[1995-09-23-NJPW] Wild Pegasus vs Lord Steven Regal

[Superstar Sleeze]

Wild Pegasus vs Lord Steven Regal - NJPW 9/23/95

A skill vs will match. That is not to say Benoit does not have mat skills or Regal did not have the will to win BUT it was Regal’s mat skills that allowed him to press his advantage and it was Benoit’s rabid wolverine tenacity that kept him in it. I was surprised this match happened in Japan as there was a rather strict hierarchy between heavyweights and juniors. I don’t know why it was apparent to me in this match but how much bigger Regal was both height and width than Benoit. That size advantage also played a role in Regal’s strategy but also in the story of Benoit’s pugnacity overcoming the size disadvantage.

I am very much a narrative driven fan of pro wrestling. This is my favorite type of wrestling that is not narrative driven. It is very much a BattlArts ground based match. Both wrestlers especially Regal would have excelled in BatBat. Even for Benoit, having him work the mat for 12 minutes is unique. I would argue he looks better than Bret would in this setting. What keeps this compelling without the trappings of hooks and plot points is how much struggle and competitive it all is. I had the pleasure of watching Thatcher and Gulak do their thing in Lowell in October of this year thats what this was. There’s not as much to review from a beat to beat but is sporting competitive feel that wrestling promoters claim they are presenting and wrestling fans claim they want but so rarely do we actually get. As a fan of character-based and narrative-driven pro wrestling, I’d only want see one or two matches like this a card not every match.

The grappling was really high quality. So much struggle and urgency. The short palm strikes by Regal. The desperation he held onto wrist control from Benoit’s counters. Benoit really cool entry into the Short Arn Scissors. It is a very Lo-fi match and I’d argue there are no high spots for about 12 minutes. Benoit flips Regal over the top on a monkey flip exchange. Benoit draws blood from Regal’s ear bashing it against the post. The chops and the Headbutts to the ear ensue. We get some high impact suplexes the swan dive Headbutt. Great Regal selling of the ear but is it great selling if it hurts? 1995 Benoit loved the Tombstone but only two. Regal sits down on tops rope sunset flip anti-climatic for most matches but perfect for this Lo-fi classic.

A very cool unique match that really gets better with the blood. If it wasn’t for Benoit I’d give it a fullthroated recommendation but if you can stomach Benoit and love Lo-fi BatBat check this out. **** 1/4