[1992-04-16-NJPW-Explosion Tour: Top of the Super Juniors] Wild Pegasus vs 2 Cold Scorpio

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Another handheld match. This is a strong match. There are things about this that are better than SuperBrawl match, but I think I still like SuperBrawl better. But I think for the overall body of the match, this could be argued better. This is more traditional in terms of match build than Eddy/Casas, but it's also a better match. The finish here is weaker because it's not as well-timed and just happens as a rollup right in the middle of nearfall stretch. Again, I wish they could have had more time, but they did less than a year later.

[Tim Evans]

I'm surprised this was more of a lucha match than the match with the luchadors. Scorpio looked real good and I can see why WCW signed him.

[shoe]

This was pretty awesome with just a total melting pot of styles on display. We saw some lucha stuff, Stampede realism, some NJ style, and some European influences. Just a real hot match. Both guys meshed so well together. We get another 5 or so minutes we might have a MOTY contender on are hands.

[Kevin Ridge]

Really liked this match. Felt like it was all action. Scorpio had crazy agility for someone his size. Crowd got really into towards end. Did feel like the finish came fast but still enjoyed match.

[MikeCampbell]

This was crazy amounts of fun, Benoit and Scorpio looked like they were made for each other at this point. I especially liked the tombstone spot toward the end, it looked like Benoit drilled him, but it was clear that he protecting Scorpio the whole way. The finish took the wind out of their sales a bit, but it was far from bad.

[WingedEagle]

This felt like a high octane exhibition. Scorpio looked like a stud here, which was often the case for him against Benoit and especially during this period. Really nice roll through sequence for the pin.

 

*** 1/4

[PeteF3]

Awesome match that, as mentioned, had everything in it. The technical stuff at the beginning was legitimately great and they built up to the highspots, and executed them, perfectly. Scorpio is a guy who should have gone way, way farther than he did. He got signed by the WWF at maybe the worst possible time considering what WCW was doing when he jumped.

[garretta]

This match was action from end-to-end, almost like these two were on fast-forward. Count me among those who wanted more time to let things breathe just a bit, but kudos to Benoit and Scorpio for their ability to go out and deliver what the situation demanded.

 

I liked Benoit sporting the retro British Bulldogs tights circa 1985 WWF. Didn't he belong to some kind of Calgary group called the Calgary Bulldogs that those tights may have been a tribute to?

 

On another Benoit note, why did New Japan still call him Wild Pegasus or The Pegasus Kid when he'd lost his mask in mid-1991? Was it Chris's decision to keep going by that name?

[Loss]

Pegasus Kid = with mask

Wild Pegasus = without mask

[garretta]

Thanks for the info, Loss!

[dawho5]

This was better than Eddie/Casas, yes.  I thought there were a few miscommunications that they recovered from really well.  What was the crowd laughing about in the early going?  They really ramped this up towards the end with the big dives and near-falls.  Finish was kind of anti-climactic, but you need roll-up finishes in sequences like that.  Otherwise what is the point of using them as near-falls?  Both guys did look great and I really like this matchup.