[1992-04-23-NJPW-Explosion Tour: Top of the Super Juniors] Fit Finlay vs El Samurai

[NintendoLogic]

This was Matt D's Secret Santo pick. The Youtube link lists the date as 5/23, but that can't be right since this is a TOSJ match and the very famous Liger/Samurai final takes place on 4/30. Anyway, there's nothing too fancy here, just straightforward smashmouth wrestling. From Finlay, we get snug headlocks, stiff elbows, and some incongruous flying offense. From Samurai, we get some leg work (that Finlay completely blows off) and surprisingly decent punches. My favorite Finlay spot is the one where he lifts his opponent up by the hair (or mask in this case) and slams him sternum-first into the apron. There were audible gasps from the audience when he busted it out here. The end comes when Finlay misses a splash from the top rope and Samurai gets the pin with a Japanese leg roll clutch. This wasn't a barnburner by any means, but it is an interesting look at Finlay pretty much on autopilot.