New Japan Super Jacob: 1st Stage (4/16/1994) Review, Part 1 (by Justin Lee) -The show
start with an intro of everyone, and in English to boot.
This is great for beginners, but it does nothing for me,
so on with the matches: Gedoh comes out with a really nasty face, knowing full well he is going to ruin the night for everyone by making it much farther than he should. Malenko is the heart and soul of this match, and Gedoh is just along for the ride. This match is almost all technical wrestling, with Malenko on the offense. Dean uses just about every submission hold he can think of, and hits a few bitchin' elbows, a sweet lariat, and a jackhammer (in 1994?!). This is the Dean Malenko that, unfortunately, you do not get a chance to see in the WWF today. He is so much better than Gedoh, but there is only one WAR representative, so Gedo has to go over, and he does with a very nice powerslam out of nowhere. WINNER: Gedoh
(powerslam) Ohtani roolz! Ohtani goes apeshit on Delphin's leg from the first sound of the bell, and after several minutes of hardcore leg work, Ohtani stands up and makes a face as it to say "How do ya like THAT, bitch!?" I love this guy! Delphin makes a comeback and hits several dangerous moves, including a backdrop driver and a brainbuster. Meanwhile, Ohtani destroys Delphin's leg some more. A bitchin' Delphin tornado ddt finishes the God of junior heavyweights. This is not Ohtani nor Delphin's best match, but with their track record, that's not insulting this match at all. WINNER: Super
Delphin (tornado ddt) TAKA is a samurai, you know, because he has a sword with him. Uh, yeah. Thank God he dropped that gimmick. Let's be honest with this match: TAKA has NO chance. He is about 12 years old at this point, and he is just there to take a beating from Eddy and do some high flying moves to show that he can hang with the big boys. And he does just that. In fact, I think TAKA actually eclipses Hayabusa in this show as the breakout new star. Eddy is never in danger of losing, no matter how much TAKA goes after him. In the end, after several stiff ass powerbombs, Tiger hits a better-than-Delphin tornado ddt to score the win. WINNER: Black
Tiger II (tornado ddt) I hate both these guys, so I am just going to pass a few insulting remarks instead of really covering this match. Motegi fucks up a spot in the first minute of the fight, setting a new blown spot speed record in the process. Samurai blows a dropkick, but Motegi sells it anyway. I have more charisma in my pinky finger than both of these guys combined. Did I mention Motegi has pink on his tights? What a pussy... A Samurai powerbomb finishes. Yea... WINNER: El
Samurai (powerbomb) Ricky's country music entrance theme is... disturbing. It takes Fuji a year or two to reach the ring (taking a dump perhaps) so I have to hear it for a much longer time than I should. Casa's theme, on the other hand, is a festive and upbeat number, which relaxes me back into sanity. The match itself is a great mix of technical, aerial, and ground wrestling. The end comes when Ricky hits a tiger driver and HOLY-SHIT-I-HAVE-TO-HEAR-THAT-FUCKING-SONG-AGAIN! WINNER: Ricky
Fuji (tiger driver) Hayabusa has a huge FMW entourage with him, including Mr. Gannosuke and Masato Tanaka. Lyger comes out all by himself, because he's too-damn-good to need a bunch of guys in matching uniforms to back him up. Hayabusa decides to do the dishonorable thing and attacks Lyger before the formal ring introductions. They let him get away with this and just ring the bell. Lyger makes a comeback shortly after and pretty much kills the future superstar of FMW. Hayabusa isn't a fantastic wrestler at this point, as he oversells everything Lyger does to his head. Sure, a shouda could actually knock you out, but Hayabusa sold them all the same way, falling backwards, spread eagle on the floor. A 12 year old could sell like that. It should also be noted that Hayabusa is much skinnier than he is today, as he didn't bulk up yet at this point. 'Busa eventually earns some respect when he hits a string of big moves, including a nice top rope spinning heel kick and a moonsault. Hayabusa goes for a shooting star press, but Luger lifts his knees and Lyger bombs his ass. Hayabusa kicks out, climbs the top rope, and jumps at Lyger, but Jushin catches him with a powerbomb. The resulting fisherman's buster ends the match and the first round. WINNER:
Jushin Lyger (fisherman's buster) Best Match: A tie between Black Tiger II vs TAKA Michinoku and Shinjiro Ohtani vs Super Delphin (both ****1/4) Worst Match: El Samurai vs Masayoshi Motegi (*** 1/4) Historical Significance: Hayabusa debuts in Japan Why should I buy this tape? Its the J-Cup 1994. Everyone should own it. It is impossible not to enjoy. Every match is above ***, for crying out loud! Its nearly impossible to find that accuracy anywhere else. Back To The ShootAngle Main Page
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