[1995-07-13-NJPW-BOSJ] Wild Pegasus vs Black Tiger

[Superstar Sleeze]

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