[1991-04-28-NJPW-Explosion Tour: Top of the Super Juniors] Jushin Liger vs Owen Hart

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Childs]

This felt like a clear step up from their 1990 match. They still did the flashy stuff, but they worked a lot harder when going for basic holds and fighting for ring position. As a result, this felt like a contest more than an exhibition.

[shoe]

This totally feels like a match and not an exhibition. The work on the mat was done with purpose. Owen really does some nasty arm work to Liger here. Both guys worked hard and we got a good match .

[Loss]

Yes, this was definitely a big step up from their 1990 match. I really liked the opening matwork, and this felt a lot more like the NJ junior matches we'd get later in the decade. Owen acted more like a wrestler than he has so far in the decade here, although he still has a tendency to flip just because he can, not always because it makes sense to flip within the match. Liger's finishing top rope DDT looked absolutely brutal!

[PeteF3]

The opening had a lot of the same exhibitiony problems their 1990 match had, but then we got Ole Hart and Jushin Anderson tearing each other's arms apart and I got more into this. This was still indieriffic, both at the beginning and the 2.9 ending, but a decent little match.

[Kevin Ridge]

Owen takes a suplex to the floor on his butt. Hart works over the arm early moving through submissions. He gets a crossface chickenwing on briefly but moving off to armbar. Liger runs through his own submissions and then we go right to the flying moves. Liger’s top rope DDT is awesome. Much better than their 90 match.

[soup23]

Very good junior action. Arm work was pretty fun and nifty and I didn't think that the ending was too kick out heavy. Only real spot that annoyed me was Owen doing a back flip instead of just running over LIger on a rope running spot. Big improvement and really felt like the junior matches we still even see today.

[Zenjo]

I found an old review of mine from a decade ago when I thought this was a MOTYC. Forgive me, for I was young.

 

As I've said in other threads the Junior style doesn't hold up. This was a good match, simple as that. The action was impressive athletically as both were strong aerialists. Owen fitted into the division very well. Some mildly diverting but meaningless matwork. Nice finish as Liger nails him with a top rope DDT. That could be dangerous if you landed wrong.

[garretta]

There was a lot to like here. The arm work by both guys was tremendous and not something that was expected in junior matches at the time. I thought Own showed just the right amount of aggression without heeling himself, and Liger responded in kind. Of course, Liger's top-rope DDT was absolutely brutal, and probably the best version not used by Jake Roberts. Liger definitely looked like he could go hold for hold with Owen on the mat, and the aerial moves we got to see reminded us that both of these guys could work that style as well as anyone..

 

I wouldn't exactly call this a Match of the Year candidate, but it was certainly above average. I'd pay to see these two go at it again,

[dawho5]

As juniors matches go, this is one of the better ones I've seen. That finish was just all sorts of brutal.

[superkix]

Having not seen a lot of Owen Hart in Japan, he comes off as a good fit and a natural heel, shooting off a slap early on. After some of that early 1990's junior chain rasslin', Liger teases some matwork before Owen takes over on offense. I guess I never realized Owen was such a suplex machine, but he busts out plenty of pretty ones here, including a gutwrench, a German, a belly-to-belly, and a double arm. After Liger no sells a tombstone piledriver, he hits a superplex and the Liger Bomb for three. A cool exhibition and showcase for Owen, who took most of this match, aside from a last minute win by Liger. I'd love to see more of Owen in Japan.

[cactus]

Owen goes for Liger's arm and works on it until it's time to go home. The final five minutes are a fantastic finishing stretch that leaves you guessing which way things are going to go. With the exception of Owen's limbwork, you can take or leave the first half of the match as it feels inconsequential, but the last half of the match is the reason why this is held in such high regard.  

★★★★