.:: Best of Keiichi Yamada and
Early Jyushin Lyger::.
Review by Tom, posted 22nd July 2002
This review is dedicated to
the memory of Owen Hart who features heavily in this tape. The tape exhibits
some of Owen's tremendous ability, and is a sad reminder of how much of a
loss Owen's death was.
This review documents the rise of Keiichi Yamada and chronicles Yamada's
transition to Jyushin Lyger and then onto Jyushin "Thunder" Lyger. Today,
Yamada remains one of the best wrestlers in the world, after overcoming a
dip in form. The Yamada shown in the video is different to Yamada today but
the seeds of enormous potential are evident. Moreover, the video describes
the transition from a young Yamada, rich in potential into Jyushin Lyger,
when some of that potential is realised.
#1. Nobuhiko Takada Vs Keiichi Yamada
This bout has tremendous heat, with the young Yamada appearing extremely
over with the crowd. Very little footage shown, but what is shown is Yamada
showing signs of greatness. The Dynamite Kid influence is evident,
especially when he hits a Super-plex into flying head butt combination. The
match ends with Takada forcing the tap out via a single leg Boston Crab.
#2. Keiichi Yamada Vs Hiroshi Hase
Yamada as Jyushin Thunder Lyger would go on to elevate so many wrestlers -
guys like Naoki Sano and Chris Benoit, but this match really shows where
Yamada learnt the art of putting someone over. Hase makes Yamada look like a
god in this bout, selling for him like he was a legitimate threat and giving
Yamada plenty of offense. The crowd responds in return, fuelled by the
belief that Yamada would cause an almighty shock by beating Hase. Yamada
though is good enough to take the opportunity and to excel in it.
The bout starts with great mat work, a lot of neat counters and reversals,
with Yamada having the upper hand, much to the surprise of Hase and the
audience. Yamada targets Hase's arm, which Hase sells and continues to sell
until late in the match. The match continues to build with Hase being
frustrated by this young kid. The climax involves lots of teasing of high
spots, yet each gets caught and countered. The finish is done in a flash and
is my main groan of the match - Hase rolls up Yamada for the win. While the
finish added to the feeling of "young kid Vs experienced star", it did
detract from the match. But make no doubt about this; it is putting someone
over 101. Hase sold for Yamada and made him look great, and Yamada was good
enough not to drown. This was super stuff.
#3. Keiichi Yamada Vs Owen Hart
This is another solid
bout, with the familiar slow build to the match, with Yamada working over
Owen's knee. Yamada has most of the offense and has me marking out when he
hits an awesome looking suicide dive to Owen. Yamada puts great speed behind
the run and it looks awesome, not to mention painful. Yamada continues and
hits a beautiful somersault dive onto Owen, but Owen comes back and gets the
win when he counters a Yamada victory roll.
Again, the ending was quick, but wasn't as much of a flash as in match #2,
so it doesn't detract this time. Another groan of mine is that Yamada spends
most of the opening working over Hart's knee for no real affect. Indeed,
Owen doesn't bother to sell the knee when Yamada stops working it over.
Speaking of selling, Owen's didn't look too hot, often delayed a second
after Yamada's move had hit, which did tend to make it look over the top. My
final groan is Owen had a habit of breaking out of Yamada's big moves at
just 2. This is a minor point, but I feel it is a heat killer when Yamada
hits a succession of moves only for Owen to break out at 2. Nevertheless,
this was good, not great, a solid match between two guys who, to be honest,
hadn't reached their full potential here.
#4. Keiichi Yamada Vs Shiro Koshinaka
This really is good, a reminder of how good a worker Koshinaka was a decade
ago. The first half of the match is a slow paced battle of mat work, which
is technically sound but a little boring at times. But the match builds into
a super hot second half, climaxing in an awesome finish. The match goes from
slow to fast as the action builds into a frenzy. The crowd responds to this
by generating amazing heat. The near falls are well done and get the
incredible idea across that maybe young Yamada can defeat Koshinaka. Yet
Koshinaka puts Yamada away with a Dragon Suplex, but the ending is very well
done; a logical progression of moves and reversals that proceed to get
bigger and bigger. The second half makes this very good, although the first
was slow, occasionally too slow. But this was very good.
#5.
Keiichi Yamada & Nobuhiko Takada Vs Owen Hart & Mark Rocco
This is a standard tag match. Each man takes turns being worked over. Owen
rules it in this match and is simply awesome throughout – the kind of
performance that has you wondering why McMahon didn’t do more with him in
the WWF. Owen shows his stuff with some awesome counters and reversals.
Yamada and Rocco are good as well and Takada is ok, doing some parts well
and some parts not so well.
The match is strange, it lacks cohesion and it appears like there is no
point to it – it is just a match. Some of the execution is a little off, but
the pace is good and some parts are nicely worked out.
#6.
Keiichi Yamada Vs Owen Hart
Given another ten or so minutes this would be great, but it is just too
short a match. As such, the match feels like it doesn’t get going. Starts
off slow with Yamada targeting Owen’s legs. The match ends when Owen pins
Yamada with a beautiful German Suplex, getting great height and arching his
back to make it look like a million dollars. There is an interesting part
when Owen and Yamada hit exactly the same moves on each other, at the same
time, three times in row, emphasizing that young Yamada is getting near
Owen’s level. However the match just feels like it ends before it gets
going. There is no sign of clipping, and it is a shame as given more time,
this could have been good.
#7.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Kuniaki Kobayashi
The debut of Jyushin Lyger. Kobayashi is great, playing the grumpy old
veteran role that Lyger now adopts when he fights the new generation of New
Japan juniors. The match is simply done, and builds well. The basic premise
is that Kobayashi dishes out plenty of punishment to Lyger, yet Lyger takes
it and doesn’t give up. Lyger gets the shock win over Kobayashi with a
German Suplex and a star is born. Kobayashi, like Hase earlier, puts Lyger
over and makes him look like a star.
#8.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Hiroshi Hase
Begins with smart mat work, counters and reversals at quick pace. The match
then kind of slows down, with Hase targeting Lyger’s ribs. Yet it speeds up
with some near falls, yet these ultimately lack heat, as both Yamada and
Hase kick out at only 2 or 2 ¼, killing the heat. Yet the ending is good,
with each guy countering, hitting and reversing their big moves. The ending
is good; with Lyger hitting Hase with four consecutive koppou kicks before
pinning him with a capture suplex into a bridge for the big win.
Again, this was Hase putting someone else over, like the selfless worker he
is. This was a technically sound match, as you would expect from two such
great workers. Yet it lacked heat and the pacing was too slow at times to
make it a truly great bout.
#9.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Shiro Koshinaka
This is a kind of OK match. It had a good flow, but is really just basic.
The action shown (again, it was clipped) was all Lyger. What was shown
lacked build, and the ending just happened with Lyger pinning Koshinaka with
a rolling pawn hold. While there was nothing strictly bad about the match,
it must be considered a disappointment as both could do better.
#10.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Black Tiger (Mark Rocco)
This is really good, made so by Rocco, who plays a great old style heel.
Rocco plays a grumpy heel, who cheats at every opportunity, and it makes the
match a lot of fun. The match uses a “rounds” format that I’m not usually a
fan of, but in this instance, it worked well.
The match has a good build, with technical wrestling used in the early
rounds leading to all out action and big moves in the later rounds. The
ending, Lyger getting the pin with a Lyger bomb, is out of the blue, but the
match was good, well paced and fun too.
#11.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Naoki Sano
This rocks. There is a simple formula to the match that is executed
perfectly. Lyger is the IWGP Jr champion here, and proceeds to destroy the
young challenger. Yet Sano refuses to give up, and fights with all his
strength and comes back to equal Lyger. While the ending isn’t so hot – a
double disqualification – but it serves a point in that it establishes Sano
as a legitimate threat to Lyger. Apart from that, everything else is
superbly done. The pacing is perfect, the crowd heat is amazing. The
fluidity to the match is awesome. Little did the fans know that it would
lead to bigger and better things between the two. Awesome match.
#12.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Akira Nogami
Another great match. Akira gives a spirited and charismatic performance. The
match follows a traditional pattern of mat work building in pace and moves
towards big moves and high spots. The mat work gets kind of slow but the
match has a nice flow to it. The execution is spot on and Lyger gives Akira
plenty of offense and makes him seem like a threat. A good match.
#13.
Jyushin Lyger & Akira Nogami Vs Naoki Sano & Kintaro Hoshino
This match is incredible, and tells an awesome story. Those who know the
Lyger-Sano feud will know that this is the match where the duo of Sano and
Hoshino destroy Lyger's arm. Therefore the match has a place within the feud
but also stands up by itself. Sano and Hoshino play complete heels here;
ruthless, compassionless and evil.
The physcology to the
main is simple. Sano and Hoshino destroy Lygers arm, working over it for
almost ten minutes. Lyger finally manages to make a tag to young Nogami who
puts up a spirited fight against Sano. Yet Nogami almost kills himself when
he attempts to suicide dive Sano. Sano sidesteps and Nogami takes a
sickening bump head first onto the guardrail - it is sick. Nogami was going
at full speed and his head makes a large contact. It is so sick even the
referee holds his head. Nogami bleeds hard way, and literally pours blood.
Yet Sano and Hoshino don't let up and they tear apart Nogami, taking their
time to hit moves at their ease. Lyger, not moving his arm, desperately
tries to stop them, but is powerless. Finally Sano pins Nogami and Lyger
rushes in, the scene creating a powerful picture - an injured Lyger kneeling
over a destroyed Nogami as the heels celebrate.
Simple and perfectly
executed. My problem with the match is that it is far too one sided and
lacks decent wrestling. It is more than a squash match, but there is little
competitiveness. This lack of great action stops the match getting a really
high mark, but the sheer drama evoked by the match makes it an incredible
bout.
#14. Jyushin Lyger Vs Naoki Sano
This is simply superb. The psychology is great, based around Lyger’s injured
arm (destroyed in the above match). Lyger proceeds to sell the arm
flawlessly throughout the match. It is perfect selling – Lyger rarely moves
the arm throughout the match, it is just staggering.
The build to the match is intelligent and logical. Sano originally targets
Lyger’s arm, but Lyger, in pain, refuses to submit. The match then goes away
from the arm, so as to not make the match boring. Lyger takes control and
Sano is soon busted open too, which adds drama to the match, creating the
image of two inured warriors fighting over the IWGP Jr title. However, Sano
regains control and returns to attacking the injured arm.
The match is superb in that it builds upon the foundations of their first
singles match. Moves used in the first match are now reversed or countered,
giving the impression of the wrestlers “learning” their opponent’s moves.
The finish is logically done – Sano hits Lyger with a Super Backdrop Suplex
– a move he failed to hit in the first bout – to defeat Lyger and win the
IWGP Jr Heavyweight title. Great match.
#15. Naoki Sano Vs Jyushin Lyger
Sano defeated Lyger
to win the IWGP Jr title through making use of Lyger’s injured arm. It was
(according to Lyger) a tainted victory. Therefore, a rematch between the two
was arranged, with most expecting Lyger to re-win the IWGP Jr title. The
bout builds on the concept of “learning” each others moves, with Lyger and
Sano countering each other’s counters.
Again, the build between the two is great, with each having control of the
match leading to a finish of exciting near falls and big moves. Sano causes
something of an upset, pinning Lyger with a Tiger Suplex, to the surprise of
the crowd. This bout was of high standard, yet the crowd wasn’t as hot for
it as they were previously, although the crowd was by no means dead.
However, this was a top class bout, with great build, drama and action.
#16.
Jyushin Lyger Vs Takashi Iizuka
Iizuka looks nothing like his current self. The match is a standard Lyger
match – in other words, of a good standard. About 8 minutes of the match are
shown. Iizuka begins by targeting a leg, which Lyger sells well, writhing in
agony. Lyger gives Iizuka plenty of offense and uses two consecutive Lyger
bombs to put Iizuka away.
This highlighted Lyger’s growing ability to put people over. He learnt it
from Hase and Koshinaka and has shown it on Sano, Akira and now Iizuka.
Lyger makes Iizuka look great here. Yet the match isn’t without its flaws.
Iizuka’s habit of kicking out at just 2, even after taking Lyger’s big moves
was frustrating. For example, Iizuka takes an awesome Super-plex and then
kicks out barely at two. While not much was shown, what was shown was of
good standard.
#17. Keiichi Yamada Vs Masakatsu Funaki
Only five minutes are shown here. Both guys work a worked shoot style, based
around strikes, mat work and submissions. As such, while Funaki can work the
style, Yamada doesn’t look comfortable at it – but still has a half decent
effort. Highlight was Funaki surprising the hell out of me with a huge
suicide dive. Another surprise is that Yamada actually gets the win by
countering a Funaki leg submission attempt into a pin that I’m not going to
try and describe (but it looks great). The match looked ok but Yamada didn’t
look comfortable working the style.
#18.
Naoki Sano Vs Jyushin Thunder Lyger
Lyger becomes a beast, with the debut of Jyushin “Thunder” Lyger. This is
one of my favorite matches ever, creating the ultimate of drama and
perfection. Everything is done perfectly here. The build is amazing – always
at a fast pace and flowing backwards from each man.
Lyger starts off in control but Sano soon regains it and destroys Lyger.
Sano rips Lyger’s mask half off and Lyger juices big time – blood gets
everywhere, over Lyger’s costume and all over Sano. Lyger gets battered, but
Sano cannot defeat him. Sano uses bigger and bigger moves but Lyger kicks
out of everything, never giving in. Of course, the battered Lyger becomes
the crowd hero, which amplifies the crowd heat to amazing levels. Finally
Lyger is able to reverse a Sano rana into a Lyger bomb and regains control.
Lyger puts Sano away with a Shooting Star Press – an awesome sight.
The match’s main attribute is that it provides a dramatic conclusion to the
Sano-Lyger feud. The crowd get absorbed into it and the heat rises the match
to the highest level. The execution, build, pacing and flow of the match are
all perfect as well. An amazing match of the highest caliber.
#19.
Naoki Sano & Pegasus Kid Vs Jyushin Thunder Lyger & Akira Nogami
Lyger and Akira’s entrance is hilarious. Akira wearing a San Francisco
49’ers jersey complete with shoulder pads, and Lyger has a big sword and
shield to impress the audience and scare Sano and Benoit.
Anyway, after my laughter has died down, we get on with the match. Starts
with a slow build, with each men working each other over. The match then
explodes into action, with the pacing super fast and from all angles. Akira
becomes the focus of the match but puts up a good fight and looks
impressive. Sano pins Akira with his Tiger Suplex.
All four men look great here, and the match builds from a slow start into an
explosive and crazy finish. A good and enjoyable match.
#20.
Owen Hart Vs Jyushin Thunder Lyger
In all honesty, this is disappointing. The build is very slow at times and
the crowd is completely void of any heat, which really affects the match and
makes it look worse than it was. The beginning is very slow with the usual
mat work. My main problem is that Owen’s selling of Lyger’s submissions
isn’t good, he just sits there looking quite comfortable. I know this isn’t
a major point, but it is something that does get to me. On the other hand,
Lyger sells Owen’s submissions and makes them look legitimately painful.
Also, there were a few too many rear chin locks applied which bought about a
few yawns.
The flow of the match is basic, with Owen in control for Lyger to comeback
and win with a Lyger bomb. There was nothing bad here, but it was just all
average, and the lack of heat badly affected it.
CONCLUSION:
ENTERTAINMENT
-
8 -
Most of the matches are of “good” to “great” standard. While there are no
strictly bad matches here, a couple of matches have periods of sterility.
But generally, the tape is very entertaining.
WORK RATE
-
9 -
The caliber of wrestlers in this tape make for a work rate fanatics dream.
.:: FINAL
RECOMMENDATION - A
must have ::.
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