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[1993-06-14-NJPW-Explosion Tour] Wild Pegasus vs El Samurai


Loss

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  • 2 months later...

This is a match that really should be talked about way more than it is. I know the talk has come up recently about Benoit's signature match. His career had different phases, so I'm not sure that this qualifies, BUT I would say the only Benoit match that I could safely put ahead of this is the Eddy match from '96. It's pretty typical as far as NJ juniors match structure goes, but it's executed extremely well. In other words, not a revolutionary match layout, but they pushed that match structure about as far as it could go at this point.

 

It's not going to compare to a match like Liger/Samurai or Liger/Sano, which in addition to having great wrestling, is super heated as well. This is more just the best possible throwaway juniors match. The finish is a wild one, with Benoit powerbombing Samurai off the top rope.

 

I also think El Samurai is the best "good hand" in wrestling history. He's not going to blaze any trails on his own, but he can keep up with anyone in the ring. He has also given so many guys their best matches or at least one of their 2 or 3 best matches -- Liger, Otani, Benoit, Ultimo -- that it's impossible to ignore that.

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  • 1 year later...

I had never seen this match despite hearing a lot about it years ago online when the NJPW juniors were the hot flavour. I thought it was exceptionally good, Samurai has shown a lot between this and the excellent Dragon match earlier in the year, and is kind of looking like the unsung great worker of the juniors of the era (not to say he wasn't thought of highly, but he seemed to be held in a lower regard compared to Liger, Benoit, Ohtani etc). The way that the match was layed out seemed more US style to me, and it really worked. Benoit as always had super crisp execution on everything, and Samurai sold like a champ for him. I liked that they didn't go near fall crazy, and they finished at the peak of the match rather than going on too long. The finish, Benoit's top rope powerbomb, looked awesome and was sold really well post match, with Samurai going out on a stretcher. Not the greatest juniors match that I have ever seen, but very enjoyable and one that I would recommend.

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  • 5 months later...

Not the kind of wrestling to emotionally connect with me these days. Good match, easy to watch, what's next?

 

It had all the trimmings and they went full out in a worthy final. Decent all around action and a gnarly top rope powerbomb to finish. It's just that it's 2013 rather than 2003, or even 1993 and the Junior style doesn't hold up. Back in the day the line used to be that the NJ Juniors were awesome and the NJ Heavyweights sucked. That was so far off base.

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  • 8 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Samurai actually works a Crippler Crossface, which was both jarring and cool. The matwork is pretty intense, as is the rest of the match when these guys are slinging each other around the ring with suplexes and murdering each other with stiff-looking dives. I think it's about neck-and-neck with the Scorpio match, but both matches are evidence that Benoit is coming into his own as an elite worker. His earlier bouts with Liger looked exhibition-y, and this didn't at all. Low-level MOTYC, perhaps just out of the top 10, a worthy tournament final, and I can see why people went nuts over this at the time.

 

I really, really hate these post-produced, after-the-fact video commentaries. The calls are so subdued in comparison to what you normally hear in Japan that it distracts from the match. Benoit does a fucking power bomb off the top turnbuckle and the announcers call it like Phil Mickelson trying to decide between a seven and a nine-iron. I'm fine with a Gordon Solie/Pat Summerall-type announcer, but they also deaden the crowd just to make things even worse.

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  • 1 year later...

Excellent match with Pegasus showing his potential and really putting ina performance to get over. Samurai is always game seemingly in these big performances and we had a really nice tournament final. We had some great action and escalation of action overall. I thought even though the matwork didn't really focus on a body part it potrayed the tempo of the match from that point forward. Great stuff all around ****1/4

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  • 7 months later...

I couldn't find any more Liger matches so I ended up watching the 1993 Top of the Super Juniors final against El Samurai. It was a pretty good match actually. Better than any of the Liger bouts. I needed to go out, but I was keen to see the finish and toyed with being late, which has to be the sign of a good match. Benoit's selling and transitions sucked, and I thought El Samurai was easily the better worker, but like Dynamite Kid, Benoit brought the offense like few others. Good match in spite of Benoit's pop-ups.

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  • 8 months later...

The top-rope powerbomb finish ensures that I'll remember this match, and kudos to Samurai for taking and selling that move as well as he did.

 

You can tell that the juniors are really evolving when a top-rope Frankensteiner and a back superplex each barely get a two-and-a-half count. I'm not sure if I like the way they're evolving, but they are.

 

Benoit still looks like a Dynamite Kid clone here, especially with the snap suplexes and the diving headbutts. In a world where the juniors in particular seem to be getting flashier by the month, he's a refreshing throwback to simpler times.

 

I liked the sequence where Benoit had his mouth open while Samurai was applying the chinlock. It's almost like he was thinikng about biting Samurai's wrist to escape, then decided against it.

 

Nice to see Liger come into the ring at the end to congratulate Benoit. I get the feeling that we haven't seen the last of that matchup.

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  • 4 months later...

Pegasus Kid vs El Samurai - NJPW Top of the Super Juniors 93 Finals

 

Quintessential 90s Workrate match. Really heavy emphasis on the moves above all else, but I think what makes this great and an easy watch is all the moves are basic and impactful. It is NOT modified slam this and flippy-doo that. It does not feel overwrought or wrestlers going through the motions to get the moves. Here you still need a bodyslam to set up a move. It was just a ton of suplexes and they all looked great. 90s workrate means working way too fast during your opening chaining sequence. It means almost zero thought in terms of transitions and telling an interesting narrative. You could make a case that Sammy was trying to ground the explosive Benoit, which is a great strategy against Benoit. Once Benoit got on offense, he was a machine. Benoit executed his offense pitch perfect. Sammy was just as bad as transitions throwing out a random Tombstone when he had been eating offense. I did like him going for his gnarly submission twice basically challenging Benoit to escape.

 

Was there anything more 90s then them both missing diving headbutts and getting up to do a high speed criss cross sequence with a dive by El Sammy. So 90s. I really liked Samurai's German suplex. Benoit's powerbomb is always sick. Just an absolutely awesome array of bombs down the stretch. Top rope Frakensteiner and Super Back Suplex serve as Sammy's big false finishes. Hey they are actually selling that last one! Glad they know how to do that. :P

 

I agree with everyone, the finish being Benoit's Top Rope Powerbomb is incredible and had me marking out (did not read this thread beforehand so I was surprised).

 

Breezy match, does not drag at all. I wont remember much about it, except the top rope powerbomb. Not much in the way of selling and transitions. I will say for match all about the MOVEZ~! I really like these MOVEZ~! as opposed to the ones today and it never felt forced, exhibition-y or overly dramatic so I really enjoyed this. ****

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  • GSR changed the title to [1993-06-14-NJPW-Explosion Tour] Wild Pegasus vs El Samurai

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