT Savage cant kick out without hurting the Giant so youre left with the dumbass finish of Hogan RANDOMLY AND UNPROVOKED attacking Giant, Sullivan, Hart and refs with a chair. It really makes Macho Man look weak and it is just dumb. Have Hart or Sullivan interfere to at least justify Hogan’s save. Booking sucked but I liked the match. *** The Hogan and Savage relationship had been portrayed as the one rock solid one in WCW but Hogan’s jealousy and greed is getting the best of him and he wants the title. Macho Man is awesome in this promo and says Hogan gets the next crack after Flair and Starrcade Triangle winner. Ooooooo YEEEEAAHHHH

Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero - WCW Nitro 12/18/95 I am surprised Madusa throwing WWF Women’s Championship into the trash didnt make the Yearbook. Shocking at the time no doubt but ultimately inconsequential. Also Sgt. Craig Pittman comes out after this and asks Heenan to manage him but Heenan hem & haws about getting someone else to do it. I think that ends up going nowhere. These two have a longer Nitro match next year and a PPV match at Hog Wild, this is pretty short but sweet. I really enjoyed Eddie‘s shine. Some nice amateur riding sequences. Taking advantage of Flair’s showboating with a dropkicks. Then some uptempo fun with trips and slaps. Flair sells it well. Flair knocks him off the top rope to the floor. He jams his knee and Flair works it and then wins with the Figure-4 from Eddie getting pinned from the pain. I kinda like some of these unconventional anti-climatic finishes. Not every match should end in a comeback sometimes the heat segment should lead to a win. I dig it. *** After months of babyface dissension, we get a cool moment of heel dissension where Sullivan takes umbrage with Pillman mocking the Dungeon last week. Flair tries to placate him. Anderson says Fuck You. You got a problem with Pillman you got a problem with us. Heel dissension in a way is even rarer than babyface dissension. This really puts over how everyone is at everyone throats in WCW. I love this booking!!!

Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs Sting & Hulk Hogan - WCW Nitro 12/11/95 Nitro Recap: Eddie Guerrero vs JL serves as a backdrop to promote WCW vs New Japan at Starrcade. Best midcard match in quite some time on Nitro about 3 stars I’d say. Eddie gets the majority of the match as expected but Lynn gets a couple good spots as well. Orndorff takes some heat from Disco but beats him with lefts, the Boogie Woogie Elbow and a Saito Suplex. This is a backdrop from the brutal Horsemen beat down in Charlotte. Loose Canon gimmick is starting as Pillman just trashes a bunch of guys including Orndorff. Flair & Anderson have to clean up Pilllman’s mess. Spike Piledriver. Wonderful does the stretcher job. Orndorff comes back a little but ultimately doesn’t go anywhere. They are in Horsemen Country (Charlotte) so this is a great way to give the crowd some red meat to watch a classic Horsemen beat down. Pillman is the new Tully. The heat seeking firebrand and Flair & Double A will have to put out his fires. Luger was wicked over against Duggan. Duggan surprisingly takes most of the match but Luger clocks him from behind with a Forearm thanks to timely Mouth of the South distraction. He racks him up to a big pop. The reactions to Luger and Horsemen do not bode well for the Hulkster. Savage cuts one of his iconic promos one that I still quote to my project teams that I lead “How do you solve multiple problems? One at a time, one at a time, one at a time”. He has a loaded schedule Giant next week, Tenzan and then the winner of the Triangle match. Best Nitro in quite some time as the main event really delivers… A fan has a sign that says “The House Flair Built” and that is all you need to know as loud “Hogan Sucks” chants permeate the arena for the whole match and the post-match promo. Sting is still over so this is not a total pro-Horsemen crowd. The babyface shine is fun with Arn eating Press Slams from the Stinger and big rights from the Hulkster. The crowd wants to see the Nature Boy light up Hogan but they play it straight. Usual fun Hogan/Flair exchange loved the Flair Flip running into Sting boxing the ears. The transition to heat was really good. Sting had Anderson in the Scorpion Deathlock but relinquished when Flair came in and went to put him in but Arn dropped his ass with a DDT. Luger comes out and racks Hogan to a big pop. Awesome heat segment on Sting’s knee and big pop for the Figure-4, Sting be damned THIS IS FLAIR COUNTRY! Sting Press Slam! Flair holds onto his foot for dear life. Sting face buster and here comes the Hulkster. Spinebuster! NOPE! HULK-UP! You know the drill. Pillman and Luger attack. Sting fends them off. Macho Man out and Sting levels him but immediately regrets. Sting apologizes in the promo and Hogan is taking his side as the crowd chants Hogan Sucks! Savage says “I am the Master of Disaster of Overreacting, a fault I know” Savage was really on fire tonight and he accepts Sting’s apology. Still some dissension but I am enjoying these powwows immediately after the angle. The Nitro 6 (Hogan, Savage, Sting, Luger, Flair and Giant) are on fire. The booking is awesome and the characters are well-defined, charisma and heat is off the charts. Wicked fun classic Crockett match in front of a Crockett crowd. *** 1/2

Hell Yeah Brutha! Damn I would have paid good money to see that. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Macho Man Randy Savage vs Total Package Lex Luger - WCW Nitro 12/4/95 An extended Nitro by about 10 minutes looks like the overruns have started. I thought the first half was pretty skippable. Harlem Heat vs American Males was fine but nothing you have to see. It is funny how the Spinaroonie was so much bigger of a deal in WWE but was used so much better as a transition to Harlem Sidekick and the Harlem Hangover is always sick to see. Sting vs Kurosawa wicked short. Kurosawa worked the arm. Sting said not tonight brutha. Stinger Splash and Scorpion Deathlock. They hyped Scott Norton in action so I thought he get a win over Shark or Hugh Morris but then Giant came out. Weird they didn’t hype a Giant appearance as this is his lengthy match on Nitro. Giant big times Norton but Norton gets him up for an Atomic Drop to the big pop. Norton comes off top. Chokeslam. Over. Fun little hoss match. Flair is with Charles Barkley not much is said but cool as fuck. Savage vs Luger single handedly save the show and have a total hidden gem. These two have terrific chemistry. The Nitro matches of 95 far outshine the PPV matches of 95 so watch these bad boys. Significant departure from the Savage babyface formula. Savage starts out very aggressive, usual scrappy tenacious Pitbull dog energy from Savage. Luger weathers the storm and hits a clothesline. You think we are going into heat as is custom for babyface Savage. Nah nah. Savage catches Luger on the outside and back on attack with a top rope double axehandle. Luger gets the suplex. Heat Segment? Think again. Missed elbow drop by Luger. Savage works the arm?!? Savage has had a bad arm for months now so Everton expected his arm to get worked over not Luger’s. How many times do you get to see Savage work the arm. It is good to work. A mixture of holds and slamming the arm into hard metal objects. I wish there was a nice punctuation mark on this control segment with a near fall but otherwise great. I LOVED THE Transition! Luger sidesteps Savage who crashes and burns into guardrail! Luger sells his arm very well in his heat segment. Again it is solid work by Luger on Macho Man but I wish we got like a powerslam as a sort of punctuation mark before they transitioned to the finish stretch they used a head collision on rope running to level the plying field. Jimmy Hart took off the turnbuckle pad so of course Macho Man rams the Total Package’s head into the exposed buckle. The reeling Total Package wipes out the ref. Macho Man Elbow Drop! Flair it out COLD COCKS MACHO MAN with Knuckledusters. He puts the Package on top. Hogan says not on my watch. Kicks Flair’s ass and stops the ref from counting three and that gets the match thrown out. He is hauls off to clock Luger but hits Sting instead! GREAT BOOKING! The promo after is great pro wrestling theatre everyone is true to their character different motivations. Sting wants to straighten his friend out and wants the Mega Powers to cut him and Luger slack. Hogan and Macho rightfully dont trust Luger and you can see why they don’t trust Sting. Next weeks a big match tag match with Hogan/Sting Vs Horsemen they clear the air but definite dissension on the babyface side. Loved the match. Just missed two-three big moments to make truly great but this is a really good Lo-fi match. Love these two together. *** 3/4

Sting & Lex Luger vs Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman - WCW Nitro 11/27/95 Nitro Recap: First 2/3rds pretty skippable. DDP vs Badd was an angle. Whose side is Kimberly on? She threw the chain that DDP gave to her in the flowers to Badd who she came out with but we aren’t sure. Japanese women tag was a sloppy spot fest some good moves by the heels (Hokuto & Nakano), pretty much filled the spot that Luchadores would. Hugh Morris debuts for the Dungeon eats a loss to Hogan. He does a cool reverse clothesline off the buckles and his No Laughing Moonsault hits but triggers a Hulk Up to good amount of boos. Getting booed against a no name. Business picks up with the angle. Savage is the new World Champ. Hogan disputes this as the already eliminated Giant pulled him out by the bottom rope but the tape cuts out. Giants chokeslams Savage on the concrete in a cool angle. Hogan gets the better of the Giant with a steel chair. Good angle. Main Event. Is Sting on the dark side? Bischoff is unsure. Has Luger secretly seen the light? Sullivan and Jimmy are unsure. Pretty classic Mid-Atlantic match with a better finish would be good. AA Spinebuster on Sting and Luger saves. Babyface shine is so fun. Stereo Press Slams. Luger kicking ass and outsmarting the heels. Horsemen bumping and stooging. Stinger Splash! Luger throws Pillman off the top rope and “accidentally” missiles him into Sting as he has the Scorpion Death lock on. Great spot that fits the story. Good heel heat segment. Luger has enough and saves Sting. In melee, Sting pins Pillman randomly. Flair attacks the faces but Hogan saves and beats Flair back. Sting stops Hogan from beating up. Luger. Really good booking. The match felt incomplete and anti-climatic if they gave this 15 they could have something special. Better booking than a match.