[1995-11-18-WCW-Pro] Jushin Liger vs Barry Houston

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Former WCW board member Kensuke Ishikawa has suddenly become evil Japanese businessman Sonny Onoo. Ugh, I forgot how terrible the whole New Japan storyline was. I also forgot how annoying the Worldwide/Pro crowds were. Liger is doing all these amazing highspots and is getting booed. Houston gets in some nice moves himself. He's far from a complete wrestler, but he has some really fun highspots. Northern Lights suplex on the arena floor, and a knucklelock into a bridge! Liger finally finishes him off with a brainbuster. About as good as a match this short in front of this crowd can be. I love that Liger takes the booing in stride and starts heeling on the crowd. They still suck, though.

[Ditch]

THEM JAPS ATTACKED US AT PEARL HARBOR DAMMIT!!!

[Loss]

Oh, this wasn't that. This was WCW holding up cue cards for the audience, who make tons of noise but have no idea why they are.

[FLIK]

So is this some great hidden gem or just on here because of the angle surrounding it?

[Loss]

This has a rep. Dean raved about it in an old DVDVR and it came up in the recommendations thread too.

[Tim Evans]

I was wondering why this was on here but then Houston busts out a keylock suplex and a crazy dive that sends Liger into the crowd. This was a hidden gem for sure even though it's a short match.

[PeteF3]

This storyline made no sense whatsoever--Bobby Heenan sells "half" of WCW Pro--a show he doesn't even host, not that that should enable him to sell it anyway--to Sonny Onoo as part of a calculated Japanese takeover of WCW. I think the hysteria over Japanese business interests taking over the U.S. economy was a few years out of date by this point, but whatever. Chris Cruise also breaks the news that Kensuke Sasaki has beaten Sting for the U.S. title.

 

Onoo on commentary will have you SCREAMING for the dulcet subtlety of Steve McMichael. He even says, "So sorry!" at one point--there are 1940's cartoons with more dignified portrayals of the Japanese than this. Houston unleashes a bridging knucklelock suplex, an Asai moonsault, and a Northern Lights suplex on the floor before Liger murders him with a fisherman buster. Fun squash. Cruise: "This is perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life." Preach it, Crispy. Onoo: "Your SHORT life." The HELL??