[1995-07-13-NJPW-BOSJ] Wild Pegasus vs Shinjiro Ohtani

[Superstar Sleeze]

Wild Pegasus vs Shinjiro Ohtani - NJPW 7/13/95 BOSJ 95 Finals

I can see why this got left off the yearbook even though it is a pretty high profile match on paper for the Best of the Super Juniors Finals. A surprisingly tepid affair. 

Very symmetrical match. Loved each doing the knuckle lock bridge spot and kicking out the opponents leg. Toeholds. Ohtani got a dropkick and a springboard splash to outside then figure 4 the head. Pegasus hit two high impact duplexes then figure-4 the head. Very symmetrical. Ohtani invented Vaquer’s Bouncy Bouncy 30 years ago but didn’t get the same reaction I wonder why :p.

Back to the match, there was no sense of progression or urgency. No desire to win. No semblance of strategy. Just working in and out of holds. Ohtani was late on a couple of his kick outs. We got a Liontamer from Benoit and of course one of his Mutha Of All Powerbombs! Excellent Powerbomber! The best part of the match was when Benoit crashed and burned on the Top Rope Diving Headbutt and that led to Ohtani rattling off a German, his patented Springboard Dropkick to the back of the head followed by a Dragon Suplex! That missed move had consequences and progressed the match. Then Benoit hit Alabama Slamma like nothing happened. Oh well. Middle Rope Tombstone by Benoit was a cool finish in this tourney.

I’ll give it *** the work was solid but uninspired. The execution was there but they needed more character work and urgency, make me feel like you want to win.

As an aside watched Raquel vs Vaquer live last night in Boston, I loved how Raquel stuffed a lot of her typical offense like the telegraphed Bouncy Bouncy. When Raquel missed her corkscrew elbow, Vaquer wrapped her into Bouncy Bouncy with urgency. Raquel is putting together quite the run this year.