NJPW Best of The Super Juniors IV Tour 1997

 Best Of The Super Junior IV Block A Match: Koji Kanemoto vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 5 - 20/05/1997

I had a feeling that this would be testy when Takaiwa both slapped and kicked away Kanemoto’s extended hand. It’s fun to see the genesis of the Katsuyori Shibata-like wrestlers here. Strikes and holds that are done with a semi-shoot mindset while full of vinegar. And remember, Shibata did start as a Junior Heavyweight. Kanemoto is the senior wrestler and controls the match with his kicks. He threw brutal kicks to the hamstring area of Takaiwa and would then use the opening to kick him in the chest in equally hard fashion. As the match progressed, it became less about the strikes and more about the bombs which delighted the hot Korakuen Hall crowd. This is also where Takaiwa shined the most. Finally Takiawa was able to hit the Death Valley Driver for the upset, getting a big pop. Good Junior style match. They beat each other to bits for our enjoyment. ***1/2

Best Of The Super Junior IV Block B Match: Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Shinjiro Otani - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 5 - 20/05/1997

I think this was somewhat trimmed but this was a cool match. About as good as their Jan 4th with some neat, tricky wrestling, like Tajiri’s kick to the knee through the ropes. Tajiri scored the win to get his win back from the Dome. ***

Best Of The Super Junior IV Block A Match: Koji Kanemoto vs. Gran Naniwa - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 9 - 25/05/1997

JIP in roughly a minute. Naniwa is a comedy character but he throws good chops and will hit you as hard as the rest of them. Kanemoto doesn’t take his schtick with a light heart which makes it even funnier at times. Eventually Kanemoto even unmasked the 20 year old which was a shock to me, launching it into the crowd. Naniaw keeps plugging away though, almost getting the pin with La Magistral. This does bring out the best of Kanemoto in a bully role and another level in Naniwa who stands out as a mega underdog digging down deep, getting the crowd, in which he is an outsider, to cheer for him like he’s one of their own. But eventually that run is cut short via a tiger suplex and a cross armbreaker. Awesome match with well worked dynamics. ***3/4

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7f75gi

Best Of The Super Junior IV Block A Match: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Koji Kanemoto - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 15 - 01/06/1997

I loved the rough lock-up that started the match. Kanemoto looked very strong throughout the match with his work on the leg and the general way he dictated the pace. Liger looked bested in a lot of the exchanges and sold the leg very well. Unlike a lot of grappling in this era of the Juniors, this had a lot of compelling spots and a lot of drama with the fans buying a potential finish, thanks to the selling and Kanemoto’s persistence. Liger’s offence continued to be explosive enough to knock Kanemoto down a few pegs and keep his chances alive but Liger’s limited mobility caught up to him when Kanemoto caught him on the top rope and was able to hit the moonsault for the win. Big celebrations occur with Kanemoto making it to the finals. ****

Best Of The Super Junior IV Final Match: Koji Kanemoto vs. El Samurai - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 17 - 05/06/1997

El Samurai is always someone I consider “the best wrestler I don’t like”, and while I do think this match is build around Kanemoto’s excellent work on top with the heat he generates, the escalation he pushes and seeing him get beat, Samurai is excellent towards the end with what he brings to the table which is his high-end offence. Structurally this plays loose with the transition into the closing stretch with Samurai basically popping up in a sea of energy which is a shame. But I can’t deny the fact that what came after was so explosively entertaining that I didn’t really care. Disjointed somewhat? Perhaps but I think you can still see some link to Kanemoto being killed again and again as revenge for all he did throughout the match. This was an energetic final that’s got a major reputation and for good reason. Watch out for the brutal neck bumps, hot crowd and terrific bomb heavy performances. ****1/2

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Shinya Hashimoto (c) vs. Keiji Muto - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior IV - Day 17 - 05/06/1997

I believe the reason behind this match was Shinya Hashimoto attempting to will Keiji Muto into being himself again after an up-down 1997 which is a very 2024 story to tell. Basically, Muto has already joined the NWO by this point during a match in the United States. I think it’s a “Muta is the heel, Muto isn’t” deal. but I’m not too sure on how that was portrayed to the Japanese fanbase at this time. That time will officially come next month. This was worked very technically with a slow pace, changing from potential arm-work to Muto working on the legs of Hashimoto, eventually frustrating him into kicking the guardrails on the floor in a tantrum. This is a match with a lot of staredowns and dramatic looks before a flurry of moves. One thing this match does excellent is build top moves like Muto struggling his way to the top, pushing past Hashimoto’s defence and nailing enough punches to stun him and hit the frankensteiner. The whole sequence was just incredible to me. Muto really shined throughout this match as the crowd really got behind him in his quest to get over the hump and capture the gold. His leg work felt dangerous and Hashimoto couldn't sustain his usual dominance, relying on moments of chance which he used to win the match. Very story heavy match which continued afterward when the NWO tried to console Muto who walked off in anger. But despite the lack of usual high level wrestling from these two, I enjoyed the story approach and think they executed it very well, even more so actually. ****