WAR SUPER J CUP SECOND STAGE 12/13/95

Running Time: 4 hours

This event, held at the Sumo Hall before a sellout crowd of 11,500, is one of the greatest shows in wrestling history from a pure match quality standpoint. The WAR promotion was able to repeat the success of the first Super J Cup that New Japan held on 4/16/94. Tons of great matches and the creation of a new superstar (Gedo) along with the puroresu debuts of Rey Misterio Jr. & Psicosis made this one of the most significant cards of 1995.

Like the first J Cup, the event began with an opening ceremony/segment in which all tournament entrants were introduced.

FIRST ROUND
1) Damien (WAR) vs Gran Naniwa (Michinoku Pro)
They did some entertaining comedy early on including Naniwa posing like Hulk Hogan. Damien imitated many other prominent wrestlers and their moves like the Choshu lariat, scorpion leglock, Tenryu chops, Koshinaka hip attack & Shinzaki’s rope walk spot. They traded dives with Damien hitting a tope suicida and Naniwa hitting a plancha. Damien hit Naniwa with Misawa-like elbows and a comical roaring elbow that landed more like a lariat. Damien missed a moonsault and Naniwa gave him a huracanrana for the pin at 6:36. Tons of comedy, but good action content as well. A fun opener. **1/2

2) Shinjiro Otani (NJPW) vs Masaaki Mochizuki (WAR)
Mochizuki started out fast with a spin kick and several knee strikes amidst great heat. Mochizuki applied a leglock but Otani countered like crazy and applied one of his own. Otani won a super exchange of kicks and slaps with a savate kick. Otani briefly worked on Mochizuki’s leg. Mochizuki gained a near fall with a German suplex. Otani caught Mochizuki and applied a Fujiwara armbar. Mochizuki hit a second rope tornado kick for a great near fall. Otani hit a top rope dropkick to Mochizuki’s knee and made him submit at 4:02 with a leglock. A short but great match and believable offense with super intensity and heat. ***1/4

3) Shoichi Funaki (Michinoku Pro/PWFG) vs Ultimo Dragon (WAR)
They had some nice fast-paced action early on. Funaki looked good doing a combination of high flying and submission offense. Funaki hit a tope early. Both men chipped in solid matwork, including Funaki who briefly dominated Dragon on the mat. Dragon botched a huracanrana but hit an in-ring quebrada for a near fall. Funaki gained near falls with a back suplex and a fisherman suplex. Dragon hit a fisherman buster and a top rope huracanrana. Dragon moonsaulted Funaki and pinned him with la magistral at 6:52. Very good work except for the one botched spot by Dragon. **3/4

4) Masayoshi Motegi (Wrestle Yume Factory) vs Gedo (WAR)
Motegi hit a tope suicida early on. Motegi dominated Gedo early and worked on his arm. Motegi hit a tilt-a-whirl headscissors at 4:08 and followed up with a tope. Motegi gained a near fall with a brainbuster. Gedo finally fought back with a second rope dropkick but then missed a top rope headbutt. Motegi gained a near fall with a 3-locomotion German suplex. Motegi missed a top rope headbutt and Gedo made him submit with the WAR special at 6:56. Nothing spectacular but a fine match overall. **1/2

5) El Samurai (NJPW) vs Dos Caras (WAR/EMLL)
Caras looked strong dominating Samurai with all kinds of unique and freaky mat moves. He used a Romero special on Samurai and hit him with his and his brother’s trademark flying headbutt. Caras hit a tope suicida on Samurai. Caras used a combination of an inverted standing figure 4 leglock and an inverted full nelson in a crazy submission spot. Caras gained a couple near falls amidst great heat. Samurai gained a near fall with a powerbomb and another with a top rope huracanrana. Samurai missed a top rope headbutt and Caras pinned him at 7:01 after a flying bodypress. Unbelievable, unique matwork by Caras made this great. ***1/2

6) Chris Jericho (WAR) vs Hanzo Nakajima (Michinoku Pro)
They started with good, fast action. Nakajima gained a near fall with a somersault splash and another with an in-ring quebrada. Jericho gained a near fall with a spinning savate kick. Nakajima gained a near fall with a huracanrana. He knocked Jericho out of the ring with a spinning kick and hit a tope suicida. Jericho dropkicked Nakajima with both standing on the top rope, sending Nakajima to ringside. Jericho hit a plancha on Nakajima. Nakajima rolled up Jericho for a near fall but Jericho countered a flying bodypress for a near fall of his own. Jericho hit a brainbuster and a lionsault for the pin at 6:48. Another good match. **1/2

QUARTERFINALS
7) Gran Naniwa vs Jushin Liger (NJPW)
Naniwa attacked Liger before the bell and hit a top rope huracanrana and a plancha for a huge pop. Naniwa hit a top rope missile dropkick and a doctor bomb for a heated near fall. Naniwa gained a near fall with a huracanrana but Liger fought back with a powerbomb and a released German suplex. Liger and Naniwa traded some very good mat offense. Naniwa hit a somersault dive off the apron to the floor. Naniwa gained a near fall after a top rope splash and another after a top rope huracanrana. He gave Liger his spinning doctor bomb for a heated near fall. Liger gave Naniwa a koppo kick and a second one in the corner. Liger gained a near fall on Naniwa after a top rope elbow. Naniwa countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana for a great near fall. Liger gave Naniwa a brainbuster and pinned him at 9:13. A super, nearly flawless match with Naniwa turning in one of his better efforts. ***3/4

8) Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit (NJPW)
They traded solid but basic offense to start with Benoit looking as sharp as usual. Jericho dominated Benoit, gaining a near fall with a slingshot splash. Benoit fought back with a back suplex and a snap suplex for a near fall. Jericho gained a near fall with a senton but then missed a moonsault bodyblock. Both men traded slingshots on the top rope. Jericho top rope dropkicked Benoit off the apron to the floor and hit a second rope moonsault from inside the ring to the floor. Jericho went for a back suplex but Benoit fell on top of him for a near fall. Benoit gained a near fall after a powerbomb as heat picked up. Benoit dragon suplexed Jericho for a great near fall. He missed a top rope headbutt and Jericho gained a near fall. Jericho gained a near fall with a standing tiger driver. Benoit back suplexed Jericho out of the ring to the floor and followed up with a tope suicida. Jericho gained a near fall with a tiger suplex. Jericho missed a lionsault but landed on his feet and gave Benoit a huracanrana for a near fall. Jericho hit a lionsault and rolled up Benoit for a near fall. Jericho went for a top rope huracanrana but Benoit countered and gave Jericho a second rope tombstone piledriver for the pin at 13:43. Excellent match that showcased both men’s strengths. ****1/4

9) Ultimo Dragon vs Shinjiro Otani
Otani sidestepped a Dragon tope early and dropkicked him off the apron & hit a springboard plancha. Otani followed up with his swan dive on Dragon. Dragon dropkicked Otani to the floor and hit his Asai moonsault. They traded offense on the mat for a couple minutes. Otani gained a near fall with a dropkick. Dragon briefly dominated Otani on the mat. Otani fought back with a suplex and a spinning savate kick. Otani and Dragon both no-sold tombstone piledrivers on each other. Otani went for a flying bodypress but Dragon dropkicked him in mid-air for a near fall. Dragon gained a near fall with a top rope huracanrana. Otani countered a Dragon powerbomb with a huracanrana for a heated near fall. Otani gained a near fall with a huracanrana but Dragon caught Otani and rolled him up for a near fall of his own. Dragon sidestepped an Otani springboard dropkick and gained a great near fall with la magistral. Otani hit a springboard missile dropkick and gained a dramatic near fall with a dragon suplex. Dragon gained a near fall with a Liger bomb and another with a fisherman buster. They both went for spin kicks but missed. Dragon missed a corkscrew moonsault but recovered and pinned Otani at 13:30 with la magistral. Would have been a classic match if not for the botched moonsault at the end, although it was still a super match. ****1/4

10) Gedo vs Dos Caras
Caras really outclassed Gedo on the mat early including using a version of the Romero special. Caras hit Gedo with his flying headbutt. Caras turned a victory roll into a sideways cross-leglock type move. He then applied a standing figure 4 leglock and a sharpshooter on Gedo. Caras gained a near fall with a powerslam. Gedo finally fought back with a dropkick to the knees. Gedo then unlaced Caras’s mask and actually tried to remove it. Caras powerbombed Gedo for a near fall. Caras gave Gedo a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and went to pin him with a flying bodypress but Gedo pulled his mask off. Caras lashed into Gedo but Gedo hit him with a low blow and rolled him up for the pin at 8:54. Again, amazing matwork by Caras and strong drama at the end. Very good match. ***1/4

SEMIFINALS
11) Jushin Liger vs Ultimo Dragon
They did good, solid matwork to start with both men trading the advantage often. They also traded tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. Liger dominated Dragon on the ground for a couple minutes. Both men popped the crowd with a fast exchange of offense. Liger dropkicked Dragon’s knee 3 times and hit a released German suplex. Liger applied a figure 4 leglock on Dragon. Dragon escaped and applied a sharpshooter. Dragon hit a handspring elbow and a fisherman suplex. He applied a figure 4 leglock on Liger at the 10 minute mark. Dragon knocked Liger out of the ring and hit a tope suicida in the corner. Dragon then hit a somersault plancha. Dragon gained a near fall with a powerbomb and a more heated near fall with a dragon suplex. Liger catapulted Dragon out of the ring and did a somersault dive off the apron. Liger gained a near fall with a powerbomb and another with a brainbuster. Liger hit a top rope headbutt for a near fall as heat picked up. Liger reversed a Dragon victory roll for a near fall. Dragon gained a near fall with a northern lights suplex. Liger scored with a koppo kick in the corner. Dragon countered a Liger top rope fisherman buster and gained a super near fall with la magistral. Dragon hit an in-ring quebrada but missed a moonsault. Liger hit a liger bomb for a great near fall. Dragon went for la magistral but Liger blocked it and gained the pin at 17:19 in a neat finish. Not as spectacular as Dragon-Otani, but better execution at times and also with a super closing stretch. ****1/4

12) Chris Benoit vs Gedo
Benoit started out with an unusual degree of intensity and gained early near falls with a back suplex and a German suplex. Benoit gained another near fall with a top rope superplex on Gedo. Gedo fought back at 3:37 with a German suplex. He applied a version of the WAR special on Benoit. Gedo hit a spinning huracanrana out of the corner and followed up with a tope suicida but actually did more damage on himself with that dive than on Benoit. Benoit suplexed Gedo onto a ringside table. Benoit gained a near fall with a top rope huracanrana and another with a German suplex. Benoit hit another German suplex for a near fall. Gedo attempted a top rope splash but crashed onto Benoit’s outstretched knees. Benoit gained a near fall after a lariat and a heated near fall with a powerbomb. Benoit dragon suplexed Gedo for a near fall but missed a top rope headbutt. Gedo countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana for a great near fall. Gedo hit a brainbuster and a top rope headbutt for the upset pin at 9:20. A phenomenal match due to Benoit being at his very best. Gedo kept up with him as well. ***3/4

Special Match
13) Rey Misterio Jr. vs Psicosis
This was an incredible spotfest. Although the psychology was somewhat lacking, most moves had a logical timing to them and almost everything was well-executed. In the first couple minutes they did some of their simpler in-ring sequences. However, the breathtaking moves quickly followed. Psicosis chipped in with his suicide dive over the top rope. He also took a great bump when he ran across the apron, Misterio lifted him into the air with his feet, and Psicosis crashed head-first on the ringpost. Most of all, this became the Rey Misterio Jr. show. He chipped in a superquebrada off the top rope and the most breathtaking springboard somersault plancha you will ever see. However, Misterio truly brought the house down when he nailed Psicosis, who was on the arena floor, with a TOP ROPE SPINNING HURACANRANA! If Misterio had slipped or Psicosis not properly caught him, Misterio would have had a broken neck and fractured skull. Psicosis attempted a splash mountain, but Misterio countered it with a huracanrana for a near fall. Misterio attempted a top rope huracanrana, but Psicosis blocked it. Misterio delivered on the second attempt and hit another huracanrana, this one the standard version, for the pin at 9:35. I can't imagine a match of this length being any greater. ****1/2 (***** in terms of spots)

SUPER J CUP 2ND STAGE FINAL
14) Jushin Liger vs Gedo
Liger dominated Gedo on the mat early on as one would expect. Liger mainly focused his attack on Gedo’s arm, including using a Fujiwara armbar. Liger applied a crossface chicken wing and then a cross armbreaker. Liger tombstoned Gedo and reapplied the chicken wing. Gedo escaped by kicking Liger before the belt. Liger charged to the corner but Gedo superkicked him. Gedo knocked Liger out of the ring and hit an Orihara moonsault. Gedo powerbombed Liger and hit a top rope headbutt for a near fall. Gedo applied the WAR special as heat picked up. Liger hit a koppo kick in the corner and hit a second one with Gedo trapped in the ropes. Liger went for a plancha but Gedo dropkicked him in mid-air. They clotheslined each other at 12:06 and heat picked up again. Liger attempted a German suplex but Gedo landed on his feet and gave Liger a huracanrana for a near fall. Liger caught Gedo and gained a dramatic near fall with a fisherman buster. Liger gained another near fall with a Liger bomb. Gedo hit a brainbuster and rolled up Liger for a heated near fall. Liger fought back with a DDT for a near fall. Liger hit a top rope fisherman buster and pinned Gedo at 15:47 to win the tournament. The first half was solid, but the second half was super. Again Liger did a great job carrying Gedo while Gedo followed his lead. Not the best match of the show, but a fitting and worthy final. ****

Without question this is a must-see tape for just about every fan of great quality wrestling. Even those who aren’t juniors enthusiasts would enjoy this tape as literally every match was good, most were great, and several were fantastic. One of the ten greatest events in wrestling history.

BACK TO MY VIDEO REVIEWS MENU
HOME