Christopher Michael Benoit was born on May 21, 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, but he grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After having idolized the legendary Dynamite Kid and having trained in the Hart Family Dungeon in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Chris Benoit made his pro wrestling debut on 11/22/85 in Calgary for Stampede Wrestling, the Hart family pro wrestling league that mainly ran shows in the Western Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Benoit was one of the most promising young wrestlers during his run in Stampede from late 1985 (which was around the time Stampede had restarted after initially closing down in late 1984) until late 1989 (which was around the time Stampede closed again). Some of his opponents in Stampede included workers like Black Mephisto (Toshiaki Kawada), Cuban Assassin, Robbie Stewart (Chic Cullen), Biff Wellington, Johnny Smith, Gama Singh, Makhan Singh (Mike Shaw), Gerry Morrow, Viet Cong Express 1 and 2 (Hiroshi Hase and Fumihiro Niikura), Hashif Khan (Shinya Hashimoto), and many others.

Benoit also faced his idol, Dynamite Kid, in a few tag team bouts (but never in a singles match). Some of Benoit’s tag team partners in Stampede were guys like Biff Wellington, Ben Bassarab, Owen Hart, Keith Hart, Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman. It was during his years in Stampede that Benoit grew a lot as a worker, as he quickly worked his way up and had become a very good in-ring performer by the time he left Stampede. The fact that Stampede combined aspects of Japanese wrestling with North American wrestling played a big role in Benoit’s development as a worker, especially combined with Benoit’s determination to become a great wrestler. And all of that would help Benoit a lot during his time in Japan, which would end up being the place that helped him grow the most as a pro wrestler.

During 1987 and 1988, Chris Benoit wrestled extensively in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Dynamite Chris. There’s no footage available of these NJPW matches from 1987 and 1988, though, because he was still a young lion in training, and he wasn’t a featured star (and back then, they didn’t record and stream everything like they do nowadays). He mainly wrestled guys like Akira Nogami, Masakatsu Funaki, Osamu Matsuda (El Samurai) and Kensuke Sasaki, who all had started wrestling in the mid 1980s, just like Benoit. During the 1990s, he was one of the very best gaijin (outsider/foreigner) workers in Japan, and was known as Pegasus Kid from February 1990 through June 1993 and Wild Pegasus from August 1993 through January 2000. His series of matches with Jushin Thunder Liger in 1990 was the most important series of matches of his career (and one of the most important series of matches in all of pro wrestling history), as it was thanks to these matches with Liger that Benoit became a great in-ring performer 1990. Liger and Benoit certainly deserve a lot of credit for raising the bar when it came to what from then onwards was to be possibly expected in junior heavyweight matches with a focus on speed, athleticism, technique, timing, intensity and overall execution. Benoit continued to improve, and he also continued to wrestle Liger throughout the decade, always in matches that would reflect the current state of his work. Pegasus Kid even was allowed to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, at the time the most prestigious junior heavyweight title in the world, and thus became only the second gaijin (after Owen Hart had won it in 1988) to win the title.

Pegasus also managed to win several of the most prestigious tournaments, including: Top Of The Super Juniors IV (1993), The Super J-Cup (1994), The Super Junior Tag League (1994) and Best Of The Super Juniors II (1995). Benoit’s best years were 1992 through 1997, with his absolute peak as a worker probably being 1995, but he managed to stay relevant as a top worker during several of the years that followed. The majority of Benoit’s best matches took place in Japan, and we’ll have a look at a list of those a bit later on. Even though Japan was the place Pegasus spent the majority of his wrestling time during the first half of the 1990s, it deserves to be mentioned that around that time, he also spent a decent amount of time touring another country with a rich pro wrestling history, namely Mexico.

Whenever Chris Benoit wrestled in Japan and Mexico during 1990 and most of 1991, he wrestled with his Pegasus Kid mask. His luchas de apuestas record consists of two losses, as he lost his mask in Japan to Liger on 7/4/91, and he lost his mask in Mexico to Villano III on 11/3/91. In Mexico, where Benoit was known as Pegasus Kid from 1991 through 1994, Pegasus stood out as an exceptional and versatile worker. It was during his years in Mexico that Pegasus learned how to incorporate Mexican lucha libre aspects to his repertoire. In 1991 and 1992, he wrestled in LLI. In 1993 and 1994, he wrestled in CMLL. Pegasus also wrestled in a trios (six-man) tag team match at the AAA/WCW When Worlds Collide event in Los Angeles, California. Of all his matches in Mexico, his matches against Villano IV on 4/3/92 and 8/29/92 were the most exceptional. Those matches are some of the most remarkable Mexican lucha libre matches of the 1990s and tremendous examples of how great Pegasus was at incorporating the Mexican lucha libre style into his work. In fact, the underrated Villano IV was an opponent Benoit would end up facing in Mexico, Japan and the United States.

If we don’t count the few Stampede Wrestling house shows Chris Benoit worked in Montana in 1988, Benoit’s first American wrestling appearance was on 6/16/92 in Charleston, South Carolina at WCW Clash of the Champions 19, which was a televised event that saw Benoit team with Biff Willington against Brian Pillman and Jushin Thunder Liger in a match consisting of four alumni of Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling. Benoit would return to WCW in 1993, and he wrestled several shows for WCW during the first eight months that year. Benoit wrestled some smaller shows in the United States as well, including some NWA and other indy shows. From August ‘94 through August ‘95, Benoit wrestled 24 matches in ECW, which was a league that really started to get more noticed around that time. At ECW November To Remember ‘94, in a match with Benoit, Sabu broke his neck, and that unfortunate accident earned Benoit the nickname of “The Crippler” from that point onwards. It was also in ECW that with the guidance of Paul Heyman, he started to learn how to cut better promos. In June 1995, Benoit had three try-out matches with WWF (against Bob Holly, Adam Bomb and Owen Hart). WWF was impressed, but they wouldn’t want him to tour Japan, and that’s why Benoit wasn’t interested in joining WWF at the time. In October 1995, Benoit would start his big run in WCW, which would last until January 2000. Thanks to WCW’s working relationship with NJPW, it was possible for Benoit to continue touring NJPW from time to time. WCW had started drawing more attention to themselves with their new Monday Nitro TV show (which saw the league go head-to-head with WWF’s main TV show, Monday Night Raw). It was during his run in WCW that Benoit really got himself noticed by a large number of people paying attention to American wrestling. Benoit adapted quite well to the mainstream environment he had found himself in, as he managed to not seem out of place in that more storyline-driven domain while still being a tremendous in-ring performer focused on being a great professional wrestler. Around the summer of ‘96 or so, commentators started referring to Benoit as wolverine-like, and this seemed to stick as the (Rabid) Wolverine ended up being another nickname of Benoit’s.

Also in WCW, there was an on-screen character called Woman (Nancy Sullivan), and she happened to be the wife of Kevin Sullivan, who was a booker in WCW. In the storyline, Woman had aligned herself with the Four Horsemen, which was a stable Benoit was part of. Benoit ended up finding himself in a feud with Kevin Sullivan, who had in real-life separated from Nancy. Soon it would become known that Benoit and Nancy were starting to have an affair. Nancy would often accompany Benoit to the ring from mid 1996 through mid 1997. By the summer of 1997, Woman had stopped appearing as an on-screen character, as she was going through her real-life divorce from Kevin Sullivan. Nancy Toffoloni (formerly Nancy Sullivan) would become Benoit’s fiancee later that year, and eventually his wife Nancy Benoit on 11/23/00. From late ‘97 onward, it seems his work started to decline in a significant manner. Of course, he had been working super hard for the past twelve years. So, the fact that he had been able to go that long and work a physical and athletic style was in itself already quite remarkable. Other than perhaps the years taking their toll physically, it’s not hard to imagine that Benoit must have been getting frustrated with WCW not allowing him to tour Japan extensively anymore and still not giving him a WCW title (in spite of being one of their best performers).

Benoit was handpicked by Bret Hart to be Bret’s opponent in the famous Owen Hart tribute match on 10/4/99 that was a tribute to Bret’s late brother Owen, who had tragically passed away on 5/23/99. Benoit ended up winning WCW titles towards the end of his run in WCW, including the WCW World Heavyweight Title on 1/6/00, a day before leaving WCW. Benoit was one of the ‘Radicalz’ (along with Eddy Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn) who left WCW for WWF. The year 2000 saw Benoit’s final appearance in NJPW (in January), his WWE debut (in February), and a significant decline of his in-ring work (throughout the 2000s). In WWE, while having several good matches, he ended up becoming more of a WWE-style wrestler and less of the NJPW-style wrestler he used to be.

Towards the end of his life, Chris Benoit wasn’t the same person he used to be, physically and mentally. And towards the final years of his career and life, he also wasn’t the same wrestler he used to be. Years of taking physical and mental punishment as a pro wrestler started taking its toll. It turned out that he suffered from severe brain damage, occasionally even forgetting what he was doing in the midst of his matches. Years of taking chairshots directly to the head and breaking his body down with each of the many diving headbutts and other toll-taking moves and bumps which he performed during his career were catching up with him. And let’s not forget the roids, as those didn’t help either.

He was also mentally suffering tremendously, including having to deal with the death of Eddy Guerrero, fellow wrestling great and friend. By the spring of 2007, towards the end of his life and career, in spite of being only 40 years old, Benoit’s brain apparently was like that of an 85-year old Alzheimer’s patient. That is obviously really concerning. In fact, one of Benoit’s final five opponents, Montel Vontavious Porter, has talked about how Benoit would actually forget what they were doing while being in the middle of a wrestling match. Benoit’s second-last opponent ever, Kevin Thorn, has stated that Benoit couldn’t remember a match and couldn’t even read a menu when they were on the road just weeks before the tragedy. Chris Benoit died on June 24, 2007 as a result of a double-murder and suicide, as he first killed his wife and youngest son before killing himself. These events took place in his home in Fayetteville, Georgia, where he had been residing. The completely unexpected and almost surreal tragedy sent shockwaves amongst the wrestling business and brought more awareness to the fact that the brain damage in pro wrestlers (similar to what can happen to boxers and NFL football players) shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s an incredibly tragic story of someone who was once highly respected and highly skilled at his craft but had gone on an incredible downward spiral that led to his demise.

Some people still find it hard to think and talk about Chris Benoit due to the emotional intensity the circumstances of his end brings up in people. Just for the record, murder is obviously not okay, folks. And, yes, a double-murder and suicide is not for the faint of heart. However, this is a pro wrestling article about the in-ring career of a pro wrestler who was highly respected prior to his demise. That’s why we’re really just trying to focus on Chris Benoit’s in-ring work, especially his pre-WWE work (as it totally feels like he wasn’t the same during his WWE run, especially towards the end).

Some of pro wrestling's biggest and most important names have come from Canada: Stu Hart (Alberta), Owen Hart (Alberta), Bret Hart (Alberta), Bruce Hart (Alberta), Kenny Omega (Manitoba), Kyle O’Reilly (British Columbia), Phil Lafon (Ontario), Chris Jericho (Manitoba), Christian Cage (Ontario), Mike Bailey (Quebec), Roddy Piper (Saskatchewan), Pat Patterson (Quebec), Don Callis (Manitoba), Lance Storm (Ontario), Edge (Ontario), and the list goes on and on. However, arguably the all-time greatest pro wrestler to ever come out of the Great White North hailed from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Chris Benoit.

1985: Okay (4.5/10)

1986: Decent (5.0/10)

1987: Good (6.0/10)

1988: Very Good (7.0/10)

1989: Very Good (7.5/10)

1990: Great (9.0/10)

1991: Great (9.0/10)

1992: Outstanding (10/10)

1993: Outstanding (10/10)

1994: Outstanding (10/10)

1995: Outstanding (10/10)

1996: Outstanding (10/10)

1997: Great (9.5/10)

1998: Great (9.0/10)

1999: Great (9.0/10)

2000: Excellent (8.0/10)

2001: Very Good (7.5/10)

2002: Very Good (7.0/10)

2003: Very Good (7.0/10)

2004: Very Good (7.0/10)

2005: Good (6.5/10)

2006: Good (6.0/10)

2007: Not Rated

Again, just to be clear, in this Hall of Talent article we are focusing on Chris Benoit’s in-ring work, with a strong emphasis on his pre-WWE work. Without in any way trying to diminish the severity of what happened on 6/24/07, it’s not my job to judge the person and the events that led up to his demise, it’s my task to judge the worker. After having watched over 250 of Benoit’s matches from his 21 years as a pro wrestler (with a strong emphasis on the 1990s, his great years, 1990-1999), it’s safe to say that he was indeed an all-time great in-ring performer.

What made Chris Benoit such a great pro wrestler? The most obvious reason is that his execution was superb. Not only did he execute his moves excellently from a technical perspective, but he also put so much force behind each move through his tremendous display of intensity. This helped make his matches really have the feel of a sincere athletic contest that saw a display of a great deal of effort and focus. For a non-shoot-style pro wrestler, his work was relatively realistic (for general pro wrestling standards), and this has a lot to do with the Japanese puroresu mentality which he was exposed to when training in the NJPW dojo in Japan, and even in the Hart Family Dungeon in Calgary. He didn’t need silly gimmicks, and he didn’t need to talk a lot. He basically just emulated the no-nonsense and tenacious style of his idol, Dynamite Kid. There have been many people who were influenced by Dynamite Kid, but Benoit was the one who incorporated that influence better than anyone else in history, as he truly became a 1990s version of Dynamite Kid. In fact, even Dynamite Kid himself wrote in his autobiography that when he saw Benoit wrestle, he saw himself. Along with his super hard work and super high effort, Benoit was also amazingly talented, which helped him reach his goals and accomplish his dreams as a pro wrestler in such an effective way. Another one of the many reasons Benoit was so great is he understood that the match shouldn't just be about him, and by enhancing the quality of the match with that understanding, he would come out of the match looking totally awesome as an essential piece of the whole. You could say that subconsciously, wrestling fans will realize Benoit’s greatness, but they can’t always pinpoint it due to Benoit’s great ability for having subtle ways to uplift a match and carry an opponent. Say what you want about Benoit, but he was arguably the most sincere pro wrestler ever, as he was so dedicated to his craft and so dedicated to being the best worker he could possibly be. Throughout his career, Benoit showed talent, speed, personality, drive, desire and an overwhelming passion to succeed. He was also great at selling, one of the most important aspects of pro wrestling psychology. What was so amazing about Benoit’s selling was that if the opponent wasn’t doing any significant damage for too long, Benoit wouldn’t be one of those types of sellers who would just lie around, he would fight back at least a little bit, which was realistic and kept the action going. Nobody cared more about what they did in that ring than Benoit. There’s a story told by Chris Jericho about how Benoit punished himself by doing squats in a basement at a Japanese venue after he mistakenly sold a move that the opponent had missed. What made Benoit extra awesome is that he wanted to be the best he could be, just like his idol Dynamite Kid several years before him. Chris Benoit was arguably indeed the very best pro wrestler of his generation, and he arguably indeed was a lot like his idol Dynamite Kid, arguably the very best pro wrestler of his generation, in many ways. And that possibly also had a lot to do with the price his body had to pay once his decline started setting in.

What Chris Benoit did so well specifically during his run in WCW was, even when he was booked as a member of a top stable, The Horsemen, he never forgot his roots and his true desire to be the best he could be as an in-ring performer. He was able to smoothly go back and forth between angles and matches that required him sometimes in the role of a more angle-driven character and sometimes asked from him to be the actions-speak-louder-than-words type of in-ring worker. He never lost sight of his goals whenever he was in the ring. When he was in matches that required more angle- and character-driven type situations, he still brought that no-nonsense attitude he was known for and always gave his best effort, knowing that his intensity would always be a factor that could enhance any match, no matter how weak the other participants were. And when he was back wrestling actual high-quality talent, he always managed to return the focus to pure in-ring wrestling. This made him an incredibly useful and valuable member of the WCW roster, as he was always going to try his best, no matter what. His ability and understanding of how to adapt to what was required from him and at the same time elevate whatever he was involved in made him truly the most all-round performer at the time. Considering WCW was a company that wasn’t really sure what they were going to do in the next twenty minutes from now, the fact that Benoit was able to adapt so well and make the most out of his matches and stand out as a great performer speaks volumes about his amazing talent. It feels like in February 1996, Benoit’s career slowly started going down (after he had reached his outstanding, absolute peak year in 1995). This wasn’t because of Benoit himself, but merely because he had now found himself in the middle of the American wrestling business, which meant that he was now more involved in angle-driven matches that his in-ring ability isn’t the main feature of. Luckily, Benoit temporarily managed to overcome this lull by continuing to work hard and be super passionate. By the way, this brief lull in ‘96 career happened ironically around exactly the same time his WCW tag team partner ‘Loose Cannon’ Brian Pillman left WCW for WWF via ECW. Whenever Benoit showed up in NJPW throughout 1996 and 1997, he proved that he still had what it takes to live up to his reputation as arguably the best worker in the world. In 1997, he was still so motivated and passionate that he approached each match in its own way and worked the match in a manner that was appropriate for that specific match. He didn’t merely settle for rehashing the same thing over and over. That made him such an intriguing wrestler, and that made each match he wrestled unique and fascinating.

However, from late 1997 onward, WCW stopped sending Benoit to Japan on a semi-regular basis. From that point, they were sending him just once in a blue moon. This did seem to have a significant impact on Benoit’s work, as the Japan trips used to help him keep interacting with the very best wrestlers in the world and helped keep him in that top talent headspace he was in during his best years. For that reason, it’s probably no coincidence that Benoit indeed started declining more significantly and more noticeably from late ‘97 onwards. And by the year 2000, it was clear that Benoit was no longer the Benoit we admired so much during the mid 1990s. By 2001, Chris Jericho was probably a better worker than Chris Benoit was, which almost seemed unthinkable back in the ‘90s. 2006 and especially 2007 are painful to watch. At that point, he basically just comes across as a lost zombie due to his brain damage. He was a 40-year old man, but he walked around like he had the brain of someone over 60. He was clearly mentally out of it, and his body was just going on familiar motorized repetition. Chris Benoit had three kids, David and Megan with his first wife Martina, and then Daniel with his second wife Nancy. Chris Benoit’s son David Benoit was supposed to be making his pro wrestling debut in 2014 in Calgary, but Chris Jericho prevented it from happening as soon as he found out, because of his belief that the untrained David shouldn’t be in the ring.

In closing, as a fan who grew up during Chris Benoit’s heyday, I will say that I wasn’t much of a fan of his work during the 2000s, as I started noticing changes that made me feel like he wasn’t the same Benoit that I was such a big fan of (subconsciously, that was also me basically saying that this guy is not doing too well anymore). I was a big fan of Nancy’s contributions to pro wrestling as one of the most stunning valets ever in her roles as the characters Fallen Angel and especially Woman. What happened at the very end will always remain very surreal even after all these years, and I’m writing this nearly twenty years after the calamity. What happened in 2007 was awful, truly awful. However, as someone who researches pro wrestling history, I cannot just delete one of the all-time greats from my analysis, especially one who, during his peak, was revered and constantly labeled as very underrated and truly great. Benoit valued the respect from his peers, and he was tremendously respected by his peers for his in-ring work. And I refuse to pretend that I wasn’t aware of almost every ‘smart mark’ of my generation worshiping Benoit’s tremendous in-ring ability. And thus, I say that whatever happened, happened, and we cannot turn back time. And hopefully we’ve finally learned our lesson regarding the severity of brain damage in sports. It’s disheartening that the legacy of arguably the greatest wrestler of the ‘90s was tarnished in such a dreadful manner. Like I said before, the Benoit that was in WWF/E in the 2000s was not the one I was a fan of. With that in mind, I have always been a huge fan of Benoit’s ‘90s, and I do believe that ‘90s Benoit is undoubtedly one of the greatest pro wrestlers that ever stepped into the ring. The Benoit that all of us saw wrestling prior to his WWF/E run was tremendous. It’s understandable why some people don’t want him in a Hall of Fame. However, Benoit is indeed an inductee of the Hall of Talent.

Chris Benoit’s top 8 best opponents (based on how well they created high-quality matches together) were: Jushin Thunder Liger, El Samurai, The Great Sasuke, Eddy Guerrero, Bret Hart, Villano IV, Koji Kanemoto and Chris Jericho.

Chris Benoit’s top 8 best tag team partners (based on how well they clicked as a team) were: Jushin Thunder Liger, El Samurai, Shinjiro Otani, Dean Malenko, Eddy Guerrero, Biff Wellington, Scott Norton and Brian Pillman.

What follows is a list of Chris Benoit’s top 75 best matches and reviews of over 250 of his matches.

1. NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super-J Cup Final: Wild Pegasus vs. The Great Sasuke 18:46. *****

2. NJPW 8/19/90 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 15:02. *****

3. NJPW 7/7/95 Iwamizawa, BOSJ II: Wild Pegasus vs. El Samurai 30:00. *****

4. NJPW 8/12/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:25. ****¾ 

5. WCW 10/4/99 Kansas City, MO, Owen Hart Tribute: Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit 27:34. ****¾  

6. LLI 8/29/92 Mexico City Plan Sexenal, WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano IV. ****¾ 

7. NJPW 11/1/90 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:32. ****¾ 

8. NJPW 9/25/95 Osaka, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus 17:14. ****¾   

9. NJPW 8/8/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Wild Pegasus 14:36. ****¾

10. NJPW 7/13/95 Sapporo, BOSJ II Semifinal: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 16:37. ****¾ 

11. NJPW 6/2/92 Hiroshima: Pegasus Kid & El Samurai vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask III 12:42. ****½ 

12. NJPW 7/4/95 Aomori, BOSJ II: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 12:36 of 20:20. ****½

13. NJPW 5/28/96 Nagano, BOSJ III Block A: Wild Pegasus vs. El Samurai 16:07. ****½ 

14. NJPW 10/18/94 Okayama, Super Junior Tag League Final: Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani vs. Black Tiger II & The Great Sasuke 18:14. ****½  

15. WAR 12/13/95 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Quarter Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Lionheart Chris Jericho 13:43. ****½   

16. WCW 5/18/97 Charlotte, NC, Death Match: Chris Benoit vs. Meng 14:54. ****½ 

17. NJPW 2/10/92 Nagoya, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title & WCW World Light Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 16:22. ****¼

18. NJPW 9/27/94 Osaka, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 10:40. ****¼ 

19. NJPW 10/17/99 Kobe: Wild Pegasus vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:20. ****¼ 

20. NJPW 4/23/92 Wakayama, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:42. ****¼ 

21. NJPW 10/18/91 Hiroshima: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 13:07. ****¼

22. NJPW 6/14/93 Osaka, TOSJ IV Final: Pegasus Kid vs. El Samurai 18:44. ****¼ 

23. NJPW 3/20/96 Nagoya, WCW World Cruiserweight Title Decision: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 18:09. ****¼ 

24. NJPW 11/1/93 Matsumoto, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto 14:03 of 25:28. ****¼ 

25. WCW 7/13/97 Daytona, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 13:10. Bash At The Beach. ****¼ 

26. NJPW 6/18/90 Kumamoto: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 19:47. ****¼ 

27. NJPW 3/14/96 Kyoto: Gran Hamada & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai & Wild Pegasus vs. TAKA Michinoku & Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tokimitsu Ishizawa 25:57. ****¼ 

28. WCW 9/15/96 Winston-Salem, NC: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 14:36. ****¼ 

29. NJPW 3/19/90 Hiroshima, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 15:21. ****

30. NJPW 6/26/90 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid vs. Owen Hart 12:10. ****

31. LLI 4/3/92 Nezahualcoyotl, WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano IV 19:02. ****

32. WCW 6/16/92 Charleston, SC, NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Round 1: Chris Benoit & Biff Wellington vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Brian Pillman 11:30. ****

33. NJPW 4/16/92 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Flying Scorpio 9:55. ****

34. NJPW 11/4/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Akira Nogami & Takayuki Iizuka 20:26. ****

35. NJPW 10/9/94 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super Junior Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani vs. Black Tiger II & The Great Sasuke 13:11. ****

36. ECW 2/2/25/95 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena, ECW World Tag Team Title: Sabu & Tazmaniac vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko 10:28. ****

37. NJPW 9/23/96 Yokohama: Wild Pegasus vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 18:31. ****

38. WCW 7/15/96 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 9:38. WCW Nitro episode 44. ****

39. NJPW 3/5/97 Niigata: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai vs. Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 7:59 of 19:26. ****

40. WCW 6/16/96 Baltimore, MD Arena, Falls Count Anywhere: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 9:58. ****

41. WCW 11/18/96 Florence, SC: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 9:25. ****

42. NJPW 11/23/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid & Dean Malenko vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takayuki Iizuka 17:37. ****

43. NJPW 3/8/97 Tokuyama: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 9:51 of 15:30. ****

44. NJPW 7/4/91 Fukuoka, Mask vs. Mask: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 16:22. ****

45. WCW 12/27/95 Nashville, TN: Chris Benoit vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 10:29. ****

46. ECW 2/4/95 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena: Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow 14:36. ****

47. NJPW 9/22/97 Niigata: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai & Kendo Kashin vs. Chris Jericho & Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 16:16. ****

48. NJPW 6/12/93 Chigasaki, TOSJ IV: Pegasus Kid vs. Eddy Guerrero 13:00. ****

49. NJPW 3/19/95 Nagoya: Wild Pegasus & Black Tiger II vs. Gran Hamada & Norio Honaga 13:33. ****

50. NJPW 9/17/97 Osaka: Wild Pegasus vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. 7:16. ***¾  

51. WCW 11/21/99 Toronto, ON, WCW World Heavyweight Title Tournament Final: Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart 17:44. ***¾ 

52. WCW 12/29/96 Nashville, TN, No DQ: Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett 13:48. ***¾

53. NWA 2/19/94 Woodbury, NJ: Chris Benoit vs. Sabu 16:26. ***¾

54. WCW 4/6/97 Tupelo, MS, WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit 17:53. ***¾ 

55. NJPW 11/2/97 Fukuoka, J-Crown Title: Shinjiro Otani vs. Wild Pegasus 15:28. ***¾ 

56. NJPW 4/30/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Negro Casas & Eddy Guerrero vs. Pegasus Kid & Fit Finlay 11:57. ***¾ 

57. NJPW 6/6/94 Chiba, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 4:10 of 13:38. ***¾  

58. NJPW 6/8/94 Takamatsu, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Super Delfin 13:58. ***¾ 

59. WCW 3/6/96 Macon, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 11:06. ***¾ 

60. NJPW 6/11/96 Hiroshima, BOSJ III Semi Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 20:17. ***¾ 

61. NJPW 3/7/95 Kanazawa: Black Tiger II & Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani 14:20. ***¾ 

62. WCW 10/23/95 Huntsville, AL: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero & Mr. J.L. 10:00. ***¾ 

63. NWA 8/5/94 Lincoln Park, MI, NWA Independent World Title: Sabu vs. Chris Benoit 15:58. ***¾ 

64. WCW 10/16/95 Albany, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 8:36. ***¾ 

65. NJPW 5/26/94 Tsu, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 10:36. ***¾ 

66. NJPW 6/12/96 Osaka: Wild Pegasus & El Samurai vs. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 12:57. ***¾ 

67. NJPW 2/4/92 Hakodate: Pegasus Kid & Flying Scorpio vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Akira Nogami 13:49. ***¾ 

68. NJPW 10/29/90 Yokkaichi: Pegasus Kid & Hiro Saito vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takayuki Iizuka 11:41. ***¾ 

69. NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Quarter Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 10:23. ***¾ 

70. WCW 6/21/97 Oberhausen, Germany: Chris Benoit vs. Meng 17:50. ***¾ 

71. NJPW 4/13/95 Nagaoka: Gran Hamada & Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani 15:13. ***¾ 

72. NJPW 3/13/95 Kyoto, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus 16:41. ***¾ 

73. WCW 10/25/95 Atlanta, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 11:04. ***½ 

74. Stampede 3/18/88 Calgary, AB, Victoria Pavilion Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Gama Singh vs. Chris Benoit 13:11. ***½ 

75. NJPW 5/1/92 Chiba: Pegasus Kid & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Negro Casas & El Samurai 12:13. ***½ 

Honorable mentions:

76. NJPW 4/23/95 Okinawa: Wild Pegasus & Scott Norton vs. Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner 11:38. ***½ 

77. WWE 12/15/02 Sunrise, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 16:46. ***½ 

78. WWE 2/16/04 Bakersfield, CA: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels 21:07. ***½ 

79. WWF 1/21/01 New Orleans, LA, WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 18:43. ***½ 

80. WCW 1/1/96 Atlanta, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Lord Steven Regal 5:42. ***½

Chris Benoit wrestled over 2,700 matches in his career. I watched and reviewed more than 250 of them. For those of you interested in reading more about specific Benoit matches, please have a look at the reviews below, as what follows is a selection of over 250 chronological reviews of Chris Benoit's matches.

Stampede 11/22/85 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit & Rick Patterson vs. Butch Moffat & Mike Hammer 2:25 of 13:25 shown. This was Chris Benoit’s first pro wrestling match. You could clearly tell that he idolized Dynamite Kid. Rick Patterson was a wrestler from Manitoba, who would later become known as the garbage wrestler Leatherface in Japan. Benoit pinned Hammer via a sunset flip. John Foley wanted to recruit Benoit for Foley’s Army, but Benoit declined the offer and that he wanted nothing to do with it. Moffat and Foley attacked Benoit, but Bruce Hart came to Benoit’s rescue.

Stampede 12/6/85 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit & The Cobra vs. Cuban Assassin & Butch Moffat 6:19 shown. Commentator Ed Whalen mentions that Benoit reminds him of Dynamite Kid. Benoit spent a large part of the match selling. Benoit was clearly still green, and his offense was not nearly as intense as it would eventually become later in his career. The Cobra (George Takano) gave quite a spectacular performance, and he was easily the best performer of this match. The Cobra pinned Cuban via a sunset flip. Okay match. **

Stampede 12/20/85 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit & Ben Bassarab vs. Cuban Assassin & Mike Shaw 6:55 of 16:50. Ben Bassarab came off the top rope and executed a sunset flip on Mike Shaw. Bassarab was useful enough in Stampede, but would never end up reaching a level higher than being like a poor man’s version of Davey Boy Smith. Chris Benoit executed a nice top-rope dropkick on Cuban Assassin. Benoit got pinned by Shaw after Shaw splashed him in the corner. Mediocre match. *¾ 

Stampede 1/3/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Gama Singh 5:53 of 12:33. Gama Singh was a wrestler from India, and he’s the uncle of a sports-entertainer known as Jinder Mahal. When we joined the action in progress, we got to see Chris Benoit sell Gama’s offense. Gama’s offense was quite basic. Benoit hit a nice-looking flying fist drop. Black Mephisto (Toshiaki Kawada) pulled the ropes down, which meant Benoit fell to the floor. Gama suplexed Benoit back into the ring, and applied a cobra clutch. Benoit’s arm dropped three times, and Gama was the winner. It was fun to see what Benoit’s work was like when he had only one month of pro wrestling experience. Okay match. **

Stampede 1/10/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Black Mephisto 4:08 of 12:18. Chris Benoit vs. Toshiaki Kawada is an obvious dream match on paper. Just the fact that these two wrestled each other made me want to watch this match (and it probably would make any true pro wrestling collector want to seek out this match), even though I knew that it wouldn’t be an actual dream match in actuality. That being said, this was easily Benoit’s best televised match up until that point in his 7-week career. 18-year old Chris Benoit from Edmonton, AB was still a rookie, and Kawada was a young Japanese worker who was sent on excursion by AJPW in order to gain more experience. Kawada worked in Calgary as a masked heel called Black Mephisto, and he was billed from Singapore. Stampede Wrestling booker Bruce Hart loved to bill wrestlers from unusual parts of the world, especially foreign wrestlers. Kawada screamed loudly to put over the fact he was a villainous foreigner. That fact alone shows that Kawada was able to adapt to North American wrestling. Kawada used the top rope to his benefit a few times during the parts he was on offense, which really helped this match become more spectacular than the usual North American match from 1986. This is probably the earliest Benoit match that is actually worth having a look at, and one that gives a pretty good indication of the potential he already had early in his career. This match against Kawada gave Benoit the opportunity to do some more advanced sequences instead of the usual basic stuff he had been doing with his previous opponents. By the way, if you’re curious about Benoit’s very first televised matches, I’d recommend seeking out his matches in Stampede from November and December 1985. Inspired by his idol Dynamite Kid, Benoit hit a tremendous flying knee drop off the top rope onto Kawada’s head! Benoit got a yellow card for that, but it was worth it. Makhan Singh (Mike Shaw) showed up at ringside to distract the referee, and this gives us an excuse to blame him for this dream match not living up to its potential. Also, this gave Kawada the chance to cheat to get the advantage. Kawada executed a crossface for the win. This was some of the most fun four minutes of 1986 Stampede Wrestling TV. Good match. ***   

Stampede 1/31/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit & Bad News Allen vs. Kerry Brown & Makhan Singh 6:15 of 12:15. Chris Benoit was in all kinds of trouble, as he was getting beat up by both heels, Makhan Singh (Mike Shaw) and Kerry Brown (the nephew of “Bulldog” Bob Brown). It’s a good thing Benoit was always a good seller. Kerry’s knee drop was quite decent, but overall the offense shown by Brown and Shaw was very basic. Mike Shaw had been renamed as Makhan Singh because of the fact that he had aligned himself with the evil foreign heel Gama Singh, and he was part of a stable called the Karachi Vice. Remember that this took place in the 1980s. Bad News Allen was a babyface at this point, because during his heel days, the chaos he caused was a bit too much for some people to take. For example, the likable but markish commentator Ed Whalen used to get a bit too upset over Allen’s heelish behavior at times back in ‘83 and ‘84. Once Allen was finally tagged into this match after minutes of Benoit selling for the heels, Allen took care of business for a little bit. The finish came when Allen propelled Benoit off the top rope onto Makhan, and this enabled Benoit to score the pinfall. Decent match. **½ 

Stampede 4/4/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion, Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Gama Singh vs. Chris Benoit 7:18 of 13:28. This was the best match between the two during 1986. WWF superstar Davey Boy Smith did guest commentary. Chris Benoit’s movements were looking more crisp each week. It’s been interesting to watch these early months of his career, in order to get a better idea of how he progressed as a rookie. Gama Singh decided to step things up a notch too and hit a top-rope knee drop onto Benoit. Benoit came close to pinning Gama. The crowd was hoping Benoit would win, and there were “go Chris, go!” chants. However, Gama ended up retaining the title by putting Benoit to sleep via a Cobra clutch. Good match. ***

Stampede 4/18/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Cuban Assassin 3:47 of 10:58. Chris Benoit showed even more speed and athleticism than before. Decent match. **½ 

Stampede 4/25/86 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion:  Chris Benoit & Keith Hart vs. Cuban Assassin & Honky Tonk Wayne 6:30 of 15:42. At the start of this match, the participants’ names were listed on the screen, but they mistakenly listed Chris Benoit as “Bruce Benoit.” Cuban Assassin & Honky Tonk Wayne (Wayne Ferris a.k.a. Honky Tonk Man) were the International Tag Team Champions, but this was a non-title match. The Cuban took a spectacular bump when Keith Hart threw him into the corner. When Benoit was tagged in, he showed a lot of energy. He hit a couple of bodyslams and a dropkick off the top. The heels cheated to get a pinfall win over Benoit here. Decent match. **½ 

Stampede 3/27/87 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Viet Cong Express 1 7:15 shown. Viet Cong Express 1 was Hiroshi Hase, who had made his pro wrestling debut at this very same venue on 8/15/86. Hase, a former Olympian who had represented Japan at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, showed a drive and determination to succeed as he was constantly moving forward and doing something that felt like progress in his rookie mind. Obviously, he would eventually reach greater heights as an overall worker, but the fundamental essentials were already present here, partially due to Stampede Wrestling being a great environment for young workers at the time and partially due to his natural talent. Both these guys had spent time in the famous Hart Family ‘Dungeon’ in Calgary. Benoit, who spent most of his 1987 in Japan, as he was refining his skills as a NJPW young lion, was back in Alberta for just a few shows prior to returning to Japan again. Benoit made an effort to sell Hase’s offense as well as he possibly could. Prior to coming to Calgary, Hase had spent some time training with Riki Choshu, which was clear due to Hase’s usage of the scorpion deathlock (which was ironic when you remember that for storyline purposes, the WWF would claim that the ‘sharpshooter’ was invented by the Harts while it was actually Choshu who had learned the move from Karl Gotch in the early 1980s, way before the Harts started using the sharpshooter in the WWF in the 1990s). Once Benoit was in control, he went for a couple of moves off the top rope and also a Dynamite Kid-inspired snap suplex. Hase tried to regain control of the match, but Benoit managed to score the pin via a rollup. Roughly only half the match was shown, but what we got to see was a quality contest between two up-and-coming wrestlers who would become two of the more well-known names in puroresu. This was the first time these two wrestled each other. They would face off again in NJPW during the early and mid 1990s (mainly in tag team action). Good match. ***

Stampede 8/14/87 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Biff Wellington 3:10 shown. The commentators mentioned that Chris Benoit had been spending time in Japan. Benoit won via pinfall. Benoit was clearly a good worker by this point.

Stampede 10/16/87 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. The Zodiak 4:31 shown. Barry Orton (The Zodiak) was the brother of Bob Orton Jr. Chris Benoit went for a top-rope splash, but Zodiak got his knees up. Zodiak was kinda average. Benoit’s selling was really good, and the match really picked up when Benoit was on offense. Okay match. **¼ 

Stampede 1/1/88 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Gama Singh 11:22 of 15:22 shown. Gama Singh was the British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title holder, but he didn’t want to put his title on the line here. Footage started at the 4-minute mark. Chris Benoit sold a lot of passion and determination. Gama sold his left leg. Benoit’s main focus was attacking the leg. At some point, Gama was able to turn things around when he moved out of the way so that Benoit took a bump through the ropes to the floor. In the end, Gama was disqualified after referee Wayne Hart noticed that Gama was attempting to hit Benoit with knuckle dusters. At pretty much the same time, Benoit managed to avoid Gama’s attack and throw Gama over the top rope (which temporarily allowed them to tease that Benoit would possibly have been disqualified for throwing his opponent over the top rope until it was confirmed that Gama was the one disqualified). Gama’s work was solid but kinda plain. Benoit was a lot more dynamic and energetic. Apart from the match being quite standard overall, the execution and selling of the action was all quite good. Decent match. **¾   

Stampede 3/18/88 Calgary, AB, Victoria Pavilion Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Gama Singh vs. Chris Benoit 13:11. Gama Singh is the kind of worker who is decent enough to hang in there in matches with superior workers, but it’s always his top quality opponents who make his matches interesting. Gama deserves credit for understanding basic pro wrestling psychology, though, and he understood his role as the typical ‘80s foreign heel. Chris Benoit showed tons of potential around this time, but he hadn’t hit his peak years yet. That being said, his passion and determination were obviously present. His execution was also quite good, mainly due to his intensity. His technique would get better during the 1990s, but he did throw a really nice belly-to-belly suplex here, for example. What was also remarkable about Benoit’s work was that when he was selling, he wouldn’t want to sell for great lengths at a time, as he would make sure to fight back at least a little bit, which made things more realistic. Benoit really showed in this match that he understood how the ebb and flow in a dramatic title match works. This match is especially memorable for Benoit winning the title. Gama tried to get himself disqualified, but it luckily didn’t work. A bunch of people, including Brian Pillman, came out to celebrate Benoit’s victory. Very good match. ***½    

Stampede 4/22/88 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion, Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Yang Chung 10:53 of 15:53 shown. This was a rematch from the previous week, which was a non-title match in which champion Chris Benoit lost in an upset. Yang Yung was Japanese wrestler Shinji Sasazaki. Benoit was always moving forward. He didn’t like to waste time. Benoit threw a nice belly-to-back suplex. The commentators mentioned that Benoit had spent some time in the Orient and studied from the Japanese masters and has been combining that with “good old North American know-how.” The commentators also informed us that the first part of the match, the five minutes that weren’t aired, were all Yang Chung in control. Benoit had been in control ever since the 5-minute mark, which is when the aired footage started rolling. Sasazaki wasn’t a very fancy worker, but he had a good work ethic, as he was constantly moving forward. Benoit almost won after a splash off the top rope, but Sasazaki kicked out. The finish came when Sasazaki suplexed Benoit back into the ring from the apron and Benoit was able to adjust himself in mid air, which enabled Benoit to land on top and score the pinfall. This was certainly a pretty straightforward bout, nothing too crazy, but the workrate was high and it was entertaining enough, for sure. Good match. ***¼  

Stampede 12/30/88 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion, Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Johnny Smith vs. Chris Benoit 15:26 of 21:16. Johnny Smith made a serious effort here, unlike some of his less serious outings when he would spend the majority of the match stalling. Chris Benoit worked particularly hard, constantly trying to speed things up whenever possible. When Smith was on offense, the match would be slower and more deliberate. When Benoit was on offense, it would be more speedy and dynamic. Benoit’s passionate selling made the parts that Smith was on offense not too dragging. The finish came when both men went over the top rope, which resulted in a no contest. Decent match. **½  

Stampede 1/6/89 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion, Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title: Johnny Smith vs. Chris Benoit 11:00 shown. After Benoit took a bump over the top rope to the floor (which the referee didn’t catch, and that’s why it wasn’t an automatic DQ), the camera caught Chris Benoit blading. Johnny Smith rammed Benoit’s head into the ringpost. It was rare for Stampede footage to not get cut when blood was flowing. Usually, Ed Whalen would start freaking out, but he was surprisingly calm this time and even proclaimed that “it is not as bad as it looks.” Smith continued his relatively slow and deliberate offense while Benoit was selling passionately. Benoit’s execution in general was so smooth. Smith’s execution was quite crude. Smith knew and understood the type of match he wanted to work, but he lacked the skill and technique that Benoit had, who was on a whole different level. In the end, the match ended in a no contest when both guys started throwing the referee around. Decent match. **¾  

Stampede 2/10/89 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit & Biff Wellington vs. Johnny Smith & Gama Singh 18:18. The Albertan tag team of Chris Benoit and Biff Wellington showed their speed and tenacity. Their opponents, Johnny Smith and Gama Singh were very heelish and cocky in their approach, not interested in having a fair and competitive fight. Benoit and Wellington kept insisting that this would be a fun and energetic match, though. They did this by constantly taking it to their opponents and constantly moving forward, never looking back. That being said, it’s a shame that Smith and Gama acted so cowardly, because while it did enhance the storyline, it took away from the quality of this match. Wellington once again showed potential. Benoit showed that he really cared about what he was doing and that he was likely going to achieve greater heights. Smith and Gama were solid in their role as cowardly heels. From an in-ring work perspective, it was truly Benoit’s strong performance that elevated the quality of this match. Good match. ***¼

Stampede 5/12/89 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Chris Benoit vs. Larry Cameron 9:36 shown. By this point, Chris Benoit was a main eventer in Stampede Wrestling. This showed that he was going to be ready to take things to the next level in his wrestling career in the near future. Benoit showed quite some tenacity with his rough housing, which he then followed up with some limbwork. American wrestler ‘Lethal’ Larry Cameron had been a regular in Stampede Wrestling, and he was quite a good worker. Cameron used his toughness and strength to his advantage to dominate young Benoit. That didn’t stop Benoit from fighting back as soon as the opportunity came, however. Benoit was the quicker of the two and moved quite smoothly across the ring. It looked like Benoit was on his way to win this match until Ron Starr interfered. This was a good way to set up the rematch for next week’s TV show. It was a solid match overall, but the lack of a satisfying ending makes one hope that the rematch will give us exactly that. Unfortunately, the rematch would turn out to be okay but quite a disappointment with yet another DQ finish. Benoit had shown that was a really good worker by this point in time, though. Benoit would continue to improve and rise the ranks in the pro wrestling business over the next several months and years. Cameron would remain a relatively obscure wrestler and eventually die in the ring during a match with Tony St. Clair in Germany on 12/13/93.  Good match. *** 

Stampede 6/30/89 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion: Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith vs. Chris Benoit & Ken Johnson 7:45 shown. Kenny Johnson was a wrestler from Alberta. He spent most of his career in Canada. He would occasionally be used as a jobber whenever WWF had TV tapings in Alberta in the 1990s. Chris Benoit was one of the most promising workers in the world at the time. Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith were the British Bruisers. Johnson was completely dominated by the Bruisers. Johnson was finally able to make the tag to Benoit, who was giving both Bruisers a pounding. Benoit eventually tagged Johnson back in, and Johnson was defeated via a superplex by Dynamite. This was interesting when Benoit was briefly in, but it was a squash match for the most part. This was one of the few times Benoit got to wrestle his idol, Dynamite Kid. Decent match. **½  

NJPW 2/10/90 Tokyo Dome: Pegasus Kid & Naoki Sano vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Akira Nogami 16:47. This had the vibe of a big match, not just because it was in the Egg Dome (which helped, of course), but mainly because of the way the participants executed each move like it mattered and was going to have some sort of impact that was going to get them potentially closer to victory. In other words, these guys were in the zone nad performing as well as they possibly could at the time. This was Pegasus Kid’s first appearance under this gimmick, and he was clearly a bit nervous (understandably so, though!) and wasn’t nearly as crisp as he would later become. So, for those who want to see early footage of Pegasus Kid and are expecting to see some great stuff, you might be in for a disappointment. However, for those of you who are curious to see the road to greatness of Pegasus Kid and want to see how he got there, this will be very interesting footage for sure. Jushin Thunder Liger displayed tremendous drive and determination, which made him so important as the driving force of the NJPW junior heavyweight division. Akira Nogami looked green, but he clearly showed potential. He would end up becoming one of the most underrated and forgotten pro wrestlers ever. And, oh dear, some of the things Pegasus Kid tried to do in this match looked really rough. In his defense, this was his first match back in Japan since late 1987, and his first time wearing the Pegasus mask. It’s truly a testament to his great determination to become better and Liger’s great talent to bring the best out of everyone around him that Pegasus would end up having one of the most legendary pro wrestling matches ever just a little over six months later! That being said, Pegasus did show bits and pieces of that intensity he would eventually become known for, and he showed some of that Dynamite Kid worshiping approach he would become famous for. Naoki Sano performed some superbly-executed moves, but it felt like he understood this match wasn’t about him. That being said, the match was certainly at its best whenever Liger and Sano were wrestling each other. All in all, this was a match that succeeded in giving us a glimpse of what this intriguing division was going to be like. Sano pinned Nogami to win the match. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 3/2/90 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Pegasus Kid & Cheetah Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takayuki Iizuka 7:33 of 8:17. This is probably the earliest Ted Petty match available. He wrestled as the Cheetah Kid here. He performed some very impressive and spectacular high flying moves. He was light on his feet and a true daredevil. This was his only NJPW tour. He would later show up in several leagues, most notably in ECW as ‘Flyboy’ Rocco Rock (the better half of Public Enemy). While his showing in this NJPW match was brief, it was quite memorable and makes you remember what an underrated talent he was. That being said, in spite of being an awesome pure high flyer, there wasn’t any indication of him being able to work sequences well enough to warrant a real singles push in NJPW. That’s where Pegasus Kid came in. Pegasus was the chosen one to feud with Jushin Thunder Liger, who was the best (junior heavyweight) pro wrestler in the world at the time. In fact, it was exactly thanks to this feud with Liger that Pegasus would improve tremendously over the next several months and rise to greatness, confirming that the faith people had in him was justified. The inconsistent Takayuki Iizuka looked lost at times, yet definitely showed potential. All in all, this was quite a fun match, albeit mainly for the novelty factor of this being an early Pegasus match and a rare Cheetah match. Decent match. **¾ 

NJPW 3/19/90 Hiroshima, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 15:21. This was Chris Benoit’s first big title shot in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He had wrestled in NJPW extensively in 1987 as Dynamite Chris, but during this tour, it was when he received his first big push in NJPW under his new gimmick, the masked Pegasus Kid. This was also his first big televised singles match in NJPW. At this time, Pegasus certainly wasn’t the extremely smooth and extremely intense worker he would eventually become. However, this match was important and fascinating, as it was arguably the first time Pegasus had to really push himself to try to be as resourceful as possible and step up his game significantly in order to show that the potential he had shown up until then was indeed resulting in something truly worth recommending. Jushin Thunder Liger had been pushing the boundaries of what the NJPW junior heavyweight division and pro wrestling in general could look like at the time. Just like Pegasus, Liger was also inspired by the legendary Dynamite Kid, and this inspiration had translated into Liger delivering all-time great work in his feud against Naoki Sano in 1989-1990. Here in his next feud against Pegasus, Liger kept showing that he wasn’t just a flash in the pan but indeed a wrestler who was going to take junior heavyweight wrestling to new heights in the 1990s. The match featured well-executed wrestling and gradually became more exciting, as you could almost feel the tension thanks to the great build towards the finish. After a very interesting finishing stretch, Liger scored the pin to retain the title. This 3/19/90 match was instrumental in setting things up and naturally taking us to the totally amazing 8/19/90 match between these two. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 6/18/90 Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 19:47. After proving that he was a worthy challenger on 3/19/90, Pegasus Kid still had to prove that he had what it took to beat the champ. Now that he was more familiar working against Jushin Thunder Liger, Pegasus looked and moved around with more confidence than before. Pegasus wrestled like someone who wanted to impress and win this important bout. Liger was still the man here, but Pegasus was clearly able to back up everyone’s confidence in his ability. What was so perfect about this match is that it really put over the idea that Pegasus was more ready than before and now more than ever a serious threat to Liger’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title and even scored the win here. Still, this match had that similar feeling the 3/19/90 match had in the sense that they were feeling each other out. It wasn’t until the outstanding 8/19/90 match that they really took things to a whole new level. Excellent match. ****¼  

NJPW 6/26/90 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid vs. Owen Hart 12:10. This was a very interesting match-up between two of Alberta’s greatest wrestlers. Pegasus Kid didn’t waste any time and attacked Owen Hart while the referee was still going over the rules. Pegasus dumped Owen to the floor and beat him up quite a bit on the floor. Pegasus kept taking it to Owen, but once Owen had a chance to fight back, he did so in a very graceful manner. His beautiful high flying skills were put on display, as he hit a missile dropkick and a tope suicida. After these first exciting few minutes, it looked like things were going to slow down, but they kept the action going with some more of their smooth work. Owen gave a particularly strong performance, really managing to wow the crowd with his tremendous athleticism. Pegasus tried to keep Owen on the mat, but it felt like he wasn’t quite willing and/or able to do anything really interesting while on the mat. Owen tried to at least go for some cool-looking escapes and counters on the mat. Owen mainly focused on flashy offense in this match. He gave Pegasus more than enough opportunities to outdo him, and occasionally Pegasus showed some spectacular stuff that rivaled Owen’s coolest moves. Pegasus hit a vicious backdrop suplex and quite an amazing plancha as well. Owen’s movements were a bit slicker, though, and this included his offense but also his bumping and selling. Owen hit a graceful looking moonsault for a near fall. In the end, Pegasus won via a backdrop off the top rope. This victory certainly strengthened Pegasus’ position as the #1 contender for Jushin Thunder Liger’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. These two former Stampede Wrestling workers continued the legacy of Stampede, as they gave the NJPW junior heavyweight division quite a boost with their Dynamite Kid-inspired work. It felt like the match could have used a few more minutes, but at least it didn’t overstay its welcome. This was the first time Pegasus had an excellent match in Japan that wasn’t against Liger. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 6/30/90 Ueda City Stadium: Pegasus Kid & Steve Williams vs. Owen Hart & Bam Bam Bigelow 14:11. Owen Hart was such a smooth worker. His bumping and selling really made his powerful opponents look even more powerful. Owen definitely carried the match. Pegasus Kid hadn't quite reached greatness yet, but his interactions with Owen were very enjoyable. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 7/19/90 Shizuoka Industrial Hall: Pegasus Kid & Biff Wellington vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 12:51. All four of these guys wrestled in Stampede Wrestling at some point during the 1980s. The year 1990 was an interesting year for all four of these guys. Hiroshi Hase had just started being taken seriously as a top heavyweight in NJPW. Kensuke Sasaki was still far removed from being the legendary veteran people would know him as, but he started climbing the ranks slowly. Pegasus Kid was about to reach true greatness and was about to become one of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Biff Wellington, however, was about to hit obscurity, and his name would end up only popping up here and there. Biff was a talented Calgarian, but his Dynamite Kid-wannabe style was perhaps too similar to that of the far superior workers Pegasus Kid and Owen Hart, who ended up becoming international superstars, while this July ‘90 tour turned out to be Biff’s final overseas tour. The match was at its least smooth whenever Sasaki and Biff were in the ring together. Both these two were definitely not bad wrestlers, but they were noticeably more clunky and less graceful than the other two in this match. The match was at its best whenever Pegasus was in the match, especially when working against Hase. This match was interesting, for sure, but it never seemed to reach its full potential, as we didn’t get enough Pegasus vs. Hase. The match ended somewhat abruptly when Pegasus scored the pinfall over Sasaki. Good match. ***

NJPW 7/22/90 Sapporo Tsukisamu Green Dome: Pegasus Kid vs. Biff Wellington 12:08. This wasn’t a televised match (as far as I know), so we just have the hand-held footage of this bout. Things slowed down considerably when Wellington was on offense. Wellington was a good worker, but he was a bit less flashy than Pegasus and focused a bit more on powerhouse-like offense. The matwork in this match was done slowly and methodically, as they were always carefully trying to get to a position that would improve the situation they were in. Whenever they weren’t on the mat, they were willing to take a bit more risk and propel themselves at their opponents more directly and more effectively. This didn’t seem to stop Pegasus Kid from going all out against fellow Stampede Wrestling alumnus Biff Wellington. This isn’t meant as a negative statement by any means, but the best way to describe Wellington would be describing him as a poor man’s Pegasus Kid. Of course, Pegasus was one of the best five wrestlers in the world at the time, so that statement definitely wasn’t meant as an insult. The match ended when Pegasus scored the expected pinfall win. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 8/16/90 Chiba Park Stadium: Pegasus Kid & Super Strong Machine & Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Kuniaki Kobayashi & Kensuke Sasaki 12:47. We were just three days removed from the groundbreaking, bar-raising title bout between IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Jushin Thunder Liger and up-and-coming great Pegasus Kid. Whenever those two faced off in this trios match, they really put over the idea that they were indeed in a hot in-ring feud in which there was something important at stake. The interactions were brief, but that was understandable since they were merely meant as a preview or appetizer, if you will. Of the other four guys, only Kuniaki Kobayashi seemed to treat this match like it was more than just another midcard trios match, though. Pegasus pinned Kobayashi after the Dynamite Kid-inspired combination of a tombstone followed by a flying headbutt. Pegasus was clearly ready for the upcoming title bout against Liger. Good match. ***

NJPW 8/19/90 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 15:02. At the time this took place, it was really a match that pushed the boundaries further, as it was a step above the feud between Jushin Liger and Naoki Sano. It was a shockingly great match that was arguably more spectacular and exciting than any other match in 1990. This was an extremely spectacular match with great execution. This was Liger’s best match ever. It was the first time Pegasus Kid showed work on a level this high. Liger really did a great job of stepping up his game and also enabling Pegasus to shine at the same time. Liger and Pegasus had wrestled each other before, but this was something on another level. Pegasus winning the title really put him up there as one of the top international junior heavyweight stars and a worker who was now expected to deliver highly recommendable matches more often than before. This is one of the 50 greatest pro wrestling matches ever! Outstanding match. ***** 

NJPW 10/7/90 Pegasus Kid & Villano V vs. Owen Hart & Jushin Thunder Liger. Villano V, the only worker in this match who wasn't part of the Stampede Wrestling alumni, was definitely the weak link of the match. Some of the sequences involving Villano V looked rough, and there was especially some miscommunication between him and Owen Hart. You could tell Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger had become very comfortable working with each other, which should be no surprise since on 8/19/90, they had wrestled what at the time was one of the 15 best matches in pro wrestling history. Pegasus and Owen worked some really nice sequences together, and these two Canadians from Alberta were obviously familiar with each other. This match had fun sequences, but the middle part was relatively slow and seemed to serve merely as a little break without offering anything really intriguing. In spite of the match mainly being memorable for the fun sequences, and in spite of some execution issues here and there, this was quite a good match overall. ***¼ 

NJPW 10/11/90 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Pegasus Kid & Villano V vs. Owen Hart & Jushin Thunder Liger 13:40. The hand-held footage for this match is quite shaky, but it’s good enough to get a good impression of the match. They lived up to people’s expectations of junior heavyweights being spectacular high flyers. Jushin Thunder Liger and Pegasus Kid were two of the guys responsible for creating these expectations thanks to their tremendous in-ring feud that year. Liger’s tope suicida sent both him and his target, Pegasus, over the guardrail. Pegasus showed some impressive flying of his own, including a dropkick off the top to the floor. Owen’s work was super smooth, and his excellent execution made his work impressive-looking in spite of being slightly less spectacular than Liger and Pegasus. Villano V was the odd one out here, as he came across quite pedestrian compared to the three former Stampede Wrestling superstars. In fact, the crowd even started laughing when Villano did some weak-looking lucha holds, not realizing that the luchador was being serious. The match certainly slowed down a lot when Villano was in the ring. This didn’t stop the others from performing well whenever they were in, though. As the match went on, though, it became clear that the first half was the more interesting half, and this was confirmed when the match just ended somewhat randomly. Owen scored the win via flying elbow. Good match. ***¼

NJPW 10/29/90 Yokkaichi Civic Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid & Hiro Saito vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takayuki Iizuka 11:41. This was quite the exciting and action-packed tag team bout that took place three days prior to the big rematch between Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger, who had an amazing all-time great match on 8/19/90 in which Pegasus had beaten Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Pegasus showed tremendous intensity from the start, throwing Jushin Thunder Liger in the guardrail so hard that the guardrail almost came unhinged. Hiro Saito was still somewhat in his prime back here, so he joined in on the fun and showed quite a bit of aggression. Once Liger was able to fight back, he fought back in spectacular fashion. When he hit a tope suicida, he used his body as a torpedo-esque weapon that came at Hiro Saito in full force. The match felt like it was a really good companion to the Pegasus vs. Liger singles matches. This tag match wasn’t on the same level as the singles matches, but they functioned as an extension of the in-ring feud. It’s not necessarily an essential match, but it’s definitely recommended for fans who are into this Pegasus vs. Liger feud and want to get a more complete picture of what was happening in the NJPW junior heavyweight division during this very interesting time period. Pegasus, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, maintained the momentum he had been having at the time, as he managed to score the pinfall after a flying headbutt on Iizuka. Very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 11/1/90 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:32. The work was pretty much on the same level as their awesome 8/19/90 match. This match was just a little bit shorter. Pegasus Kid showed a bit more confidence now that he was the champion and had recently worked an all-time great match. The story was that Liger was initially a bit overwhelmed by the strong gaijin champ but that the Japanese superhero eventually started getting more of a grip on the match. Pegasus missed the flying legdrop, which was the move he won the title with, and Liger followed up with the shooting star press. This was definitely a spectacular match, especially for the year 1990. Great match. ****¾ 

NJPW 2/10/91 Komogane Civic Gym: Pegasus Kid & Franz Schumann vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 10:24. Franz Schumann was an Austrian wrestler who spent most of his career in the Austrian CWA league. Apart from this random tour in February ‘91, he also toured NJPW as part of the BOSJ III tournament in 1996. Schumann was quite capable of some nice technical sequences, which he was able to show here. Considering that he would seemingly be out of his element here, Schumann did quite well for himself, showing that he was a smart and versatile worker. It felt like he was a better fit for the NJPW junior heavyweight division than Fit Finlay was, for example. Pegasus was obviously no stranger to his opponents. Pegasus had wrestled Sasaki many times, as Sasaki was one of Pegasus’ main opponents when he was still a young lion in 1987. Pegasus had wrestled Hase several times in tag team competition in NJPW and even in a singles match in Calgary. Pegasus’ style by this point was that of a NJPW worker, with a lot of focus on intensity and snugness. Hase was really eager to wrestle Pegasus, which was really cool to see. Whenever those two were in the ring together, the action was truly outstanding. Pegasus hit a tremendous superplex and a tremendous flying headbutt. Hase was superb with his timing and accuracy. Sasaki was a solid tag team worker, but he was really the least memorable worker of this match. He played his part in the finish quite well, though. When Pegasus and Hase were done wowing the crowd with their top-level work, Sasaki caught Schumann in a powerslam just as Schumann had been tagged in. The finish was quite abrupt, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of this match. Very good match. ***½  

NJPW 4/17/91 Tokyo, Top of the Super Juniors II: Pegasus Kid vs. Owen Hart 11:04. The execution was very good, but it didn't really feel like there was anything at stake in spite of this being a tournament match. During the final minutes, however, Owen Hart, who had been particularly laid-back during this match, finally started showing some urgency and ended up winning. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 4/28/91 Omiya Skate Center, Top of the Super Juniors II: Negro Casas vs. Pegasus Kid 11:52. The work was very good, and this was almost twice as long as Negro Casas’ match with Jushin Thunder Liger nine days earlier, but the longer time didn’t result in more action. Pegasus Kid displayed some solid offense though. In spite of having already wrestled some great matches, (including the tremendous 8/19/90 match against Jushin Thunder Liger), Pegasus hadn’t quite hit his peak yet, and he missed some of the intensity he would become known for. Good match. ***

NJPW 4/30/91 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Top of the Super Juniors II Semi Final: Pegasus Kid vs. Norio Honaga 9:21. The winner of this bout would face the winner of Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Negro Casas (which would turn out to be Liger) in the final. Pegasus wasted no time and immediately attacked Honaga. Pegasus was in control for a bit until Honaga avoided a plancha attempt. Honaga hit a pescado and was in control now. Things got more exciting once they exchanged German suplexes. Honaga is definitely not your most exciting wrestler, but he’s a sneaky veteran who can score a victory out of nowhere. That’s what made him so dangerous and made his pinfall attempts interesting. Honaga was definitely a solid worker who knew what he was doing. It’s just that for a guy that unspectacular (compared to almost everyone else in the division), it felt like he was a bit overpushed. And it’s a shame Pegasus didn’t advance to the final, but I guess we’ve already been spoiled enough when it comes to Pegasus vs. Liger matches. All in all, the fact that this was short worked to everyone’s advantage, because that forced Honaga to go along with Pegasus’ wish for a high-paced approach. This was essentially Pegasus practicing for the future, as this resembled a Nitro match in some ways. However, because this type of sprint usually wasn’t the norm for somewhat important matches in NJPW at the time, it felt on one hand like it was lacking something due to the relatively short time this lasted, yet on the other hand it felt refreshing and exciting. The main issue of the match really was the fact that Honaga’s rather simplistic moveset limited them from having a match that would live up to what you’d think a TOSJ semi-final would be like. Also, by this point in time, Pegasus had never proven himself to be capable of working an excellent match against someone other than Liger (with the only exception being the excellent 6/26/90 match against fellow Albertan Owen Hart). With all of that in mind, this merely felt like a fun little side attraction compared to the semi-final and final involving Liger. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 5/27/91 Takasaki City Central Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid & Super Strong Machine vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Keiji Muto 11:10. Pegasus Kid stood out because he tried to put over the idea that he was actually putting force behind his blows and was trying to do some damage to his opponents. Junji Hirata was solid but wasn’t nearly as convincing as his tag team partner in this bout. Cool mask, though. Jushin Thunder Liger was clever at making sure that whatever he did (either on offense or defense) would somehow make the match better. Keiji Muto was inconsistent, one minute hitting a cool move, then the next minute being lost in dreamland. When Pegasus and Liger wrestled each other, they showed everyone how it’s really done, showing some of the most well-executed wrestling you’ll see in 1991. For those of us who have seen Pegasus and Liger wrestle so many times, it’s perhaps easy to forget how outstanding they were, but when you see them in a tag team match like this, it’s clear they were far ahead of the pack. Only hand-held footage exists of this house show, by the way, but the quality is quite good. In the end, Muto scored the predictable win over Pegasus. Decent match. **¾ 

NJPW 5/30/91 Gifu Industrial Hall: Pegasus Kid & Miguel Perez Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Shiro Koshinaka 11:23. Miguel Perez Jr. gave one of his best performances, as he managed to be useful and even hit an impressive move here and there. Towards the end of the match, he was having trouble keeping up with these three greats, though. Shiro Koshinaka worked hard, as usual, and he always enjoys in a selfless manner being a driving force in a tag team bout. Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger did some of their usual sequences, which looked good, as expected. That being said, apart from the weakest member of the match (Perez) being better than usual, the three main members of the match weren’t doing anything to write home about for their standards. Of course, those are some pretty high standards, so it was worth watching. The pace was high, but the match sometimes felt too forced and not genuine enough, almost exhibition-like at times. Good match. *** 

NJPW 7/4/91 Fukuoka, Mask vs. Mask: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 16:22. This wasn't on the level of their great matches from 1990, but it was an excellent match nonetheless. It seemed like maybe a bit more of a dramatic last few minutes would have been nice, and maybe a bit more urgency overall would have been welcome as well. In spite of Pegasus Kid trying hard to beat Jushin Thunder Liger, it was Liger who after quite a bit of selling, somehow didn't have too much trouble putting Pegasus away. Pegasus unmasked and was revealed to be Chris Benoit. Excellent match. **** 

CWA 8/91 Vienna, Austria: Chris Benoit vs. Johnny Smith. Johnny Smith mainly acted heelish, but was okay-ish overall. Chris Benoit did well, but this isn't the type of setting that will show him at the best of his ability. Okay match. **¼ 

NJPW 9/21/91 Yokkaichi Municipal Central Green Park Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid vs. Black Cat 13:48. Since he had lost his mask to Jushin Thunder Liger, Pegasus Kid was now wrestling in Japan without a mask. He didn’t need it anymore anyway now that his reputation was getting stronger. Black Cat was a solid lower midcard luchador, who was mainly useful backstage due to his ability to speak Japanese and Spanish. As an in-ring worker, he was a solid hand who you could put in there with anyone, since he was an experienced worker. As a worker, he mainly just got put on the card so that his opponent could have a match. He was a smaller heavyweight, so that was useful since he was kinda used like a Takayuk Iizuka in the sense that the booker would alternate between having him wrestle junior heavyweights and heavyweight since he fell in a sort of grey zone. Black Cat himself was almost never the attraction, and he was pretty much never involved in a title match. While this was a random house show match, Pegasus wrestled in a way that showed he wanted to take it seriously, since he was very passionate about the pro wrestling business. Also, now that he was wrestling without a mask, that brought some freshness to his approach. Initially, this match seemed to be just designed to put Pegasus over, so Black Cat mainly let Pegasus do his thing while sort of waiting for the right moment to strike back. Since Black Cat spent most of the time selling on the mat, Pegasus kinda was forced to try to apply some submission holds, which helped to pass a bit of time. All of a sudden, Black Cat nailed Pegasus with a clothesline and that turned things around. Black Cat was now in full attack mode with his newfound momentum. Black Cat even bodyslammed Pegasus on the ring announce table and hit Pegasus with a chair. The match was good, but it would have been even more interesting if it wasn’t just, like, here’s your half of the match and then my half of the match kinda thing. At least the match got gradually more interesting with the final minutes being the most exciting, as that’s when there was more back-and-forth action combined with bigger moves. It was nice to see Pegasus re-establish himself again after having lost his mask in Japan. And it was nice to see the veteran Black Cat clearly enjoying the fact that he was part of a memorable singles match. Very good match. ***½  

NJPW 10/18/91 Hiroshima Sun Plaza: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 13:07. Liger’s Asai moonsault looked cool. Pegasus was quite vicious, which made the commentators namedrop the great Dynamite Kid. This was an excellent display of pro wrestling. However, these two had set the standard so high in 1990, that this didn’t quite live up to their title bouts from 1990. Still, these two were so much better than most workers at the time that whatever they did was just so much more interesting and better than most matches. Everything they did looked so smooth and natural. In a very subtle way, they managed to build to a crescendo while maintaining the underlying storyline of them being two top stars trying to outdo each other in a respectable athletic contest. Excellent match. ****¼   

LLI 11/3/91 Naucalpan El Toreo, Mask vs. Mask: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano III. Pegasus Kid showed he could adapt to the Mexican lucha libre style. He showed some good moves and tried to keep things interesting. Villano III was too content lying around, and he wasn't too concerned about fighting back too often. Even though Villano III was far less impressive, he somehow won the match and Pegasus had to unmask, and this time in Mexico (as Pegasus had already lost his mask in Japan on 7/4/91 against Jushin Thunder Liger). For what it’s worth, Chris Benoit himself spoke highly of Villano III, and this match was highly regarded as a top scientific match in Mexican lucha libre back in the day. Decent match. **¾   

LLI 1/19/92 Naucalpan El Toreo: Negro Casas & Pegasus Kid vs. Hijo del Santo & Villano III. The great rudo team of Negro Casas and Pegasus Kid showed a lot of viciousness in the first fall. Being the superhero that he is, Hijo del Santo didn’t back down from the challenges posed to him, and he fought back with his typically graceful lucha offense. Villano III was a step or three slower than the other three participants in this match, but he was solid in his role as Santo’s tag team partner here. The work Casas and Santo showed here was more exciting and fast-paced than in their singles match from two weeks prior. The final minutes of this match had the most excitement and culminated when Pegasus missed a flying headbutt, as Villano moved out of the way and scored the pinfall win. It was a pretty straightforward match with some fun and energetic action. Good match. ***¼  

LLI 1/26/92 Naucalpan El Toreo, WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano III 19:00 of 42:10. The first fall was just the mandatory stuff on the mat. Later in the match, Pegasus Kid showed some good moves, including the flying headbutt. Villano III barely did anything other than lying around. The match ended when Pegasus had a seemingly lifeless Villano in submission holds. The referee finally signaled that the match was over, and Pegasus was the rightful winner. Decent match. **½  

NJPW 2/4/92 Hakodate Citizen Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid & Flying Scorpio vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Akira Nogami 13:49. You could tell this match took place before the big 2/10/92 singles match between Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger, because everyone was quite intense and ready to go. Flying Scorpio and Akira Nogami had a few minor execution issues, but they were of the realistic kind, so it didn’t detract anything from the match. Pegasus was super smooth in his execution, showing everyone that he was indeed ready to have a great 1992. Liger, the top junior heavyweight in the world, was amazing in this match. What was so great here was that he was really into building up the heat for his big upcoming match with Pegasus. In the end, after a lot of exciting junior heavyweight action, Nogami pinned Scorpio to win the match. Very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 2/10/92 Nagoya Rainbow Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title & WCW World Light Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 16:22. The work was truly excellent throughout this match. It took a while for them to take things to the next level, though. Once they did, however, it resulted in some of the best minutes of wrestling of the year. This wasn’t quite on the level of their 8/19/90 and 11/1/90 matches, as those were more groundbreaking and more exciting from the start. That being said, Jushin Thunder Liger’s selling was superb, and Pegasus Kid once again showed his tremendous passion and will to keep improving. Excellent match. ****¼ 

NJPW 2/12/92 Takaishi Seaside Sports Center: Pegasus Kid & Flying Scorpio vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Akira Nogami 13:43. Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger just had an excellent match against each other two days prior, and they made it clear that they were ready to pick up where they left off, as their sequences together were fast and exciting. Flying Scorpio and Akira Nogami were no strangers to each other either, but they didn’t have the heated rivalry Pegasus and Liger had. Liger had some nice-looking moments with Scorpio as well, but he would always make it clear that he preferred to face his rival Pegasus in the ring. While this was an enjoyable match, it felt like it never was a continuing whole. It felt like it was always just going to be about Liger vs. Pegasus with some random other stuff happening to fill up the rest of the match. If anything, this match just makes you long for another singles match between Pegasus and Liger, as their interactions together were super smooth. That being said, even the moments Scorpio and Nogami were in were always at least worth watching. Of course, you have to keep in mind that these two teams had a better match together on 2/4/92, which was superior to this 2/12/92 one because of it taking place earlier in the tour, prior to the 2/10/92 match, so the 2/4/92 match had a lot more meaning and purpose to it (and therefore naturally more energy and intensity). The match came to an end when Nogami scored the pinfall win over Scorpio. Very good match. ***½

LLI 4/3/92 Nezahualcoyotl Arena Neza, WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano IV 19:02. This was a lot better than Pegasus Kid's matches against Villano III  because, unlike Villano III, Villano IV actually did things. Here in this match, Pegasus was able to do more of the moves and sequences he was doing in Japan. Now, this is a very significant match for an interesting reason. Up until that point in time, Pegasus only had excellent matches with Jushin Thunder Liger, who was truly the guy who helped Pegasus grow as a worker (with the exception of the excellent 6/26/90 match against Owen Hart, and I don’t want to make that one less significant than it was, but it felt like somewhat expected to a certain degree that two of the best Stampede Wrestling guys would go all out and have a very memorable bout in Japan). The excellence of this bout against Villano IV was totally unexpected, because Villano IV wasn’t necessarily a huge international star, and Pegasus’ best matches had always been in Japan against Liger. So, that knowledge makes this match even more interesting than it already was. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 4/16/92 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Flying Scorpio 9:55. 2 Cold Scorpio wasn't 2 Cold yet, but he was definitely Flying. These two wasted no time, yet it never felt rushed. Things fell into place very organically. Even the feeling out minutes early on felt like they featured both workers really trying to get the upper hand. Things really started flowing into even more exciting final minutes. Both showed great athleticism and timing. This was truly a significant bout, as it was one of the first times that Pegasus had an excellent match in Japan that wasn’t against Jushin Thunder Liger or Owen Hart. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 4/21/92 Kanazawa Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Negro Casas 6:00 of 11:38. This was tons of fun. It was basically just two very talented international junior heavyweights doing fast-paced exciting junior heavyweight stuff. You can’t go wrong with that. They both put over the idea that they were just going to go all out and do risky stuff in order to get a victory, even if it would mean they’d come crashing down. This made this certainly very fun to watch, but it also meant the match lacked strategy and a deeper storyline. What also didn’t help was that only half the match is available, so now we’re getting even more the impression this was more like an exhibition of excitement as opposed to a well-crafted bout. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 4/23/92 Wakayama Prefectural Gymnasium, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:42. Pegasus Kid was showing a lot more intensity compared to a year prior. These two wrestled like it really mattered, which is something most wrestlers from today can learn from. The match started off with some nice counter wrestling that wasn’t just merely done because they ‘have to’ but because they pushed themselves and each other to work hard and smart. Everything they did was executed superbly and sold superbly. The fact that this was not a TV taping and not a show at a major venue didn’t stop these two from living up to their reputation as two of the very best. This match resembled their 10/18/91 in the sense that it was all about them organically moving from one moment to the next. While the match didn’t have a very deep storyline going, at least it never felt contrived, since it had the vibe of two athletic contestants doing what they did best until one came out on top. Because of these two being such well-seasoned high-level professionals, they managed to make everything they did look easy to perform for them yet awe-inspiring for the audience to witness. The final minutes had some bigger moves, like Jushin Thunder Liger suplexing Pegasus to the floor and Liger hitting a moonsault after Pegasus had re-entered the ring. However, there wasn’t much of a proper finishing stretch, and there weren’t many near falls. Of course, it’s not like that is a mandatory thing, but it feels like there was something missing to push this into greatness. The finish saw Pegasus recovering quickly after Liger was getting frustrated with not being able to put Pegasus away as soon as he had hoped. Pegasus went for a victory roll and scored the clean pinfall in the middle of the ring. This was a big victory for Pegasus, because it showed he was still on Liger’s level, and it kept the competitive in-ring feud between these two hot. The finish didn’t come completely out of nowhere, but the timing of it did give it the type of feel that indicated that anyone can be beaten at any time in this prestigious tournament that featured some of the top junior heavyweights in the world. These two had several excellent and even great matches together over the years, and this is one that’s lesser known and thus often gets overlooked. It’s certainly worth watching and worthy of a solid recommendation. Excellent match. ****¼ 

NJPW 4/26/92 Oita City General Gymnasium, TOSJ III: Pegasus Kid vs. Norio Honaga 8:00. Norio Honaga showed that he was eager to beat Pegasus Kid by wasting no time and running towards Pegasus as soon as the bell rang. Honaga, who had caught Pegasus by surprise, made sure to keep the attack going in order to stay in control and give Pegasus very little chance to recuperate. However, the strong Pegasus was able to withstand Honaga’s persistent yet somewhat basic attack and fight back. Honaga used his sneakiness and instincts to find ways to stop Pegasus’ offense and do some damage to Pegasus. They both gave each other some time to be on offense and then some time to sell. So, it wasn’t a match that was strictly divided in half, but it also wasn’t a very intense back-and-forth affair either. The end seemed near when Pegasus hit a flying headbutt, but Honaga was capable of kicking out. Honaga realized that Pegasus was looking to score a win soon, so Honaga started going from pinfall attempts via flips and slides. Honaga used the momentum of his own body to his advantage and managed to disrupt Pegasus’ balance to score the pinfall win. Pegasus was frustrated that Honaga had outsmarted him. This match showed that in spite of Pegasus being physically more gifted, a win can come out of nowhere when you use timing and positioning to your advantage to create a leverage advantage. Say what you want about Honaga, but he performed his role really well in this bout and showed that he was indeed a clever wrestler. Ultimately, this match was just a bit too short to be truly worthy of recommendable status, but it was certainly a fun match while it lasted, and it was particularly memorable for the surprisingly good performance by Honaga. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 4/30/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Negro Casas & Eddy Guerrero vs. Pegasus Kid & Fit Finlay 11:57. This was the day of the TOSJ III final. Jushin Thunder Liger and El Samurai would battle each other in a great match that night, but this tag match earlier on the card was quite an interesting one as well. The two Mexican representatives of the tournament, Negro Casas & Eddy Guerrero, teamed up together to battle Canada’s Pegasus Kid and Northern Ireland’s Dave ‘Fit’ Finlay. Needless to say, this match featured quite a mixture of styles that somehow meshed relatively well together, avoiding what potentially could have been a clash of styles. Casas was a great luchador, but he was pretty much only doing pure lucha. Guerrero was mostly still doing solid lucha, as he hadn’t quite incorporated more puroresu elements to his style yet. Pegasus had spent time in Mexico as well and had proven to be a superbly versatile worker, so anytime Pegasus was in the ring, the work was flowing excellently. Pegasus’ work was done in his typical Dynamite Kid-esque puroresu-influenced Calgary style that he was known for, but he allowed the lucha work of Casas and Guerrero to blend in with his work. Finlay was the odd one out, as he prefers to work stiffer and rougher than his opponents, and he is far less flashy than them. Still, Finlay was a very good worker overall, so his sequences were still quite good for the most part, but things seemed to slow down slightly when he was in. Nobody did any real matwork here, as it was just a non-stop series of workers leaping at each other in between some roughhousing. Guerrero executed a nice superplex on Pegasus. When Guerrero wanted to follow it up with a splash, Pegasus got his knees up. One of the coolest moments in the match was Guerrero hitting a springboard plancha over the guardrail to the floor onto Pegasus and Finlay. The sequences between Pegasus and Guerrero were among the best in this match, which was a sign of things to come in the future, as these two workers would have several memorable matches against each other. Casas did well, but he wasn’t thriving as much as Pegasus and Guerrero were in this match. No real stories were being told, but everyone worked hard, and this was quite a fun match at all times. Very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 5/1/92 Chiba Port Arena: Pegasus Kid & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Negro Casas & El Samurai 12:13. This was a fun-to-watch match, as these were four of the top junior heavyweights during this Top of the Super Juniors III tour. You could tell that this match took place after the tournament had already been completed, as it didn’t feel like there was anything at stake. However, the work was good and interesting enough to make it worthwhile from start to finish. There was definitely not any time being wasted. The final minutes were a bit more spectacular than the rest of the match, but there never really was a dull moment. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 5/17/92 Osaka-jo Hall: Pegasus Kid vs. Tiger Mask III 12:56. It took Tiger Mask III (Koji Kanemoto) a while to get warmed up, but once he did, he was able to provide quite a bit of challenge and resistance. Pegasus Kid did a very good job carrying young Kanemoto, who had only recently become the third incarnation of the gimmick immortalized by Satoru Sayama, the First Tiger Mask. The second incarnation of the gimmick, Tiger Mask II, was AJPW’s Mitsuharu Misawa, by the way. Kanemoto hit a spectacular dive over the guardrail onto Pegasus at some point in the match. In the end this version of Tiger Mask didn't quite have the starpower the original one had, which was understandable since it wouldn’t be until 1995 that Kanemoto became a really good worker. Not very surprisingly, Pegasus ended up winning the match. It was an enjoyable match, but there wasn't enough continuous action for this to be considered excellent. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 6/2/92 Hiroshima Sun Plaza: Pegasus Kid & El Samurai vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask III 12:42. They worked this match like it really mattered, which is how it should be, because these were four of the top guys in the NJPW junior heavyweight division at the time. Jushin Thunder Liger had recently won the annual Top of the Super Juniors tournament by beating new rival El Samurai in the final. Pegasus Kid, the top gaijin in the division, was having a strong year, and his legendary in-ring feud with Liger was still ongoing. Tiger Mask III was Koji Kanemoto, and even though Kanemoto wasn’t necessarily a top guy yet, the legendary he was portraying certainly was. Kanemoto had been feuding with El Samurai ever since both guys debuted their respective new gimmicks in NJPW on 3/1/92. Kanemoto was spectacular enough to be credible as a Tiger Mask, but he lacked the presence and aura of The First Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama). It wasn’t a big problem, though, since the top guy in the division was then 5-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Liger anyway. Tiger III was always carefully booked in a way, as he was allowed to show his stuff with top guys but was rarely put in a position where it would become too obvious that this third incarnation of the gimmick was actually more like a midcard gimmick. For instance, the Tiger III gimmick never participated in a tournament, as that would have become somewhat of a troublesome situation, booking wise. And the Tiger III gimmick only made a few appearances in 1992 (as Kanemoto mainly continued to wrestle under his real name). In this tag team bout, Liger did a fantastic job of balancing the giving and taking perfectly in order to make himself look like a strong champion yet also make Samurai look like a worthy adversary. Samurai had spent years toiling away on NJPW cards as a lower midcarder until being sent to Mexico to reinvent himself. Now, under the Samurai gimmick, NJPW clearly had confidence in him, and that translated into a very motivated Samurai, who was showing lots of excitement in his work. Pegasus Kid was starting to reach even greater heights than ever before as a worker, as he continued to refine and perfect his Dynamite Kid-esque skills. Speaking of Dynamite, the commentators mentioned him, since Pegasus vs. Tiger III reminded them of the historical Dynamite vs. Sayama feud. Kanemoto wasn’t big enough of a star yet for this new feud to really come anywhere near the greatness of the feud from the early 1980s, though. Some of the classic spots that paid tribute to the junior heavyweight pioneers definitely made its way into this match, though, which wowed the crowd. What made this match so excellent was that, even though there wasn’t really anything on the line, especially considering tag team matches in the NJPW junior division had really not been pushed as anything of importance, everyone gave a strong effort, as if they all four agreed that this was a beautiful opportunity for them to show what the tremendous division was all about. Next to the tremendous athleticism displayed by everyone, the quality of the character work by everyone was phenomenal as well, which was evident especially in very subtle ways (like, the way they looked around and the way they moved, the way they executed moves, the way they reacted in situations etc.), which was particularly remarkable when you consider three of these guys wore masks. Pegasus didn’t wear a mask, but the fact that his character requires of him that he’s a no-nonsense all about the wrestling type of guy still puts him in a position where, just like the masked guys, he is mainly relying on subtle ways to translate his emotions and reasoning behind every action. All four did a great job of being a tremendous athlete and becoming the character they were portraying at the same time. The pace was high, the workrate was high, and the execution was superb overall. The storytelling was excellent, and they managed to make everything they did seem important and interesting. When it was all said and done, it really felt like a satisfying contest. Great match. ****½  

WCW 6/16/92 Charleston, SC, NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Round 1: Chris Benoit & Biff Wellington vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Brian Pillman 11:30. All four of these guys had made their way through the Stampede Wrestling territory at some point during the mid to late 1980s. Everyone in this match worked hard and was clearly motivated. This was the best match Biff Wellington was ever part of. Chris Benoit's timing and execution were tremendous. This was the very first of over 500 matches Benoit would end up working for WCW. Jushin Thunder Liger was truly spectacular and lived up to his reputation. The WCW fans were already familiar with Brian Pillman's work, and he definitely didn't disappoint here, as this was the type of match where he was once again able to show his greatness. Jim Ross rightfully said after the match: “What a memorable match!” Excellent match. ****

NJPW 6/26/92 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Pegasus Kid vs. Super Strong Machine 7:36. These two never wrestled each other in Calgary, as Junji Hirata had just left Stampede Wrestling by the time Chris Benoit would make his debut in late 1985. They did, however, wrestle each other (and also team with each other) several times in tag team competition in NJPW. This was their only singles match against each other, though. Super Strong Machine was a heavyweight, but he wasn’t one of the bigger heavyweights. Still, since he was indeed part of the heavyweight division, in the eyes of NJPW, that made him the favorite to win this match. Pegasus was one of the most powerful-looking junior heavyweights, but he was still clearly the smaller guy in this match. However, thanks to Pegasus’ ability to combine speed, power and technique, he was able to be a significant threat to SSM, especially considering the fact that Pegasus was moving a lot quicker than the Machine. Both workers seemed genuinely interested in making this singles match a good one, as they both not only gave a strong effort but also showed a lot of focus with every move. The novelty factor of this match made up for the fact that Pegasus wrestling one of his fellow junior heavyweights probably would have been better and more interesting. This was definitely a good match, though, but in the end, the predictable winner came out on top after finishing Pegasus off with his own move. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 8/6/92 Shizuoka Sangyo Kaikan: Pegasus Kid & Jim Neidhart vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tatsumi Fujinami 10:02. Yeah, baby! This was the first time Pegasus Kid and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart were in the ring together, and what a fun simulator-esque tag team they were. The crowd was genuinely excited to see Jushin Thunder Liger battle rival Pegasus again. When Pegasus threw Liger to the mat, The Anvil laughed out loud. And it was The Anvil’s American loudness and over-the-top character work that made the Japanese crowd burst out in laughter. What a great character The Anvil was, but his in-ring work was rather primitive. In the meantime, the commentators started talking about Calgary and Bret Hart. At some point in this match, Pegasus & Neidhart even executed the famous ‘Hart Attack’ move that Bret Hart and Neidhart made famous during their years as the Hart Foundation in the WWF. Once we look past all the excitement, apart from the awesome novelty factor, Neidhart being in this match added very little to the match. I think it goes without saying that this match was easily at its best whenever Pegasus and Liger were wrestling each other. During the final minute of the match, Liger executed a plancha on the slow-moving Neidhart, while Tatsumi Fujinami scored the win for his team by making Pegasus submit to Fujinami’s dragon sleeper. Good match. ***

NJPW 8/12/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:25. The work was about as great and smooth as it can get. Really the only downside of the match is that it didn't quite feel as big and important of a match as their legendary 8/19/90 match, but that's hardly a knock on this match. You could tell these two were very familiar with each other, as they knew each other’s capabilities and were during the early stages respectfully waiting for an opportunity to counter. That being said, this definitely wasn’t a boring chess-like match, as when the opportunity arose, these two showed the flashes of tremendous intensity they were known for. Once one of them was on a roll, they tried to stay on top of their opponent as dominating as possible. They were such well-matched competitors, though, that it usually wouldn’t take too long for the other to be able to do something significant back. Of all the matches these two had together, this was probably one of their three best matches against each other. While they never seemed to be in a hurry, the flashes of acceleration, the overall great usage of their time and their natural intense state made this match feel like a memorable one. The spectacular finish was a nice cherry on top of the cake. Great match. ****¾

NJPW 8/15/92 Kobe, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: El Samurai vs. Pegasus Kid 15:04. This match progressed slowly but nicely. The work was good, as you’d expect from these two. However, the finishing minutes looked a bit rough, to the point that it was significantly less smooth from what we were used to from these two top-caliber performers. Good match. ***¼ 

LLI 8/29/92 Mexico City Plan Sexenal, WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Villano IV. Once again these two had a memorable match. You can tell Pegasus Kid enjoyed working with Villano IV. Pegasus started showing more of that intensity he would be known for during the rest of the decade. Both men showed more urgency than is usually shown in LLI matches. In fact, this match and their previous match are arguably the two best matches of all LLI (UWA) matches available on video. This was far more advanced than most Mexican lucha libre at the time with the Japanese puroresu-style finishing stretch that included exciting near falls. Pegasus won the third fall by DQ when Villano III interfered. This was the first time Pegasus had a match of this quality against a worker not named Jushin Thunder Liger. Great match. ****¾ 

NJPW 11/23/92 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid & Dean Malenko vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takayuki Iizuka 17:37. Whenever Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger were in the ring together, the wrestling looked amazingly crisp and graceful. These two great wrestlers had been in an in-ring feud together since 1990, and whenever they faced off, things still looked as fresh as ever, as it still felt they brought the best out of each other. The match was certainly at its most interesting whenever they were in the ring. Takayuki Iizuka was a solid worker, though, and he didn’t feel out of place. Iizuka was technically part of the NJPW heavyweight division, but, since he was one of the smaller heavyweights, it felt like NJPW would always book him as either a heavyweight or a junior heavyweight based on which division needed an extra guy to make the numbers even (and the same seemingly was sometimes the case for Akira Nogami). Dean Malenko had only started teaming with Pegasus since October 1992, and this 11/23/92 match was actually the first televised show that had Malenko and Pegasus in the same ring (which would be the first of many, many times, as most of you probably know). It was a good idea to have Malenko team with Pegasus, since they were both no-nonsense gaijin workers that seemed to have good chemistry. This was only Malenko’s second tour for NJPW. He had previously wrestled for AJPW, and in spite of his overly serious approach (which fit AJPW very well), since he was rather small, he was a better fit for NJPW because NJPW actually cared about junior heavyweights (unlike AJPW). What was really cool about this tag team match is that things gradually became more urgent and speedy while putting over the idea the two teams were trying to outdo each other and going for the victory. Liger pinned Malenko to win the match. WAR’s Ultimo Dragon was sitting at ringside and appeared to be quite impressed. Excellent match. ****

WCW Clash of the Champions 22 1/13/93 Milwaukee, WI Mecca Arena: Chris Benoit vs. Brad Armstrong 9:34. Brad Armstrong wasn't in a lot of hurry, as he kept wanting to hold Chris Benoit’s arm, but he gave quite the solid performance overall and proved to be a really good choice for being Benoit’s opponent here. Benoit was very impressive. His Silver King-inspired springboard clothesline to the outside onto Armstrong on the apron was totally spectacular. Benoit’s intensity was great, and he won the match in convincing fashion. Jesse Ventura did a good job of putting Benoit over on commentary. Very good match. ***½

WCW SuperBrawl III 2/21/93 Asheville, NC: Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio 16:57. It was matches like this one that made WCW more interesting than WWF overall. We got to see well-executed wrestling from both participants. Scorpio is really good at getting the opponent to have plenty of opportunities to shine. While this was a very good match, what keeps this match from being truly worthy of being a highly recommended one is that it feels like they are wrestling like they were going to go 30 minutes, but instead we get a slightly disappointing match that ends just before the 20-minute time limit expires (the match actually lasted 16:57, but in kayfabe, it lasted 19:59), as Scorpio scored the win. Very good match. ***½

AWF 3/3/93 Newcastle, Australia: Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko. This was possibly the first singles match between these two. They show some solid work together until the 15-minute draw. Interestingly, Chris Benoit works like a babyface here and then like a heel the next day. Good match. ***

AWF 3/4/93 Sydney, Australia: Chris Benoit vs. Jushin Thunder Liger. Poor Jushin Thunder Liger must have made someone mad backstage, because they gave him an overrated AC/DC theme song instead of his awesome “Ikari no Jushin” theme song. The wrestling was very good, but they took it easy, for their standards. This was to be expected, since it was a rather random show for them. There were still a couple of moves off the top rope, and the execution was done very well. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 3/9/93 Akita General Prefectural Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid & Dean Malenko vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai 14:01. These four were no strangers to each other, as these two tag teams had wrestled each other several times before in November of 1992. This tag team match from 3/9/93 took place on day one of Pegasus Kid’s first NJPW tour of the year 1993, which would end up being another outstanding year for him. Pegasus, Jushin Thunder Liger and Dean Malenko had just returned from an Australia tour, which was a tour headlined by guys like Jake Roberts, Don Muraco and Jim Neidhart. Here in this junior heavyweight tag team match that also featured El Samurai, Pegasus and Liger showed why they were two of the very best pro wrestlers in the world at the time, which they have been proving ever since their in-ring feud started three years prior. Malenko was a great tag team partner for Pegasus, as the two were both gaijin that were able to adapt to the sincerity of Japanese puroresu. El Samurai is a worker that’s often overlooked by pro wrestling fans, but he was a really good and reliable worker that was able to hang in there with some of the very best junior heavyweights of the world during the 1990s. While the work was generally really good, and the interactions between Pegasus and Liger quite excellent, the match never seemed to turn into a super memorable bout of its own. It did, however, give us a preview of the excellence that was to come from the NJPW junior heavyweight division that year, and it was a good preview for whenever the next Pegasus vs. Liger bout would take place (which was a match any true wrestling fan would always want to be looking forward to). Pegasus scored the pinfall win over Samurai via a tremendous dragon suplex to win this match. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 3/23/93 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium: Pegasus Kid & Dean Malenko vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai 14:34. The match started off very well with Pegasus Kid and Jushin Thunder Liger doing their thing. Dean Malenko and El Samurai slowed things down with useless matwork, which merely seemed to be taking place to kill time. When Pegasus was back in, he brought life and energy to the match through his intensity. Inspired by Pegasus’ approach, Malenko started showing he cared at least a bit. Samurai was really groggy, and Malenko didn't quite know what to do. However, Pegasus forced Samurai to at least show that he knew he was in a wrestling ring. After taking a little break on the apron, Liger showed up again and decided to take over for the helpless Samurai. Pegasus was definitely the worker of the match, as he cared the most and gave the most memorable performance. Liger was only there for the glory and kinda mailed it in. Malenko didn't seem to care much. Samurai didn't know what he was doing that day. This tour must have taken a toll on these guys, because it was a somewhat disappointing match and less interesting than the 3/9/93 match. Good match. ***¼

WCW 5/22/93 Chris Benoit & Bobby Eaton vs. Keith Cole & Kent Cole 5:04. The ref called for the DQ when he had trouble controlling this tag match, as Eaton came off the top with an amazing kneedrop. Mediocre match. *¾ 

NJPW 5/28/93 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, TOSJ IV: Pegasus Kid vs. Dean Malenko 6:47 of 9:41. What was particularly good about this match was that Dean Malenko was letting loose for a change and started busting out lucha moves and sequences instead of his usual dull and watered-down pseudo-shoot stuff. We still got some of that later on, but at least it wasn’t all that Malneko did. Pegasus was great, as always. Pegasus was super alert and confident in his ability. He displayed the finesse and crispness of a winner. Apart from the beginning during which Malenko caught everyone off guard, Pegasus knew what Malenko was up to and outsmarted the American. Malenko deserves credit for trying some cool things here and there, but it felt like he didn’t always knew how to make things work from a bigger picture perspective. Pegasus’ ability to think on the spot and keep an overview and outline of how the match ideally should look like based on what has occurred really made the match more coherent and sensible than it would have been otherwise. It’s actually a shame only 6 minutes were shown, because it looked like it could potentially have been the best match possible between these two if more footage was shown and/or more time given to the match. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 6/5/93 Mie Tsu-shii Taiikukan, TOSJ IV: Pegasus Kid vs. Flying Scorpio 11:00. The work was good, but the match lacked the urgency and intensity we’re used to seeing from these two. This wasn’t a bad match by any means, but it was probably the most disappointing match they ever had together, especially considering their TOSJ II and SuperBrawl III matches were really good. It was interesting to have a look at this match for the sake of completion, though. Literally, during the final minute, they decided to all of a sudden do some stuff that would be worthy of inclusion on a highlights video. Flying Scorpio won the match via pinfall after a moonsault. Good match. ***

NJPW 6/12/93 Chigasaki City General Gymnasium, TOSJ IV: Pegasus Kid vs. Eddy Guerrero 13:00. The only footage available of this match is hand-held footage of good quality. The main thing they did well was that they constantly tried to stay on top of their opponent. Another thing they did really well was how they were focused on making this come across as a competitive fight of importance, as they executed everything with a good amount of force. Their sense of timing and pace matched each other’s feel for when to do what, and that’s one of the reasons these two always had such great chemistry. They were both certainly two of the best gaijin workers that would tour Japan on a regular basis during the (mid-) 1990s. The match would have been great if they would have managed to keep the intensity high for the entire duration of the match. However, the middle portion of the match felt like it was ‘just’ that, the middle portion. Of course, since these two were such excellent workers, the match was never dull and was always interesting to watch. The execution and selling of these tremendously talented competitors was so on-point and so crisp that it was definitely a joy to watch these two have this high-quality match seemingly with such great ease. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 6/14/93 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, TOSJ IV Final: Pegasus Kid vs. El Samurai 18:44. This was the big final of the tournament. Both workers certainly deserved to be in the final, especially with top favorite Jushin Thunder Liger getting injured during the tournament. The opening minutes were done in a manner that suited the big final vibe of the match quite well, as they showed the importance of the bout by alternating between flashes of intensity and moments of respectful cautiousness. Once they got past the early minutes, El Samurai’s focus was to work over Pegasus Kid’s left arm. Pegasus would sell his left arm during the moments he was able to make a comeback in the match. Pegasus knew that Samurai was a focused and high-caliber opponent, so he tried to stay on top of Samurai as intensely as possible. Pegasus only gave Samurai time to breathe and get up whenever he was sure that he had him well scouted. Pegasus became more and more confident as the match progressed, and this resulted in him going for more and more high-impact moves. Pegasus’ execution was super smooth, and it was truly wonderful to watch him on offense. Samurai’s offense wasn’t as graceful, but his intensity made up for it. And both workers clearly put over the idea that they both wanted to win this important bout. Samurai gave a really good performance and did the right things when needed, but it was Pegasus’ understanding and ability that made this bout a truly memorable one, further emphasizing that he was indeed one of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Excellent match. ****¼ 

NJPW 6/15/93 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Pegasus Kid & El Samurai vs. Ultimo Dragon & Dean Malenko 15:43. With the exception of a couple of battle royals, this was the only time that Chris Benoit was in the same match as Ultimo Dragon. Also, this was the final time Benoit wrestled as Pegasus Kid, as from his next tour in August ‘93, he would be known as Wild Pegasus. And this was the first time that Benoit and Dean Malenko were not on the same team in a tag team match (which possibly explained the smirk on Benoit’s face when they were facing off). Apart from all these novelty facts, this tag team match wasn’t as good as it looked on paper. It took place the day after the prestigious TOSJ IV tournament had been completed, so that probably had something to do with this being slightly underwhelming. The wrestling wasn’t bad by any means, but this match simply lacked any real sort of fire and determination. The match ended when the teamwork between Dragon and Malenko resulted in Malenko pinning Samurai. Good match. ***

WCW Worldwide 7/8/93 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit & Paul Orndorff vs. Sting & Dustin Rhodes 10:20. Chris Benoit did a stellar job of bumping and selling for two of WCW's top superheroes. He also got some offense in, luckily, and this included an awesome flying headbutt. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 8/3/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Wild Pegasus vs. Tiger Mask III 4:09. Pegasus Kid was now known as Wild Pegasus, and he was indeed wild. The intense Pegasus beat the crap out of Koji Kanemoto for four minutes until the referee couldn’t stand watching Kanemoto take a beating this severe. Decent match. **¾   

NJPW 8/8/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Wild Pegasus 14:36. Wild Pegasus showed tremendous intensity from the start of the match, including an insane Dynamite Kid-esque diving headbutt off the top to the floor! Pegasus continued to show that he was super determined to leave the building as a champion, as he continued to give Jushin Thunder Liger a ruthless beating. Pegasus even showed his aggressiveness when he applied a Boston crab, as he was yelling at the referee while applying the hold. Pegasus was ready to walk away the champion, as he was clearly in great form. He had recently won the TOSJ IV tournament by beating El Samurai in the final on 6/14/93 in an excellent match. That happened when Wild Pegasus was still known as Pegasus Kid, by the way. Pegasus knew what it was like to beat Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, as Pegasus had accomplished this on 8/19/90 in this very same building. It seems that ever since being known as Wild Pegasus, he was even more intense than ever before, though, and this made the name change even more appropriate. Pegasus was also more heelish and confidently cocky than ever before. Pegasus was so dominant that it took a moment of overconfidence on Pegasus’ part for Liger to be able to disrupt the Wild one’s onslaught. This match was roughly on the same level of their 8/12/92 match (which also took place in this very same building), except in this 8/8/93 match, Pegasus was focusing quite a bit more on roughhousing instead of a more technical approach. The execution of all the moves in this match was done superbly, as you’d expect from two top-notch pro wrestlers who were very familiar with each other. The final minutes were quite the high-quality finishing stretch. This match absolutely had the feeling of an important title bout, as both participants showed that they cared. One of the coolest things about the in-ring feud between Pegasus and Liger is that really none of their matches are very much alike. After the match, Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) showed up and attacked Liger! Great match. ****¾ 

CMLL 10/1/93 Mexico City Arena Mexico: Pegasus Kid & Vampiro Canadiense & King Haku vs. Black Magic & Pierroth Jr. & Mocho Cota. This was one of the matches of the 60th anniversary of CMLL show. Pegasus Kid really enhanced the quality of the match. Especially his work with Black Magic (Norman Smiley) was some of the best things about this match. Wherever Pegasus wasn't in, match quality dropped considerably, as everyone else was mainly brawling. Decent match. **½

NJPW 10/15/93 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Masahiro Chono 17:22. This wasn’t a super exceptional match if you don’t know the story of the match. It was mainly a very memorable match because of the end result. The junior heavyweight tag team of Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger was an underdog team in a tournament dominated by heavyweight tag teams. In this match, they faced two of the top heavyweights of NJPW. The novelty of this fact, the enthusiastic crowd and the pleasantly surprising result made this a match worth watching. The crowd could sense that an upset victory by the junior heavyweights was perhaps a possibility, but when it actually happened, everyone was shocked and excited. Liger, the smallest guy in the match, did a good job of selling a lot and being the underdog until he managed to score the quick surprise pinfall over Chono. The excitement in the air and both teams putting over the importance to get a win in this tournament made it quite a fun match to watch. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 10/19/93 Hiroshima Sun Plaza, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Scott Norton & Hercules 10:50. Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger showed great teamwork and a great desire to overcome their much larger opponents. Pegasus and Liger were both Stampede Wrestling alumni and both Dynamite Kid worshipers. It was nice to see them do a double flying headbutt. This was a very good little men versus big men type match. The Jurassic Powers played their role well, and Scott Norton was particularly good at understanding the timing for the turning of the tide when it came to the little men versus big men spots. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW 11/1/93 Matsumoto City General Gymnasium, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto 14:03 of 25:28. The match started off with Wild Pegasus and Hiroshi Hase delivering some high-quality pro wrestling sequences that set the tone for this fascinating match-up. Hase then wrestled Jushin Thunder Liger for a bit, which resulted in Liger finding himself in trouble. Liger was still in trouble even when Muto was briefly tagged. When Hase was back in, Liger got the chance to hit a shotei and work his way back to his corner to tag Pegasus in. The moments that Pegasus and Hase were in the ring together were so excellent that I wish they’d have a singles feud in NJPW. Pegasus was as energetic and passionate as you’d expect from him. Hase was truly the driving force in this match, keeping the pace high. Muto came across as far less interested and far less motivated than Hase, but he didn’t slow things down too much. In fact, he hit a nice dropkick to break up his series of chinklocks. Almost halfway into the match, we finally got some flashy Liger offense that we usually get early in his matches, and it was definitely worth the wait. Pegasus and Liger worked together well as a team, and they were both thinking like a cohesive unit. Their opponents were all dependent on how well Muto followed Hase’s lead. That’s probably why they tried to keep Hase in their corner (and also because that would enhance the match quality). After plenty of fascinating action, Hase eventually scored the pinfall over Pegasus via a dragon suplex. It’s a shame that not the entire match was shown, but what was shown looked truly excellent, for sure. Muto was perfectly fine here. Liger provided his typically flashy greatness and excitement. Pegasus brought his tremendously energetic hard work ethic. Hase was the man of the match, though, thanks to his tremendous ability to not only carry his team but also turn high-quality ingredients into a well-balanced main course. Excellent match. ****¼ 

NJPW 11/4/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, SG Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Akira Nogami & Takayuki Iizuka 20:26. Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger, one of the most awesome dream teams ever, faced a team that consisted of two of the more underrated New Japan guys, Akira Nogami and Takayuki Iizuka. This wasn’t a junior heavyweight tournament, but Nogami and Iizuka were kinda used like borderline juniors (especially Nogami, who would occasionally get booked as an actual full-fledged junior heavyweight from time to time). This made this match quite a lot more competitive and very different compared to the match Pegasus & Liger had against the heavy powerhouses Scott Norton & Hercules, as Pegasus & Liger obviously entered this match with a completely different strategy. Nogami and Iizuka were known as ‘J J Jacks’ and wore almost Marty Jannetty-esque colorful tights with tassels. Perhaps they believed they were part of an audition to become the new tag team partner for Jannetty (but, of course, we know that everyone’s favorite Avatar, ‘Snowman’ Al Snow, would eventually receive that honor in 1996). In spite of everyone wearing their finest looking gear, all participants were all business as soon as the bell rang. This was treated like a serious bout, as, in spite of the early minutes functioning as a feeling-out phase, everything they did wasn’t just done for the sake of it and felt it had a purpose. Both teams were careful not to make too many mistakes early on, so here we had two tag teams taking each other very seriously. Pegasus & Liger were big stars (and probably the two best men’s pro wrestlers in the world at that time), and J J Jacks came off as a well-oiled machine by wearing matching gear. Liger managed to find a weakness in the well-oiled machine, though, as he targeted Iizuka’s knee. Pegasus & Liger made frequent tags in and out while focusing on the knee attack. Iizuka was a marked man (but nothing like Roddy Piper in the 1996 movie Marked Man). Pegasus got a bit too confident, though, and Iizuka managed to make the tag to a fresh Nogami. The super underrated Nogami was one of the most useful workers in NJPW but rarely received proper credit for it. Pegasus sold Nogami’s Texas cloverleaf so well that Liger came storming in to hit Nogami with a shotei palm strike. Iizuka then applied a sasorigatame and challenged Liger to dare to come in, but Liger trusted in Pegasus to survive the dreaded deathlock and acted like a wise master by staying on the apron. Eventually, Pegasus & Liger were just too high caliber for their opponents to stay on top of. Pegasus and Liger hit a beautiful diving headbutt attack on Iizuka. J J Jacks hit several good-looking double team moves as well, proving that they were indeed the well-oiled machine they pretended to be. The final minutes were super exciting to watch, as things became a lot more urgent and spectacular. In the end, Iizuka scored the win via a dragon suplex on dragon suplex master Wild Pegasus. This was a fascinating and enjoyable match. The only downside was that the finishing stretch kinda felt like it came out of nowhere, and a bit more of a build up towards the finishing stretch would have been nice. That’s just minor complaining, though, as this match obviously worked very well as a recommendable match. Excellent match. **** 

NJPW 2/16/94 Toyohashi City General Gym: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 13:31. This is a rare match of which only hand-held footage is available. For a non-televised house show match with nothing at stake, this was quite good. You could tell that Wild Pegasus had a nice slow build up in mind, and it paid off. Being the great in-ring storyteller that he was, he managed to suck the viewer in, leaving the viewer wondering what will happen next. And he would add just that little bit of extra spark and flavor to each portion of the match to make it gradually more interesting and intriguing. Young Shinjiro Otani must have really learned a lot just from being in this match in terms of how to build a match to a crescendo. Considering the aforementioned factors combined with the fact that there was a big gap in terms of overall ranking of the two in the NJPW junior heavyweight division, this was quite a good effort by both. It’s obviously not their best match, but the match served its purpose. If you were in attendance that day, you’d remember that this bout featured some darn good wrestling. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 2/17/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Wild Pegasus & Max Moon vs. El Samurai & Shinjiro Otani 11:57. What an unusual sight it was to see former WWF Superstar Max Moon in a NJPW ring team with Wild Pegasus. Max Moon was the Croatian-Canadian wrestler Paul Diamond, who used to be the tag team partner of Shawn Michaels before Michaels became a (Midnight) Rocker. Some of you may also remember Diamond as the masked character Kato, one half of the WWF tag team The Orient Express. You gotta love how the NJPW crowd just kinda yawned and didn’t seem to care that there was a guy dressed up in a space outfit trying to be taken seriously as an in-ring performer here at the Tokyo sumo hall. What really matters, though, is that Max Moon did quite well here, as he was capable of working some good-looking sequences with El Samurai & Shinjiro Otani, two excellent workers who had been quite reliable forces in the NJPW junior heavyweight division. Max Moon’s tag team partner, fellow Canadian Wild Pegasus, delivered the high-quality work you’d expect from him in 1994. After having had a stellar 1993, Pegasus showed no indication that his work in 1994 was going to be of any less quality. Once you get past the excitement of the idea that Max Moon was in a very good NJPW match, we’ll have to admit that Max Moon was the weakest member of the match, sometimes even slightly dragging the match down. That being said, this was a match worth watching and probably should be considered above expectations since you initially wouldn’t really know what to expect when reading the line-up for this match. So yes, this was a fun match, mainly for the novelty factor, and it was a match worth watching either way, but this match probably didn’t really make anyone wish that Max Moon would become a regular in NJPW (and he would actually end up being back for one more tour in July of 1994, his final tour of Japan). In the end, it was Max Moon’s team that won this match, as Pegasus pinned Otani. Very good match. ***½ 

NWA 2/19/94 Woodbury, NJ National Guard Armory: Chris Benoit vs. Sabu 16:26. This was the first of a couple of dozen times that Chris Benoit and Sabu would be facing off against each other. There are two different camera angle versions available of this match, but due to both versions having a partially obstructed view, we can’t really see properly how well they nailed their dives and bumps to the outside. With that in mind, we’ll have to at least appreciate the effort. The execution was generally very good, and the idea of these two facing off for the first time certainly adds to the intrigue of the match. They kept things moving at a good pace, making good use of their time. Benoit nearly won the match after hitting a flying headbutt, but Sabu kicked out. Sabu managed to kick out again after Benoit attempted to pin him with a German suplex. After Sabu missed a dive to the outside, Benoit was able to win via count out. Benoit didn’t want to win this way and asked for five more minutes. It turned out that Benoit should have just taken the win, as Sabu hit Benoit with a chair from behind and pinned him after a slingshot moonsault. Very good match. ***¾

NJPW 4/4/94 Hiroshima Green Dome: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner 14:03. The Steiner Brothers were still in WWF at the time, but they were unhappy in WWF and just a couple of months removed from leaving the WWF. It was very rare for WWF workers to appear in NJPW at the time, so this was a particularly interesting match-up. The match wasn't quite as good as it looked on paper, though. Still, after a somewhat inconsistent first portion, the match eventually arrived at an exciting final portion and turned out to be well worth viewing beyond just the novelty factor of it. It was the first time Pegasus was in the ring with the Steiners. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Quarter Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 10:23. Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero. Both men showed a great deal of intensity from the start. One of the reasons this match didn’t quite reach the level of excellence you’d expect from these two extremely talented performers was the fact that this match lasted less than nine minutes. Still, this was excellent while it lasted. Guerrero gave one of his stronger performances here, as he had someone to work with who truly understood his style in Pegasus. Of course, Pegasus was super intense, as always, as he executed every move with authority. One of the great things about Pegasus during the ‘90s was how he would always be focused on giving the fans his best performance within the context of the story of the worked match. Pegasus won this match when he caught Guerrero coming off the top rope into an armdrag for the win. It was a very good and relatively satisfying match, but they would have even better matches against each other in 1995. ***¾ 

NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Semi Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Gedo 6:18. Wild Pegasus showed his intensity, and the match was fun when he was on offense and totally carried the match. Gedo didn't bring much to the table. Gedo was only in the semifinals due to politics, as he was always much better at politicking than wrestling anyway. Decent match. **¾ 

NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super-J Cup Final: Wild Pegasus vs. The Great Sasuke 18:46. It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are, if you’ve never heard of this match, there are some serious gaps in your education. This is one of the greatest junior heavyweight matches ever, and a brilliant way to end one of the most legendary shows ever. Prior to this show, Wild Pegasus (formerly known as Pegasus Kid) not only had never been in the ring before with Sasuke, but he hadn’t even heard of him, so it was incredible how these two managed to have such a great match together. What they did was basically work a 1990s version of Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask. This show really helped put The Great Sasuke and his Michinoku Pro league on the map, and it was a confirmation of Pegasus’ status as one of the best workers in the business at the time. Especially, when you consider that this was the first great singles match Pegasus had in Japan that wasn’t against the great Jushin Thunder Liger. Timing, execution and overall understanding of how to work a great match was on full display here. One of the all-time great matches. Outstanding match! *****

NJPW 5/26/94 Tsu City Gymnasium, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 10:36. This was the opening night of the Best Of The Super Juniors (I) tournament. It was the first year that the tournament was named BOSJ, as during prior years, it was called Top Of The Super Juniors. Wild Pegasus had won TOSJ IV in June of 1993 (when he was still called Pegasus Kid). Pegasus had also won the Super J-Cup in April 1994. Shinjiro Otani was still a lower midcard type guy, but one who showed excellent potential and was slowly but surely climbing the ranks. He would end up placing 7th out of the 11 participants in this 1994 BOSJ I tournament. Otani showed he was eager to prove himself, and his ‘if you don’t try, you won’t succeed’ type attitude made him a sympathetic young underdog. Pegasus, on the other hand, being the decorated competitor that he was, had quite a lot of confidence in his own ability. So, while Pegasus was definitely not holding back, he was definitely not in a rush to beat Otani as soon as possible. Otani took advantage of the opening given to him, as he started to bust out a springboard dropkick and a German suplex. Pegasus now realized that maybe it was a good idea to start going for the win. Pegasus hit a dragon suplex, but that didn’t put Otani away. Otani went for another springboard move, but Pegasus was prepared this time and stepped away. Both workers executed their moves very well. Their facial expressions were also superb, as it made it easy to get lost in their performances. All of this helped create a vibe of serious sportsmanship, and that’s exactly one of the aspects that made 1990s junior heavyweight pro wrestling so interesting. Pegasus went for his flying headbutt, but Otani moved away just on time. The match had reached a climax of excitement, just in time for Otani to score a flash pinfall win. The crowd was clearly shocked by the result. A big upset victory for Otani after a really good performance. Things were looking good for him. The great Pegasus could afford this loss, and that would make his next matches in the tournament more interesting and less predictable, since he was an obvious top favorite. Very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 6/1/94 Sendai City Gymnasium, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Dean Malenko 14:04. These two usually team up in NJPW, so this was actually only the second singles match in NJPW between the two (and the first one was during the previous year’s TOSJ IV tournament). Wild Pegasus and Dean Malenko had excellent chemistry together, as tag team partners and as opponents, so it’s a good thing their career paths would be quite similar, as they would end up working together in NJPW, ECW, WCW and WWF. Malenko was a guy who was able to work exciting flash sequences, and he generally was quite good at having a feeling for how to work a memorable match. The main downside of Malenko was his rather dull character and relative lack of crispness. Like, he would execute moves well, and his sequences often looked good, but a lot of similar workers would often execute similar moves in a more crisp manner. Another thing about Malenko’s work that gets repetitive after seeing a lot of his matches is that he wasn’t as versatile as his top peers, and the opponent was more often than not kinda forced to adapt to the Malenko style match. The action wasn’t as exciting in Pegasus’ best bouts from that year, but they did a good job of putting over the amount of struggle they were presenting. Pegasus survived a Dory Funk Jr.-like Texas cloverleaf and then missed a flying headbutt. Malenko still couldn’t put Pegasus away, though. In the end, it was Pegasus who won via an inside cradle that looked like a desperation move, which fit nicely with the story of ongoing struggle they were telling. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 6/6/94 Chiba Koen Taiikukan, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 4:10 of 13:38. The wrestling looked very smooth and full of life. And this appeared to be an excellent match, but only 4 minutes were shown. ***¾ 

NJPW 6/8/94 Takamatsu Shi Sogo Taiikukan, BOSJ I: Wild Pegasus vs. Super Delfin 13:58. This was the first and only time these two had a singles match together. It was a very interesting match-up. You had Wild Pegasus, arguably the best junior heavyweight in the world. And then you had Michinoku Pro’s Super Delfin, an up-and-comer who was riding the wave of Michinoku Pro’s recent momentum spawned by The Great Sasuke’s great performance at the legendary 4/16/94 Super-J Cup, in particular Sasuke’s performance against Pegasus in the final of that tournament. Delfin was a very charismatic and colorful character, but as an in-ring worker, he wasn’t quite on the level of the top junior heavyweights at the time. So, the challenge here for Pegasus was to somehow mask Delfin’s weaknesses and carry him to a memorable match in the process. Pegasus declined the handshake offer and immediately started beating Delfin up. This was the perfect way to start the match, as it highlighted the fact that Pegasus, who was a very accomplished junior heavyweight star and a much more powerful athlete than Delfin was, should be able to put Delfin away rather easily, at least on paper. This was further illustrated by Pegasus going for a cover very early in the match, attempting to beat Delfin within 18 seconds. Obviously, this didn’t happen, but it was a nice little touch that made this match interesting from the start. Another important aspect of this match working as well as it did was Pegasus making sure to incorporate his signature viciousness, as, once again, this would further emphasize the story of the powerful and decorated Pegasus versus the underdog up-and-comer Delfin. Poor Delfin didn’t stand a chance for, like, the first six minutes of the match until Pegasus beautifully set up an opportunity for Delfin to counter with a lucha counter. This brief moment of hope and inspiration gave Delfin the energy to fight back. The quality of Delfin’s offense was rather hit-and-miss, both in terms of quality and effectiveness, but it worked thanks to Pegasus selling the idea that he was caught off guard by Delfin’s eccentric style. There was quite a bit at stake here, as they were in the middle of the prestigious Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and while there were parts of the match that were slower (in particular the middle portion that featured the bulk of Delfin’s rather elementary offense), in general, this match felt energetic and exciting. If this was a sports contest viewed by a neutral viewer, the story would be an enjoyable one, especially since it was executed so well by these two. The underdog, Delfin, totally exceeded expectations (in terms of competitiveness and determination, not so much in terms of technique, though) against the man who had won the Super J-Cup. Delfin even managed to kick out of cover attempts by Pegasus after the Canadian had performed some of his most incredible moves, a flying headbutt and a powerbomb. The look on Pegasus’ face perfectly continued to tell the story in a subtle manner, and he managed to say so much in a non-exaggerated way, as he was able to put over frustration and bewilderment while trying to remain cool and calm at the same time. Fantastic facial expression. That’s something that cannot be taught. It’s one of those things Pegasus just naturally understood so well. In the end, Pegasus was simply just the more well-equipped one, in terms of stamina and resourceful thinking, and that got him the pinfall victory. But, the fact that they got so much more out of this match than expected was fantastic. Very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 6/15/94 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Wild Pegasus & Black Tiger II vs. Dean Malenko & Brad Armstrong 13:43. This was part of the BOSJ I tour. Brad Armstrong wasn’t part of the actual BOSJ I tournament, but he was one of those borderline American light heavyweights who could function as either a smaller heavyweight or a larger junior heavyweight, and that’s why he didn’t feel out of place with these three radical and progressive international junior heavyweights in Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit), Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) and Dean Malenko. Pegasus, Guerrero and Malenko would end up very similar career paths, as they would all be very respected competitors in NJPW, ECW, WCW and WWF over the next several years, and they were all in their prime years around this time. Armstrong was a gifted athlete and a talented pro wrestler, but it seemed he fell out of place and/or had too many worries on his mind to fully excel here. That being said, it was really cool to see him in this match, as it made this match a novelty type of match that should intrigue the true ‘90s wrestling fanatics out there. All four participants certainly gave a good effort, especially considering this was kind of a random tag team match at the end of the tour after the actual BOSJ I tournament had already been completed. Pegasus ended up scoring the win for his team by pinning Malenko. Good match. ***¼

CMLL 7/29/94 Mexico City Arena Mexico, CMLL World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament Final Quarter Final: Silver King & El Texano vs. Pegasus Kid & Vampiro Canadiense 17:00. After beating the Japanese team of Nobutaka Araya & Takashi Okano in a relatively uncompetitive first-round match, Los Cowboys would go on to face the Canadian team of Chris Benoit & Vampiro Canadiense in the quarter finals. Vampiro doesn’t have a lot of good matches on his resume, and he himself has admitted in interviews that he wasn’t much of a wrestler, but more a character. This was probably one of the best matches he had in his career, but that was obviously mostly due to the high quality work of the other three wrestlers in this match. Although, Vampiro really seemed to try harder to focus on trying to give the best in-ring performance he could give at the time, and he was less concerned about stealing the show or stealing the spotlight from the other three. Vampiro’s unorthodox style certainly made him unique. Chris Benoit was one of the very best wrestlers in the world at the time, and he brought that extra intensity and extra stiffness that he was known for, especially whenever he toured Japan. Benoit was definitely no stranger to Mexico, and the versatile Benoit was quite successful during his tours for LLI back in the early ‘90s. Texano was reliable, as always. Despite Silver King standing out more when you look at the overall careers of both members of Los Cowboys, it has to be mentioned that El Texano really deserves a good amount of credit too for making this tag team so successful. One of the most interesting things about this match was that there was a sense of struggle, as each team made the other team fight in order to get the upper hand in this match. Texano definitely came across as someone who wasn’t going to let anyone off easily against him. King and Benoit worked really well together, and their moments in the ring together were the true highlights of this match, which was a pretty good match overall. The combination of speed, agility and tenacity displayed by King and Benoit made them stand out in CMLL, a league that at the time was overshadowed by the success of rival league AAA. This match was almost on its way to potentially becoming very good, but the match seemed to lose steam a bit in the final minutes, which had a bit more of Vampiro in the ring, and then it was just kinda over somewhat abruptly. Los Cowboys would go on to beat the team of Atlantis & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in the semi finals of the tournament in an okay match, and they would go on to beat the team of Ricky Santana & Miguel Perez Jr. in a mediocre final. Good match. *** 

NWA 8/5/94 Lincoln Park, MI Community Center, NWA Independent World Title: Sabu vs. Chris Benoit 15:58. Lots of intensity was shown here, and there was pretty much no real time wasting. This was a very strong effort by both, especially considering it was a small indy show with few people in the crowd. Very good match. ***¾ 

NWA 8/7/94 Lima, OH Bodyslammers Gym: Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow 20:00. This was the first of only three singles matches these two ever had together. Chris Benoit was one of the very best men’s wrestlers in the world at the time. This match took place in Al Snow’s home town, and Snow was only an up-and-coming indy worker back then, but he was clearly showing really good potential here. Snow did a fantastic job of understanding what to do while mainly following Benoit’s lead. It’s no surprise that Snow ended up being a relatively well known and underrated name in the business. 1994 was actually a pretty big year for Snow, as he had also had a ladder match against Sabu on 7/23/94 that turned out to be a cult classic type of match for fans of American indy wrestling, and Snow even helped train Dan Severn for Severn’s UFC debut at UFC 4 in December 1994. This wasn’t one of Benoit’s best matches, to say the least, but Benoit did not half-ass things here, as he respectfully always gave a serious and unselfish effort even on small house shows (in spite of being arguably the very best men’s wrestler in the world at the time). Benoit clearly understood the set and setting of the match. This match must have had a positive impact on Snow, and it must have been a priceless opportunity to get the valuable experience of a lifetime against one of the all-time greats. That being said, apart from all the interesting tidbits surrounding this match, this wasn’t necessarily a match that would stand out as one of the best matches in a year filled with memorable matches. However, it was definitely worth a view. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 9/23/94 Yokohama Arena: Wild Pegasus & Scott Norton vs. Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner 15:10. The Steiner Brothers had already left WWF by this point. Unfortunately, it also seemed they lost their enthusiasm and passion for the business, as this was seemingly the beginning of a slow decay for the excellence of the Steiner Brothers. Scott hit some cool-looking moves, though. Rick Steiner and Scott Norton just kinda acted like random heavyweight dudes on a random NJPW show. Top junior heavyweight Pegasus bumped and sold well, but he was kind of out of his element here as the designated ‘small guy.' Scott pinned Pegasus to win the match. Good match. ***¼ 

NJPW 9/27/94 Osaka-Jo Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 10:40. Wild Pegasus wasted no time and he was super fresh, as he received a bye in the first round. He was super energetic and explosive, hitting his moves with such great velocity and intensity. Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) took the moves really well, and he was definitely no stranger to Pegasus, as the two had faced several times before, as you probably have realized by now. When Guerrero was able to get some brief offense in, Pegasus sold it superbly. Pegasus was still too powerful and fresh for Guerrero to get any real lasting damage in, though. Pegasus took a big risk by going for a flying headbutt relatively early in the match, and he paid the price for it, as it cost him the momentum had built up. Guerrero took advantage and found the strength to beat Pegasus up on the floor. Guerrero then hit a tremendous plancha off the top rope to the floor. The high flying moves performed by these two greats looked super impressive even on the hand-held footage of this show (and the quality of this hand-held footage was quite good overall). The match became more and more of a back-and-forth type thing as the finish started coming closer. Both men had been executing several big moves to each other, and things could go really either way. This meant that Guerrero had made a tremendous comeback in the match. However, in the end, it was Pegasus who scored the win via a dragon suplex. Excellent match. ****¼ 

NJPW 9/27/94 Osaka-Jo Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Norio Honaga 12:34. Back in the day, some people would half-jokingly refer to this show as ‘Honaga pins your favorites.’ And for good reason, as Norio Honaga had defeated Gran Hamada and Shinjiro Otani in the first round and semi-final respectively. Honaga was certainly a decent worker, but he was usually not seen on the same level as the best junior heavyweights of the 1990s. And here he was in the final of the tournament against arguably the best men’s worker in the world, Wild Pegasus. After Pegasus started strong, Honaga used his unusual and unprincipled style to catch Pegasus off guard and take control. Honaga’s offense came off as rather pedestrian compared to the other participants in this tournament. Somehow, Honaga pinned Pegasus to win the title, which had been vacated due to Jushin Thunder Liger being injured. It’s still quite shocking to this day that Honaga, of all people, was able to defeat top wrestlers Hamada, Otani and Pegasus in one night. Good match. ***

NJPW 10/9/94 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super Junior Tag League: Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani vs. Black Tiger II & The Great Sasuke 13:11. During this tag team tournament, Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) was one half of an interesting tag team combination with Michinoku Pro’s Great Sasuke, who had earlier that year made a big name for himself in the Super J-Cup final against Wild Pegasus. Speaking of Pegasus, he once again showed tremendous intensity here. And these were four of the most interesting junior heavyweight wrestlers at the time. It was no surprise that they delivered a memorable tag team bout here. Shinjiro Otani was able to hang in there with these three more established stars, and he continued to show his tremendous potential. These four would deliver an even better match nine days later, but this 10/9/94 match was certainly a really good companion to the more famous 10/18/94 final. Excellent match. **** 

NJPW 10/18/94 Okayama-ken Taiikukan, Super Junior Tag League Final: Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani vs. Black Tiger II & The Great Sasuke 18:14. This started off with intense brawling on the floor. This showed that it was going to be quite a different match from the match these two had against each other earlier in the tournament. Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) and Great Sasuke showed very good teamwork. They beat up Shinjiro Otani during the early stages of the match, as they tried to keep him in the ring, because young Otani was the weak link (relatively speaking) of his team. Otani managed to fight back though and hit a springboard plancha to the floor onto Guerrero. Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) showed his tremendous intensity when he entered the ring. Every move he executed had a lot of force behind it. Sasuke and Otani worked beautiful sequences together. It was a very competitive match that could go either way. When Guerrero broke up Pegasus' pin attempt, he didn't just shrug it off, he came charging at Guerrero and beat him up in the corner. Both teams showed a strong will to win in this match, which really gave it that important feeling you want to see in a tournament final. Guerrero hit a tremendous huracarrana off the top rope on Otani. Sasuke hit a big dive off the top to the floor onto Pegasus. However, Pegasus recovered quickly, and hit a powerful-looking powerbomb that looked like it almost sent Sasuke through the canvas. While coming off the top rope, Guerrero hit a huracarrana on Pegasus. The action continued to go back and forth. Guerrero hit a Black Tiger bomb and a swinging DDT on Otani. Sasuke went for a quebrada, but Pegasus moved out of the way. Pegasus and Otani tried to finish off Guerrero with a big move as Pegasus had Guerrero on his shoulders as Otani came off the top rope. However, the move didn't go as planned, as everyone fell to the canvas. Otani quickly hit a dragon suplex for the win. Great match. ****½  

ECW 11/5/94 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena, November To Remember: Chris Benoit vs. Sabu 2:00. This was a very short match that abruptly ended when Sabu got injured for real.

ECW 11/5/94 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena, November To Remember: Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio 12:00. This was an impromptu main event after Chris Benoit had earned himself the name ‘The Crippler’ and had (accidentally) broken Sabu's neck. 2 Cold Scorpio showed up, and it was a good match while it lasted until the count-out finish. Benoit bumped well, and his superplex looked amazing. Good match. ***

AAA 11/6/94 Los Angeles, California Memorial Sports Arena, AAA When Worlds Collide: Pegasus Kid & 2 Cold Scorpio & Tito Santana vs. Blue Panther & Jerry Estrada & La Parka 14:51. Pegasus Kid’s team was an interestingly random trio. Pegasus and 2 Cold Scorpio had been feuding in ECW and previously in WCW and NJPW, so it was funny to see them team up here. Scorpio had done lucha before, so he wasn’t out of place here. The one that was most out of place here was Tito Santana, as the Mexican-American superstar from Texas had spent most of his career wrestling for American wrestling companies (mainly WWF). Santana had wrestled only a handful of matches on AAA shows earlier that year to kinda give him some actual lucha experience. This was quite an exciting match, for sure, though, as everyone tried to keep things going and were willing to try to give a very good showing. What they failed to do, however, was make this a truly memorable bout, as it felt more like it was a hodgepodgy exhibition. In spite of that, Pegasus stood out by giving the best performance within the confines of the given setting of this bout. Pegasus stayed true to his style while still accepting that this match wasn’t just about him. It didn’t help that this was a one-fall match while the members of Blue Panther’s team all have really excelled in matches that were scheduled for 2-out-of-3 falls. This fact, along with Pegasus’ team not fully committing to doing lucha style here (as they were mainly in American wrestling mode here), resulted in this match having a bit of a clash of styles vibe. Good match. ***¼ 

Southern California Wrestling 11/7/94 Fullerton, California Ice House: Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio 16:48. This wasn’t an exceptional match for Chris Benoit’s high standards. However, this match is a really good example of Benoit giving a strong effort even on a small house show, like we’ve seen him do before. 2 Cold Scorpio gave a good effort as well, but this really was more Benoit’s match in spite of Scorpio getting the win. Good match. *** 

ECW 1/14/95 Davie, Florida: Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio 13:28. This ECW TV match was worked at a relatively slow pace and lacked urgency, but the execution of the moves was excellent. In spite of the slow pace, it never felt like they were going through the motions, as the intensity level displayed was still quite high. Good match. ***¼ 

ECW 2/4/95 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena: Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow 14:36. The sincerity with which he wrestled and the smoothness of his execution made Chris Benoit stand out so much from the rest of the pack. Al Snow was a worker who was still trying to make a name for himself, and this match certainly helped put him on the map as a guy who had potentially one to keep an eye on in the future. Benoit’s ability to carry a match and elevate the overall quality of a match was on full display here. Benoit’s approach here was similar as in his NJPW matches, but he was smart enough to adjust things just a bit to make it more accessible for the American audience, as he wrestled a more deliberate style during his memorable ECW run. Benoit was one of the workers that helped people start looking at ECW as a league that shouldn’t be underestimated and oftentimes provided a better product than America’s two main leagues at the time (WWF and WCW). In spite of Snow being the clear underdog, both understood this aspect of the match and milked it well. And because both workers fully understood how to get the most out of this match, they managed to give it a feel of importance. It was truly fascinating to see Benoit have a match that would benefit the league and his opponent while maintaining the aura of his character. Excellent match. ****

ECW 2/2/25/95 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena, ECW World Tag Team Title: Sabu & Tazmaniac vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko 10:28. Prior to the match, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko attacked Public Enemy, Rocco Rock (who was injured and in a wheelchair!) and Johnny Grunge. Once the actual match began, Benoit & Malenko continued their onslaught and beat the crap out of Sabu and Taz. The ECW tag team of Sabu & Taz did a really good job of hanging in there with the international superstars Benoit & Malenko, who had been making their name in Japan against some of the best wrestlers in the world. Taz was easily the weak link of the match, but he was delusional enough to believe that he was actually a good wrestler that it somehow resulted in him being useful, as he kept the momentum strong. Sabu carried his team, and he really was into the chaotic and violent vibe of the match, so he was obviously in a good space here. At some point, towards the end of the match, Sabu goes wild and hits raw-looking dives all over the place. For whatever it’s worth, Sabu is arguably the most underrated legend ever, as the average interweb geek seems to simply dismiss him as a half-dimensional nut, while in reality, Sabu was a pioneer and one of the reasons ECW was as successful as it was at the time. Benoit and Malenko understood their role as the no-nonsense kick-ass team, and they did a fantastic job here. This match was super fun and had lots of intensity from the moment the cameras started rolling. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 3/7/95 Kanazawa Ishikawa Sangyo Tenjikan: Black Tiger II & Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani 14:20. The work was excellent. Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) worked nice-looking sequences with Shinjiro Otani in particular. Wild Pegasus showed lots of intensity and viciousness against both Guerrero and Koji Kanemoto. Since January 1995, Kanemoto had been wrestling under his real name again after spending the majority of the previous year and a half or so as Tiger Mask III. Otani vs. Kanemoto was a new feud that had just started a month prior. Guerrero hit a vicious brainbuster on Pegasus. Otani hit a huge missile kick on Kanemoto. Otani was really stepping up his game a lot around this time. With Jushin Thunder Liger out of action due to injury, it was a big opportunity for Otani and Kanemoto to show everyone what they were capable of during the first seven months of 1995, giving the NJPW junior heavyweight division a different twist. This match came to an end when Pegasus won the match via a flying headbutt on Kanemoto. The match was just starting to get more exciting as it was over all of a sudden. With a few more minutes, it could have potentially been an excellent match. Nonetheless, this was a very good match. ***¾ 

NJPW 3/13/95 Kyoto, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus 16:41. Occasionally, the champion is the underdog. Wild Pegasus not only dominated but also completely carried this match. What a tremendous performance this was by arguably the best men’s pro wrestler in the world at the time, Wild Pegasus. Koji Kanemoto had clearly improved in recent times, but he was also clearly one of those in a long lineage of Japanese champions who just kinda lay around while the opposition carried him. Kanemoto would improve more as apparent time would go on, but here in March ‘95, he was the underdog champion (similar to how Diesel, one of the worst WWF Champions ever, was the underdog in his feud with Shawn Michaels around this time in the sports-entertainment industry). After getting his behind carried for 16 minutes, Kanemoto executed a modified (botched?) huracarrana off the top rope to win the match. This wasn’t quite the one-sided affair of their 4-minute 8/3/93 match, but it certainly was similar enough to it that it’s hard to take the result of this match seriously. Luckily, these two would end up having a better match later that year. Very good match. ***¾  

NJPW 3/19/95 Nagoya Prefectural Gymnasium: Wild Pegasus & Black Tiger II vs. Gran Hamada & Norio Honaga 13:33. The dream team of Chris Benoit & Eddy Guerrero battled Gran Hamada & Norio Honaga, a team that had been teaming on quite a regular basis pretty much ever since Gran Hamada had returned to NJPW during the previous summer. Even the crowd acknowledged that Pegasus and Tiger were the most awesome ones in this match by reacting in awe to many things they did. Understandably so, as whenever Pegasus and Tiger executed something, they did it like it really mattered. Everything Pegasus did looked so explosive. And Tiger was so smart in regards to doing subtle things to enhance the quality of the match in addition to the less subtle things. Hamada, the wily veteran, was very useful due to his great understanding of timing and how to use his body as a weapon. Honaga was clearly the least spectacular of the four, and whenever he was on offense, it basically gave everyone else a chance to catch a breather. That being said, Honaga probably felt kinda forced to do something spectacular for a change and hit a plancha off the top to the floor. After Pegasus hit a tremendous superplex on Honaga, the team of Pegasus & Tiger hit a tremendous double-team move on Honaga. While Pegasus went for a powerbomb, Tiger came off the top rope and hit Honaga with a sunset flip at the same time! The world cannot handle this amount of greatness, and that’s why Pegasus and Tiger rarely teamed up together. In the end, somehow, Hamada managed to use his experience to his advantage and score the win for his team when he pinned Tiger. Excellent match. ****

ECW Three Way Dance 4/8/95, ECW World Tag Team Title: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Rick Steiner & Tazmaniac vs. Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge 19:56. Chris Benoit, wearing his puroresu gear, looked kinda out of place amongst all these garbage wrestlers and garbage wrestler-wannabes. Yet, Benoit, as versatile as he was, managed to stay true to his own awesomeness yet still blend in and definitely not feel out of place as a hardcore participant. As a matter of fact, Benoit’s intensity and overall ability made him one of the standouts in this match. Overall, the match was certainly wild and chaotic. While interesting, especially for die-hard Benoit fans, this is definitely a skippable match and totally not mandatory viewing. Decent match. **¾ 

NJPW 4/13/95 Nagaoka City Kosei Kaikan: Gran Hamada & Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus & Shinjiro Otani 15:13. The feud between Koji Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani continued, and they were the ones starting off this match. They both were the main focus of each other in this match, as they were trying to outdo each other. Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) was at the peak of his career and worked super smooth sequences with Gran Hamada. Pegasus showed a lot of intensity and explosiveness. Pegasus and Otani showed excellent teamwork, which was no surprise, since they had won the junior heavyweight tag tournament in October 1994. Despite their underwhelming 2/19/95 singles match, Hamada and Otani worked a few good sequences together here, probably because this time they only had to work brief segments together. Whenever it seemed like an appropriate time for it, we got to see some dives in this match. It was good to see they didn't save all the excitement for just the final minutes, like sometimes tends to happen in NJPW junior heavyweight matches. Kanemoto and Otani had some more heated exchanges, and everyone seemed to be fired up with a desire to beat the opposition. While Hamada gave an excellent performance, it felt like he was the least featured performer here, since Kanemoto and Otani were the center of attention with their feud, and Pegasus, who was great whenever he was in and probably the best worker in the match, was the one who really made the Pegasus vs. Hamada sequences look extra crisp. Overall, this was a very good and very enjoyable junior heavyweight tag team match. ***¾  

NJPW 4/23/95 Okinawa Convention Center: Wild Pegasus & Scott Norton vs. Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner 11:38. This was part of a NJPW trip to the Okinawa Islands. These two teams previously had a good match on 9/23/94. The main factor in this ‘95 match would be how much passion the Steiner Brothers had left. The good news was that the match started with Wild Pegasus and Scott Steiner facing off. This was particularly interesting, because Scott wanted to show off some of his mat wrestling skills and some of his power. He also confirmed there was still a good amount of passion in him left when he tried to get the crowd to make some more noise. The crowd would quickly be making a lot more noise once Pegasus suplexed Scott over the top rope to the floor, which was indeed a cool-looking spot. Pegasus was a junior heavyweight who looked strong enough to be able to be competitive with some of the more technique-focused heavyweights, and that’s what he had here. Pegasus was very smart at showing his toughness and explosive power in combination with some of the more junior heavyweight-type aspects of his style such as speed and spectacle. Pegasus hit a nice-looking pescado on Scott, but once they were back into the ring, Scott hit a belly-to-belly suplex that was so impressive and impactful that Pegasus sold it by tagging out to Scott Norton, who was the biggest powerhouse of the four workers in this match. In spite of Norton’s style mainly being that of a powerhouse, to his credit, he always seemed interested in being a good overall pro wrestler. He wasn’t necessarily interested in just doing power moves and just getting his stuff in, as he seemed genuinely interested in doing things that would be in the best interest of the match as a whole. Rick Steiner was in briefly, running around like the dog-faced gremlin that he was before hitting some moves, including an impressive released German suplex on Pegasus. When Scott was back in the ring again, this time with Norton, he switched up his gameplan a bit by taking it to Norton with more heavyweight power-type offense. When Scott was once again in there with Pegasus, Scott switched to a bit more technical stuff, which showed that Scott was trying to beat his opponents at their own game in their own style. This was another indication that the focused Scott had plenty of passion left in him at this point in his career. In the 9/23/94 match, it felt like there was a big decline in passion apparent in the performance by the Steiners, but perhaps that was largely due to the fact 1994 was the year they left WWF about halfway through the year after being extremely disappointed with their role in WWF. NJPW was quite an interesting place to be in 1995 because of the variety of international talent being booked in an interesting variety of match-ups, partly thanks to the working relationship with WCW. Spending most of their time in NJPW (and some of their time in ECW) in 1995 seemed to really have made the Steiners more content than what they were doing in WWF in 1993 and early 1994. And it was in 1996, they would officially return to WCW. As this match on 4/23/95 progressed, the Steiners threw in a couple more of their signature suplexes. Norton hit some more of his power moves, but it seemed like he was slowly declining athletically around this point in time. Pegasus hit a dropkick and a splash off the top rope. Those moves didn’t get Pegasus the win, and, in fact, he would even lose the bout soon after, as it was him being on the receiving-end of the Steiner screwdriver that enabled Scott to pin him. In spite of the match lasting only eleven minutes, it feels like the people in Okinawa and the people watching the video footage of this match at home got their money’s worth thanks to this fun match-up that delivered a match that lived up to its expectations. That being said, it probably would have been even better if it was just a few minutes longer. Very good match. ***½ 

NJPW/WCW 4/28/95 Pyongyang, North Korea: Wild Pegasus vs. Hase 3:00 of 10:10. This was part of day one of the Collision in Korea event, co-hosted by NJPW and WCW. Circa 150,000 were in attendance for this show. We’re not going to go any deeper into the background story and details of this event (since we’re just interested in watching what Pegasus and Hase did in the ring here), but there’s a Darkside of the Ring episode dedicated to it for those who want to learn more about the event. Only three minutes were shown of this match. After the footage started, there was a chop exchange that Pegasus came out on top of. Pegasus then executed a few suplexes. Pegasus went for a flying headbutt, but Hase rolled out of the way. Hase then executed some of his signature stuff. This felt quite exhibition-esque, but that’s really not the fault of the workers, as that was solely due to the set and setting of this event. Decent match. **¾  

NJPW/WCW 4/29/95 Pyongyang, North Korea: Wild Pegasus vs. Flying Scorpio 6:02. This was part of day two of the Collision in Korea event, co-hosted by NJPW and WCW. Circa 165,000 were in attendance for this show. The action was very good while it lasted, but it felt this was more of a preview that gave people an appetizer-like taste of what they were truly capable of. Pegasus won this short bout. Decent match. **¾ 

NJPW 5/3/95 Fukuoka Dome: Wild Pegasus vs. Flying Scorpio 14:05. These two were certainly no strangers to each other. They had battled each other in singles competition on at least twenty occasions prior to this meeting. This one turned out to be the final time these two wrestled each other, as their paths would only cross once more, as they were tag team partners at an ECW show a bit later on that year. Wild Pegasus was super intense and all business here. Flying Scorpio was a lot more loose and free but definitely ready to go. It was Pegasus’ focus and determination that encouraged Scorpio to become more concentrated and detail-focused himself. Scorpio had the tools, as he was athletic and passionate, but he rarely showed the ability to do anything of real memorable substance in between the high flying. It was all up to Pegasus to fill those gaps and try to encourage Scorpio to be more resourceful. Scorpio’s flying was graceful in a raw manner in the sense that it looked impressive, but it often didn’t look perfect. At least he managed to make it look effective most of the time, in spite of having trouble really telling a cohesive story, which made the effort he put into hitting the moves almost seem not worth it. In the end, this match was quite disappointing, probably their most disappointing match together. Pegasus won this bout by pinning Scorpio after a flying headbutt. Pegasus would soon return to WCW while continuing to tour NJPW for a few more years. Scorpio’s long career would continue to go up and down, and he would be all over the place in a wild variety of leagues. He would be reasonably successful overall, but he seemingly would never fully find a strong consistency of any kind in terms of input and output. Decent match. **¾

NJPW 6/25/95 Omiya Skating Center, BOSJ II: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 14:28. The first portion of the match was all about making the other struggle and trying to outdo each other on the mat, a test of strength between two fighters who respected each other a great deal. Wild Pegasus and Shinjiro Otani were a semi-regular tag team from October 1994 through April 1995, but by the time the BOSJ II had begun, these two had thrown out any nostalgic feelings about their brief but memorable tag team run and replaced these feelings with a determination to show the other who was best. At some point, the powerful Pegasus realized that it was time for some more action, and he decided to beat up Otani with some of his intense offense. As Pegasus was about to do a snap suplex, the commentators name-dropped Dynamite Kid, the man who popularized the move. Another move Pegasus had borrowed from his idol was the diving headbutt, and Pegasus delivered an awesome one here against Otani. It wouldn’t be much longer until Pegasus’ brutality proved to be too much for Otani, and Pegasus scored the pinfall victory. A tremendously executed powerbomb wasn’t the end, but when Pegasus, sensing that the win was near, executed the move once again in tremendous fashion, it was the finish of this bout. While this was an enjoyable match with a reasonably interesting first part, and quite an exciting final few minutes, it felt like they were saving some energy and excitement for later. This was understandable, but it also makes this match kind of forgettable when compared to the far more memorable bouts Pegasus had during that year. Of course, it says a lot about the greatness of Pegasus and the excellence of Otani that a really good match is somewhat forgettable for their high standards. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 7/4/95 Aomori Citizen Gymnasium, BOSJ II: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 12:36 of 20:20. This was when both workers were at their absolute peak as athletes and pro wrestlers. Guerrero’s suplexes looked super smooth. Benoit’s intensity was top-notch. What made this match so exceptional was that the execution was so perfect. Nothing was sloppy. Everything was precisely right. These two had amazing chemistry and a super high level of understanding of how to work a high-quality match. This is what pro wrestling should look like. They would have an even better match nine days later, though. Great match. ****½

NJPW 7/7/95 Iwamizawa Sports Center, BOSJ II: Wild Pegasus vs. El Samurai 30:00. This match took place on the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year (of the Japanese Heisei era, which equates to the year 1995 on the Gregorian calendar). One of the reasons this match was great was that they didn’t necessarily work this like a 30-minute draw. From watching this match, you wouldn’t be able to tell until like the final minutes or so that there was a good possibility this would go to the time limit. Another reason this was great was the fact that both these guys were so into what they were doing. They put over the idea they were out there in a competitive grappling contest and were struggling to get any sort of good advantage over the opponent. As the match went on, the intensity level seemed to increase, as both workers were making it harder for the other to get the upper hand. Overall, it looked like Wild Pegasus had things going his way a bit more than El Samurai did, but it was pretty even from start to finish. Pegasus was the stronger and more explosive of the two, but Samurai always had that never-say-die attitude and ability to rise to the occasion. Pegasus was definitely the better overall worker of the two, as Pegasus was arguably the best men’s pro wrestler in the entire world at the time, but Samurai was once again a strong opponent. The two had several matches against each other in the past, including a very memorable and quite excellent TOSJ IV final on 6/14/93. After a period that saw Pegasus be the more dominant of the two, Samurai managed to fight back a bit more, which simultaneously resulted in the beginning of the finishing stretch of the match. It was wonderful to see that Samurai still had it in him to work a match of this caliber after being somewhat put to the side by NJPW in order to give Koji Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani more of a push. And it was absolutely splendid to see Pegasus give yet another strong performance, pushing the quality of the match to greater heights. Watching Pegasus 1995 matches makes you remember how enjoyable pro wrestling truly can be. Even during the final minutes of the match, the near finishes were so convincing that I had briefly forgotten that this was going to a time limit draw, even though I had been aware of the result of this match for many years. That shows you the greatness of these two workers. Of all the matches these two had together, this was the one they made the most of the time they were given, and they were given a really good amount of time here. Outstanding match. *****

NJPW 7/13/95 Sapporo Nakajima Sports Center, BOSJ II Semifinal: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 16:37. This was probably even better than their previous match. Of course, it helps that we got to see the complete match here, but there also appeared to be more of a struggle happening. It was a very even struggle, and both wrestlers were on top of their game. Even the early stuff wasn’t just your  typical wear down stuff, as it was them truly intensely stretching each other and beating each other up. Wild Pegasus’ powerbomb is so powerful looking that it almost seems like he’s about to powerbomb Black Tiger II (Eddy Guerrero) through the canvas. This tremendous level of intensity is what made this match so eventful. Yes, these were two great wrestlers who were familiar with each other, but they didn’t always wrestle each other in such a big-match way. The way they wrestled each other here was like it truly mattered. The work they showed here is truly top-notch junior heavyweight wrestling. Pegasus scored a big win to advance to the final. Great match. ****¾

NJPW 7/13/95 Sapporo Nakajima Sports Center, BOSJ II Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 19:16. During the round robin portion of this Best of the Super Juniors II tournament, Wild Pegasus, Black Tiger II, Koji Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani all finished with ten points, and that‘s why they advanced to the semifinals. The other participants were El Samurai, Gran Hamada, Dean Malenko, Brian Pillman, Alex Wright and Norio Honaga. In the semifinals, which took place on the same show as the final, Wild Pegasus wrestled an all-time classic against Black Tiger II, and Shinjiro Otani defeated Koji Kanemoto to reach the final. One of the main issues with this final match between Pegasus and Otani is exactly the fact that both workers had wrestled over 15 minutes earlier on the show. While this tournament final was interesting and quite good, it felt a bit anticlimactic, especially with the semifinal match Pegasus had against Eddy Guerrero earlier on still fresh in mind. It really felt like Pegasus and Otani didn’t have the energy to bother doing anything really exceptional until the 15-minute mark of this final. It was during those final four minutes that they worked an exciting finishing stretch to a satisfying conclusion. Pegasus ended up winning the match and the tournament. Good match. ***¼

NJPW 9/23/95 Yokohama Arena: Wild Pegasus vs. Lord Steven Regal 20:47. Lord William Steven Regal showed his unique British-style urgency from the start. It was interesting to see him in a NJPW ring in Yokohama instead of in a WCW ring in Florida. Regal was quite the character and wrestler, as he was doing the over-the-top gimmickry in combination with very old fashioned English grappling. Wild Pegasus didn’t let any of that distract him, as he was his usual no-nonsense self. Regal was a heavyweight and wrestled like a heavyweight. Pegasus was technically a junior heavyweight, but he was a powerful one and for this catchweight bout, he decided to emphasize a bit more his roughness and toughness. This is something we’ll end up seeing him do more often, as he’d soon start working for American 'rasslin' company WCW where he wouldn’t necessarily be working against junior heavyweights most of the time. Most people at the time were probably thinking Regal was weird/comical and kinda boring, while here and there some may have found his approach interesting. What really was the most interesting part about this match was Pegasus adapting to Regal’s style so well (which made sense, since Regal was too slow and not athletic enough to do a Pegasus style match), once again displaying Pegasus’ versatility. Regal’s style was at best a poor man’s version and a less serious version of Billy Robinson’s style. The stiffness was noticeable more clearly when Regal started bleeding hardway. Regal also seemed to have hurt his leg. Pegasus really started taking it to Regal more and more, but Regal, while being carried by the superior Pegasus, was never dominated like a Koji Kanemoto. The Japanese crowd started laughing out loud when Regal tried to keep going for the cover. Regal would soon silence the laughter by going for an actual proper pinning combination that scored him the win. This match benefits from being an unusual novelty. Other than once again seeing how versatile Pegasus was, the match generally wasn’t as interesting as Pegasus’ bouts against fellow junior heavyweights, though. The match got a pretty good amount of time, but it felt like a lot of the time, this time wasn’t necessarily utilized as well as it could have been. Good match. ***¼

NJPW 9/25/95 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto vs. Wild Pegasus 17:14. This is an often overlooked or forgotten match that is an underrated gem in the history of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title bouts. The main reason this match was so much better than their really good 3/13/95 match is that Koji Kanemoto seemed way more up for the task here, as he wasn’t just being dragged around and carried by Wild Pegasus as much as before. The match still relied mainly on Pegasus carrying things, but Kanemoto actually came across as a champ this time and provided more useful resistance in this bout than we’d been used to seeing from him. Kanemoto was still the underdog, in spite of being the champion, but at least he didn’t feel like a completely unworthy champion. Pegasus showed that he was indeed the very best men’s pro wrestler in the entire world at the time, as he was having superb performances with a wide variety of opponents in matches that all had different stories to tell. Pegasus understood so well how to make Kanemoto’s shortcomings not be too visible, as he’d, for example, try to put over the idea that Kanemoto showed urgency and intensity on the mat when Kanemoto actually didn’t. Some of the biggest highlights of the match came later in the match when Pegasus backdrop suplexed Kanemoto off the top and soon after went for a flying headbutt. Pegasus almost got the win when he went for another top-rope move, as he hit a diving headbutt for a near fall. Pegasus even hit a huracarrana off the top rope and a dropkick off the top rope. Kanemoto tried to put Pegasus away with a moonsault and a flying dropkick. The match was in a back-and-forth phase, and you’d get the sense things could really go either way. In the end, it was the former Tiger Mask III that scored the win over Pegasus via a tiger suplex. They really made the most of the match, and they really put this over as a big title bout. This was enjoyable and exciting pretty much from start to finish. Great match. ****¾

WCW 10/16/95 Albany, GA Civic Center: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 8:36. This match took place on the seventh edition of WCW Monday Nitro. It was the first Nitro appearance for Chris Benoit, who had recently returned to WCW to become a full-time member of WCW. The work was super crisp and spectacular. It was basically a very condensed, highspot-heavy version of their Japanese matches. It was the first of many times these two would wrestle each other in the United States after having faced each other several times in Japan. These two great workers were a big reason why WCW was a lot of fun to watch during the mid-late '90s. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 10/23/95 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Civic Center: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero & Mr. J.L. 10:00. This took place on the eighth edition of Monday Nitro. Minnesota’s Jerry Lynn was a masked character called Mr. J.L. By this time, it was starting to become clear that WCW was having quite an interesting batch of junior heavyweight workers on their roster. Having Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero in the same match is always a great idea, and it was no surprise that their interactions resulted in crisp and fascinating pro wrestling moments. Everyone did some high flying, even Dean Malenko (as he executed a pescado). Malenko was very familiar with the work of Guerrero and Benoit, so his sequences with them were quite smooth-looking. I think Lynn would have been more over if he just worked as Jerry Lynn, but this mask was actually his own idea. The problem is that the character was never fully developed, as they just haphazardly named him his initials. These guys did the most they could with the ten minutes they were given. They worked a match that worked well for live TV, as it featured a lot of action and lived up to people’s expectations of how junior heavyweights should wrestle. Benoit stood out most because of his ability to combine athleticism and viciousness. Guerrero was super spectacular during the moments he was in the match, thanks to his speed and cat-like agility. After the match, Brian Pillman, who was starting to show gradually more heelish and lunatic behavior, attacked Guerrero to set up a future match. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 10/25/95 Atlanta, GA Center Stage Theater: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 11:04. This was about as good as a WCW Saturday Night TV taping match could get. The week before, they had gone to a draw, but it looks like complete footage of that match isn’t available at this moment. These two were so awesome at the time, that it didn’t matter whether or not you’d put them in Tokyo’s Sumo Hall or at this TV studio in Atlanta, you could count on them delivering some of the best pro wrestling in the world. For this match, they focused more on a methodical approach with them trying to wear each other down and really milking each hold and move they executed. That being said, these two were so explosive that they couldn’t help throwing in some really cool fast-paced moments as well. It’s nice that each match they’ve had was different and had a different story being told. The crisp execution is what made these two stand out from the rest of the roster the most. This bout between these two evenly matched international competitors ended when Benoit used the ropes to his advantage to score the pinfall win. Very good match. ***½ 

WCW 10/29/95 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Lord Steven Regal & Earl Robert Eaton 8:41. You gotta love ‘90s pro wrestling. Everyone’s favorite Alabama hick, Bobby Eaton, had been repacked into a snobby nobleman to form a tag team with the English grappler Lord William Steven Regal, the Blue Bloods. Their opponents were as non-gimmicky as you could get, though, as Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko were no-nonsense workers. Benoit executed a Silver King-esque dive amongst several other explosive-looking moves. Regal and Eaton were good workers, but they couldn’t match the speed of Benoit & Malenko. The match came to an end when Malenko dropkicked Regal to enable Benoit to execute a bridging dragon suplex for the pinfall victory. This match took place during an edition of WCW Main Event, which doubled as the countdown show of Halloween Havoc ‘95, which was a PPV that took place at the same venue WWF Survivor Series ‘91 had taken place. One of the most notable things about Halloween Havoc ‘95 was a decent match involving Brian Pillman that saw the reformation of the Horsemen (when Pillman joined forces with Arn Anderson to help Ric Flair betray Sting), a stable that Benoit would soon be joining. Good match. ***¼ 

WCW 11/6/95 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 6:29. It had recently been revealed during a backstage promo video that Chris Benoit had joined Brian Pillman, Arn Anderson and Ric Flair as the fourth member of the Horsemen. This didn’t stop Benoit from being the best men’s wrestler in the world, and he proved that here in yet another match against the great Eddy Guerrero. During this match, which took place on the tenth edition of WCW Monday Nitro, NJPW’s Jushin Thunder Liger, Kensuke Sasaki, Masa Saito and Masa Chono were having supper with heel manager Sonny Onoo while enjoying the tremendous in-ring action. Of course, Benoit and Guerrero were no strangers to NJPW, as they had been touring NJPW extensively over the years. Both workers executed their moves with great velocity. One of the main highlights was Guerrero hitting a plancha to the floor. Guerrero also hit an awesome-looking brainbuster. The combination of these two being super crisp at executing their moves and them being very familiar with each other really helped make this match so smooth and so enjoyable to watch. Every time these two met in a WCW ring, it resulted in some of the best wrestling to have ever taken place in an American ring. It’s a shame they were only given six minutes here, but at least they made the most of the little time they were given. The finish was a little abrupt and a little screwy, but hopefully that means we’ll see another match between these two in the near future. This was one of those matches in which Guerrero showed that he was capable of being nearly as outstanding of an in-ring performer as Benoit was at the time. Good match. ***¼ 

WCW 11/6/95 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum: Chris Benoit vs. Kensuke Sasaki 2:40. Kensuke Sasaki was a NJPW heavyweight who had recently become the husband of one of the all-time great women’s pro wrestlers Akira Hokuto (as they got married on 10/1/95). A few years later, Benoit would end up marrying a wonderful Woman who was involved in the pro wrestling business as well, but we’ll save that story for another time. Let’s focus on this bout, especially since it’s a short one. I love how in typically radical WCW booking, Sasaki lost to Benoit in just under three minutes, because that would have never happened in NJPW where Sasaki was a heavyweight and Benoit was a junior. To make this quick victory even more shocking, it happened in a completely clean fashion, as Benoit pinned Sasaki in the middle of the ring via a bridging dragon suplex. Decent match. **¾

WCW 11/26/95 Norfolk, VA Scope, U.S. Heavyweight Title: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Chris Benoit 10:01. In spite of neither man being from the United States (as Kensuke Sasaki was from Japan, and Chris Benoit was from Canada), this was a match for the United States Heavyweight Championship. This was certainly a lot more eventful than their 2-minute 11/6/95 Nitro match in which Benoit destroyed Sasaki. Benoit was probably the best wrestler in the world at the time, but Sasaki was just another decent NJPW heavyweight, so this wasn’t nearly as interesting as Benoit’s matches with guys like Jushin Thunder Liger and Eddy Guerrero. Bobby Heenan was on a role on commentary, as he rightfully mentioned that Benoit was better than Gene Kiniski, and that this incarnation of the Horsemen with Benoit and Pillman was the best version of the Horsemen ever. One of the highlights of this match was Benoit hitting a tremendous suicide dive through the ropes. Benoit also hit a tremendous flying headbutt. The finish was a bit disappointing, as Sasaki scored the win after just hitting a couple of moves in spite of Benoit dominating most of the match. Good match. ***¼ 

WCW 11/26/95 Norfolk, VA Scope, 3-Ring 60-Man Battle Royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title: WCW World War III 1995. Chris Benoit and Brian Pillman were in ring #3. At some point, once a certain number of people were eliminated, the remaining participants all were directed towards ring #1. It was an interesting and fascinating concept, but as a match, it was a total mess. There was very little interesting action due to there just being not enough room for anyone to do anything beyond punching and chopping. Eddy Guerrero was the worker of the match, because he was the one who tried to really find ways to do something more interesting than everyone else was doing. Once Benoit, Pillman and Guerrero were eliminated, the match became a lot less interesting than it was before. In the end, it was ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage who won the match to become the new heavyweight champion of the world. Pretty bad match. 29:53. *¼ 

NJPW 12/11/95 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium: Wild Pegasus & Dean Malenko vs. Sabu & Hiro Saito 14:11. Much to the crowd’s delight, Sabu wasted no time in using a chair, which set him apart from the rest of the NJPW junior heavyweight division, which was generally a division in which weapons aren’t used very often. Hiro Saito used to be a junior heavyweight back in 1990, but he was unimposing enough to be part of a tag team match that featured three junior heavyweights. In spite of the NJPW junior heavyweight division featuring a lot of the best men’s pro wrestlers in the world at the time, the general consensus was that the top heavyweight division guys were the main eventers. Sabu realized this, and that’s why he wanted to get out of these NJPW tours, as he had no interest in always being second fiddle to inferior heavyweights (especially since at the time, Sabu was universally considered to be one of the most spectacular guys around and a big reason for ECW getting more popular amongst hardcore wrestling fans). Hiro Saito was really not an ideal tag team partner for Sabu, as you almost couldn’t get more opposite from what Sabu was doing than what Hiro Saito was doing at the time. Hiro Saito was slow and unspectacular, useful for untelevised midcard tag team matches, but not the type you would want to have in a match featuring two of the most exciting workers in the world, Sabu and Wild Pegasus. Dean Malenko, on the other, was a much better choice. In spite of Malenko being quite boring as a personality and character, at least he was able to work fast-paced junior heavyweight sequences and was familiar with the more fascinating approach Pegasus and Sabu were going for. Pegasus was on a whole different level than virtually everyone else at the time, so he was able to even make the Hiro Saito segments watchable by simply beating the crap out of him and showing tons of intensity. In spite of being the dullest and most over-the-hill worker in the match, the wily veteran Hiro Saito scored the pinfall victory over Malenko, which made zero sense other than to emphasize that workrate and quality of work means less than bulk and weight. Very good match. ***½

WAR 12/13/95 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Quarter Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Lionheart 13:43. Alberta vs. Manitoba. Two Canadians in the quarter final of the 2nd edition of the Super J-Cup in Japan. Wild Pegasus had won the 1st edition of the Super J-Cup on 4/16/94, which was hosted by NJPW. This time around, it was the WAR league that hosted the tournament. It was the very first time these two had a match together. The story goes that Pegasus was so impressed with ‘Lionheart’ Chris Jericho, that he told Eric Bischoff about this “gem” he wrestled in Japan. Based on Pegasus’ recommendation, Bischoff hired Jericho in 1996, and the rest is history. Prior to his WCW run, ‘Corazon de Leon’ Chris Jericho was still trying to figure things out, but this big match against Pegasus certainly was a tremendous learning experience for 25-year old Jericho. I don’t want to make it sound like Jericho was a newbie at that time, as he had been noticed by wrestling fanatics due to his work in SMW, CMLL and WAR. However, those leagues weren’t always on everyone’s radar at the time. This second edition of the Super J-Cup was one that caught a lot of people’s attention due to the first-ever Super J-Cup being considered one of the greatest pro wrestling shows ever. Pegasus was easily the best men’s pro wrestler in the world at that time, and that certainly played a huge part in this match being so memorable. The way Jericho wrestled was with the intention of standing out and being noticed. You could tell from all the little details that he wanted people to go talk about his match after it was all said and done. Pegasus was such a great all-round performer that he was able to incorporate Jericho’s more mainstream-wannabe North American approach into his own more serious no-nonsense puroresu-influenced Stampede style. Jericho’s charisma thus only added to the match, and it didn’t take anything away from the match, thanks to both guys understanding how to make this match work. This was definitely a great match that exceeded expectations. While Jericho certainly wasn’t a Jushin Thunder Liger or even a Koji Kanemoto, whatever Jericho lacked in seriousness, he made up for in sincerity. Jericho was an interesting opponent for Pegasus, because Jericho’s hodgepodge-type style makes his work feel fresh and free. Pegasus gave one of his very best performances that year, which says a lot, since 1995 was arguably his greatest. The way Pegasus took the moves and sold for them was absolutely awesome. It’s one of the many reasons why Pegasus is one of the all-time greats. What they both did so well was put over this match as important. Most of the match was wrestled in a way that felt like it was going to bring someone closer to victory. Pegasus was more likely going to be the winner, but Jericho’s unpredictability and adventurousness made it seem plausible that an upset could take place. The match was totally fascinating from the second the bell rang until the second the match ended. Great match. ****½ 

WAR 12/13/95 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super J-Cup Semi-Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Gedo 9:20. Younger fans may know Gedo as the overrated NJPW booker. However, older fans will probably remember that Gedo was also super overrated as a wrestler back in the early days of the Super J-Cup (and throughout the rest of his career). In the 1994 edition, Gedo got his ass whooped by Pegasus in a short and easy win for Pegasus. However, due to politics, and due to Gedo being part of WAR at an event hosted by WAR, Gedo somehow won this match. Of course, Pegasus was the one who did all the hard work and carrying. That’s unfortunately something he would end up getting more and more used to as a WCW worker. Anyway, if you want to see how Pegasus carried a super overrated guy to a pretty good match, then go ahead and watch this. If not, then this is definitely skippable material. Good match. ***

Stu Hart Tribute Show 12/15/95 Calgary, AB Stampede Corral: Chris Benoit vs. Rad Radford 11:28. WCW vs. WWF! That’s right, a WCW wrestler wrestled a WWF wrestler in the middle of the Monday Night War-era. In Calgary, Alberta, the wrestling capital of Canada, Alberta’s own Chris Benoit wrestled Louie Spicolli, an American wrestler who had recently been repackaged by WWF as Rad Radford, an untidy grunge rocker. You can tell that Stu Hart was immensely respected by everyone in the wrestling business, because for a match between a WCW wrestler and a WWF wrestler to take place, hell must either freeze over or there must be a Stu Hart tribute show taking place. In this case, it was the latter option. Stu, of course, the father of a legendary wrestling family that included his sons Owen and Bret. Stu was also the founder of Stampede Wrestling, a league that was very much ahead of its time stylistically, combining elements of British wrestling and Japanese wrestling with North American wrestling. It was also the league that was the home league of the great Dynamite Kid for many years. Benoit idolized Dynamite and started wrestling in 1985 in Stampede. Benoit was one of two WCW wrestlers being allowed to appear on this show (the other one was Brian Pillman, who, just like Benoit, was a big star in Calgary during the ‘80s). Spicolli had mainly been either a jobber or lower midcard worker in most of the leagues he wrestled in, even in spite of being ‘Madonna's Boyfriend.’ Spicolli was a good worker, and facing arguably the best men’s worker in the world at the time was a big opportunity for Spicolli to show off his skills. It’s pretty incredible that WWF would allow a wrestler of theirs to do the job against a WCW wrestler. Of course, unfortunately, this was probably partially due to them not caring much about Spicolli. And it was partially because WWF knew that their top champion, Bret Hart, would headline the show and win the main event. And this was still before the days of every show being put online, as you would have to really go out of your way to get footage of this show back then. Benoit took this match seriously, like he always did, and that made this already way more interesting than any match Radford had in WWF. The awesome thing about Benoit was, when he looked across that ring, he didn’t see a gimmick, he saw a wrestler. And that’s how he treated the grungy Radford, like a wrestler, not a gimmick. They wrestled quite a good match here. Of course, as good as he was, Spicolli wasn’t quite on the level of Benoit’s opponents in Japan, but that made this so interesting. Once again, Benoit showed his tremendous versatility. Benoit stayed true to his philosophy of high workrate and high-quality work while subtly adapting his style for this match to enable the opponent to give their best performance possible. Spicolli’s work wasn’t as interesting as that of a Koji Kanemoto or even a Chris Jericho, but Spicolli’s passion for doing what he did shone through, and that’s what made his work so interesting. In very North American-style booking, Benoit won via a superplex, an awesome move but one he didn’t typically win matches with in Japan. I was going to say that it was fitting he won with a superplex because of it being a Dynamite Kid move, but, of course, pretty much every move Benoit did was inspired by Dynamite Kid. By the way, also on this show: 1-2-3 Kid beat Keith Hart with an inside cradle, Razor Ramon beat Owen Hart with an inside cradle, Brian Pillman & Bruce Hart beat Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr. via disqualification, and in the main event, Bret Hart beat Davey Boy Smith via a rollup (in a match that wasn’t quite as good as their match on WWF PPV two days later). Anyway, while certainly worth watching, Benoit vs. Radford was more interesting and charming than actually recommendable. Good match. ***

WCW 12/27/95 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium: Chris Benoit vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 10:29. This was the opening match of the Starrcade PPV. And it was part of the ‘World Cup of Wrestling,’ which was a best of seven series between WCW and NJPW. This was great while it lasted, but they only got ten minutes, which is less than what they would usually get in NJPW. So, while this was a really good match, it was disappointing to those who were familiar with their matches from Japan. Chris Benoit and Jushin Thunder Liger did everything they could to make the most out of this match, though. Their execution, selling and in-ring storytelling was naturally great, as these two all-time greats were quite familiar with each other. They certainly didn’t waste any time. Even though this was disappointing compared to their Japanese matches, let’s not forget that this was quite the viewing experience for those who only watched American wrestling. So, when you look at it that way, this match certainly worked and delivered. It was a hot opening contest that set the tone for an interesting PPV. The finish of this Benoit vs. Liger match wasn’t great, but it was the only way the short match time would be explainable in kayfabe, as ‘Taskmaster’ Kevin Sullivan showed up (as Sullivan’s Dungeon of Doom stable had a feud with The Four Horsemen), distracted Benoit, and Liger got the pinfall win. Excellent match. ****

WCW 1/1/96 Atlanta, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Lord Steven Regal 5:42. This vicious match took place on the 18th edition of WCW Monday Nitro. Chris Benoit and Lord Steven Regal both showed tremendous intensity and were challenging each other to fight back harder. These two were wrestling like it really mattered. It’s a shame it was just a 5-minute match. After the match, fellow Horseman Brian Pillman started acting like a loose cannon and gave Benoit a rough time by pointing out that he lost. Benoit mentioned that he can only be beaten when the opponent is lucky. Pillman then started complaining about Arn Anderson as well. Anderson reminded Pillman that the Horsemen are a unit and that their only job is to protect Ric Flair’s World Title. Very good match. ***½ 

WCW 1/8/96 Charleston, SC: Chris Benoit vs. Alex Wright 6:40. On the 19th edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Chris Benoit barely gave Alex Wright a chance to get into the ring, as the ‘Canadian Crippler’ started viciously beating up the young German Alex Wright (son of English wrestler Steve Wright). Once Wright was able to fight back, he showed a surprisingly good series of high flying moves. He even hit a pescado on Brian Pillman, who was at ringside to support fellow Horseman Benoit. Benoit realized that Wright was in good form that night, so he tried to go for a dragon suplex to finish things off. Wright managed to avoid it. Not much later, though, Benoit’s determination and skill proved to be too much for Wright, as Benoit managed to apply the dragon suplex for the win. By the way, during the match, Eric Bischoff talked about how WCW was so much better than “Titanic Sports.” Very good match. ***½

WCW 1/13/96 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit & Brian Pillman vs. Bart Sawyer & Buck Quartermain 4:53. Chris Benoit & Brian Pillman were one of the coolest tag teams ever. It’s a shame they only teamed together for a relatively short time. Pillman got the crowd riled up quite a bit, and he did a lot of great character work in general. At that time, Pillman was turning more and more into the ‘Loose Cannon.’ Pillman did an excellent job of being the cocky heel who looked down on these two jobbers while still selling for them. Benoit was no-nonsense and all about beating his opponents up in a vicious manner. Chris Cruise mentioned that Benoit got the snap suplex from the Dynamite Kid. The dropkick into the dragon suplex tag team combo looked really cool, and it resulted in Benoit pinning Buck Quartermain for the win. While it was awesome to see Benoit and Pillman teaming up and showing off their skills, their opposition didn’t stand much of a chance, and the result was never in doubt. Decent match. **¾

WCW 2/5/96 Lakeland, FL, WCW World Heavyweight Title: Randy Savage vs. Chris Benoit 8:17. This match from the 23rd edition of Nitro was extremely disappointing, but it wasn’t Chris Benoit’s fault. Prior to this match, Benoit had been booked by WCW as a guy who was praised for his Japanese-Albertan style of wrestling that had made him so successful in Japan. During the first few months of Nitro-era WCW, Benoit was usually booked like an international junior heavyweight star who would have some of the best moments on American TV with similar type workers (who had often been his opponents in Japan). However, by February 1996, Benoit had worked his way up to be seen as a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. This sounds awesome until you realize that now he’s involved in matches with a guy like Randy Savage (who was one of the better American wrestlers of the 1980s and early 1990s but had been past his prime by 1995), who spent most of this match selling without really trying to engage in any sort of interesting sequence or moments of struggle. Savage really just treated this like just another match. To make things worse, he simply walked away when Benoit was hitting a suicide dive, which resulted in Benoit smacking the floor real hard upon his crash landing. In this match, Benoit did whatever he felt was the right thing to do, as he was vicious and intense, like he always was, and combined with his usual high-level of explosiveness and agility, he was clearly trying to make the most out of this Savage-style WCW bout. Perhaps the worst thing out of all of this was that the match, which was already brief enough, mainly served as another chapter of angles and shenanigans involving some of the most cartoony guys, like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and the Dungeon of Doom. What should have been a memorable bout that saw Benoit finally be seen as a legit main eventer, turned out to be the opposite, as Benoit’s in-ring work was deemed less important than the silly angles and storylines WCW was trying to entertain their fans with. As much as Benoit fans wanted to see him get a push, at the same time, the idea of a push now seemed to mean that he would be involved more often in these kinds of clusterfucks. The finish of the match was a rather abrupt screwy DQ that immediately saw the attention being shifted from the actual wrestling to the horseplay. Really the only noteworthy thing to mention about this match is that Woman (the future Nancy Benoit), was in Savage’s corner for the match until she turned her back on him and joined forces with the Horsemen. Woman becoming the valet of the Horsemen would end up changing things for Benoit on a professional and especially a personal level. Decent match. **½

NJPW 2/14/96 Atlanta, GA, WCW World Television Title: Johnny B. Badd vs. Chris Benoit 5:07. In the corner of Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) was ‘Diamond Doll’ Kimberly Page (the wife of ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page). The pre-match promo and entrance stuff took longer than the actual match, which is never a good thing. Once Mero and Kimberly were done dancing around, Chris Benoit showed up with his usual “actions speak louder than words” approach, as Benoit was here to wrestle. Kimberly is one of those women who is good looking enough to just do whatever they want and people will simply accept it. And I’ll admit that’s exactly why I have nothing bad to say about her. Mero was actually a good worker, and he once had a truly excellent PPV match against Flyin’ Brian Pillman on 9/17/95. However, on this WCW TV episode of Saturday Night, a 5-minute title match was all we were getting. Mero let Benoit do his thing, partially because Mero didn’t know any better, and partially perhaps out of pity for the great Benoit being booked like fodder. WCW didn’t even have a spot for Benoit on their recent SuperBrawl VI PPV, which was actually quite a terrible PPV, so it may or may not have been a good thing for Benoit. The finish of this television title bout was one of the silliest ever, as when Mero came off the top rope, Benoit shoved the referee in front of him, which resulted in Mero hitting a sunset flip on the referee and Benoit being disqualified. This was probably the first time in Benoit’s career that he was part of two disappointing singles matches in a row. Let’s hope he starts wrestling Eddy Guerrero again soon. Decent match. **½

WCW 2/28/96 Gainesville, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 6:00. It’s always a good thing when these two wrestle each other. This was from WCW Saturday Night TV. They executed a lot of fast-paced sequences that highlighted their athleticism. Chris Benoit decided to focus more on intensity and tenacity to slow down Eddy Guerrero. However, the resourceful Guerrero managed to constantly interrupt Benoit’s momentum. The execution of the moves was superb. The selling as well. Benoit missed a flying headbutt when Guerrero rolled away and hit a brainbuster. Guerrero then hit the frog splash. Benoit kicked out, though. Guerrero managed to counter a move attempt by Benoit with a huracarrana for the pinfall win. Benoit wasn’t happy and beat Guerrero up after the match. Benoit issued a challenge for a rematch. This was a very enjoyable TV match, but it was obviously too short to really consider it as one of their best. Good match. ***¼

WCW 3/6/96 Macon, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 11:06. This was from WCW Saturday Night TV. Chris Benoit was super vicious in his approach to destroy Eddy Guerrero. However, Guerrero was very smooth in his comebacks and counters whenever he was able to fight back. This seemed to make Benoit even more aggressive than he already was, as he remembered what happened last week and wanted to make sure to not give Guerrero a chance to beat him again. Benoit was even choking Guerrero with electrical cables. Benoit went for an amazing missile-esque flying headbutt, but Guerrero knew his opponent well, instinctively knew this was coming and luckily had enough strength to roll away. The momentum had now shifted, but only temporarily, as Benoit still had lots of energy left. Benoit executed three German suplexes in a row, but Guerrero managed to put his foot on the rope. The finish came when Guerrero had the opportunity to hit his frog splash, and he hit it in an explosive manner for the win. They really made the most out of the time given, and the execution was great at all times. Very good match. ***¾

NJPW 3/9/96 Iwakuni City Gym: Wild Pegasus & Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai 15:04. It’s always good to see Wild Pegasus back in a NJPW ring. This was still when WCW would actually allow him to tour Japan, which were the good old days, for sure. It’s nice to see that Pegasus and Jushin Thunder Liger have always upgraded their in-ring confrontations to where they were at as workers at the time, in an upgraded manner, not in a downgraded or taken for granted kinda way. Here in this bout, they were rougher with each other, Pegasus focusing more on his tenacity and intensity than ever before, and Liger focusing more on selling and storytelling than ever before. This was a very gritty tag team match, with everyone being rough with each other, never giving anyone a chance to rest or relax too much. Pegasus, Liger and El Samurai were all on top of their game here. Tokimitsu Ishizawa was easily the weak link of the match. The poor guy didn’t know what he was doing and was visibly nervous and scared whenever he was in the ring. The best he could do was sell in fear while he was being beaten up. All three of the other guys had been wrestling for 9+ years, and he had only been wrestling for three years without ever having been given much of a push (the closest to a push he got was teaming with Dean Malenko in the 1994 junior tag league). So, it was understandable that he was kinda lost here. Ishizawa was good at executing two moves, the uppercut and the brainbuster. Those moves he executed quite well, but everything else he did looked weak at best. When Ishizawa wasn’t in the ring, Pegasus, Liger and Samurai were just working away, being the great workers that they were. Liger had a soft spot for this weakling, so he kept giving him a chance, and that’s why he was in this match. Ishizawa actually wasn’t that bad, as he was merely a precursor to all the passionless overrated people that would come after him in NJPW. The finish was exciting, as Pegasus was about to pin Samurai after a flying headbutt. Liger broke up the pin, though. Liger and Samurai hit a double flying headbutt on Ishizawa. Samurai hit a tope suicida on Pegasus. As a ‘compassionate’ concession,  Liger pretended that Ishizawa kicked out of the Liger bomb cover attempt. Samurai hit a superplex on Ishizawa, which was followed up by Liger with a splash. That turned out to be the pinfall victory for the superior team. In spite of Ishizawa being super mediocre, the fact that the other three were really giving tremendous performances made this match quite memorable. All in all, this was quite fun to watch. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 3/13/96 Ishikawa Exhibition Hall #3: Wild Pegasus & Scott Norton vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Shinya Hashimoto 5:30 of 15:30. The big powerful heavyweight Scott Norton was getting slower around this time, so, while he was trying, it didn’t feel like it had the same quality as his work a year or two earlier. It feels like he was at this point still slightly more effective than Shinya Hashimoto, the fat Elvis look-alike, though. Wild Pegasus was totally amazing. He sold Hashimoto’s fancy martial arts blows so well that even Hashimoto was shocked. Jushin Thunder Liger was awesome in an unselfish way, as he was just mainly making sure everyone else was over. He also did the job when Norton powerbombed the crap out of him. Even the look on Pegasus’ face was saying, like, wow, that was a sick powerbomb and finish. This match was short but sweet. Decent match. **¾

NJPW 3/14/96 Kyoto Prefectural Gym: Gran Hamada & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai & Wild Pegasus vs. TAKA Michinoku & Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tokimitsu Ishizawa 25:57. The match started off with all four of his opponents stomping onto Wild Pegasus. Perhaps they were angry at him for joining WCW. One of the most incredible things about Jushin Thunder Liger is that he's still able to be a respectable and rightful leader while giving others a chance to shine and grow, yet still making sure his own in-ring work is as good as it can be at this more mature stage of his career. El Samurai put over the offense of his opponents really well. Gran Hamada wasn't in this match that often, unfortunately, but he was excellent whenever he was in, always making sure to add more to the general flow of the match in a positive way. TAKA Michinoku was one of the most impressive workers in the world at the time, but the same could be said for pretty much everyone in this match, except for Tokimitsu Ishizawa. TAKA hit a couple of amazing springboard moves. Shinjiro Otani got the chance to have some awesome work with Samurai and Liger in particular, two of his best opponents. Koji Kanemoto worked particularly well against Samurai. There was a really cool spot where Samurai got attacked by a dropkick from Kanemoto and a top-rope dropkick from Otani at the same time. Soon after this, everyone started hitting spectacular planchas until Ishizawa embarrassed himself and slipped on the apron. Even the commentators started chuckling. Luckily, Ishizawa wasn't in this match that often, which meant this was still an excellent match. Just the first fall alone was excellent enough to make this a four-star match. If you didn't know this was a 2-out-of-3 falls match, you'd be pleasantly surprised to find out the match continued. Pegasus was the worker of the second fall, because of his intensity and execution. Pegasus' work against Otani was particularly crisp in this fall, which was fitting, because the two would be involved in a match that would decide the first WCW Cruiserweight Champion at a NJPW show on 3/20/96. This was an excellent eight-man tag team match, despite it being a 2-0 win for Liger's team. Perhaps it would have been even better if it was a 2-1 win, but it's hard to complain about a match this excellent. After the match, Liger, Pegasus, Samurai and Hamada each held up four fingers, signalling they were the junior heavyweight version of the Four Horsemen (and, of course, some of you might recall that Pegasus was also one of the members of the WCW version of the Horsemen). ****¼

NJPW 3/20/96 Nagoya, WCW World Cruiserweight Title Decision: Wild Pegasus vs. Shinjiro Otani 18:09. Ever since WCW acquired top junior heavyweight talent like Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit), Eddy Guerrero and Dean Malenko, which roughly coincided with the start of WCW Monday Nitro, WCW’s TV product had become more interesting than ever before. In spite of the overall WCW product still being hampered by typically frustrating booking that favored cartoony over-the-hill characters, WCW still managed to become a league you would want to check out for their junior heavyweight bouts. So, the idea of the creation of a WCW Cruiserweight Title actually was a pretty darn good idea. Shinjiro Otani wasn’t a regular in WCW by any means, but he had wrestled a couple of WCW matches, including quite a good one against Eddy Guerrero at WCW Starrcade ‘95. Pegasus had been one of the best workers in WCW and the world of pro wrestling in general, so to have him in this decision match was a great decision. It was nice to see Pegasus in an 18-minute match, as we hadn’t seen him in a singles match this long since 9/25/95 when he challenged Koji Kanemoto for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title in a great 4.5-star match. Otani tried to keep Pegasus on the mat and would actively try to not only keep Pegasus down and wear him out, but he would also try to do some significant damage to Pegasus’ legs with the hopes of slowing down the powerhouse. Pegasus would try to counter, but Otani’s technical proficiency was starting to peak while Pegasus’ was slowly on a decline due to him being used to work short WCW TV matches. This resulted in Pegasus having a hard time on the mat against Otani, who was about to have arguably the best year of his career. They smoothly transitioned from the mat-based portion of the match to the middle portion of the match, which saw them incorporate more spectacular stuff (including a springboard plancha by Otani). Pegasus was all business and hit three German suplexes in a row, but the dazed Otani was able to kick out. A tremendous diving headbutt also didn’t get Pegasus the win. When Otani tried to whip Pegasus out of the corner, Pegasus countered with the most incredible short-arm clothesline in history (apologies to Jake Roberts). Soon after, Otani managed to hit an amazing-looking springboard DDT that Pegasus sold tremendously! The finisher was so impressive looking that it really felt like a satisfying conclusion to an impressive bout. Excellent match. ****¼ 

WCW 4/22/96 Albany, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 7:30. On the 32nd edition of WCW Monday Nitro, the two best in-ring performers of WCW once again wrestled each other. These two are so great and always have a different match, so it’s always exciting news when they wrestle each other. Chris Benoit was super explosive and intense. This was a short but enjoyable match. These two were just so great back then that it was just a joy to watch them wrestle, even if it was just for seven minutes. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 5/24/96 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, BOSJ III: Wild Pegasus vs. Mr. JL 11:14. It would have been way cooler if Jerry Lynn just wrestled as himself instead of Mr. JL, but, hey, this masked gimmick was his own idea. The best thing about this match was the sheer intensity shown by Wild Pegasus. He really gave the impression that he was out to destroy and beat his opponent. This was the opening night of the Best of the Super Juniors III tournament, and both men showed the urgency you’d expect from two men about to try to get their first win in this year’s edition. Pegasus was no stranger to these tournaments, and he had even won last year’s edition (BOSJ II). Lynn had never participated in any of these BOSJ tournaments, so he wanted to impress. While he had toured Japan before (Universal in 1992, Michinoku Pro in 1993 and 1995), this was his first tour for NJPW. Lynn never liked touring Japan in general because of his lack of interest in Japanese cuisine. Still, Lynn once again managed to give a good performance in Japan. As an in-ring performer, he never felt out of place and executed some cool-looking moves. This tour wasn’t a great experience for him, though, because he got injured at some point. Pegasus was right in his element here, clearly pleased to wrestle puroresu style again after weeks of WCW TV shows. It wasn’t too hard for Pegasus to put Lynn away. The finish came when Pegasus won via a dragon suplex after 11 minutes. Good match. ***¼

NJPW 5/28/96 Nagano Big Hut, BOSJ III Block A: Wild Pegasus vs. El Samurai 16:07. Both men were quite familiar with each other, as they had been in the ring many times before. Their most notable confrontations were the excellent TOSJ IV final on 6/14/93 and the truly great BOSJ II league match on 7/7/95. So, the expectations were high for this Best of the Super Juniors III match. After some grappling that was quite well done due to them making the other struggle, Wild Pegasus started dominating El Samurai by showing his typically high level of intensity. Once Samurai was able to shake off the cobwebs, he was clearly realizing that he had to step up his game with the international superstar. Pegasus had been wrestling a wide variety of opponents in different countries since last year’s BOSJ tournament, but he clearly still enjoyed and excelled at being a top guy in the NJPW junior heavyweight division. It was interesting to see him incorporate the elements of the worker who he was at that time into a compelling BOSJ match, instead of just trying to rehash old routines from the past. This display of versatility and evolution displayed by Pegasus made this match be yet another unique and fascinating meeting between these two top-notch junior heavyweights. The eagerness and energy displayed by Pegasus when he hit a tope suicida showed that he was still as hungry as ever before. Samurai gave a passionate reply in the form of a tremendous tope suicida of his own. As the match went on, these two continued to display top-level wrestling that made up the finishing stretch of this bout. After several near falls, Samurai scored the pinfall via a tiger suplex. This was kind of a surprise, yet it actually wasn’t really. That’s because the match was so wonderfully worked that it was possible for victory to go either way. This wasn’t quite as amazing as their 7/7/95 masterpiece, but it was definitely a tremendous example of top-level wrestling from 1996. This turned out to be their final singles match against each other. Great match. ****½

World Wrestling Peace Festival 6/1/96 Los Angeles, CA Memorial Sports Arena: Chris Benoit vs. Alex Wright 9:53. In the middle of the BOSJ III tour, ‘Wild Pegasus’ Chris Benoit flew with a bunch of NJPW workers from Japan to California to participate in the World Wrestling Peace Festival, a wrestling show produced by Antonio Inoki to promote world peace. The majority of the wrestlers involved came from NJPW, WCW, AAA and CMLL. Benoit was no stranger to this arena, as he’d participated in the famous AAA When Worlds Collide show at this arena on 11/6/94. This match featuring two WCW workers was about as good as you’d expect from a lower midcard match at a one-off show without anything at stake. Still, Benoit wrestled in a sincere manner, as always. Alex Wright did the best he could, which meant he gave quite an okay performance and managed to contribute something amidst Benoit’s typically solid carryjob. That being said, this wasn’t nearly as interesting as their Nitro match from earlier in the year (1/8/96). Decent match. **¾

NJPW 6/11/96 Hiroshima Sun Plaza, BOSJ III Semi Final: Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger II 20:17. Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero had been in WCW for eight and nine months respectively at this point. They had still been going on these Japanese tours from time to time. However, it was after this Best of the Super Juniors III tour that they would both show up in Japan less and less frequently (and once they joined WWF in 2000, they were no longer allowed to tour NJPW). This was unfortunate in many ways. Not only were they two of the most exciting gaijin in NJPW, but less touring of Japan would also have a noticeable impact on the in-ring work of both competitors (as in the American leagues, they would wrestle shorter and simpler matches than in NJPW). It was nice to see these two have a 20-minute match against each other. Between 1992 and 2005, these two wrestled each other nearly fifty times in singles action, but this was probably one of the longest singles matches they had against each other. The work was intense and crisp, as you would expect from these two in 1996. However, the extra time given wasn’t necessarily always utilized optimally. Wild Pegasus would keep going back to the sleeper hold to wear Black Tiger II down. While this could be seen as a smart strategy, it didn’t necessarily make for intriguing viewing. Things picked up during the final six minutes of the match. Guerrero’s little detailed selling of shaking his head as he climbed the top rope was brilliant, not only because it meant he acknowledged previous damage done by Pegasus, but it also gave a viable excuse for him not being able to score the pinfall via his big move, the frog splash, as he took a long time to ascend to the top turnbuckle. Pegasus’ intensity played a big role in the final six minutes being of superb quality. Based on the final six minutes, these were two of the absolute best pro wrestlers in the world at the time. It was especially wonderful to see that Pegasus, who had been one of the best pro wrestlers in the world during the previous three or four years or so, still had it in him to perform at a high level in Japanese junior heavyweight competition. It’s just a shame that the first 14 minutes of this match weren’t as interesting as expected, because that meant this match wasn’t quite going to match the greatness of their matches from July 1995. Still, this was a really good match overall because the execution was always superb and the final six minutes were truly great. 20:17. ***¾

NJPW 6/12/96 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Wild Pegasus & El Samurai vs. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 12:57. Two members of the Junior Four Horsemen, Wild Pegasus and El Samurai, were present for this bout. The other two members were Jushin Thunder Liger and Gran Hamada, by the way. Shinjiro Otani really started coming into his own around this time, and here he was teaming with Tatsuhito Takaiwa, a worker he faced in the Young Lion Cup earlier that year. The gap in experience was more than five years, and the Horsemen team wasted no time beating up the Young Lion team. Otani was clearly a far more talented wrestler than Takaiwa was, and it’s no surprise that Otani would in less than two months after this match be one of the breakout stars of the J-Crown tournament. Of course, Otani had been WCW Cruiserweight Champion earlier in the year (after an impressive victory over Wild Pegasus in an excellent match), but nobody seemed to really care about that, unfortunately. The Japanese couldn’t care less about a WCW title that wasn’t going to be defended in Japan anyway. And WCW pretended that Otani was merely the winner of a number one contender’s match instead of the actual champion. Oh well. In this tag team match, the crowd reacted big time to Benoit’s vicious assault on Otani. Benoit was so vicious that the younger team knew it was a good idea to try to keep the relatively calm Samurai in their corner as long as possible. Otani put over the story of the match quite well, but Takaiwa seemed lost, disinterested and scared at the same time, like a spoiled young adult forced to start working for his money. When Otani was in the match, he picked up the slack for his team and was doing all kinds of excellent stuff, including several springboard moves on Pegasus. After Pegasus spent some time selling tremendously for Otani, he managed to finish Otani off by powerbombing the crap out of him. The junior Horsemen winning the match was expected, but the story of them having more trouble trying to beat Otani than expected was well executed. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 6/16/96 Baltimore, MD Arena, Falls Count Anywhere: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 9:58. WCW Great American Bash. This was an awesome brawl. Chris Benoit was known for his tremendous technical wrestling ability, but in this match, he showed that he could be a great brawler as well. This was an incredibly stiff brawl with both guys brawling in a no-nonsense manner. Kevin Sullivan’s underselling for Benoit made it look even more realistic. They brawled their way into the men’s washroom. Some fans had followed them, including a lady, which resulted in Dusty Rhodes yelling: “there’s a lady in the men’s bathroom!” They made the most out of the ten minutes this match lasted. The finish came when Benoit superplexed Sullivan off a table that was placed on the top rope. This was one of the most memorable matches in WCW history and easily Sullivan’s best match ever. Excellent match. ****

WCW 6/24/96 Charlotte, NC: Chris Benoit & Arn Anderson vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson 9:00. WCW Nitro episode 40. The Horsemen vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Former Horsemen Brian Pillman had signed with WWF. WCW had found a new Horsemen to fill the gap in the stable, but the replacement was one of the worst Horsemen, Steve McMichael. Oh well, at least he wasn’t wrestling in this match and just standing on the floor. Arn Anderson had been wrestling the Rock ‘n’ Rollers since 1985, but this was actually one of the very last few times he’d wrestle them. Chris Benoit had gotten a glimpse of what it’s like to work with them just five days prior in a match taped for the WCW Saturday Night TV show that really served more like a movie trailer than an actual feature presentation. Benoit showed his awesomeness once again, not just through his superior execution of moves, but also due to showing more care for this match than pretty much everyone else, including the other wrestlers, fans and commentators. That being said, Anderson was quite strong in his role as the wily veteran who commands respect, and he was actually quite a good tag team partner for Benoit. The match quickly turned into a typical Rock ‘n’ Roll Express match, as Ricky Morton spent a great deal of the match selling for the Horsemen while Robert Gibson stood on the apron. Gibson was okay, but he was past his prime here, and even the otherwise excited Nitro crowd didn’t care when he made the hot tag. The Horsemen won this match rather quickly with some chicanery. Some babyfaces ran in to show their disapproval of the Horsemen’s dirty tactics. This match really wasn’t much more memorable than the rather forgettable Saturday Night match. Decent match. **½

WCW 7/15/96 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 9:38. WCW Nitro episode 44. These were exciting times in WCW. Nitro had become the hottest TV show on Monday night, not only because the nWo angle got people more curious about WCW, but also because Nitro featured great workers like Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero, two of the very best workers in the world at the time. Benoit was violent and vicious in his approach, like a human wolverine. Benoit was so focused on being the best wrestler he could possibly be, not worrying about tomorrow, not worrying about any nWo angles, just purely focusing on this match with Guerrero. Of course, these two had wrestled each other, like, over 40 times (including tag matches), of which were, like, probably nearly 30 singles matches. And this familiarity showed in the way of the super smooth sequences and transitions. Of course, not everyone cared about this match as much as they should, as WCW was pushing these two guys more like side attractions who do the actual wrestling stuff, as opposed to the main event guys who do more posing, talking and angle stuff. That being said, this match was excellent. They really did the most with the nine minutes they got. The best thing about these guys wrestling each other so often is that they basically can just continue where they left off previously, as they don’t have to go through any sort of feeling-out type phases anymore. Their matches are always passionate and they’re always different, as they spontaneously executed whatever was flowing through them in the moment. At some point, when the action had spilled to the floor, Dean Malenko ran out and attacked Benoit. You gotta give it to Malenko for finding a way to now even drag down matches involving these two great guys without even being in the match himself. Guerrero rolled back into the ring and won via count-out. A disappointing finish to a match that otherwise totally delivered. Excellent match. ****

WCW 8/5/96 Orlando, FL MGM Studios: Chris Benoit vs. Alex Wright 8:20. WCW Nitro episode 47. Chris Benoit showed some of the signature intensity and tenacity that always made him stand out so much. This was when he was still one of the best pro wrestlers in the world (even though his most outstanding years of 1992-1995 were over). Benoit did a very good job of dictating the pace and being at the right time and place for Alex Wright to look good in his comebacks. Dean Malenko showed up to harass Woman (Nancy Sullivan) at ringside. Benoit obviously didn’t like that and attacked Malenko with a pescado. Good match. ***

WCW 8/10/96 Sturgis, SD: Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko 26:55. This was from the Hog Wild PPV, which took place outdoors at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with a lot of bikers in attendance. As bizarre as that sounds, you gotta give WCW credit for trying something very different. Dean Malenko was a very good wrestler, but he probably was pushed as much as he did mainly because he was the best American in the WCW cruiserweight division. The match was very much a mat-based match with a lot of focus on applying holds on the match. Malenko did a lot of technical stuff, but he failed to really have it make any sense in a larger context. Chris Benoit was certainly capable of working on the mat, as he had shown in Japan over the years, but Benoit understood to mix things up with some more high-impact type stuff, especially since Malenko wasn’t up to the task of taking things to the next level with his standard mat wrestling. Benoit, being the great professional that he was, knew exactly how to change the ebb and flow of the match, which ultimately was the main strength of this particular match, since it was way longer than the matches these guys would usually wrestle in WCW. Another thing that really worked well was the fact that around the eight-minute mark of the match, they were teasing a potential finish for the first time in the match, as Benoit went for the flying headbutt, one of his main finishers. This was particularly effective, as it’s usually around the eight- or nine-minute mark that these WCW cruiserweight matches end, if we’re lucky (oftentimes they get even less time, unfortunately). It’s a shame that Malenko didn’t show any fire or determination and was just going through the motions in spite of having been one of the most pushed guys in the division. Benoit’s usual pure dedication for focusing on the match at hand made up for it, though. Around the 11-minute mark, they teased a potential (double) count-out finish, but once again the match hadn’t reached its end. Then we got several near-fall moments in the middle of the ring. At the 15-minute mark, it was announced by ring announcer Dave Penzer that there were only five minutes left. At that point, a time limit draw seemed quite likely, but since the workers had been going back and forth with near falls on and off, it was also plausible that an actual winner could come out of this. In the end, we did get a time limit draw, which was a disappointing finish. But, then, they announced a five-minute overtime period. It was a nice surprise that brought some more excitement back into this match. Pegasus tried to beat Malenko with Malenko’s own hold, the Texas Cloverleaf. Malenko started limping around. Benoit kept trying to beat Malenko via leg submission holds. However, the 5-minute overtime period ended just before Malenko was about to try to pin Benoit via an inside cradle. Shockingly, this match got a second 5-minute overtime period! Benoit tried to pin Malenko with a dragon suplex. Towards the end, they started doing some sequences that were reminiscent of their NJPW meetings. In the end, the beautiful Woman (Nancy Sullivan) decided to interfere in a somewhat subtle manner. It was enough for Malenko to get shaken up enough to fall prey to Benoit’s rollup. We actually got a winner in this surprisingly long match, and it was the right man. Prior to this Hog Wild match, these two actually had never had a singles match higher than 3.25 stars together, so this was about as good as it gets for this single-match combination. Very good match. ***½

WCW 8/12/96 Casper, WY: Chris Benoit vs. Ron Studd 3:31. WCW Nitro episode 48. Chris Benoit managed to destroy the 7’2” Ron Studd (Ron Reis, formerly known as the Yeti), a Big John Studd protege, within four minutes. The 5’10” Benoit was not intimated in the slightest and started slapping Reis around while guiding him to a surprisingly okay match. The super intense Benoit was preparing for his upcoming Clash of the Champions 33 match against The Giant (Paul Wight). Benoit beat Reis by superlexing him off the top rope, which was quite an impressive sight. Decent match. **½

WCW 8/15/96 Denver, CO: Chris Benoit vs. The Giant 0:23. WCW Clash of the Champions 33. Tony Schiavone rightfully said about Chris Benoit that “many people think he is the single greatest wrestler going today.” The beautiful Nancy Sullivan tried to help the muscular Chris Benoit out of his vest, but The Giant took advantage by hitting a huge dropkick on Benoit. The Giant then won this short match after executing a chokeslam that saw Benoit come crashing down to the canvas while the concerned Nancy was screaming out loud. This 23-second loss was arguably the most disappointing match of Benoit’s career.

WCW 8/19/96 Huntsville, AL: Chris Benoit vs. Earl Robert Eaton 4:02. WCW Nitro episode 49. The ever-reliable solid hand, Bobby Eaton, had been relegated to doing jobs to cruiserweight stars. Chris Benoit was intense, as always. The gorgeous Nancy Sullivan also got involved in the match and kicked Eaton when he was down on the floor. This was quite decent for a four-minute match, but it was always clearly just meant to get Benoit back on track after his recent loss to The Giant at Clash of the Champions 33. In spite of being announced as being from England (because of his Earl gimmick), Eaton was actually born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. Eaton was useful in this match, but he did the job in his hometown after Benoit connected with a flying headbutt. Decent match. **½

WCW 9/15/96 Winston-Salem, NC: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 14:36. WCW Fall Brawl. Chris Jericho had wrestled only ten matches in WCW prior to this big PPV match, since his first WCW match took place less than a month prior to this match at Fall Brawl. This Fall Brawl PPV featured a Wargames match in the main event, so there were two rings set up for this show. This match always stayed inside one of the rings only, though, which emphasized that this was a serious pro wrestling contest without the need for any gimmicky distractions. These two Canadians had wrestled each other in a great match in Japan on 12/13/95, so they were certainly no strangers. As a matter of fact, it was actually Chris Benoit who had recommended Jericho to WCW. Jericho certainly made the most of the opportunities given, as he was impressive in WCW from the start. He showed lots of charisma and he was able to execute plenty of moves that showed his international experience (including several moves that showcased his ability to use the ropes to his advantage). Benoit made sure to show he was the man, though, as Benoit really took it to Lion Heart. Since this was in North Carolina, Horsemen country, the crowd was loud and showing their approval for Horsemen member Benoit. Especially during the early portions of the match, Benoit was quite dominant to further emphasize the great experienced wrestler vs. promising rising star dynamic between the two Western Canadians. Benoit even went for a cover relatively early, almost in an arrogant way, which fit well with his status as the no-nonsense member of the Horsemen who took care of business in the ring but was running with a pack of glamorous stablemates. Whenever Benoit gave Jericho the opportunity to hit a move back, Benoit made sure to sell appropriately for it before quickly returning to attack mode. Benoit’s always so great understanding of the ebb and flow of matches was certainly on full display here, as this enabled the match to tell the story of the dynamic between these two without ever coming across like a match that wasn’t one between two stars. Benoit yelled at Jericho: “Come on Jericho! You wanna be famous?” You could tell that Jericho still relied a lot on a more experienced opponent like Benoit to dictate the flow of the match, but that showed his willingness to learn how to get better. Benoit liked to keep the pace high in his matches, so this match rarely slowed down and certainly never was uninteresting. Benoit’s pushing of the pace and his determination to make this a memorable bout, especially understanding his responsibility to enhance the quality, ensured that he forced Jericho to work hard and be alert at all times. Even during the brief abdominal stretch segment, the intensity and viciousness shown by Benoit, combined with the tremendous selling by Jericho made it another useful part of the match rather than a down part of the match. This really confirmed that these guys wanted to make sure every move had a meaning and purpose. This bout wasn’t quite as great as their 12/13/95 match that had taken place in Japan, but for a match that really was positioned on the card as just another WCW midcard match, they really stole the show and delivered a memorable match (only rivaled by Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Super Calo for match of the night status). The only downside of the match was that it didn’t quite have the back-and-forth near falls segment that could have potentially pushed a match featuring international stars like this one to MOTY level. It was definitely nice to see Benoit get an opportunity to have a PPV match of this quality again, which only happened once in a while during his WCW run. And for Jericho, this was a match of huge importance in the story of him working his way up in the pro wrestling business, as this was a match in which he showed he was able to keep living up to the reputation of a promising rising star. Excellent match. ****¼

NJPW 9/20/96 Osaka: Wild Pegasus & Animal Warrior vs. Rick Steiner & Keiji Muto 7:16. Wild Pegasus realized that these guys were not going to be in any hurry in spite of this match being the length of a Nitro match, so Pegasus decided to focus a little bit more on details such as the way he grabs holds and the way he positions himself. It’s not that he normally doesn’t care about that, it’s more that under usual circumstances, his tremendous speed and intensity will completely overshadow any subtle stuff he still manages to do naturally. It’s kinda like how when you wear your earphones at a busy train station, it’s not like your earphones stopped working, it’s just being drowned out by whatever louder sounds are present in your experience. Keiji Muto loves American wrestling, so he wasn’t in ‘lazy’ Muto mode here, as he was clearly having a good time being in this match pretending to be Rick Steiner’s long lost brother. Road Warrior Animal was just doing his thing, which mainly consists of looking the part (which he was still quite good at) and doing some powerhouse stuff on the side (which he used to be quite good at). Rick Steiner did well for himself, but it felt like he was letting himself down by not being able to channel his 1994 self. It all didn’t matter, because in the end, one of the most overrated guys in the world (Muto) pinned one of the most underrated guys in the world (Pegasus). Overall, this match was actually slightly better than expected, though. Decent match. **¾

NJPW 9/23/96 Yokohama: Wild Pegasus vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 18:31. This was Jushin Thunder Liger’s return match after he was initially diagnosed with a severe brain tumor. Liger was very scared, especially since the doctor who diagnosed him said Liger would never wrestle again and would have to have his head cut open with very little hope. Liger then went to another doctor who told him that whatever the issue actually was could be treated with lasers, and he was fine after that. Liger described this situation as going from hell to heaven. So, thankfully, Liger was back in the ring to continue his career as an all-time great pro wrestler. Whenever Liger and Wild Pegasus battle each other, it’s worth watching, and this one was no exception. Pegasus had been on a roll in WCW, truly enhancing the overall in-ring quality of the league by carrying people left and right and making shows worth watching. By this point in his career, Pegasus was showing lots of confidence, which was a perfect companion to his aggressive wrestling style. In prior years, Pegasus would always come across as a sympathetic young man, but by 1996, he had become truly a vicious and tenacious man. Jushin Thunder Liger’s excitement for being back in the ring with Pegasus and being back in the ring period was quickly interrupted by Pegasus’ eagerness to trap Liger in holds on the mat. Pegasus not only knew that Liger was an opponent he would have to ground based on Liger’s style (you’ve got to understand that Pegasus still remembers Liger as a more high-flying type of guy), but Pegasus also seemed to find pleasure in having a match that was completely different from the type of matches he’d been having in WCW during the past few months. After all, there was no title at stake, so it made complete sense for Pegasus to try to go for an approach that was more interesting than simply playing it safe. This shows that Pegasus truly cared and respected not only Liger, but also himself and the pro wrestling business and its fans. Pegasus chose to sincerely show care and passion for what he was doing. Liger obviously appreciated this and went along with this approach. Now, perhaps due to Liger’s recent health scare, Liger was a bit more laid back and passive than you’d expect, but this was understandable. And it was interesting to see how Pegasus would deal with essentially being the one having to make the match. Pegasus essentially wrestled like an interesting blend between NJPW Pegasus of previous years and WCW Crippler of 1996 Nitro in this match. And Liger basically approached this match like he was Bret Hart, focusing more on unselfish selling and allowing his opponent to add his stamp to the match. When Liger decided it was time to make sure his stamp was visible, he started working over Pegasus’ arm, giving the confident Pegasus a reason to worry more than he had been doing. In the story of the match, Pegasus tried to end this match abruptly, by trying to powerbomb Liger off the top rope. Liger managed to avoid what would certainly have been the end of the match if Pegasus would have been successful in executing the move (as Pegasus had been so successful in using the powerbomb off the top rope in previous years). Liger made sure to hit Benoit with a few palm blows and a couple of Liger bombs to make sure Benoit would stay down for the three count. This was a really well done match. The main downside was that there wasn’t much of an exciting finishing stretch, but you could see that as being fitting for the most strategic type of match they went for (as opposed to some of their more flashy matches from the past). Excellent match. ****

WCW 9/30/96 Cleveland, OH: Chris Benoit vs. Rick Steiner 4:25. WCW Nitro episode 55. Chris Benoit’s selling of Rick Steiner’s released German suplex was tremendous. These two lived up to their reputation as puroresu stars by working in a hard-hitting manner. Rick Steiner wasn’t the star he used to be, but he was clearly still useful, and this was a fun Nitro match. Benoit won via pinfall after some Horsemen chicanery. Decent match. **¾

WCW 10/7/96 Savannah, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Rick Steiner 10:30. WCW Nitro episode 56. The injured Scott Steiner was in the corner of his brother, Rick Steiner. The commentators were making a big deal about Rick Steiner teaming up with Keiji Muto on the NJPW tour. Why didn’t they talk about Benoit’s excellent match in Japan against Jushin Thunder Liger? Steiner threw some good suplexes, as expected. Overall, he wasn’t as impressive as hoped, though, further confirming that late ‘96 wasn’t part of his very best years. They got more time than the previous week, but somehow they didn’t use the extra six minutes very well. Of course, this probably also was due to a commercial break and a brief nWo backstage segment interrupted the match. That’s the Monday Night Wars era for ya. Still, Benoit and Steiner having a disappointing match is still better than most matches out there. Steiner kicked out just in time when Benoit went for the cover after his flying headbutt. Benoit gave an excellent performance, but he seemed quite aware of the fact that Rick wasn’t too interested in having an engaging match on this night. Benoit acted very professional and worked the match in a manner that wouldn’t get him any complaints without enraging a seemingly groggy and/or grumpy Steiner. The previous match benefitted from them just going non-stop. This match suffered from them going, like, start, stop, start, stop, start, stop. In the end, Steiner pinned Benoit after some chicanery. Decent match. **½

WCW 10/28/96 Phoenix, AZ: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 8:23. WCW Nitro episode 59. Chris Benoit had his left shoulder taped up. Eddy Guerrero had his ribs taped up. Referee Nick Patrick had a neck brace on. That didn’t stop these guys from trying to deliver the best match possible, though. The beautiful Nancy Sullivan made sure to carefully remove the injured Benoit’s vest after his ring intro. There was more selling than usually would be the case in their WCW matches. Usually, Benoit and Guerrero love to show their tremendous athleticism and explosiveness, especially when facing each other in WCW TV matches. However, on this night, it was about survival and seeing which one of the two would be able to come out of this bout the least damaged. This really felt like a grudge match, and they did what was naturally the best thing to do, considering the injuries involved. It was a lot more brawling and rough housing than what you’d normally see from a Benoit vs. Guerrero match. And mainly lots more selling and storytelling. A move like an abdominal stretch performed by Benoit on Guerrero looked extra painful in this particular match. Guerrero performed a Mil Mascaras-esque flying cross body press that seemed to take the wind out of him, even though he was the one executing the move. Benoit’s fellow Horseman, Steve McMichael (referred to Tony Schiavone as “just scum”), interfered and briefly hit the injured Guerrero with a briefcase, which obviously was more than enough to get Benoit the victory on this night. This was obviously not even close to being one of the most memorable Benoit vs. Guerrero matches, but it was arguably the most different one you’ll ever see. Good match. ***

WCW 10/30/96 Rome, GA: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 5:36. WCW Saturday Night. ‘Lion Heart’ Chris Jericho was announced as being from Calgary, Alberta, even though he’s actually from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but he was trained in Calgary, and as most of you who have done your homework know, Calgary is the wrestling capital of North America. Benoit still had his left shoulder taped up, so he was visibly having some difficulties in this match. This was nowhere near the excellent match their 12/13/95 and 9/15/96 matches were. Of course, this was a match taped for the B-show. The promising Jericho didn’t seem to be quite sure whether to take advantage or to be careful because of Benoit’s injury. Jericho seemed to wait for Benoit to help guide him towards the next steps to take but then also wasn’t quite sure whether or not to take advantage of the injured Benoit, even though that would instinctively make the most sense in a competitive match. Benoit gave Jericho more freedom to think for himself in this match, partially because Benoit was simply too injured, and partially because this wasn’t a big event type of match. Jericho was clearly struggling, though, but it was all good, because Jericho had just been part of WCW for, like, four months, so he wasn’t quite the ‘Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla’ he would later become. So, just the fact that he continued to show potential was good enough for this B-show match. Benoit did whatever he could under the circumstances. His 10/28/96 Nitro match against Eddy Guerrero was far better, in spite of Eddy also being injured, but Eddy was obviously way more experienced than Jericho was at the time, and Eddy was one of the more creative wrestlers back in the day. The finish of this Saturday Night match was cool enough, as beautiful Nancy raked Jericho in the eyes, which then enabled the injured Benoit to still get the win he’d deserve on paper. Decent match. **½

WCW 11/11/96 St. Petersburg, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett 9:00. WCW Nitro episode 61. This was the first time these two wrestled each other. Jeff Jarrett was a highly respected worker in American wrestling, but his Tennessee style of wrestling was a bit comical compared to the more energetic and dynamic style of wrestling Chris Benoit’s best opponents usually display. This was one of those cases where Benoit was involved in a feud due to an angle that had to do with the stable he was part of, The Horsemen. The storyline was that Jarrett was trying to impress the Horsemen so that he can become the newest Horsemen. Benoit understood this, and he was channeling a similar type of aggression he had shown in his feud with Kevin Sullivan. This was an excellent approach by Benoit, since Jarrett had never ever shown any sort of significant technical wrestling ability. Jarrett was a very solid Memphis style wrestler, though, which meant that he understood a lot about getting the crowd into the match. Jarrett suplexed Benoit out of the ring, which caused Jarrett to strut arrogantly. Out of nowhere, Sting showed up and attacked Jarrett for no good reason. Benoit was selling the angle well through sincere-looking facial expressions. The beautiful Nancy Sullivan pointed at Sting and said: “we don’t know about that guy!” Decent match. **½

WCW 11/18/96 Florence, SC: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 9:25. WCW Nitro episode 62. This was much different from their 10/28/96 match, which happened when both were visibly injured and taped up. This time, they displayed the fast and explosive action we have grown used to seeing from them. What’s so great about these guys is that each match they have is different, in spite of them wrestling each other quite often. The wrestling world was truly blessed when these guys were wrestling each other. The gorgeous Nancy Sullivan, who was by this point in time living separately from her husband Kevin Sullivan, was screaming out loud whenever Benoit was in trouble. After some really smooth and fast sequences, realizing that Guerrero was fresh and recovered from his injuries, Benoit tried to keep Guerrero on the mat. Benoit was particularly aiming his attack on Guerrero’s left arm. Guerrero would occasionally make a brief comeback, which immediately put Benoit in full alert mode, as he knew better than anyone how easy it was for Guerrero to completely turn a match around via his dynamic offense. Benoit decided a more hard-hitting approach was needed, and he started throwing Guerrero around the ring in a vicious manner. Benoit hit a superplex, but he smartly sold the impact of coming down on the mat himself, which then enabled a near fall to be even more realistically. Guerrero is such a well-trained athlete that when he came off the top rope for a splash but had his senses just catch in time the fact that Benoit was rolling away, his body naturally and promptly reacted with a fall-breaking roll (exactly similar to what would happen when he would get in a severe car crash on 1/1/99, and it was this naturally instinctive reaction that actually saved his life when that car crash happened). Guerrero tried to pin Benoit with a huracarrana, but Benoit’s power enabled the Canadian Crippler to counter and pin Guerrero for the win. What was so good about this match was the ebb and flow of the match that saw both men adapt and react to the situation at hand. Benoit initially was dominating and had a strategy in mind, but he was willing and able to go to plan B when he noticed that on this night, it would be better to approach Guerrero’s restless energy differently. Guerrero’s natural instincts and talents truly shone through, and that’s why Benoit (in the story they were telling in this match) was struggling quite a bit to get back on track. Eventually, due to the familiarity with each other, the match could really go either way, and it was a case of which man was able to outthink the other one just a bit quicker on this night. And, that’s exactly what got Benoit the win. This wasn’t their best match, but it was fantastic to see them have yet again a different type of match with so much enthusiasm and passion. In spite of this match not being as non-stop full blast as a lot of their other WCW TV matches under ten minutes, they really made the most of their time here thanks to the tremendous storytelling and tremendous chemistry. Excellent match. ****

WCW 12/2/96 Dayton, OH, WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Final: Chris Benoit vs. Lord Steven Regal 6:26. WCW Nitro episode 64. Scott Hall, who was on guest commentary (with Kevin Nash), referred to Benoit as ‘Dynamite’ Chris Benoit. I like that. These two guys were working snug and stiff from start to finish. Benoit headbutted His Lordship Steven Regal hard enough to split Regal’s forehead open. Unfortunately, they had to go to a wide camera shot due to the blood. Hall tried to cover it up by saying they went to a wide camera shot to see if Sting was hiding somewhere. The bout never maintained the intensity it had until the blood started flowing, almost like they were worried they’d get in trouble and toned things down a bit. That being said, the action was still quite good all the way through till the end. Regal even hit a double-underhook suplex off the top rope that almost got him the win. In the end, Benoit scored the win via the dragon suplex. Ultimately, this was a match that was on its way to being a hidden gem but didn’t quite reach that status. Good match. ***

WCW 12/23/96 Macon, GA, WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 10:34. WCW Nitro episode 67. This was super intense from the start. Eddy Guerrero followed Chris Benoit immediately after he came down the aisle, not even waiting for his own entrance music to start. A vicious slap exchange started this bout, followed by more snug and hard-hitting action. Diamond Dallas Page showed up to have a closer look at who was going to face him in the final. This, and the commercial break, kinda took the momentum out of the viewing experience of this match. After Benoit hit a vicious powerbomb, Benoit became very confident, perhaps overconfident. As soon as Guerrero saw an opportunity to climb the ropes, everyone started getting excited, because they knew he was going to go for the frog splash. Benoit quickly intercepted and hit a tremendous superlex that saw him take at least an equally wild bump as Guerrero on the way down. The finish was interesting. After Benoit had been in control for the majority of the match, Benoit was going to finish Guerrero off with a back suplex off the top, but Guerrero shoved Benoit down. Realizing that he was now with his back facing Benoit, but also realizing that he had to act fast, instead of awkwardly trying to find a way to get in a proper position for his finisher, Guerrero decided to hit a twisting variation of the frog splash. What a tremendous display of ability and versatility by the great Eddy Guerrero. Apart from the middle portion that saw a couple of interruptions, this match lived up to expectations for the most part. Very good match. ***½

WCW 12/29/96 Nashville, TN, No DQ: Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett 13:48. WCW Starrcade. Chris Benoit and Nancy Sullivan looked so happy together when they came down the aisle. This was the second time Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett wrestled each other. And just like in their recent TV match, Benoit tried to make the most out of his match with Jarrett. Double J had the homefield advantage here, so his country-worshiping Tennessee-style double-talking jiving was quite over with the live crowd. Jarrett was on one hand such an odd duck in WCW with his old-fashioned and rather weak-looking offense and almost unintentionally satirical approach to wrestling. Yet at the same time, he was such a smart worker, because he knew how to get a reaction out of the crowd, and he certainly understood the importance of timing within in-ring psychology. Since he wasn’t quite viewed as a top star on the level of the top guys in the company but also not quite viewed as a groundbreaking exotic star, he was often just kinda thrown around and put in angles and programs that seemed like part of simulator-esque booking. So, on one hand, it was weird seeing him programmed with wrestlers who had faced off against some of the most spectacular and dynamic international opponents that had been successful all over the world (especially considering Jarrett’s success had, apart from whenever his dad was booking in Memphis, only been during some of WWF’s weakest years). On the other hand, it was refreshing seeing this wonderful hodgepodge of WCW talent exchanging ideas and discovering deeper levels of adaptability on the spot. Jarrett is almost like a reversed Dean Malenko in that Jarrett has lots of charisma to back him up, and in spite of seemingly not really having much of a moveset, he at least executes everything quite well. Jarrett has that ‘it’ factor, I suppose you could say. So, while it was Benoit who was mainly responsible for this match being as good as it was, Jarrett deserves a lot of credit for not only hanging in there, but adding fuel to the fire, so to speak. Jarrett understood what direction this match was going in, and he understood how to keep the momentum of the match going while making sure both participants would end up looking like a million bucks. That’s talent. You either got it or you don’t. You can’t teach that. This explains why this man has been able to be quite a successful personality in the pro wrestling business while having a rather small amount of recommendable matches on his resume. Benoit seemed to enjoy trying the Tennessee flavors Jarrett brought to the table and adding it to this surprisingly solid plate of quality ingredients. Jarrett was totally into this wonderful crafting of what really was the main course of the night and seemed to understand what Benoit was all about. The delicious side dish, Nancy Sullivan, was physically accosted by Dungeon of Doom members. In the meantime, Arn Anderson hit a DDT on Jarrett to show what looked like his disapproval of Jarrett, but when he rolled Jarrett back into the ring, Jarrett was on top of Benoit and scored the pinfall win. Total chaos and confusion in the end that left the viewers with more questions than answers. Even ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund couldn’t make sense of it, as he tried to get a reaction from Benoit and Nancy, who were too busy selling properly to speak. ‘Double A’ Arn Anderson also had no comments, leaving everyone wondering why he did what he did. The angle was interesting enough to make you kinda want to follow what is going to happen next, but, more importantly, the in-ring work was surprisingly fascinating. What potentially could have been a clash of styles, turned out to be almost the opposite, a falling into place of harmonies. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 12/30/96 Knoxville, TN Civic Coliseum: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 4:00. WCW Nitro episode 68. Chris Benoit lived up to his reputation as mister intensity. Chris Jericho really stepped up his game here, hitting all his moves excellently in this fast-paced TV bout. Jericho was alert and able to react at the right time, which is very important in a short match like this. For Benoit, working a memorable Nitro match has become almost second nature. The match ended after Benoit hit a backdrop suplex off the top rope. Good match. ***¼

WCW 1/13/97 New Orleans, LA: Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett 3:33. WCW Nitro episode 70. Prior to the match, a brief vignette was shown in which Kevin Sullivan cut an intense promo. His feud with Chris Benoit was far from over. It was good to see Benoit face Jeff Jarrett again, since their Starrcade match was so good. Of course, this was Nitro, so they only got three minutes this time, unfortunately. And as good as Jarrett was in their PPV match, it was clear that Jarrett wasn’t quite an expert when it comes to working a short Nitro match yet. Benoit was effective, as he had become an expert of working short Nitro matches, so he really made the most of the opportunities he had to enhance the quality of the match, mainly through his superb selling and timing. Arn Anderson, Steve McMichael and Debra McMichael came down the aisle during the match. There were some shenanigans that ended up with McMichael accidentally hitting fellow Horseman Benoit with a briefcase. This enabled Jarrett to get the victory. Okay match. **¼

WCW 1/20/97 Chicago, IL: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 1:55. WCW Nitro episode 71. Chris Benoit attacked the Taskmaster before they even made it to the ring. They started brawling through the crowd and in the hallway. This was clearly just a preview for next day’s Falls Count Anywhere match. They brawled a bit in the washroom and then brawled their way through the crowd again. This wasn’t quite as awesome as their match at Great American Bash in ‘96, but it was quite an enjoyable and wild brawl. Someone handed Benoit a drink and he threw it right in Sullivan’s face. After brawling for four minutes and 20 seconds, they finally made it to the ring, and the referee rang the bell, officially signifying the start of the match, even though it would turn out that most of the ‘match’ had already taken place prior to them entering the ring. Benoit went for a flying headbutt, but Sullivan held the ring bell up, which resulted in Benoit ringing the bell with his head. The referee was distracted by Nancy Sullivan, who looked totally amazing in her red dress. And once the ref turned around, Sullivan scored the pinfall. A very enjoyable bout that served as a tremendous appetizer for next day’s event. Good match. ***¼

WCW 1/21/97 Milwaukee, WI, Falls Count Anywhere: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 5:04. WCW Clash of the Champions 34. Dusty Rhodes referred to this fight as a “domestic dispute,” obviously referring to the fact that Chris Benoit was dating Nancy Sullivan, ‘bookerman’ Kevin Sullivan’s wife. Benoit and Sullivan continued right where they left off last night. They immediately went into the crowd and started brawling their way to the hallway and, as they always do in their brawls, the men’s washroom area. Once they were done there, they brawled through the crowd back towards the ring again. Benoit took a nasty bump down the stairs. Once they were in the ring, Sullivan tied Benoit up in the tree of woe. Nancy hit Kevin over the head with a chair, and this enabled Nancy’s new honey, Benoit, to score the pinfall win. It was enjoyable enough, for sure, but it felt like the previous night’s preview match was slightly better. Good match. ***

WCW 2/3/97 Memphis, TN: Chris Benoit vs. Konnan 4:15. WCW Nitro episode 73. Konnan wasn’t a very good wrestler, but it was useful to have him around, because of all the AAA-defecting Promo Azteca luchadores following him around everywhere. After selling for a while, Benoit fought back and superperplexed Konnan. This was a bit more sloppy than most of Benoit’s matches due to Konan, but that kinda made it more raw looking, so it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The match ended when Benoit threw Konnan over the top rope. Jacqueline showed up at ringside, on behalf of Kevin Sullivan, and she tried to find something under the ring but couldn’t find it. After a bit of awkwardness, Konnan covered things up by pretending that he was calming Jacqueline down and guiding her back to the back. Okay match. **

WCW 2/8/97 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Bunkhouse Buck 0:50. WCW Pro. Bunkhouse Buck was a brawler from Tennessee. Buck’s awkwardness kinda made his brawling and selling look quite unrefined, which was kinda cool. It was a short bout, as Benoit was able to apply the Canadian Crippler Crossface quite quickly, less than a minute into the match.

WCW 2/16/97 Orlando, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Billy Kidman 2:44. WCW Pro. Billy Kidman was a young American worker who only had a couple of years of pro wrestling experience, and he’d been appearing on WCW TV since the spring of ‘96 (usually in a losing effort). Kidman didn’t stand a chance against Chris Benoit. Benoit pretty much dominated the match. At some point he threw Kidman in the air so that he could do a flying headscissors takeover. Not much later, Benoit won via the crippler crossface in what was essentially a squash match.

NJPW 3/5/97 Niigata: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai vs. Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 7:59 of 19:26. After watching Wild Pegasus feud with Kevin Sullivan and beat up jobbers in WCW, it was nice to see him back in a competitive NJPW match again. It was interesting to see that Pegasus was pretty much doing a junior heavyweight version of his brawling ruggedness that he has been showing in WCW lately, and he managed to incorporate it quite well in this NJPW junior heavyweight trios match. Pegasus not only brought those spicy extra ingredients that was an interesting addition to this group of workers, but he seemed to inspire and motivate the others to show some extra intensity for this bout as well. Shinjiro Otani seemed particularly fired up and eager to constantly prove himself at this stage of his career. El Samurai was really solid and reliable in his showing here, as hoped for from this underrated veteran. Koji Kanemoto really seemed to finally start coming into his own around this time, showing more confidence and swagger than before. His timing and overall ring awareness seemed to have improved as well. Jushin Thunder Liger, the proud king and booker of this division, provided the essential ingredients to make sure this mixture stayed cohesive and on point. Tatsuhito Takaiwa was easily the weak link, as expected, but he actually tried and didn’t mess things up. One of his better performances, for sure. What a fun and fascinating bout. I wish Pegasus could have come over more often around this time, and I wish the entire match was available. Excellent match. ****

NJPW 3/8/97 Tokuyama City Gymnasium: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 9:51 of 15:30. This was basically a continuation of what they were doing in the 3/5/97 trios match, minus two workers, obviously. Because there were only four of them this time, they had a bit more time to work out the segments nicely and tell their story in a less rushed manner. Wild Pegasus was once again a nice fresh ingredient in the mix, but in a very unselfish way, not in an overpowering way, as he understood his position in the division at the time as a nice welcome addition who comes and goes. Tatsuhito Takaiwa once again performed above expectations. Jushin Thunder Liger and Shinjiro Otani continued the story of their in-ring feud, one of the main threads in the story of the NJPW junior heavyweight division at the time. Essentially, what they did here was work an AJPW heavyweight tag team match better than the AJPW heavyweight guys did, as their workrate was quite consistent and quite high with a superior sense of being engaged, which helped make it very intriguing overall. Another wonderful thing was how organic everything felt, as the match progressed so nicely and smoothly from one part to the next. The only minor downside was that it really felt like there could have been a longer finishing stretch to make the conclusion feel even more rewarding. However, perhaps this feeling was deceiving due to this being the TV edited version. It’s definitely a shame we didn’t get to see every minute of it because I’m sure I would be loving every minute of it. These guys should have been main eventing this company, because they were that good together. Excellent match. ****

WCW 4/6/97 Tupelo, MS, WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit 17:53. WCW Spring Stampede. These two had several good matches against each other over the past few years, but they somehow never had a singles match together that really lived up to expectations. That was the main hope going into this show, these two living up or exceeding expectations. Chris Benoit had recently proven himself to still be a truly great worker, especially considering his recent and successful tour of Japan (during which he participated in two excellent tag matches). Dean Malenko was a somewhat boring but quite reliable solid hand in the WCW cruiserweight division, which at times overlapped with the U.S. Heavyweight Title ‘division.’ It felt like this was actually quite an important match of the card, and you could tell these two felt they had to live up to that vibe. This was essentially a slightly better version of their Hog Wild ‘96 match, as they made better use of the surprisingly good amount of time given. What they did better than in their previous matches was have a feel for the ebb and flow of the match, which helped make the technical stuff seem more meaningful instead of them just doing it for the sake of it. Now, we knew Benoit would be good at this, but it was nice to see Malenko show slightly more emotion and more sense for the importance of sincere selling. Malenko clearly had his heart and soul in the match, more than usual. It didn’t feel like he was in there just to seemingly partake in an exhibition, because this felt like a competitive fight. Benoit’s girlfriend, Woman (Nancy Sullivan), deserves credit for her great selling as well, providing beautiful facial expressions and loud screams for her honey. Benoit did a really cool move that saw him pick up Malenko and drop Malenko while Malenko had an arm submission applied. It’s a classic British Bulldogs spot. Just when they had all eyes drawn to the deliberate action, Jacqueline (on behalf of Kevin Sullivan) showed up and assaulted Woman. Dungeon of Doom manager Jimmy Hart wanted to steal the U.S. Title, but Eddy Guerrero showed up to prevent this. In the meantime, Benoit and Malenko kept fighting. Arn Anderson showed up to help Benoit, but Kevin Sullivan also showed up to interfere against Benoit. The referee couldn’t control it anymore and called for the bell. The official decision was a DQ win for Malenko, but it was just a minute of chaotic overbooking by ‘bookerman’ Kevin Sullivan that was a disappointing (albeit admittingly entertaining) finish of a very good match. The Dungeon of Doom representatives took the U.S. Title belt and put it on Guerrero (against his will) as they escorted him away. All in all, the crazily booked finish aside, the superb storytelling and intense focus made this their best match against each other. Very good match. ***¾

NJPW 4/12/97 Tokyo Dome: Wild Pegasus vs. Kevin Sullivan 1:30 of 9:17. Yes, that’s right, these two even took their feud all the way to the Tokyo Dome. It was a nice simulator-esque fantasy booking idea that came to life.  It’s probably not the best usage of Wild Pegasus (who oddly enough was billed as Chris Benoit here, perhaps to emphasize this was a WCW thing happening here), though, and it seems the NJPW editors agreed, as only a bit of the match made it to the commercial video release of this show. It was nice to see Woman at ringside at the Tokyo Dome. What was less nice was Jacqueline interfering in the match, even if her interference backfired. Benoit won via pinfall. Judging from the little that was shown, it felt like this match was okay but a bit out of place here.

WCW 5/18/97 Charlotte, NC, Death Match: Chris Benoit vs. Meng 14:54. WCW Slamboree. The story going into this match was that Nancy was very concerned about this match, but Chris Benoit had assured her that this is his battle and that she should not interfere. Their facial expressions prior to the bell told this story even better. This all put Meng (a.k.a. Haku) over big time as a super dangerous opponent. Hey, don’t forget that this is the guy so many wrestlers have said is arguably legit the toughest wrestler ever. Just as I’m writing that sentence, Tony Schiavone was literally saying the same thing. What was super interesting was that Benoit approached this battle against the powerful man from Tonga quite differently than he would almost all his other matches. Benoit tried to avoid getting in the clutches of Meng, so instead of a lock up, he tried to go for a strike, and then he tried to move away when Meng charged at him. Benoit also tried to counter Meng’s offense as quickly and effectively as he could. Like, I don’t want to make it sound like this was a shoot-style match or anything (in spite of Meng executing a half Boston crab), but this was about as realistic as it could get for a WCW match. This was mainly because they wouldn’t just let the opponent do whatever, they were constantly ready to either strike, avoid and/or counter each other at all times. This was such a different match for Benoit, and I really liked how willing and able he was to approach this match in a fresh manner. Every move had meaning and felt important and was executed to get someone closer to victory. What was extra awesome was how they both really had the same understanding for the type of match they were going for. Their chemistry was amazing, especially considering they never had a singles match together. They had faced off in a couple of tag matches, and they had been in a few trios matches, but this was the first true one-on-one battle they had. By the way, the only way anyone could win this match was by submission or knockout. The fans were totally into this match, even chanting “Benoit!” In spite of this match being so different, they still found a way to incorporate Benoit’s awesomesuicide dive in a logical manner, thankfully. In my book, this shows that WCW could have pushed actual good wrestling more than they did. The finish was pretty awesome and probably the best possible finish if Benoit wasn’t going to win anyway. What a wonderful, unique and creative match. One of the most underrated and overlooked matches ever. Great match. ****½

WCW 6/15/97 Moline, IL, Death Match: Chris Benoit vs. Meng 14:59. WCW Great American Bash. This was the return death match of their surprisingly awesome Slamboree match. Chris Benoit started attacking Meng right away, as hit hit him with a suicide dive during Meng’s ring entrance. Benoit then hit a diving headbutt and applied the crippler crossface. Meng powered his way out of the hold, though. Benoit kept attacking Meng, not wanting to give Meng a chance to do anything significant in the form of offense. Meng was a solid hand, as usual, but it was Benoit’s approach to these Meng singles matches that made them so memorable. Benoit wrestled these like it was indeed life or death. Meng was a bit slow, but he was such a powerful and intimidating force, that he could get away with this. Meng was vicious whenever he was on offense, and Benoit sold it well. Meng hit a splash off the top rope and tried to cover Benoit, but this was submission and knockout only. They kept trying to apply their respective finishers on each other, the crippler crossface versus the Tongan deathgrip. In an unbelievable result, Benoit actually beat Meng via the crippler crossface. Dusty Rhodes called it “a historic moment in big time sports.” While this battle was good, it wasn’t nearly as good as their Slamboree match, unfortunately. Especially as the match went on, things slowed down and started lacking the vigor of the early part of the match. The sense of struggle was quite well done all the way through, though. Good match. ***¼

WCW 6/21/97 Oberhausen, Germany: Chris Benoit vs. Meng 17:50. Even though they didn’t wrestle this as awesomely as their surprisingly great death match from Slamboree, there were enough elements left from that match that carried over into this match that made it a satisfying rematch, especially considering this was ‘just’ an overseas tour that happened to be televised on DSF, one of the main sports channels in Germany. Once again, what they tried to do was to not just simply let the opponent do whatever, but they actually tried to react as appropriately as possible, which could be a counter, an attempt to avoid a move or to simply strike back. They constantly went head on while still selling a good amount to make it at least more manageable than their incomparable Slamboree match. This match was wrestled like a hard-hitting heavyweight match. It was essentially, kinda like, Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi (for WCW standards, at least) in the sense that it had a lot of focus on top-notch in-ring storytelling with every move having meaning and them not just doing things mindlessly for the sake of it. Like, not quite AJPW-esque in terms of the epic build up or anything, but if Benoit and Meng were going to be positioned as main eventers and main rivals, and if WCW actually cared for something like that, I could see their feud reaching those levels potentially. I loved Meng’s almost ironic selling of the half Boston crab. Meng’s trapezius claw looked a lot more effective than Kokina’s version, because it looked like he was actually applying pressure instead of just taking a nap. This wasn’t quite as awesome as their Slamboree match, obviously, but for an obscure overseas tour match, they did really well. And it was sweet to see Benoit get the pinfall win. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 7/13/97 Daytona, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan 13:10. Bash At The Beach. This was wild. They went at it right away, showing that this feud was still hot and far from over. In Kevin Sullivan’s corner was Jacqueline, and this match featured some of Jacqueline’s best performances, as she even worked a few cool-looking spots with Chris Benoit on the floor. What was especially awesome about this match is that it featured the same intensity of their famous Great American Bash ‘96 match without rehashing similar elements for the most part, as they introduced fresh elements here, literally with a new set and setting. The main ingredient, the intensity, was the main thing they carried over successfully all the way through their feud. Sullivan was such an effective brawler if he wanted to be. And Benoit showed just as much passion as ever before. I love how he is so comfortable at quietly reinventing himself without losing touch with his character’s core, not just rehashing things, but constantly trying to evolve. By the way, Raven and Stevie Richards were sitting at ringside. Anyway, this was Sullivan’s final singles match in WCW history. What I really liked is how they were channeling the same energy of their famous June ‘96 match, but they made the effort to do it differently. It really felt special and unique. The finish was cool, and people in the crowd were super excited about it. Because of the real-life nature of the affair between Benoit and Kevin Sullivan’s wife, Nancy Sullivan (a.k.a. Woman), Woman stopped appearing as an on-screen character, while the Sullivans were officially going through a divorce around this time in real life. Excellent match. ****¼

WCW 8/4/97 Auburn Hills, MI: Chris Benoit vs. Syxx 4:01. WCW Nitro episode 99. These were two of my top 5 favorite wrestlers when this match happened. Syxx (Sean Waltman a.k.a. The Lightning Kid/1-2-3 Kid) was a pioneer of high-flying American junior heavyweight wrestling back in the early 1990s, but by the mid 1990s, his affiliation with some of the most powerful backstage backstabbers seemed to halt his growth as an in-ring worker. Say what you want about Chris Benoit, but at least he stayed true to his quest to be as great as possible in the ring without any desire for power or backstage politics. It was nice to see Benoit do some of his junior heavyweight stuff again while not completely abandoning the credibility he had built up as a top brawler after his awesome feuds with Meng and Kevin Sullivan. And say what you want about Sean Waltman, but this man knows how to make a short match memorable, as he once again proved he is the true master of the match under 5 minutes. This is just absolutely phenomenal while it lasts. Probably the best 4-minute match ever. Very good match. ***½

NJPW 9/17/97 Osaka: Wild Pegasus vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. 7:16. The Japanese commentators marked out for Dr. Wagner Jr.’s CMLL shirt. Wild Pegasus continued his amazingly progressive year of 1997. What was interesting here was the type of lucharesu they did here. Pegasus had been in Mexico various times, and he was willing to do lucha, but he enjoyed staying true to his no-nonsense ‘Canadian Crippler’ persona at the same time. Dr. Wagner Jr. was pure lucha, but he was willing and able to approach lucha in a raw and intense manner, making him perfect for these more hard-hitting Japanese tours. So, basically, what Pegasus and Wagner Jr. did here was work the style of the future. They didn’t quite go all the way, though, but what they did in these seven minutes felt very memorable and significant. Very good match. ***¾

NJPW 9/22/97 Niigata: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai & Kendo Kashin vs. Chris Jericho & Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 16:16. Wow. What a line-up! Jushin Thunder Liger and Shinjiro Otani continued their tremendous in-ring rivalry, and both were great with their execution and timing. Kendo Kashin was an obvious weak link, and he lacked the speed and execution of everyone else (and at times seemed oblivious about the overall vibe of the match), but luckily he was only one of ten guys and didn’t play a major role. Kashin knew how to execute a brainbuster quite well, though. El Samurai was good in his veteran ‘enforcer’ role on his team, as he was such a reliable and experienced guy and had a good feel for what this match should be like. Tatsuhito Takaiwa was fine, as this wasn’t his best nor his worst showing, and he did what he could, which was well below most of the other guys in this match. Wild Pegasus was tremendous, and it was great to see him back in a multi-man junior heavyweight match like this. He showed his intensity and determination. Chris Jericho worked smooth-looking sequences with fellow Canadian and fellow WCW representative Pegasus. Jericho, who was still improving as a worker at the time, brought an interesting extra flavor of glamor to the match due to his charisma and drive to succeed. It was good for him to be in a match like this to get some more of that high-quality workrate surrounding him to inspire him to dig deeper. Koji Kanemoto was excellent in his role as the smug Otani’s uncouth companion. The action was consistent while still allowing for selling to occur appropriately. 16 minutes kind of is too short for a match featuring ten workers, but they used the time quite well overall. Perhaps if the match would have been longer, it would have allowed for more focus and storytelling, as at times, this match felt a bit chaotic and almost rushed. Still, the fact that this fascinating match-up took place and turned out to be so enjoyable really makes it unforgettable. Excellent match. **** 

NJPW 9/23/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Wild Pegasus & Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai vs. Chris Jericho & Dr. Wagner Jr. & Koji Kanemoto 16:15. Wild Pegasus was involved in some really cool match-ups on this tour, and this was one of them. This didn’t quite have the energy of the 9/22/97 ten-man tag team bout, but it was quite enjoyable overall. Apart from the novelty of seeing Wild Pegasus, Chris Jericho and Dr. Wagner Jr. sharing the same ring as three of the top NJPW junior heavyweights, it wasn’t all that amazing as a match itself. Don’t get me wrong, though, as this was all very good stuff, as you can imagine with these guys. It’s just that this didn’t quite live up to expectations after the excellent 9/22/97 ten-man tag. The execution was really good, but the match could have used a bit more urgency, which would have made it feel a bit more important than it turned out to be. That being said, the match had its moments, and the final minutes were quite cool. Very good match. ***½

WCW 10/6/97 Minneapolis, MN, WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title: Curt Hennig vs. Chris Benoit. 5:01. WCW Nitro episode 108. This sounds like a dream match on paper, until you realize it’s from 1997, and Curt Hennig’s health wasn’t what it used to be by that point, unfortunately. This match took place a day after Brian Pillman had died in a hotel room in Minnesota. So, in a way, this was somehow inadvertently somewhat of a Pillman memorial match. At the beginning of this episode of Nitro, WCW paid tribute to Pillman by extending their thoughts and prayers to the family of Brian Pillman. Chris Benoit, of course, used to team with Pillman in WCW before the ‘Loose Cannon’ was signed by WWF in 1996. Benoit’s opponent on this night was actually supposed to be Randy Savage, but he was unable to compete, and was replaced with Hennig. The ‘Wolverine’ Benoit attacked Hennig during Hennig’s walk towards the ring. Benoit chopped Hennig, who in true Mr. Perfect fashion sold it wildly. Benoit yelled at Hennig: “you wanna mess with the Horsemen!?”, as Benoit represented the Horsemen against this nWo member. In a recent angle, Hennig was given Arn Anderson’s spot in the Horsemen, but Hennig double-crossed the Horsemen. This was a decent match, but this match would probably have been way better if it had taken place in 1990 or 1993. U.S. Heavyweight Champion Hennig won this match cleanly via the Perfect Plex. Decent match. **½

WCW 10/20/97 Biloxi, MS, WCW Cruiserweight Title: Eddy Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit 4:40 of 7:14. WCW Nitro episode 110. This was the first singles match between the two since Eddy Guerrero had turned rudo. Guerrero was channeling his Gringos Locos days, as he bumped and sold like crazy for the intense Chris Benoit. They kept the pace high, and Benoit was constantly in attack mode, while Guerrero tried to divert or counter whenever possible. Benoit started focussing more on chops as a main part of his offense around this time, but he would still hit some classic junior heavyweight moves, like a tremendous tope suicida, which Guerrero sold so well. Guerrero used Benoit’s momentum when Benoit came charging at him and tackled Benoit, who then bumped head-first into the middle turnbuckle. While Benoit was ‘out,’ Guerrero hit the frog splash. The referee shook his head in disgust, as he felt Guerrero took advantage of the situation while the referee was checking on Benoit. The ref reluctantly counted to three and awarded the pinfall win to Guerrero. This was too short (and they had to go to a commercial break, of course), but it was awesome while it lasted. Good match. ***¼ 

WCW 10/27/97 San Diego, CA: Chris Benoit vs. Fit Finlay 5:20. WCW Nitro episode 111. Fit Finlay, the ‘Belfast Bruiser’ from Northern Ireland faced the ‘Canadian Crippler’ Chris Benoit for the first time in the United States. The two had wrestled each other in Japan, Austria and Germany earlier that decade. October ‘97 was Finlay’s first month back in WCW after a 17-month absence (as Finlay had been busy wrestling in Austria and Germany in the meantime). Finlay was like a good European wine that got better as they aged, as it was around this time that Finlay really started focusing more on his tough brawler persona. This worked better for him than what he was a few years earlier on in his career, especially since he was somewhat of a limited wrestler when it came to his offense. By focusing more on one thing, in this case, being a tough brawler, at least he could be exceptional at what he did. He still sold a lot, but he didn’t do the silly overselling stuff he used to do in the late ‘80s and early’90s (which was especially silly since he wasn’t that great at it, at least compared to the top oversellers of that era). It wasn’t just punches and kicks that Finlay was using, as he also used a double leg scissors takedown in an aggressive manner to take Benoit down. Finlay went for the cover after a Vader bomb, but Benoit managed to get his foot on the rope. Benoit was on the receiving-end of quite a beating, but occasionally managed to fight back with some chops. This isn’t necessarily the type of match I want to see Benoit in, but at this time in his career, it was something different and quite interesting to watch. In spite of Finlay being on offense for the majority of the match, Pegasus won via the flying headbutt. This kept Benoit strong, and it still allowed Finlay to give a strong showing in his first Nitro match since the parking lot brawl versus Lord Steven Regal in April ‘96. Good match. ***

NJPW 11/2/97 Fukuoka, J-Crown Title: Shinjiro Otani vs. Wild Pegasus 15:28. This was Wild Pegasus’ final title bout in NJPW, unfortunately. Shinjiro Otani had won the J-Crown Title (which at the time consisted of seven title belts) from the previous champion, El Samurai, on 8/10/97. Pegasus was super vicious, chopping away intensely, and throwing Otani around aggressively. Otani decided to work on Pegasus’ legs in order to try to keep the wild one down. The middle portion of the match felt a bit lacking something, but they picked things up for the finishing stretch. Perhaps frustrated that WCW wouldn’t allow him to go for a full tour and basically had to fly in just for this one match, it seemed like Pegasus wasn’t fully into this match. At least we can say the great Pegasus challenged for the J-Crown while the J-Crown was around. All in all, it was a slightly disappointing match, as this really should have been excellent. This was really good, but things were about to change in the wrestling business, and it feels like that vibe was present here. Pegasus wouldn’t tour NJPW again until late ‘99. The J-Crown Title would be disbanded by the end of ‘97. And lots of things would be changing in the wrestling world following the introduction of the Attitude Era in American wrestling. Otani hit a springboard spin kick followed up with a dragon suplex for the pinfall win. Very good match. ***¾

WCW 11/23/97 Auburn Hills, MI: 3-Ring 60-Man Battle Royal 29:48. WCW World War III 1997. Chris Benoit started off in the same ring as guys like Lord Steven Regal, Meng, Fit Finlay, Ultimo Dragon, Alex Wright, Diamond Dallas Page, and The Giant (who eliminated one luchador after the other, which wasn’t fun to watch for a lucha fan, obviously). At least Eddy Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera lasted longer than most luchadores. Benoit got to brawl with Guerrero and Guerrera for a bit. Benoit eventually got eliminated by Dean Malenko and DDP. The winner of the whole thing turned out to be Scott Hall. Anyway, this match was a mess and definitely not good, but it was kinda fun to watch for nostalgic purposes. Mediocre match. *½

WCW 12/1/97 Knoxville, TN: Chris Benoit vs. Kidman 5:54. WCW Nitro episode 116. Raven was scheduled to wrestle Chris Benoit. Raven said he won’t conform to the rules and didn’t feel like wrestling tonight, so he sent one of his cronies, Kidman, instead. Lodi was at ringside holding up a hilarious sign that said “Kidman World Tour 1997.” To Benoit’s credit, he remained focused and he remained the Benoit we wanted to see, the no-nonsense wrestler who wanted to take care of business inside the ring. Kidman was basically just selling like a heelish jobber. Kidman got a couple of moves in, but it was mainly Benoit beating the crap out of Kidman, sending a message to Raven. Things turned around when Saturn attacked Benoit. Kidman got to hit a shooting star press off the apron, which was impressive, for sure, and Kidman remained on offense for a bit after that. Benoit won this match via the crippler crossface. Tony Schiavone rightfully said that Benoit was one of the greatest to ever step into the ring. The work was good, but it felt like this was more like an angle with action and spots thrown in, building up to what will inevitably be the big battle between Benoit and Raven. After the match, Raven finally entered the ring and hit a DDT on Benoit. Decent match. **¾

WCW 1/12/98 Jacksonville, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko 6:53. WCW Nitro episode 122. It’s a new year, and what better way to start off a new year with another battle between Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. This was pretty much all Benoit, showing his viciousness. Malenko barely did anything. Both men seemed tired, perhaps tired of how shitty this company was. It’s crazy to think that one of the very best wrestlers in the world, Benoit, still hadn’t held a championship title in WCW by that point in time. After the match, Raven attacked Benoit with a DDT. Decent match. **¾

WCW 1/19/98 New Orleans, LA: Chris Benoit vs. Marty Jannetty 4:11. In this Nitro episode no. 123, Chris Benoit wrestled the former tag team partner of the 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty, who were tag team champions for less than a week four years prior in WWF. Times had changed, though, as the Kid had been known as Syxx in WCW and was about to make his return to WWF and become X-Pac. Marty Jannetty wasn’t the star he used to be, because he had been having trouble staying employed in the wrestling business due to his personal and substance abuse issues. After a relatively good run in WWF that ended in late 1996, Jannetty had mainly been in and out in various smaller leagues, relying on his previous fame as WWF superstar. This match from January 1998 was one of Jannetty’s first WCW matches, and it was his only match ever against Chris Benoit. Jannetty came out to the old Hollywood Blonds theme song previously used by Brian Pillman, Steve Austin and Greg Valentine. Jannetty sold big time for Benoit’s offense. It’s a shame that Jannetty was mainly used as just another jobber-to-the-stars here, but perhaps that’s simply what he was at this point in his career. Jannetty’s best moves happened after the match, as he helped Benoit, who was attacked by members of Raven’s Flock. Decent match. **½

WCW 1/22/98 Huntsville, AL: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 7:38. WCW Thunder episode 3. WCW has added another TV show, WCW Thunder. This was actually a good thing, as this new B-show allowed the more underrated talent to have some matches against each other that either wouldn’t happen on the main show, Nitro, or would have been rushed on Nitro. This was still too short, but at least it was a couple of minutes longer than what they would have gotten on Nitro, and it didn’t feel super rushed. Benoit was starting to lack energy a bit, and his moveset was getting more limited, but he still was always moving forward on the attack. Chris Jericho really started coming into his own in 1998, excelling in character work and even getting more crisp at hitting his moves. Raven was sitting at ringside, and he looked like he had been drinking and/or doing drugs all day (which he probably had been). Benoit won the match as Jericho tapped out as soon as Benoit applied the crippler crossface, as Jericho had a big match coming up on this Saturday’s PPV event. In the end, this was very disappointing, considering who was involved and considering previous matches of theirs. Decent match. **¾

WCW 1/24/98 Dayton, OH, No DQ: Chris Benoit vs. Raven 10:36. nWo Souled Out. WCW had forced Raven to wrestle at this show, and his Flock was barred from ringside. This was the big match Chris Benoit had been waiting for after weeks and weeks of Raven avoiding him and letting his Flock members face him. This was disappointing, though. Decent match. **½

WCW 1/29/98 Memphis, TN: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero & Chris Jericho 6:38. WCW Thunder episode 4. This was the first time since 12/11/95 that Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko teamed up in a non-trios tag team match. This was pretty good, obviously, as expected, but they really should have been given way more time. It felt like this was just them doing some random sequences and spots together and not quite the more intriguing match they could have had together. So, this not being as good as expected is more a WCW booking issue, not necessarily the fault of these workers. Decent match. **¾ 

WCW 2/3/98 Corpus Christi, TX: Chris Benoit vs. Raven 0:32. WCW Saturday Night. In a super rare moment, Chris Benoit cut an in-ring promo and said that Raven was “nothing.” They brawled for a few seconds until Kidman interfered for the DQ. Other members of Raven’s Flock (Lodi, Sick Boy and Riggs) interfered as well. Lots of stuff happened during this post-match brawl. Benoit kept fighting back, and many wrestlers had to come from the back to break up the fight.

WCW 2/16/98 Tampa, FL: Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero & Chris Jericho 6:19. WCW Nitro episode 127. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko were the no-nonsense tecnicos who just wanted to wrestle and beat their opponents. Eddy Guerrero and Chris Jericho were the cowardly rudos who worked well whenever they weren’t being silly. Guerrero was actually the worker of the match. And this match was significantly better than their disappointing 1/29/98 match on WCW Thunder. In this WCW Nitro match, they gave a lot more of an inspired performance, and they were a lot more into what they were doing. Good match. *** 

WCW 3/16/98 Panama City Beach, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Raven 11:00. WCW Nitro episode 131. This ‘Raven’s Rules’ match took place at Club La Vela. It was an average brawl. Raven was a great character, but he was a mediocre wrestler. Raven won via pinfall. It feels like WCW in 1998 wasn’t as exciting as it was in 1996 and 1997, so it’s no surprise that the 83-week streak of WCW Nitro beating WWF Raw in the ratings came to an end in April ‘98 (in spite of WWF still providing an inferior product). Okay match. **¼ 

HWA 4/29/98 Norwood, OH: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 12:58. 1st Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show. It’s a shame that only a decent-quality hand-held version is available of this match. That’s better than nothing, though. Chris Benoit was accompanied to the ring by his fiancee Nancy Toffoloni (who would become his wife Nancy Benoit in November 2000). Chris Jericho was fully into heel character mode, so he spent a great deal interacting with the crowd. He even took a bump for Nancy, who slapped him. Benoit was his usual no-nonsense self. It was nice to see these get some decent time to work a match, as this was obviously not a WCW show. This definitely wasn’t their best match together, but it was good enough for a non-televised indy match. Benoit won the match via the crippler crossface. By the way, Benoit had been wearing Brian Pillman’s version of the Four Horsemen logo on his tights since the beginning of ‘98. Decent match. **¾ 

WCW 5/25/98 Evansville, IN, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 1: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 11:44. WCW Nitro episode 141. The winner of this Best of Seven Series would be allowed to face WCW World Television Champion Fit Finlay. This is the series that really put Booker T on the map as a singles wrestler who cared about what he was doing. He never was a great wrestler, but he deserves respect for caring and trying. Chris Benoit, who had been having a relatively weak year, had the chance here to elevate the level of work of his opponent and also prove at the same time that he still had what it takes to be classified as one of the best in the world. The stipulation, the fact that this was part of a series of matches, really helped make it feel important that they were both trying to actually win and impress in the process. Benoit won this match via the crippler crossface. It feels like this was the perfect way to start off the series, as it allowed them to start off slowly and take it from there. Benoit 1-0 Booker. Decent match. **½

WCW 5/27/98 Nashville, TN, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 2: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 11:28. WCW Thunder episode 18. I would have preferred if Chris Benoit were in a best of seven series with a guy like Eddy Guerrero or maybe even Fit Finlay. However, I do appreciate that at least a new star in Booker T was created in the process. Booker T, of course, was mainly known for being a former tag team wrestler with Stevie Ray. Booker T was clearly the better half of the Harlem Heat tag team, so good for him that he actually got to prove himself in this series with Benoit. The action in this second match was a bit more intense than the first match. It’s a good sign that they were working on building things up more in this series to keep the interest going. There was a bit more of a back-and-forth struggle going on here, compared to their more laidback first match. Benoit hit a flying headbutt, but he sold getting hurt while hitting the move, so he couldn’t go for the cover immediately, allowing an excuse for Booker to kick out of one of Benoit’s main moves. Benoit wrestled like you would want him to wrestle for a guy who was leading the series, as he was now extra confident and eager to beat Booker once again to get even more of an advantage. Booker, however, fought back and managed to quickly build up enough momentum to score the win through urgent bursts of energy. Benoit 1-1 Booker. Decent match. **¾

WCW 5/19/98 Portland, ME, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 3: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 6:44. WCW Saturday Night 5/30/98. This actually took place and was taped prior to match 1 and 2 in the series due to WCW Saturday Night not being a live TV show. They wrestled this match in a much more inspired manner than what would end up being labeled as match 1 and 2 in the series. So, they either were just more excited doing this series on this day and/or they were just really good at imagining what it would feel like being three matches into the series. Either way, this series is actually quite decent so far, and they really did a good job so far in keeping the viewer interested in how this series will unfold. Each match has been wrestled quite differently, yet there hasn’t been a match in the series where they went all out, which all helped make the viewer wish for more after getting a varied taste of what these two can bring to the table together. Towards the end of this match, Benoit went for a diving headbutt, but Booker T rolled away. Benoit went for the crippler crossface, Booker managed to block and avoid it, but Benoit then very quickly transitioned into a German suplex pinning combination. Benoit 2-1 Booker. Good match. ***

WCW 6/1/98 Washington, D.C., WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 4: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 8:18. WCW Nitro episode 142. Both men showed the eagerness you would hope to see from two guys in the middle of an important series of matches. The downside of this match is that it feels like this was a bit more of Booker T in control, which on one hand he wasn’t quite ready for, as he still mainly excelled at reacting and countering. That being said, this series was exactly the place for him to grow as a worker, so if the story of this fourth match was that Booker was really trying to dig deep inside and grow as a worker, then that’s certainly a match well used. After Booker seemed to do well, it was Benoit’s experience and perseverance that got him the win via the crippler crossface. Benoit 3-1 Booker. Decent match. **¾

WCW 6/4/98 Peoria, IL, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 5: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 6:24. WCW Thunder episode 19. Booker T started off very energetically. He was down two points in this series, so he really had to show lots of urgency and try to beat Benoit as soon as possible before the Canadian Crippler could once again use his experience and tenacity to get Booker in all sorts of trouble. Benoit sold well for Booker and then hit a series of German suplexes. These shorter matches between the two seem better, because they just go all out and try to go for that victory. Especially since Booker didn’t have much of a track record as a good singles wrestler yet, these short matches enabled him to rely mainly on his energy and athleticism and ability to fight back without having to worry too much about how to fill the down periods of the match with actual useful work. The crowd was really into this, treating it like a battle between two sports teams trying to score another point. Booker managed to push through and score the impressive pinfall victory. Benoit 3-2 Booker. Good match. ***

WCW 6/8/98 Auburn Hills, MI, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 6: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 11:14. WCW Nitro episode 143. This match started off a bit grittier, with both men now displaying the tense vibe you’d expect from a heated rivalry. Booker T really tried to be more resourceful here, not just relying on the same things, and he was naturally growing as an in-ring performer thanks to this series with Chris Benoit. If Benoit would win this match, he would win the series, so the amount of urgency shown by Booker was more than justified and appropriate. Benoit was selling that he was a fighter who had gone through many battles but wasn’t willing to back down and was capable of scoring a win at any time in this contest. Once Benoit managed to divert Booker’s momentum and gain the advantage himself, he showed his typical viciousness that we haven’t always been able to see in 1998. As important as this series was for Booker to grow as a singles worker, it was just as important for Benoit to get back on track of a disappointing first third of the year 1998. Somehow, Booker once again managed to find the strength and energy to score the win by pinning Benoit. Right after he got pinned, Benoit showed frustration and kicked Booker down. Benoit 3-3 Booker. Good match. ***¼  

WCW 6/11/98 Buffalo, NY, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 7a: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 11:07. WCW Thunder episode 20. Bret Hart and Eric Bischoff were cheering on Chris Benoit, which made Benoit smile. Benoit approached this like a wrestler in a big match, slightly cautious but willing to bust out some moves he hadn’t used in a while. Booker T had really benefited so much from being in this series and now understood naturally how to approach this match as an important one. Bret Hart, representing the nWo, hit Booker T with a chair so that Benoit could pin him. Benoit wanted nothing to do with the nWo and asked the ref to get disqualified! Booker then said that he also didn’t want to win that way, so, it was decided a rematch of this seventh match in the series would take place at the upcoming PPV. Good match. ***¼  

WCW 6/14/98 Baltimore, MD Arena, WCW World TV Title Number-One Contendership Best of Seven Series Match 7b/tie-breaker: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 16:20. WCW Great American Bash. The winner of this bout would face Fit Finlay for the WCW World Television Title. As much as this series put Booker T on the map and got Chris Benoit back on track, it also helped put over Finlay as a big deal, considering two guys were in a grueling series of matches just to be able to face him. This play-off match between Benoit and Booker lacked the energy of their previous match. Of course, the idea was that the winner had to face Finlay later on that evening, so it was realistic and understanding that they wouldn’t spend all their energy right from the get go. In the end, they built things up like a big PPV match, kinda slow without too much urgency until the finish that saw Booker come out victorious. Booker got to face Fit Finlay for the WCW World TV Title. All in all, I would say that this series held up nicely, especially for an American wrestling feud from 1998. Decent match. **¾ 

WCW 6/17/98 Philadelphia, PA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 3:45. WCW Thunder episode 21. It’s such a shame that these two, who were still two of the very best on the WCW roster, were only given three minutes on the B-show. This was really good while it lasted, but it was kinda standard stuff for them. Decent match. **¾ 

WCW 6/22/98 Jacksonville, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart 15:08. WCW Nitro episode 145. This was the first-ever match between these two legendary Albertans. Bret Hart had been completely wasted by WCW after arriving in WCW in late 1997 following the infamous Montreal screw job at WWF Survivor Series. However, at least here on this Nitro episode, he was in a 15-minute match with Chris Benoit, who was still one of the best pro wrestlers in the world at the time. Benoit realized this was one of the most high-profile matches of his career and was super focused. Bret was very smooth in his execution and overall thinking of how to build this match up. Bret’s offense wasn’t as spectacular as a lot of those of Benoit’s regular opponents, but Bret was so good at understanding how to do things in a way that would help enhance the overall quality of the match. Bret carried himself very well, and he had that superstar aura, which added a unique vibe to this match. When Benoit went for his German suplexes in a row, Bret actually blocked it, which then forced Benoit to transition into a dragon suplex. Benoit then hit the snap suplex and went for the flying headbutt. However, Bret rolled away just on time as Benoit came crashing down onto the canvas. Benoit hit a tremendous suplex for a near fall. Benoit managed to apply the crippler crossface, but Bret grabbed the ropes for a rope break. nWo member Stevie Ray showed up at ringside to distract the ref. Bret knocked Benoit out with brass knuckles and applied the Sharpshooter for the victory. Very good match. ***½ 

WCW 1/7/99 Richmond, VA: Chris Benoit vs. Barry Windham 5:11. WCW Thunder episode 45. Chris Benoit was in full attack mode here, totally unleashing a barrage of brawling offense on the wily veteran Barry Windham, who after getting beat up for quite a bit finally managed to hit a swank DDT to bring Benoit’s assault to a stop. Former Horseman Windham then hit his signature back suplex into a cover. After a ref bump, Curt Hennig showed up, got himself caught in the crippler crossface. Windham kicked Benoit in the head, and then scored the pinfall over Benoit. This was an enjoyable match. Benoit started the year off  quite strong, and Windham showed he was still a solid hand. Good match. ***

WCW 3/14/99 Louisville, KY, WCW World Tag Team Title Lumberjack With Straps: Curt Hennig & Barry Windham vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko 16:58. WCW Uncensored. The ring was surrounded by wrestlers holding leather straps in their hands. Just to name some of the lumberjacks, they included Meng, Norman Smiley, Bobby Duncum Jr. and Alaskan wrestler Kenny Kaos. Arn Anderson, the Horsemen’s mentor, showed up and politely told Chris Adams to leave so that he could take his place as a lumberjack in this match. Hennig and Windham tried to leave, but the lumberjacks showed up and whipped them with the straps. Hennig wrestled Benoit to start this match off, and Mr. Perfect sold big time for Mr. Intensity. Hennig briefly went to the floor but got whipped by the lumberjacks, so he basically had no choice but to go back into the ring. When Windham was tagged in, Benoit beat Windham up with chops, and Windham briefly went to the floor, only to find the same trouble Hennig had dealt with earlier, as the lumberjacks relentlessly started whipping away. Windham sold and bumped as well as he could for Benoit, who really brought the viciousness that was so fitting in a brutal match like this one. Dean Malenko felt kinda out of place, as he was useful as a tag team partner for Benoit, as always, but he lacked the emotion and fortitude required for such a gritty match like this. Malenko tagged Benoit in rather quickly, perhaps because of the crowd’s dead silence. Benoit wasn’t rested enough yet, so Windham and Hennig beat up the wolverine. Windham really showed that he still had what it took to be a useful in-ring performer, and his return to WCW made him a welcome addition to the roster. The work in this match was solid, but not super special or anything. However, the storytelling was top-notch and made this match memorable and intriguing. The selling was done exactly well enough and long enough for things to keep moving yet still spend time to keep telling the story they were going for. Another really smart thing was to limit the amount of time Malenko was in the ring, since this wasn’t his type of match, due to his lack of personality (and lack of size). Malenko sold Windham’s offense quite well, though, so Malenko certainly was useful during the brief down periods of the match that saw Malenko selling. During this Malenko selling segment, the work was good, but there was significantly less heat. Being the experienced professional that he was, Hennig would still make these down parts interesting by yelling at Arn Anderson, for example. The finish of the match saw Anderson enter the ring and knock Hennig out. Malenko pulled Windham to the floor. Benoit hit Hennig with the flying headbutt and scored the win for the Horsemen. The execution of the final minute or so looked a bit rough, but it was still okay enough for it to not be bothersome. All in all, this was a fun and unique match that was quite different. A lot of times, WCW tries to have a crazy idea and then it results in a match that isn’t good, but luckily that wasn’t the case here, as this actually worked. Good match. ***¼ 

WCW 4/1/99 Richmond, VA: Chris Benoit vs. Raven 7:10. WCW Thunder episode 58. Raven spent most of the match selling, without getting much offense in, which was plausible since he was probably under the influence of things. He was good at the more subtle aspects of the match, but he lacked any proper offense. Arn Anderson was at ringside in Chris Benoit’s corner. Anderson often used to be a rather comical overseller during his days as a wrestler, but here during the mentor phase of his career, he was actually selling better than he used to when he was a wrestler, as he was getting choked  by Raven and sold it like an old former wrestler who wasn’t used to this kinda stuff anymore. Benoit was consistent in his attack, just hitting away on Raven. Towards the end of the match, Raven did some ECW-esque stuff with a chair. Benoit went for his diving headbutt, but Raven moved away, which caused Benoit to hit his head on the steel chair as he came crashing down. Raven wanted to DDT Benoit on the chair, but Anderson couldn’t allow it and interfered. Raven then tried to attack Anderson, but Dean Malenko ran in for the save. Perry Saturn showed up in order to try to defend Raven, who was being attacked by the Horsemen. In the end, the wrestling was nothing exceptional, but the storytelling was well done. Decent match. **¾  

WCW 10/4/99 Kansas City, MO, Owen Hart Tribute: Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit 27:34. WCW Nitro episode 211. This was the famous tribute to Owen Hart. At Bret Hart’s request, WCW allowed the Hitman to pay tribute to his late brother Owen, who had sadly passed away in a tragic accident at a WWF event on 5/23/99 at the very same arena this match took place, the Kemper Arena. Harley Race was in attendance when Owen died and was the ring announcer for this tribute match. WCW was far from perfect, but the fact that they honored Bret’s request and allowed it to be an actual excellent wrestling match without interference and shenanigans was a truly classy move by WCW. The fans in attendance were also very respectful, which was nice. Luckily, this match took place two weeks prior to Vince Russo starting his stint as head booker in WCW. Of course, there’s no better opponent Bret could have picked than fellow Albertan Chris Benoit, a man who had previously teamed and wrestled Owen and was pretty much part of the same generation as Owen was. Owen would have loved this beautiful tribute match. The bout started off in a very respectful manner, with both wrestlers grappling in a competitive but non-violent manner. Obviously, they both loved good solid wrestling, so they were certainly executing moves properly and applying holds in a snug manner. But, they were respectful in the sense that they were going to be very fair and sportsman-like, as this was, after all, a tribute to a loved one. Thus, any sort of excessive aggression would seem out of place. The first part of the match featured some solid mat wrestling that we can only imagine may have resembled some of the grappling that took place back in the days of the Dungeon in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Hart House. Benoit was arguably the best pro wrestler in the world from 1992 through 1997, and while he had been on a very slight decline, he was still one of the top performers in North America at the time. Bret, truly a late bloomer as a performer, and while he never reached Benoit’s level as a pure worker, the Hitman, just like Benoit, was heavily influenced by Dynamite Kid’s work in Calgary and Japan. Bret was on top of his game during the mid and late ‘90s, and it was nice to see he was still so relevant as a performer in 1999. What made this match so amazing was how sincere these two guys were performing. You could tell that they wanted this to be as good as they could possibly make it. They really worked the struggle aspect of their match so well, as when they were grappling, they always tried to think ahead and try to be ready for the next move. For instance, during a bit of struggling, Bret saw the opportunity to hit a side legsweep really nicely and then managed to follow up quick enough before Benoit could do anything back. And just as Benoit was about to gain some momentum briefly, Bret knew how to promptly turn things around by hitting a move just exactly at the right time and in the right manner. Bret delivered one of the best performances of his career, as he clearly made a great effort to make this special, and he was finally given the opportunity to have a match of this length and quality with top talent. What Benoit did so remarkably well was fight back at exactly the appropriate moments. Obviously, this felt like it should mainly be Bret’s match, but both men obviously wanted it to be competitive, so Benoit was just perfect in balancing out being respectful versus being competitive. Like, he knew that he would have to do things back in order to keep the competitive level high, yet he also knew not to undermine the Hitman in his quest to craft his dream match. I am happy Benoit got his suicide dive in, as that’s one of the his coolest moves. The selling was phenomenal in this match, and thanks to this, every move and every hold they did, felt like it was important and purposeful. Near the finish, Bret went for the Sharpshooter, but Benoit noticed it and immediately went for the Crippler crossface, but Bret successfully went for a rope escape. Benoit executed the flying headbutt, which was fitting (with Harley Race in attendance), because Benoit added that move to his repertoire because of his idol, Dynamite Kid, who popularized the junior heavyweight version of the move after being inspired by Harley Race’s original (heavyweight) version of the move. As they were working their way towards the finish, the match picked up in speed and urgency, as they were now ready to see which man would come out on top. The emotional aspect of the match was still there, but it was a bit more in the background towards the end, as the more competitive aspect came rising up. The finish was great, as Benoit once again went for the Crippler crossface, but Bret not only blocked it, he also countered it and managed to transition into the application of the Sharpshooter for the victory. What a match! After Bret got his hand raised as the victor, Bret pointed to the heavens to greet Owen. This match was so different from anything you would see in the pro wrestling world in 1999. Even the commentary was good and focused. It was not only a tribute to Owen, but it was also a tribute to old school pro wrestling, as it was a lengthy bout with a lot of focus on storytelling through a display of competitive and respectful wrestling. This was truly one of the most wonderful 30 minutes in American wrestling TV history. It’s one of those matches that make me proud to be a wrestling fan. What a beautifully crafted piece of performance art this was. Great match. ****¾  

NJPW 10/17/99 Kobe World Hall: Wild Pegasus vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:20. Wild Pegasus was working like a powerful no-nonsense worker. Jushin Thunder Liger sold a lot for Pegasus. It’s so interesting that these two wrestled each other in almost every year of the 1990s and saw each other evolve as in-ring performers. Two of all the all-time greats, for sure. What was interesting about this match is that they were just doing grappling and hard-hitting stuff. They pretty much didn’t do any of the more fancy junior heavy stuff they used to do together in their previous battles. Pegasus was pretty much a heavyweight by this point anyway, but Pegasus still hit his tope suicida, and in a super aggressive and hard-hitting manner. This turned out to be his final tour as a worker who faced some of the NJPW junior heavyweight division’s most top-notch workers like Liger, Samurai, Otani and Kanemoto. Pegasus would be back for a Tokyo Dome show on 1/4/00 (his final appearance in NJPW ever), but it seemed like WCW wanted to start booking him as a heavyweight at that point. This 10/17/99 match was historical in the sense that it was the final singles match Pegasus had against Liger in Japan. All good things come to an end. While Pegasus was on this tour, things were changing in WCW, as Vince Russo would start his reign of terror as head booker on 10/18/99. It’s no surprise that Pegasus and the other ‘Radicalz’ from WCW would soon leave WCW, and it’s also no surprise that WCW wouldn’t last much longer after that. Anyway, this was interesting to see, because they weren’t just rehashing old tropes, they were meeting each other at where they were at this time. Excellent match. ****¼ 

WCW 11/21/99 Toronto, ON, WCW World Heavyweight Title Tournament Final: Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart 17:44. WCW Mayhem. Chris Benoit had defeated Dean Malenko, Madusa, Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett to make it to the final. Bret Hart had defeated Bill Goldberg, Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman and Sting to make it to the final. Benoit and Hart wrestled each other in a clean and technical manner until Dean Malenko showed up, who was dressed up as a hockey fan and attacked Benoit until Bret chased him away. Benoit and Bret continued their solid in-ring work. They had started this match off much in a similar style as their great 10/4/99 match, but the vibe here was different in the 11/21/99 match. In this match at WCW Mayhem, the main theme wasn’t respect, but it was fighting till the end. Benoit hit a flying headbutt on Bret, but then Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Bill Goldberg showed up. There was some interference, but the referee decided this match was too important to call it off, so the match continued. Instead of a beautiful display of well-crafted art that the 10/4/99 match was, here in this match in Toronto, the two legendary Canadians battled more aggressively, and they put over the idea that the WCW World Heavyweight Title was actually worth fighting for. Bret executed a tremendous superplex, but Benoit went for a rope escape. The slower periods didn’t quite contain as much substance as the 10/4/99 match, as the 10/4/99 match was basically non-stop high-quality wrestling all the way through. This 11/21/99 match was more of a start, stop, start, stop type of match. Still, the action was good enough to make this memorable, and the way these two were able to tell the story of the match through body language made it intriguing. In the end, after some intense counter wrestling, Bret applied the Sharpshooter for the win. The Hitman had become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. All in all, this was quite memorable for a WCW match from 1999. Very good match. ***¾  

WCW 12/2/99 Topeka, KS: Chris Benoit vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 7:19. WCW Thunder episode 90. This was the 22nd and final singles match between Chris Benoit and Jushin Thunder Liger. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Juventud Guerrera showed up at ringside to do some color commentary. While Juvi Juice was talking rudo nonsense, Benoit and Liger were having a very solid wrestling match. This wasn’t quite as intense as their excellent 10/17/99 match in Japan, but it was still a quality bout. It’s a shame the commentators would constantly discuss angles with only occasionally calling the action. In spite of this lacking the true excellence and top-notch energy of their previous battle, these two were so good that whatever they did was still going to be good. Liger was such a versatile worker, and it’s matches like this one that show he would have done really well if he was a full-time member of the WCW roster (which for his sake luckily wasn’t the case). Psicosis and La Parka randomly interfered in the match. The match was a no-contest, further giving this match more the feel of an exhibition rather than another chapter in their great in-ring feud. It’s a shame these two had to conclude their legendary feud in a WCW Thunder match like this. Benoit would finally win the WCW World Heavyweight Title in Cincinnati, Ohio on 1/16/00 (by beating Sid in a mediocre match). However, Benoit would leave WCW the day after winning the title. Good match. ***¼

NJPW 1/4/00 Tokyo Dome: Wild Pegasus vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan 10:55. This was the third match on the card of this Tokyo Dome show from 2000, which was before the days of WrestleKingdom. This was Wild Pegasus’ final appearance in NJPW. It really seemed like NJPW would have booked Pegasus as part of the heavyweight division if he would have returned. After all, in WCW, he had been in the World Heavyweight Title picture, and here in the Tokyo Dome, he faced heavyweight Hiroyoshi Tenzan for the first and only time. This wasn’t nearly as interesting as Pegasus’ days as a (semi-)regular member of the NJPW junior heavyweight division. This was just standard heavyweight type stuff, and it felt like they were going through the motions. They did execute some cool moves, though. It’s certainly worth viewing it once, but it’s not an actual recommendable match. In the post-match promo, after losing the bout, Pegasus claimed that he would be back better than ever. Of course, Pegasus would never return to NJPW, and he would leave WCW. The next chapter in his career was his run in WWF. Decent match. **¾

WWF 3/20/00 Rosemont, IL: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 6:00. WWF Raw episode 356. This was quite an okay WWF Raw match. However, this obviously was nothing like their best matches from the ‘90s. Kurt Angle attacked Benoit, which allowed Jericho to score the win. Decent match. **½ 

WWF 5/21/00 Louisville, KY, WWF Intercontinental Title Submission Match: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 13:22. WWF Judgment Day. This was an okay WWF PPV match. Here in WWF, these two were working very differently than during their Japan and WCW days. It all felt very manufactured. Chris Benoit’s moveset was getting more limited, and his intensity felt strained. When Chris Jericho arrived in WWF in 1999, he was told that he didn’t know what he was doing in the ring, so he had to learn how to work fabricated WWF style matches. This match came to an end when Benoit won via the crippler crossface. Overall, this was disappointing. Okay match. **¼  

HWA 5/25/00 Cincinnati, OH: Chris Benoit vs. Steven Regal 12:46. 3rd Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show. This wasn’t the great classic people claim it is, but this was significantly more interesting than any of the other matches Chris Benoit had that year by that point in time. He got to finally do something other than the overly mass-produced type stuff he had been doing in WWF. They were doing some pretty good counter grappling here in this match. Lord Steven William Regal did a good job of showing a lot of focus and staying on top of Benoit without doing some of the typical mainstream-type stalling and crowd pampering. Regal definitely showed passion in this performance. In the end, Benoit won via the crippler crossface. Tom Prichard said that anyone who wants to be a wrestler should study this match. It’s understandable why he said that, because this would be a good way to teach aspiring wrestlers to be focused and be passionate about what you’re doing without acting like a buffoon. The downside of this match was that it lacked urgency, and it felt a bit like the finishing stretch was a bit incomplete and happened too easily. Like, it wasn’t like full-on exhibition-type stuff or anything, but there was definitely some fire and intensity lacking here. Decent match. **¾ 

WWF 6/6/00 Buffalo, NY, WWF Intercontinental Title: Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Hardy 5:32. WWF SmackDown episode 43. WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Benoit showed more intensity than he had shown since January. Jeff Hardy did some cool high flying stuff, which added to the excitement of the match. Benoit seemed quite happy to work at a fast pace and keep the intensity level high. This wasn’t MOTY-level stuff or anything, but it had some of the energy that a lot of the good WCW Nitro matches used to have back in the WCW days of Benoit. Hardy showed a lot of resourcefulness, as he wanted to be different within the context of a rather confined setting. One of the highlights of the match was Hardy hitting a tremendous tope con giro. In the end, Benoit’s ability to counter was too much to handle for Hardy, and Benoit won via the crippler crossface. This match certainly served its purpose as a fun TV bout, and both workers gave a strong effort. Good match. ***

WWF 8/27/00 Raleigh, NC: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 13:01. WWF SummerSlam. Two-out-of-Three Falls. The pre-match vignette was actually quite good and helped get the viewer more hyped about this match. This battle between the wolverine and Y2J was a lot more energetic than their previous WWF matches against each other. They started the match off by continuously punching each other. They tried to really put over the intense rivalry between each other. Chris Jericho had been in WWF for a year, and it seemed like he was finally getting a grip on how to make the most out of his WWF performances. Chris Benoit had been inconsistent ever since he started wrestling in WWF in February 2000, but here he definitely showed the motivation and energy to perform up to expectations. The first fall ended when Benoit noticed that Jericho was weakened and applied the crippler crossface for the win. As soon as the second fall started, Benoit applied the crippler crossface once again. Jericho knew he couldn’t afford to tap out again, so he stayed in the hold until he managed to go for a rope break. The second fall was a lot slower, as Jericho was selling a lot and Benoit was methodically beating Jericho up. Jericho managed to get a second wind and apply the Walls of Jericho to win this fall. During the third and final fall, Jericho stayed on top of Benoit as much as possible. Jericho even hit a flying elbow off the top rope, which indicated he was willing to take things to the next level here. Benoit almost scored a pinfall via the dragon suplex, but Jericho kicked out at two. Jericho almost scored a pinfall via a rollup, but Benoit reversed and managed to illegally hold the ropes for leverage to score the pinfall. Referee Mike Ciota didn’t notice that Benoit cheated, which meant Benoit was indeed the winner. This was quite an exciting and well-performed WWF match. Like, this wasn’t on the level of their meetings in Japan and WCW, but if we get past the frustration of them being in WWF, we can say that they made the most of the situation and should be complimented on having a more enjoyable match than most WWF wrestlers were having at the time. Good match. ***¼ 

IWA Puerto Rico 9/30/00 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 6:09. A rare appearance in Puerto Rico by these two Canadians. Them being in a different environment seemed to really bring up the enthusiasm level of these two. It seemed like Chris Benoit tried to be intense, but he just physically wasn’t the same guy he was in the ‘90s. While he performed several moves quite well, him being so roided up and stiff-looking didn’t help his in-ring work. Chris Jericho was the more dynamic performer in this particular match, because he managed to get the extra enthusiasm to help him to actually enhance his performance, as he busted out some cool moves and generally just moved quite fast. Especially with Benoit not being the worker he used to be, this still felt quite WWF-like (including the screwy finish), which was ultimately why this match wasn’t quite one of their best matches together. It was fun while it lasted, though. And it was interesting to see them have a match in Puerto Rico. Decent match. **¾ 

WWF 1/21/01 New Orleans, LA, WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho 18:43. WWF Royal Rumble. During this match, Jerry Lawler asked Jim Ross if Shawn Michaels came up with the idea of the ladder match, and J.R. said he didn’t know. I don’t know if that was just revisionist WWF silliness or if they actually didn’t do their homework. Either way, I’ll explain now why it’s fitting that two Canadians who were trained in Alberta were in this big ladder match, as the ladder match originated in Stampede Wrestling back in the 1970s after Dan Kroffat (the original one from Vancouver, not Phil Lafon) came up with the idea. Of course, Bret Hart introduced the ladder match in the WWF back in 1992 until Shawn Michaels ‘stole’ the opportunity to become the one popularizing the ladder match in 1994 and 1995. Over the years, lots of people tried to do their thing with the ladder match, often falling flat, though. For example, arguably the most overrated ladder match ever took place at SummerSlam 1998 between HGH and The Crock. However, there have been some guys who have been able to actually use the ladder match stipulation and create some excitement around it, even WWF guys like Jeff Hardy, for example. This wasn’t Chris Jericho’s first ladder match, as he had wrestled Lance Storm in ladder matches in Alberta back in 1994. This also wasn’t Chris Benoit’s first ladder match, as he had wrestled Jeff Jarrett in ladder matches in WCW in 1999. So, it was interesting to see what the wolverine and Y2J would do against each other in a ladder match, as they had wrestled each other many times before but never in a ladder match. Jericho was super motivated in stealing the show here, as he gave a tremendous effort. His timing and execution were better than ever before. Benoit showed that he also wanted this to be memorable, but it really looked like he just physically wasn’t capable of being the Benoit we used to know, as he was moving around like a stiff and roided-up rabid wolverine. Benoit’s experience and knowledge from previously being an all-time great worker was still very useful here, though. Jericho took a big HBK-like bump in the corner. Jericho then hit Benoit with a chair as Benoit executed a tope suicida. Jericho continued the HBK-inspired bumping in what had turned out to be quite a spectacular match. I think Jericho was particularly motivated because he wanted to give an HBK-like performance (especially since Michaels was an early influence in Jericho’s work). Benoit went for a diving headbutt, but Jericho moved away, and Benoit came crashing down. In the end, Benoit took a big bump to the floor, which enabled Jericho to climb the ladder and secure the WWF IC Title. This was essentially them paying tribute to and at the same time modernizing the 3/20/94 Michaels vs. Razor Ramon ladder match template. Say what you want about WWF, but this was actually enjoyable. Very good match. ***½ 

WWF 2/20/01 Kansas City, MO: Chris Benoit & Eddy Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho & X-Pac 5:05. WWF SmackDown episode 80. This match felt rushed, which makes sense, since they were only given five minutes. X-Pac threw some cool-looking kicks. All four workers worked hard. Execution was as good as it could be in a rushed match like this. Benoit made Jericho submit to the crossface. Good match. ***¼ 

WWF 2/25/01 Las Vegas, NV, WWF Intercontinental Title Fatal Four-Way: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero vs. X-Pac 12:18. WWF No Way Out. This was chaotic. Lots of action. Chris Benoit got mad at Eddy Guerrero for not being on his side in this every-man-for-himself match. X-Pac contributed the least. Maybe that’s why Justin Credible showed up to help him. Eddy was the worker of the match. Chris Jericho and Benoit were also impressive, though. Against all odds, Jericho somehow retained the WWF IC Title after pinning X-Pac. Good match. ***¼ 

WWF 3/12/01 Los Angeles, CA: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 8:24. WWF Raw episode 407. Paul Heyman and Jim Ross were the commentators. Eddy Guerrero was a lot more speedy, agile and resourceful than Chris Benoit at this point, as Benoit had declined significantly over the years. This definitely wasn’t their best match against each other, but it was more interesting than most matches in WWF at the time. Benoit won via the crossface. Good match. ***

WWF 3/13/01 Anaheim, CA: Chris Benoit vs. Haku 4:04. WWF Sunday Night Heat episode 138. Haku came down the aisle to the theme song used by the Headshrinkers back in the mid 1990s. Haku showed that he still had a ton of strength. Chris Benoit managed to win via the crossface, though. Decent match. **½ 

WWF 5/22/01 Anaheim, CA, WWF World Tag Team Title Tables Ladders and Chairs: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy vs. Christian & Edge vs. Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley 19:02. WWF SmackDown episode 93. This was wild and chaotic. Chris Benoit went for a flying headbutt on Matt Hardy, but Matt moved, and Benoit went crashing through the table. Benoit was stretchered out, but returned not much later. Lots of crazy spots and bumps in this match. The Hardy Boyz played a big role in this match, but Christian was the worker of the match. The match ended when Benoit managed to climb a ladder and grab the title belts. Decent match. **¾  

WWF 6/12/01 Baltimore, MD, WWF World Tag Team Title: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho vs. Christian & Edge 10:43. WWF SmackDown episode 96. Western Canada vs. Central Canada. Christian was the worker of the match. Everyone’s timing and execution was very crisp, though. Jericho, arguably the second-best performer in this match, pinned Edge after a lionsault quebrada. Good match. *** 

WWE 7/21/02 Detroit, MI, Tables Elimination: Chris Benoit & Eddy Guerrero vs. Bubba Ray Dudley & Spike Dudley 15:01. WWE Vengeance. By this point, Chris Benoit really was a watered down version of himself, as his moveset consisted of very few moves, and he moved a lot slower than he used to. His declined agility also prevented him from really translating the intensity levels he wanted to spread. Still, since he used to be a truly great wrestler, it’s interesting to see him be one of the best workers in the sports-entertainment league that was now known as WWE (formerly WWF). Eddy Guerrero was the worker of the match, as he was the one bringing the most energy and movement to the match. Bubba Ray Dudley did a pretty good job selling for the really cool team of Benoit & Guerrero. Spike Dudley knew his role well as the tiny dude who had to bring some more spectacle to the match. The storytelling was really good in this match. Benoit and Guerrero were the dominating tag team here, but the Dudleys always had that advantage of having more experience with the hardcore stuff. The Dudleys always came to each other’s aid at crucial moments. Lots of good teasing and momentum changes were making the final minutes feel definitely like the climaxing period of the match. Spike eliminated Guerrero by hitting an Ace crusher off the apron through a table, which seemed to do just as much damage to Spike as it did to Guerrero. Benoit tossed Spike over the top rope through a table on the floor. This meant just Benoit and Bubba Ray were left. It would have been nice if there was a bit more of a struggle or back and forth at this point in the match, but instead, Bubba Ray immediately managed to put Benoit through a table in the middle of the ring. Decent match. **¾ 

WWE 10/3/02 Lafayette, LA: Chris Benoit vs. Rey Misterio Jr. 10:50. WWE SmackDown episode 164. This was their only televised singles match. They had a house show match for Rey Misterio Jr.’s WCW Cruiserweight Title back in WCW in 1999. In this SmackDown match, Chris Benoit relied on his size and strength advantage, and worked over Misterio in a methodical manner, while Misterio relied on quick countering and comebacks via bursts of flashy offense. Overall, this was definitely a solidly worked match, but they never exceeded expectations. The storytelling was definitely good but not exceptional. Misterio pinned Benoit via a huracarrana. Good match. *** 

WWE 11/17/02 New York City, NY Madison Square Garden, WWE Tag Team Title Three-Way: Rey Misterio Jr. & Edge vs. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle vs. Eddy Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero Jr. 19:26. WWE Survivor Series. Edge pinned Chris Benoit to eliminate Benoit’s team. Eddy Guerrero made Rey Misterio Jr. submit to win the match. Eddy and Rey were the workers of the match. Decent match. **½

WWE 12/15/02 Sunrise, FL: Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero 16:46. WWE Armageddon. You could tell that they wanted to make this special, as they had such a long history together. They had known each other for over ten years, and their career paths were quite similar. They focused on making the other struggle and going for a big move whenever the opportunity seemed perfect. It started slow on the mat, but when Eddy Guerrero hit a plancha off the top to the floor onto Chris Benoit, the match became more intense and energetic. Guerrero made Benoit struggle and suffer on the mat. Benoit gave quite a good performance, but Guerrero was the one who made the match fascinating. Tremendous storytelling and timing by both. Chavo Guerrero Jr. showed up, but his presence wasn't bothersome. Eddy applied the Lasso From El Paso (a modified cloverleaf), but Benoit countered into the crippler crossface. This wasn't nearly as good as their battles in Japan and WCW, but for a WWE match, this was as good as it gets. Very good match. ***½

WWE 1/19/03 Boston, MA, WWE Heavyweight Title: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit 17:18. WWE Royal Rumble. This was practically Chris Benoit doing a WWE-style main event match against a WWE creation. To his credit, Kurt Angle did have a good understanding of timing and creating heat. However, his selling is the typically comical WWE-style selling that often leans into the overselling realms. Furthermore, Angle's offense is quite pedestrian. Sure, he was an Olympic amateur wrestler, but he didn't quite know how to translate that into something advantageous other than bragging rights during cartoony promos and vignettes. Benoit was a seasoned veteran who used to be arguably the greatest pro wrestler in the world during the mid 1990s, but by 2003, he was focused on just being a watered down version of himself within a sports-entertainment environment. In WCW, he still managed to retain enough elements of his greatness to still be recognizable as the worker who truly was an all-time great. However in WWE, he started turning into a whole different worker. Of course, the years were taking its toll on him, but it feels that he was quite content in becoming a WWE-style performer. Luckily, his former pro wrestling greatness was just too engrained in him for him to become someone to not care about. It was nice to see him be successful, but it was sad to see him decline more and more, physically and artistically, as he no longer was able to have the excellent matches he used to have back in the '90s. In this match against Angle, Benoit was the best worker and the one who made this interesting, because, as declined as he was, he was still one of the top performers in WWE. Benoit did what he did, and he did it well enough. Angle, however, was only over due to the WWE pushing him to the moon, mainly because of his Olympian status and also because of his phony type of charisma that made him loved by the WWE. Essentially, this match only was so heated because the crowd chose to eat up whatever WWE was feeding them. Basically, it's like saying Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior was a great match because every kid and whichever adults were still marks were cheering loudly for those overly roided monsters. Sure, it may have been great entertainment, but that doesn't necessarily make it great pro wrestling. All in all, this Angle vs. Benoit match is not terrible, but the problem is, it's extremely overrated. What they did here was certainly decent. However, there is so much pro wrestling out there (in major leagues and smaller leagues) that is so much more exceptional than this to the point that it's almost baffling that this match scores so highly amongst fans and so-called critics. Decent match. **½

WWE 7/13/03 Columbus, OH, WWE U.S. Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final: Chris Benoit vs. Matt Hardy V1.0 7:27. SmackDown episode 205. Matt Hardy had the super underrated Shannon Moore in his corner. Matt was a heel (and now known as Matt Hardy Version 1.0), which enhanced his character work but wasn't necessarily helpful for his overall in-ring work. Shannon briefly interfered on a couple of occasions and looked phenomenal. Matt's nose got busted and was bloody. Matt missed a flying headbutt. Benoit missed a flying headbutt. Matt tried to hit his finisher off the ropes, but Benoit managed to counter in a tremendous way and won via the crippler crossface. It was nice to see Benoit show some more intensity again. This was quite impressive for a seven-minute WWE match. Good match. ***¼

WWE 1/25/04 Philadelphia, PA: 30-man Royal Rumble 61:37. WWE Royal Rumble. In a pleasant surprise, Chris Benoit drew number one and still won this match. Benoit broke Bob Backlund's 1993 record of lasting the longest in a Rumble match. Benoit eliminated six participants. It was the final time Benoit was in the same ring as Scott Steiner. Chris Jericho lasted 15 minutes and was the third-last to be eliminated. Kurt Angle was the second-last to be eliminated. The finish came when Benoit eliminated Big Show (Paul Wight a.k.a. The Giant), which was revenge for their 8/15/96 match. This definitely wasn't the best Rumble, but it was nice to see Benoit win. Mediocre match. *¾

WWE 2/16/04 Bakersfield, CA: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels 21:07. WWE Raw episode 560. Chris Benoit was clearly happy with his push as of late, because in this match he showed more intensity than he had in the past four years. Shawn Michaels' selling was phenomenal, as, even though he always almost is about to cross that line of overselling too much, here he was doing just perfectly, enough to be the Texan luchador we expect him to be, but not too much so as not to undermine Benoit's sincerity. Basically, the HeartBreak Kid wanted to be the showstopper, as usual, but he genuinely seemed to respect Benoit and wanted to have a memorable match with him. Essentially, HBK expresses his love and respect for you through his selling. This was an interesting phase in HBK's career, as he was the wily veteran who was still able to go. HBK brought that old school American style of storytelling, which made him different from a lot of the more manufactured-type WWE workers on the roster at the time. And this must have been refreshing for Benoit, a man who was once actually the greatest pro wrestler in the world, now finally being viewed by the masses as 'ready' to potentially win the biggest prize of them all at the upcoming WrestleMania event, in spite of him being in a stage of his career where he is trying his best to not decline too much as a worker. But, in spite of Benoit not being the worker he was in the '90s, his passion for pro wrestling never disappeared. Jim Ross mentioned that Benoit grew up idolizing the Dynamite Kid. And it feels like just like Dynamite Kid did in the mid 1980s, Benoit managed to adapt and become a great star in this company. And it feels like this match with HBK made Benoit feel truly appreciated in WWE, as this match with HBK seemed to manage to bring some of that old spark out of Benoit. Perhaps the fact that both men were roughly the same age and both had gone through so many battles against so many opponents back when American pro wrestling felt like it had more meaning and importance made them get each other. Say what you want about Michaels, but he was always one of the most reliable in-ring performers in WWF/E history, and he certainly proved that during WrestleMania XX season. Michaels really understood the quality and knowledge that Benoit brought to the table, and Benoit understood and respected Michaels' position and reputation in this company. This mutual understanding led to a very well-crafted pro wrestling match. Of course, a lot of people are not very fond of HBK and especially not very fond of WWE (and rightfully so), but as a match on its own, this was really good. What's even more remarkable is that this was the first time these two were ever in a match together, yet they displayed so much chemistry. Towards the end, HBK went for the superkick, but Benoit countered into a Sharpshooter, which was a reference to the 11/9/97 HBK vs. Bret Hart match. This also seems to indicate that this match against HBK was almost a continuation of the feud HBK had with the Harts, as Benoit was trained by the Harts and started his career in Alberta. In a somewhat fitting but very screwy manner, HHH showed up and distracted Benoit, which enabled HBK to hit the superkick on Benoit and win the match. The selfish HHH then hit the pedigree on HBK. Steve Austin showed up and had a message for HHH, and that's that he was told that at WrestleMania, HHH will have to defend his title against both HBK and Benoit in a triple threat match. And that was a big announcement, for sure. Very good match. ***½

WWE 3/14/04 New York City, NY Madison Square Garden, World Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels 24:07. WWE WrestleMania XX ~ Where It All Begins... Again. HBK juiced, and his face was a crimson mask. Chris Benoit made HHH tap to the Crippler crossface to win the match and the title. WWE Champion Eddy Guerrero showed up to celebrate with World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit. For once WWE actually made sense. Good match. ***

WWE 5/3/04 Phoenix, AZ, World Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels 28:26. WWE Raw episode 571. In Shawn Michaels' birthplace, the HeartBreak Kid had the opportunity to win the World Heavyweight Title from the man who had become the title holder at WrestleMania XX, Chris Benoit. HBK really knows how to make a match dramatic and build it to a climax. HBK was very aggressive on this night. He also seemed very particular about how he wanted this match to go, calling spots loudly and showing visible frustration when Benoit wasn't quick enough to react. And just as HBK was too frustrated, Benoit was too nervous about messing things up. There were lots of good things happening in this match, though. HBK hit a tremendous moonsault to the floor onto Benoit. And what was super interesting is that HBK executed a move he hadn't used in a long time, his old slingshot suplex move that used to be his finisher back in 1992. That shows he really cared about this particular match. HBK even applied a lion tamer modified Boston crab. Next, HBK felt it was time to be stuck in the Crippler crossface for a bit, which indeed helped get things more heated. HBK went for the superkick, but Benoit blocked and tried to apply the Sharpshooter. HBK fought it off with all his might. HHH showed up and hit a pedigree on HBK while Benoit and referee Mike Ciota were busy selling. Benoit went for the cover and won the match. I agree with Jim Ross that "Triple H ruined the whole damn thing!" Good match. ***¼

WWE 7/12/05 Worcester, MA: Chris Benoit vs. William Regal 11:58. WWE Velocity episode 160. This was your typical Wiliam Regal match, which meant that he wanted to have his grappling exhibition-type stuff with a capable opponent. Chris Benoit was still a capable opponent, but it felt like he was having more and more trouble providing anything that resembled his old work. This match was mainly unique because the chain wrestling portion of the match lasted longer than in most WWE matches. The crowd popped big time when Benoit applied the Sharpshooter. He eventually won with the crossface. For those who like this, check out their very good NJPW 9/23/95 match. Good match. ***

WWE 10/8/06 Raleigh, NC: Chris Benoit vs. William Regal 11:25. WWE No Mercy. This was more of an intense wrestling match and less of a sports-entertainment match than most WWE matches. William Regal was bleeding at some point. This really felt more like Regal's match, as it was the typical Regal style he likes to do, in particular with a capable opponent. Benoit was stiff and aggressive. He headbutted Regal in a very stiff manner. Regal started bleeding. Benoit hit a diving headbutt. After some more back-and-forth action, Benoit won via the crossface. Benoit looked really rough and clearly wasn't the same guy he used to be, which was concerning to see when knowing what would happen less than a year later. Decent match. **¾

WWE 4/1/07 Detroit, MI: Chris Benoit vs. Montel Vontavious Porter 9:18. WrestleMania 23. Chris Benoit was still capable of doing the WWE stuff, but what he was doing by this point was far less impressive than what he was doing in WWF/E six or even three years prior. MVP showed potential and almost was more impressive than Benoit in this match. Benoit was moving slowly and really didn't seem like he was himself anymore. This was kinda hard to watch knowing what would happen a couple of months later. Okay match. **¼

For those who are interested in such information, here is an overview of the number of the Chris Benoit matches reviewed per year:

1985: 3 matches

1986: 6 matches

1987: 3 matches

1988: 4 matches

1989: 4 matches

1990: 14 matches

1991: 11 matches

1992: 21 matches

1993: 20 matches

1994: 24 matches

1995: 31 matches

1996: 38 matches

1997: 23 matches

1998: 19 matches

1999: 7 matches

2000: 7 matches

2001: 7 matches

2002: 4 matches

2003: 2 matches

2004: 4 matches

2005: 1 match

2006: 1 match

2007: 1 match

Total: 255 matches