I’ve missed pretty much all of NJPW USA and think Super J Cup jumped the shark after 1995, but let’s see what the deal is here.
1. Super J Cup – Round 1: Chris Bey vs. Clark Connors
The fun of a Super J Cup is in the discovery, and this first match was an intro for me to the well-regarded Chris Bey. Connors, who’s a dead ringer for Hangman Page, has appeared in some New Japan undercard matches but this was my first time seeing him in a feature.
There were plenty of well-worked holds and ridiculously hard chops here to ensure they opened the tournament as real as possible. Bey appears at first glance to be in the now tradition of standard independent-style kicking/flying guy, but there was a credibility in between all of it. Connors has the right kind of fire at the right times, very much a Young Lion type of guy.
Connors goes for the only finish he knows — the crab hold — but Bey counters with a cradle for 2. Connors gets up and charges into some kind of jumping ASS from Bey followed by a springboard cutter for 3. Solid opener. Two PROSPECTS. ***
2. Super J Cup – Round 1: ACH vs. TJP
On the surface this is a bunch of quiet technical wrestling but after seeing TJP’s act on 205 Live over 350 god damn times I can’t say he put a twist on it for the J Cup. These two didn’t have much chemistry in what ended up being TJP showcasing himself more than anything, and the Japanese commentators reaction to TJP’s plancha apron dropkick thing was the best part, like somebody politely laughing at a joke they didn’t get. *1/4
3. Super J Cup – Round 1: Rey Horus vs. Blake Christian
Blake Christian will throw you off at first look but seemed like a capable young wrestler in there with a capable young Luchador named Rey Horus. Both guys did some OK stuff but neither enough to stand out or make the style clash work. Blake’s win was a genuine surprise. **
4. Super J Cup – Round 1: Lio Rush vs. El Phantasmo
This was the most straight-up junior heavyweight match of the first round and probably entire tournament, whatever junior heavyweight means anymore. Lio Rush was seemingly good from day one but post-WWE he’s somehow even more confident during and in between every movement. ELP’s troll heel shtick didn’t tank the match, though it did keep it from getting anywhere special. ***
5. Rocky Romero & Fred Rosser vs. Danny Limelight & JR Kratos
JR Kratos, eh? Here’s a big guy. Big wrestler. Solid. Looks like God of War. The match he was in with Rocky Romero, the former Darren Young, and the current Danny Limelight just came off as filler. *
6. Super J Cup – Semi Final: ACH vs. Chris Bey
Bey’s roll-through Code Red was awesome, but this never got cooking. ACH seemed rusty all show. A dreaded “decent match.” **
7. Super J Cup – Semi Final: Blake Christian vs. El Phantasmo
Lio Rush vs. Rey Horus probably would’ve been more exciting and J-Cuppy, though Blake’s pugnacious approach for all 7 minutes of this made me a fan. More than frustrated or angry, I am just confused by ELP’s cheating suddenly turning him into Andre the Giant. **
8. KENTA & Hikuleo vs. Ren Narita & Kevin Knight
Substituting the injured Karl Fredericks, Kevin Knight makes his debut as I think the first black Young Lion which is seriously really cool. Emerging from under the learning tree of Katsuyori Shibata, his headlock and uppercut commitment makes him a top-tier worker already. KENTA bullying young lions was probably the best part of this show, though Knight’s last rally at him came close. **3/4
9. Super J Cup – Final: ACH vs. El Phantasmo
They gave this match a hook by having ELP attack ACH during his entrance and smash the J Cup trophy over his back, but most of the match was ELP on offense working over that back. It, like… almost worked. This was the most impressive work all night from ACH, but was still just a lot of ELP half-trolling on offense. ACH waiting for a Frankensteiner setup then ELP carefully falling in place for top rope gutbuster is just not good rasslin either. ***
No audience, average lineup, and the close quarters of the ring setup preventing any real flying from going on made this a tough one. It was a solid intro to some new faces, but even ROH’s Best of the American Super Juniors with Dragon Soldier B was a better use of a tournament to put a troll heel over. 3/10
