New Japan Pro Wrestling
Super Grade Tag League IV: Super Junior Tag League

Time: 2 hours

Every fall since 1991, New Japan had put on a tag team tournament similar to All Japan's Real World Tag League. However, they decided to take the concept one step further in 1994 and do such a tournament just for the juniors division. This was a logical yet surprising move coming off a monumental Super J Cup event and a successful Super Junior tournament in June. This tournament ran for ten consecutive nights, and sold out almost every house it played out in, an unprecedented sign of popularity for the junior heavyweight division. While a couple teamings didn't make too much sense, and a couple other teams obviously had no chance of winning, all eight teams were at least good working teams, while the two finalists were almost dream pairings.

The result from a workrate standpoint was fantastic. This tape didn't come close to matching the quality of the first Super J Cup, but was very good from start to finish. The tape featured seven matches, five of which were shown in their entirety. None of the seven matches were or appeared to be any worse than ***. The final match pairing was somewhat predictable, at least from a talent standpoint, but it was an appropriate conclusion to one of the best tournaments in wrestling history.

The tape opened with opening clips spotlighting the 8 teams in the tournament.

October 9, 1994
Match 1: Dean Malenko & Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs Yuki Ishikawa & Shoichi Funaki

All four did some nice matwork in the early minutes. Funaki held his own against both opponents but Ishizawa got the better of him. Ishizawa used rough tactics on occasion. Malenko worked on Funaki's left leg as did Ishizawa. Ishizawa won a slapfest against Ishikawa. Ishikawa countered a Malenko German suplex into a neat leglock submission hold. Funaki gained a near fall on Malenko with a German suplex. Malenko gave Funaki a tiger driver and made him submit at 8:10 with the Texas cloverleaf. Good mat wrestling and the match never dragged. ***

Match 2: El Samurai & Too Cold Scorpio vs Kamikaze & Masayoshi Motegi

Samurai looked sharp early on trading offense with Motegi. Scorpio and Kamikaze had a decent athletic exchange, although nothing special. Samurai dominated Kamikaze, gaining a near fall with a powerbomb. Scorpio gained a near fall on Kamikaze after a Vader bomb. Kamikaze and Motegi got the better of Samurai with solid but unspectacular offense. Scorpio gained a near fall on Motegi after a standing moonsault. Kamikaze and Samurai exchanged near falls. Motegi hit Samurai with a tope suicida, but Scorpio then hit Motegi with a Psicosis-like tope suicida. Kamikaze followed with a somersault plancha on Scorpio. Motegi gained a near fall on Samurai with two German suplexes. Scorpio gained a near fall on Kamikaze after a moonsault, then finished him off at 13:42 with a 450 splash. Good match with some great moments. ***

Match 3: Taka Michinoku & Super Delfin vs Gran Hamada & Norio Honaga

Taka looked sharp early on against Honaga. Hamada briefly dominated Taka before Delfin tagged in. Honaga got the better of Delfin but lost his momentum as the pace quickened. Taka and Hamada had a nice exchange of offense. Hamada won a stiff exchange of blows against Taka. Taka gained a near fall on Honaga with a German suplex. Delfin and Taka double-teamed Honaga in heelish fashion. Delfin missed a tope on Honaga, Taka missed a springboard plancha, Honaga missed a tope on Delfin, and Delfin finally hit a plancha on Honaga. Hamada gained a near fall on Taka with a powerbomb. Hamada pinned Taka at 13:38 after a back suplex. A very good match, but without a dramatic closing stretch. ***1/4

Match 4: Great Sasuke & Black Tiger vs Chris Benoit & Shinjiro Otani

Benoit and Tiger had their typical first-rate exchange of offense to start the match. Benoit and Otani briefly got the better of Sasuke. Sasuke and Otani had an exchange of offense that highlighted their two different styles. Benoit gained a near fall on Sasuke with a German suplex and another with a high angle powerbomb. Otani gave Sasuke a spin kick and a tombstone piledriver for a near fall. Benoit gave Sasuke a back superplex for a near fall. Otani gained a near fall on Sasuke with a powerbomb. Otani superkicked Sasuke and Benoit German suplexed him for a great near fall amidst strong heat. Benoit suplexed Tiger out of the ring. Otani top rope dropkicked Sasuke as Benoit German suplexed him in a phenominal spot for a near fall. After a series of counters, Sasuke rolled up Benoit and scored the pin at 13:11. The first 10:00 were very good, and the last three were fantastic. ****

The video recapped results from the remainder of the round-robin portion of the tournament.

October 18, 1994 Semifinals
Match 5: Dean Malenko & Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs Chris Benoit & Shinjiro Otani

Malenko double arm suplexed Otani for a near fall. Benoit gained a near fall on Malenko with a German suplex. Malenko knocked Benoit off the top rope with a dropkick to his left knee. Malenko gave Benoit a tiger driver and went to apply the Texas cloverleaf but Otani intercepted him with a sunset flip. Malenko applied the cloverleaf on Otani. Ishizawa hit a released German suplex on Otani and gave him a rolling cradle into a leglock. Otani countered and trapped Ishizawa in a pinning position for the 3 count. 4:08 of this match aired. This looked like a very good match, maybe ***1/2.

Match 6: Gran Hamada & Norio Honaga vs Great Sasuke & Black Tiger

Hamada and Sasuke traded offense in fluid fashion. Tiger hit his somersault senton on Hamada, and Sasuke followed up with one of his own. Tiger outfought Honaga in a fast paced lucha exchange. Hamada won a nice lucha exchange with Tiger. Tiger gained a near fall on Hamada with a powerbomb. Hamada countered a Tiger powerbomb with an armdrag and hit him with a tope. Honaga attacked Sasuke's leg and applied a figure 4 leglock. Tiger gained a near fall on Hamada with a top rope huracanrana. Sasuke hit a tope on Honaga as Hamada back suplexed Tiger for a near fall. Sasuke sidestepped a Honaga tope. Hamada gave Tiger a huracanrana but Tiger rolled through and pinned him. 9:08 of this match was shown. Another very good match in the ***1/2 range.

Interviews with both final teams aired.

SG Super Junior Tag League Final
Match 7: Chris Benoit & Shinjiro Otani vs Great Sasuke & Black Tiger

A textbook New Japan juniors match in which all four were at the top of their game. The action began before the bell. Tiger used a chair on Benoit outside the ring and then hit Otani with the chair, He and Sasuke gave Otani a suplex/flying bodypress combination for an early near fall. Sasuke and Tiger then hit successive somersault sentons on Otani. Tiger gained a near fall on Otani with a brainbuster that popped the crowd. Tiger and Otani had a fast exchange ending with a Tiger lariat. Otani finally turned the tables with a spin kick and moments later hit Tiger with a great springboard plancha. The two teams traded the advantage for the next couple minutes. Sasuke and Otani traded near falls and ignited the crowd with their quick offense. Benoit gave Sasuke a northern lights suplex for a near fall and gained another near fall with a powerbomb. Benoit hoisted Sasuke on his shoulders and Otani gave him a top rope dropkick. Otani then German suplexed Sasuke for a near fall. They traded armbar submission holds but Otani continued to dominate Sasuke. Tiger hit his frog splash on Otani at 10:14 to gain a near fall. He gained subsequent near falls on Otani with a fallaway slam and a top rope huracanrana before locking him in a Gory special. Sasuke and Otani exchanged leglocks. Benoit gave Sasuke a top rope superplex for a near fall. Benoit gained another near fall with a dragon suplex. Sasuke dropkicked Benoit out of the ring and then gave him a spectacular top rope plancha over the ringpost. Back in the ring Sasuke missed a moonsault and Benoit powerbombed him for a near fall. Benoit attempted a back superplex but Sasuke fell on top of him and gained a heated near fall. Tiger gave Benoit a huracanrana off the top rope for a near fall and gained a subsequent near fall with a brainbuster. Benoit dragon suplexed Tiger for a near fall. Tiger gained a near fall on Otani with a powerbomb and another near fall with his BT bomb. Benoit suplexed Sasuke out of the ring as Tiger tornado DDTd Otani for a near fall. Sasuke attempted an Asai moonsault but Benoit sidestepped him. After a botched double-team spot with Benoit, Otani gave Tiger a dragon suplex for the pin at 18:14 to win the tournament. Excellent booking in giving the youngster Otani the high-profile win. Outstanding action from bell to bell. ****1/2

They showed the closing celebration with all the teams including comments from Benoit and Otani. Overall a very well-presented tape and one that I highly recommend for all pro wrestling fans. This tape accurately shows how great the juniors scene was in New Japan and puroresu in general back in 1994.

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