Credibility

Tonight, I wish to comment on something that seems quite common among internet smarks. It seems to be commonplace to question the validity of certain sources when there is a disagreement. The problem is that when the topic of conversation is wrestling, rarely are the wrestlers, themselves, seen as credible. Somehow, smart marks have gotten it into their heads that they know more about the business, especially behind the scenes, than the people that are actually involved.

Whether it be an outspoken wrestler, such as Shane Douglas, or one of the many wrestlers that have actually written books (Mick Foley, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, etc.) this evidence is usually treated as completely meaningless when compared to some teenaged fan that, more than likely, just started watching wrestling three or four years ago. Somehow, it's acceptable to completely disregard anything that a wrestler says or writes because, magically, the fans know better than the people that were there and lived it.

For example, if Bret Hart or Raven says something happened a certain way, until someone else can offer proof to the contrary, take it for what it's worth and don't try to second guess these people just because you have these preconceived notions based off of unreliable sources.

Let's call a spade a spade, here. Most are nothing more than internet marks, usually, not as smart as they like to think they are. What it comes down to is that there will never be a time when a pimply-faced fifteen year old mark is more of an authority on the subject of wrestling than the wrestlers, themselves. Period. I've been watching since the early 80s, and I still wouldn't dare to say that "The Franchise" is full of it and that I know his actions and motivations better than he does. It's asinine. So, just as a reminder: it doesn't matter how many newsletters you've read, you will never be an expert when compared to the people living it. That goes for so-called wrestling journalists, as well.

Scott Steiner's Reign of Terror

In the autumn and winter months of 2000/2001, in WCW, there was nothing finer than Scott Steiner. "Big Poppa Pump" steamrolled his way through the competition and earned a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title. At Halloween Havoc, he brutalized Booker T so badly that he got himself disqualified. However, a few weeks later at Mayhem, he destroyed the paper champ, in a steel cage, to claim his first World Title. Steiner then went on a path of rage that would make Taz proud. He defended his title against all of the top stars in WCW, destroying them in the process. By early 2001, Steiner was joined by a group of hangers-on called the Magnificent 7. After each PPV, following the total destruction of another of his challengers, the stable would have a small in-ring funeral for the fallen adversary. One by one, all of WCW's big names fell to the man with the largest arms in the world. Sting, Goldberg, Sid Vicious, Kevin Nash, Booker T and DDP all felt the wrath of Scott Steiner.

Say what you will about latter-day WCW. During much of 1999 and all of 2000, the company was going down the proverbial tubes. In particular, the World Title was treated like a toy, being passed off every other week or put on people that had no business being near it (Booker T, David Arquette, Jeff Jarrett, etc.). However, they did do something right. Though it was later than it should have been, they finally gave Scott Steiner the chance to run with the ball and they booked him very well. So rarely do we get a dominant heel champion. Usually, even a dominant wrestler has to change his ways upon becoming a heel. Nevertheless, "Big Poppa Pump" conquered everything in his path, during WCW's dying days.

Sadly, he'd never be booked in such a manner again. However, he does have the honour of being the last true WCW World Heavyweight Champion, before the company was purchased by Vince McMahon. He did have to job the belt off on the final Nitro, but this was because his contract wasn't being picked up and they needed the belt on someone that was going to be working for them. He's not nearly the wrestler he once was, back in the days when he and his brother, Rick, dominated the tag team scene from WCW to WWF to Japan. Still, it would be nice to see him get one last World Title run, possibly in TNA. It's not like he's inferior to the majority of TNA's champions...

Wrestling's 'drop the ball' moments

There have been many times, over the years, that various wrestling promotions dropped the ball with an angle or a particular wrestler. Here, I'll mention some of them and give my take (which will likely include some fantasy booking).

The Four Horsemen in 1995/96.

In late 1995, the Horsemen were reformed, once again, with Flair, Anderson, Pillman and Chris Benoit. They did alright, as Flair won the World Title from Randy Savage, a couple times. However, the feud with the Dungeon of Doom just seemed lame and pointless. Once Pillman left WCW, they had a chance to bring in someone that would have fit in, perfectly; Dean Malenko. He'd already been teaming with Benoit in ECW and when they arrived in WCW. He had the mentality and the reputation to blend in (which he did, in 1998). Benoit and Malenko could have been World Tag Team Champions in early 1996, bringing more gold to the Horsemen. They worked very well together and, later on, Malenko's Cruiserweight Title reigns could have meant more success for the Horsemen. Instead, they chose an ex-football player, Steve McMichael. This guy sucked, in every possible way. Malenko was the natural choice. Furthermore, the Horsemen had until Bash at the Beach and the birth of the nWo to be the top heels in the company. Had they been built up more, earlier in the year, they might have seemed like more of a threat when time came to defend WCW. By late 1998, when they brought the Horsemen back (with Malenko), they still didn't get behind them the way that they should have. Flair was in charge of things and had the World Title, yet his own stablemates were treating like garbage so he could align himself with...DDP? WCW dropped the ball with the Four Horsemen, like many times before.

Hogan v. Sting, Starrcade 1997.

This was, possibly, the most highly anticipated match in WCW history. Bischoff did very well with this, as the angle built up for a year and a half. This should have been the moment for WCW to, finally, get a big win against the nWo. However, this was ruined long before Starrcade happened. Hogan's title loss to Lex Luger took a lot of steam out of this, as Luger became the man to draw first blood against the nWo, and he did so in a rather meaningless fashion, dropping the belt back a short time later. As for the Hogan-Sting match, itself, this was the beginning of the end for WCW. Instead of Sting getting the big win over Hogan, he was pinned cleanly. To make matters worse, Bret Hart then demands that the match be restarted, more or less, screwing Hogan out of the title. I think, without the Hart element, they wouldn't have even attempted to claim a fast count for Hogan and things would have gone as they should have. People cite the Fingerpoke of Doom as the moment when the WCW World Title became meaningless, but I think it lost a lot of credibility as a result of Starrcade 1997. This leads into my next issue...

Bret Hart in WCW.

After the infamous Montreal Screwjob, "The Hitman" was hotter than ever. What better way to introduce him to WCW fans than by making him a guest referee. They did practically nothing with him, finally giving him the World Title after he'd been there for two years. Bret Hart should have been exploited as the hot commodity that he was. They were certainly paying enough for him. He should have come in and led the charge against the nWo (knowing that there was no chance he'd be able to just do his own thing on the side). They could have worked an angle, through most of 1998, where "The Hitman" pursued Hogan and then, finally, got his chance and took him out. This would have been the big blow needed to cripple the nWo and pave the way for something new. Instead, he was turned from face to heel and back, way too much. While Goldberg (a rookie) got a massive push and a World Title run, Hart was doing well to even keep the U.S. Title. It's not as if he was washed up or had been gone for a while. He left WWF as the champion, as far as most are concerned. They didn't need to build him up because the whole wrestling world was talking about him, already. Bischoff and Co. truly failed on this one.

After Sting beat Hogan, WCW should've immediately had Bret Hart challenge Sting for the World Title. This would've been (just like with Flair and Hogan back in 1991-1992) a perfect opportunity to promote a WCW Champion v. WWF Champion (since it could be argued that Bret never actually lost the title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series) match down the road. However, WCW screwing up Hogan v. Sting was the beginning of the end for WCW. They had the WWF in position to drop the final nail but, they never really recovered after 16 months of building him up as the guy, only to have him not win clean against Hogan. Adding on top of this, Bret should have came in and immediatly been a WCW tradition guy and been the catalyst in the death of the nWo. The money that WCW blew by not only not having Sting beat Hogan clean.....but never even having a Hart/Hogan feud, let alone a match on a PPV is completely ricockulous.

Mike Awesome defects to WCW.

With all the controversy surrounding Awesome, WCW could have capitalized and really pushed him. The WCW World Title was already being tossed around to anyone with a heartbeat, so it's not like they had big plans for it. They wasted so much time pushing Booker T as the poor man's Rock, yet blew a chance to push Awesome to the moon.

Raven in TNA.

In early 2003, Raven left WWE and joined TNA. In many ways, he seemed to really put them on the map. I know several people that only began watching TNA because Raven joined and they were waiting for him to get the NWA World Title. He was red hot and it seemed that, during 2003, his career was resurrected. Things had been winding down for him, since his second stint in ECW, yet it felt as if he'd been 'reborn' upon gaining his freedom from Stamford. He was insanely over with the crowd. I was in the building, one night, as he challenged AJ Styles for the title, and the whole building was ready to explode just as soon as he won the match. The support for Raven was deafening and there was a wave of disappointment as he was screwed over.

In 2005, when TNA no longer even had a TV show, then they put the title on Raven. There was no real build to it, other than the fact that he'd been talking about it for two years. It seemed that TNA did that for the sole purpose of keeping fans interested while they were off the air, since it was common knowledge that Raven had a huge fanbase online and would go the extra mile to keep up with things. Once they got a TV deal again, they screwed him out of the belt and put it back on Jarrett. Due to his deteriorating health, Raven wasn't anywhere near the title after that and has since left TNA. What a waste.

The Lex Express

Lex Luger received a massive face push, in the summer of 1993. He was the first man to bodyslam Yokozuna and secured a WWF Title shot at Summerslam. For some reason, WWF failed to really get behind his push and gave him a lame count out victory, at the PPV. It was from this point on that Luger was considered damaged goods. WWF dropped the ball by not putting the belt on Luger, at Summerslam 1993, and they did a lot of damage to his career as well. Certainly, he was no Hulk Hogan. He'd already come off as a poor man's Hogan, in WCW. But once things got moving, they should have gone with it. It would have been quite easy to turn him heel and have him work a feud with Bret Hart. Anyone that saw Luger's WCW World Title reign, back in 91-92, already knew he'd make a decent heel. He could have even, blatantly, come out and said that the whole red, white and blue thing was just an act to get the title shot. A child could have written a decent storyline for him. After promoting the hell out of him, especially with the Lex Express Tour, they dropped the ball by not capitalizing on it.

Vader in WWF.

Vader dominated WCW, in the early 90s. At one point, he held titles in Europe, Japan and North America. He was the epitome of monster heel. When he arrived in WWF, most people expected big things. He lost a bit of steam, in WCW, since Hogan totally no-sold his devastating powerbomb. Still, WWF could have easily re-established him as an unstoppable monster. Instead, he debuts by attacking Gorilla Monsoon and gets suspended. Then they waste time putting him in matches with Yokozuna, when he should have been taking out people like Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and Bret Hart. HBK should have dropped the WWF Title to Vader, without a doubt. A Vader-Hart feud, after that, would have been epic. He still had several good years left in him, yet they jobbed him out and neutered him. Major 'drop the ball" moment for WWF.

There are many more examples, but this is enough for now.

The brilliance of Sabu

There seems to be a very misinformed consensus, among internet wrestling fans, that Sabu was the king of botches. Somehow, his reputation is that of a sloppy wrestler. This is most unfortunate, as this certainly isn't the legacy that he should leave behind. More importantly, it's completely false.

It seems very obvious to me, so I can't fathom how others can't see this. 90% of his so-called botches were done on purpose. Let me ask you this, dear reader; If Sabu is performing so many reckless moves, what would be the best way for his opponent to turn the tide and get in some offense? It would be for Sabu to 'botch' a move so that his opponent could take advantage of the 'mistake'. Much like a wrestler such as Chris Jericho, for example, might plan a spot where he goes for the Lionsault and misses, thus allowing his opponent to take control, Sabu did the same thing. Except for, in Sabu's case, it worked better to have him 'slip up' and give his opponent an opening. Since so much of his offense was so high-risk and extreme anyway, it was very believable that these were genuine mistakes and it made the match seem more realistic. It was so good that internet smarks are still buying into this illusion, years later.

Athletes like Sabu and RVD have very unorthodox styles that are as unique as they are risky. Yes, while attempting something rather insane (that 95% of other wrestlers could never even dream of pulling off) they might make a mistake; i.e. Sabu overshooting his target and moonsaulting from the ring to the guard rail, ribcage first. But the majority of the time, those 'slips' were planned as a way to allow the opponent the chance to take control. It wasn't incompetence, it was brilliance. You Johnny-come-lately smarks should learn to either respect Sabu (and ECW) a bit more, or refrain from these ignorant discussions altogether.

WWE Divas

This is not going to be a very politically correct article, so if you are easily offended it is best that you cease reading this, now. This is actually less of an article and more of an open letter to women in pro wrestling.

You are all a bunch of worthless whores. No, I'm not a misogynist. Back in the mid-90s, the eye candy was a little more rare and there was, usually, some reason behind its presence. In ECW, we had Beulah McGillicutty, Woman, Francine, Kimona and so on. I'm talking about the classic era, from 94-96. In WWF, there was Sunny and, later on, Sable. All of these women acted as managers, valets or girlfriends to the wrestlers. They served a purpose. They were eye candy, but they also interfered in matches or provided motivation for two men to fight. By 96, the wrestling promotions learned to exploit these women, doing photo shoots in their magazines and so on. This was fine, as the internet hadn't exloded yet and a lot of adolescent males had no other way of seeing photos of hot girls. The important thing was that TV time wasn't wasted on it.

By the late 90s, this had changed. Sadly, things have remained this way for a decade. Over the years, women have been given much more TV time, usually for no purpose. Rarely are they managers, valets or girlfriends. Sometimes, they pretend to wrestle, though 90% are terrible. Often, they have no purpose at all. They perform useless skits or have dance/bikini/nightgown contests that are bereft of any substance. It has nothing to do with pro wrestling. WWE has made the problem worse with the idiotic Diva Search, as if we need to waste more time on choosing among these talentless hookers. These stupid bitches possess little or no knowledge of the business and rarely do any of them have even the slightest bit of passion for it. At best, they're just there to keep the 14 year old, acne-ravaged losers drooling and hoping for a nipple slip. This really isn't necessary, as my next point arises.

I am not a very modern person, but even I have to remind these whores that it's 2009. The internet is overflowing with pornography. Teenage boys (or just loser assholes) don't need to waste time looking at scantily-clad twats on TV when they can see a wide variety of tits and asses with a few keystrokes. Of course, then they'll begin stroking something else. And right there; that's your only use. All of you silly cunts are on TV for one reason and one reason only: you're nothing but eye candy. You're there so sexually frustrated teens can jerk off to your photo shoots or your dumbass bra and panty matches. Every single one of you is the same as the next. All interchangeable, faceless cunts. It's your ass and your titties that these fellows want to see. No one gives a fuck what you have to say or about the lame ass matches you struggle through. Naturally, WWE is not about to stop wasting time on these tramps any time soon. While it would be nice to relegate these sluts to positions as valets and so on, it's not going to happen.

Let's just end the fucking charade. Parade the stupid cunts down there, in between the matches, to flash their tits and bend over and show their asses to all the guys so they can run to the bathroom and blow a wad all over the wallpaper, before the next match. Forego the nonsensical 'wrestling matches', the comedy skits and all the other dumb shit you fucking waste our time with and just expose this for what it is. Or better yet, go ahead and just kill yourselves. No one would fucking notice.

Top of the Super Juniors Tourney

Pro wrestling, like most sports, is universal. In just about every corner of the globe, be it Europe, Africa or Australia, promoters are staging wrestling cards with a host of international talent. Due to the differences in culture, the quality and emphasis of wrestling presented in countries around the world differs greatly from what we've come to identify as pro wrestling in Canada and the U.S.

The difference holds true when compared to pro wrestling in Japan and perhaps not so more pronounced during the month of May when New Japan Pro Wrestling, the number one organization in Japan, presents its Top of the Super Junior Tournament.

The Top of the Super Junior Tournament provides a showcase and platform for the elite junior heavyweight (cruiserweight in American wrestling lingo) wrestlers from around the world, allowing them to exhibit their enormous skills before appreciative crowds across Japan for three weeks.

Over the past several years, New Japan promoters have established the tournament's credibility by bringing in the top junior heavyweight workers from around the world to compete against the very best Japan has to offer. Every year the tournament boasts an international field, as the premiere junior heavyweight workers from Mexico, the U.S., Canada and all over Europe come together and put on what are traditionally the very best wrestling matches of the year in a country that is wrestling crazy.

Unlike their counterparts in the WWF and WCW, New Japan promoters have long celebrated the talents of their junior heavyweight workers. This tournament is a symbol of that celebration. For fans of true, athletic based pro wrestling, this tournament is the Holy Grail. It is truly one of the very last bastions of pro wrestling in the world, unspoiled by the shock and titillating antics commonly used today by American promoters such as Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff.

Needless to say you won't find any stripper matches, cartoon-type gimmicks or hotshot angles in this tournament. What you will find is quality wrestling presented as hard fought athletic contests, a concept that is completely foreign to American promotions. You will find honour, and blood and sweat, and most of all tradition.

That tradition was built on the sweat and toil of Japanese wrestlers such as Shiro Koshinaka, El Samurai, Norio Honaga, Shinjiro Otani and current IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion Koji Kanemoto, pound for pound the best wrestler in the world today. It is a tradition built on the exemplary matches of Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and several other North American wrestlers.

Above all else, though, it is a tradition built on the hard work and unparalleled booking of the wrestler who best symbolizes this tournament and what it stands for; the wrestler who has come to be most identified with the Top of the Super Juniors Tournament, Jushin "Thunder" Liger.

The most influential junior heavyweight wrestler in Japan in the 90s, Jushin "Thunder" Liger has earned critical acclaim over the years for his booking of New Japan's junior heavyweight division. Liger has the uncanny ability to weave and braid several storylines over several matches involving his crew of wrestlers, making for some compelling wrestling.

The Top of the Super Juniors is his time to shine. Each year, he wields his magic and produces some of the most simplistic yet intriguing booking ideas in wrestling today. Fans who shake their heads at the hot shot story telling of the WWF and the complete idiocy of WCW's booking, would salivate at the opportunity to watch three weeks worth of matches that make sense, have a purpose and follow a logical progression.

Liger's booking of this tournament each year should be in a wrestling textbook and studied by aspiring bookers. Three of Liger's booking trademarks come to full fruition each year in this tournament, all of which, no doubt, would prove to be illuminating for Kevin Nash and WCW's gaggle of clueless bookers.

One, by staging matches that are so evenly contested, Liger has created a tournament where the fans believe anybody can beat anybody. Liger preaches that doing the job and putting some one over is honorable and good for business because it makes the entire roster more competitive. Two, Liger has created a number of new stars and elevated other wrestlers to the next level by giving them significant wins over established veterans of the tournament. Third, Liger is a selfless booker. He puts into practice the virtues he extols to his crew. Time and time again he has put people over and in the process has elevated workers to the next level.

Not since the revolutionary Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) changed the landscape of Japanese pro wrestling with his legendary series of matches in the early 80s with the Dynamite Kid, has a junior heavyweight wrestler had such an impact and influence on wrestling. Jushin "Thunder" Liger, through his work in this tournament as a wrestler and a booker, will no doubt go down in history as the greatest junior heavyweight wrestler Japan ever produced.

The Top of the Super Junior tournament has become New Japan's signature event and by raising the bar for of what passes as exciting and excellent wrestling, it has set the standard for years to come. All other promotions worldwide are simply playing catch up.

The Top of the Super Junior Tournament draws not only the best junior heavyweight wrestlers from across Japan but also from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. For three weeks, wrestling's elite set Japan on fire, competing before the most appreciative wrestling fans in the world.

Chris Benoit. Eddie Guerrero. Jushin 'Thunder' Liger. Dean Malenko. Negro Casas. Chris Jericho. Owen Hart.

These are just some of the wrestlers that have competed in the prestigious tournament over the past 13 years; wrestlers that helped establish it as the premiere showcase event for junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world. Behind the scenes stands the one man who is responsible for making the tournament such a critical success.

Jushin 'Thunder' Liger.

Multiple-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion, Liger doubles as the booker for New Japan's junior heavyweight division. It is a division that produces more quality matches each year than the WWF, WCW and ECW combined.

The Top of the Super Juniors is Liger's annual platform to display just how great he is at what he does. Liger's precision booking of this tournament has been superlative over the years to the point that it should be put in a wrestling textbook and studied by aspiring bookers.

His attention to detail in mapping out the tournament is awe-inspiring. Liger has shown he has the unique ability of booking it so that each match means something. He uses this important event to draw attention to up and coming stars and books it in such a way that he can elevate someone in the mid-card to the upper tier of the division.

Like he did one year when he had then-mid carder Kendo Ka Shin go over division top dog Koji Kanemoto. The tournament win by Ka Shin instantly elevated him to super star status, breathed new life into the division and provided New Japan with more depth at the top of their division.

Liger's booking of this tournament reads like a story. Each match acts as a chapter, leading into the following chapter, coming together to comprise one master novel. Each match means something in this tournament. Liger uses each match to move from point A to point B in the storyline, making for one of the most simple, yet at the same time, compelling jobs of storytelling in all of wrestling.

The Top of the Super Juniors tournament was born in 1988. While Big Van Vader was tearing up New Japan rings feuding with Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu, the junior heavyweight took centre stage for one month between January 4th and February 7th. Twelve of the best junior heavyweights in wrestling competed in a single-division, round robin tournament. That initial field consisted of Japanese upstarts Hiro Hase and Nobuhiko Takada, Europe's Tony St Clair, Canada's own Owen Hart and Keiichi Yamada, a Japanese sensation that went on to greater fame under a mask as Jushin 'Thunder' Liger. In the final, Shiro Koshinaka beat Hase to become the first champion.

The tournament was a smashing success, in large part due to its international complexion. The presence of Hart and St. Clair, both regarded as the best junior heavyweights from their part of the world at the time, gave the tournament instant credibility and made the Japanese wrestling community take notice.

After a two year hiatus, the tournament returned in April of 1991, this time drawing not only the best junior heavyweight s from Japan, Europe and Canada, but also Mexico and the U.S. The U.K.'s David 'Fit' Finley, Mexico's Negro Casas and Too Cold Scorpio made that year's tournament a truly melting pot of international wrestling.

The '91 tournament was an amalgamation of foreign wrestling culture and styles, bringing together the high flying speed of Japanese Puroresu, the grace and beauty of Lucha Libre, the hard-hitting stiffness of English and Canadian wrestling, and the flash and showmanship of American grappling.

This tournament was also the first for former World Champion, Chris Benoit, a regular with New Japan at the time wrestling under the name Pegasus Kid. Just before the tournament, Liger vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, putting it up for grabs to the winner of the tournament. In a bit of a surprise, Norio Honaga upended Liger in the finals to win the tournament and the title.

The following year, the presence of Eddie Guerrero and Koji Kanemoto gave the tournament an infusion of excitement. Fans were treated to a series of incredible matches between Liger, Benoit, Casas, Guerrero and Too Cold Scorpio. Liger claimed his first of two tournament championships defeating El Samurai in a memorable match.

The 1993 tournament started out with tremendous hope and promise. New talent in the form of Dean Malenko, The Lightning Kid and Japanese youngster Shinjiro Ohtani made this a highly anticipated event.

Things took a drastic turn for the worse, however, when Liger broke his ankle during a match with Too Cold Scorpio, forcing his early exit from the tournament. Plagued by the withdrawal of one of the wrestlers who made the tournament so special, the rest of the group pressed on as Benoit became the first non-Japanese to win the tournament, defeating El Samurai in the finals.

A year later Liger was back and determined to put his stamp back on the tournament. Super Delfin and Taka Michinoku from the Michinoku Pro Wrestling office were invited to this tournament and Eddie Guerrero donned a mask as Black Tiger, reprising a character from New Japan in the '80s made famous by Mark Rocco.

The '94 tournament stands as a testament to the ingeniousness of Liger's booking acumen. The top nine finishers in the eleven man single division were separated by no fewer than six points, displaying Liger's incredible ability to make virtually everybody in the tournament look strong and make each match mean something.

In the end, Liger became the first man to win two tournament championships defeating Delfin in the finals.

The 1995 tournament welcomed newcomers Alex Wright and Brian Pillman from WCW and Gran Hamada from Michinoku Pro Wrestling. This was also the first tournament that Liger did not participate in. Miraculously, his absence was barely missed as Benoit, Malenko, Black Tiger, Kanemoto and Ohtani put on a wrestling clinic for the Japanese faithful. Benoit became only the second man ever to win two tournament championships, defeating Ohtani in the finals.

The tournament was especially sweet for Benoit, Malenko and Guerrero. Arn Anderson and Ric Flair were both on tour with New Japan at the time and were impressed with their work. So much so that Anderson, involved in the booking of WCW at the time, convinced Kevin Sullivan and Eric Bischoff to make it their top priority to sign the threesome to WCW contracts that coming Fall. In many ways, the Top of the Super Juniors tournament opened the door for Benoit, Malenko and Guerrero to make their presence felt on a national level with WCW.

In 1996 the tournament changed to a two division format with the top two finishers in each division advancing to the semi-finals. Newcomers this year included Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Germany's Franz Schumann, Mexico's Emilio Charles Jr and Villano IV and WCW's Mr. JL (Jerry Lynn).

Eddie Guerrero scored the biggest win of his career in Japan defeating Liger in the finals.

Another year, another format change. The 1997 tournament saw the winner of each division meet in the finals. Liger imported Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean, two of England's best wrestlers, Scorpio Jr and Dr Wagner Jr from Mexico's EMLL office and Chavo Guerrero Jr and Chris Jericho from WCW to be a part of the tournament. El Samurai fought off the challenge of Jericho, Ohtani and current ECW star Yoshihiro Tajiri to win his division and beat Koji Kanemoto in one of the best matches in tournament history.

The 1998 tournament saw more newcomers. Michinoku Pro star Shiryu (WCW's Kaz Hayashi), Kendo Ka Shin, EMLL's Felino and Yuji Yasuraoka from Genichiro Tenryu's WAR outfit made their tournament debuts. It was a highly competitive tournament as Koji Kanemoto finally got the monkey off his back, defeating Dr Wagner Jr in the finals. The tournament not only solidified Kanemoto's standing in the Japanese wrestling hierarchy, but it also elevated Wagner into one of the top spots in the highly competitive junior heavyweight division. Once again, Liger proved his worth in gold as the leading the booker in the business.

In 1999, Liger used the tournament as an opportunity to elevate Kendo Ka Shin by having him defeat Kanemoto in the finals. Three months later Ka Shin was on top of the division as he defeated Kanemoto for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, cementing his position among Japan's top junior heavyweights.

TOP OF THE SUPER JR. WINNERS
1988: Shiro Koshinaka
1989-1990: No tournament was held
1991: Norio Honaga
1992: Jushin Liger
1993: Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit)
1994: Jushin Liger
1995: Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit)
1996: Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero)
1997: El Samurai
1998: Koji Kanemoto
1999: Kendo Ka Shin

2000: Tatsuhito Takaiwa

2001: Jushin Liger

2002: Koji Kanemoto

2003: Masahito Kakihara

2004: Tiger Mask IV

2005: Tiger Mask IV

2006: Minoru

2007: Milano Collection AT

2008: Wataru Inoue

Y2J Returns

At Wrestlemania 18, Chris Jericho lost the Undisputed Title to HHH. Afterward, he was sent back into the midcard. He kept busy with his talk show, the Highlight Reel, and winning the Tag Team Title with Christian, as well as winning the Intercontinental Title a couple more times. He was at his peak, many would say, though he was stuck in purgatory. With HHH on top, there was no room for Jericho in the main event scene. His career seemed quite pointless. By 2005, he appeared to be going through the motions. He had turned face and chopped off much of his hair. He was putting over less talented wrestlers, while the main event was filled with people like HHH, Batista, John Cena and so on. He seemed to be turning heel, in his short feud with Cena, but it didn't seem to take. He lost his title match and disappeared. It was a very unceremonious ending to a great career.

In late 2007, the rumours began. Word was that Y2J was coming back. It was telegraphed long before the actual return, making it seem a little lackluster. Immediately, I wanted him to turn heel and win the title back. These things were unrealistic, but it's what I wanted. But, in truth, I was just glad to see him back in the ring. So many had died. Just in the time that he had been away, Eddy Guerrero, Mike Awesome, Bam Bam Bigelow, John Kronus and Chris Benoit had all died, among others. The curse of ECW was claiming victims, left and right. I made many assumptions upon Jericho's return. I figured that he would come in and be jobbed out to everyone in the locker room. Naturally, I thought he was just back to promote his book and lay on his back a few times. Within a few months, I thought, he'd be long gone. A year from now, most fans would have already forgotten that he ever returned. Still, I didn't care. With so many dead, I was just relieved to see him in the ring again, healthy and alive. I wanted a lot for his return, but expected nothing.

In the time that he has been back, he has already headlined a PPV in the main event, for the WWE Title. Of course, he was screwed out of that, but it led to another feud, so the booking made sense. Well, now, he is an 8-time Intercontinental Champion, breaking his own record. It's not what I wanted, but it is more than I expected. It's a pleasant surprise to see him back and doing well. Hopefully, things only go up from here.

Aesthetics of Wrestling

Much discussion has gone on regarding wrestling attire and so on, but what about the surroundings? For example, I remember when ECW switched from the dark blue ring to the very light, sky blue ring that had a nauseating effect. Nothing felt the same, even when something cool was going on. I also liked the dark gray rings used by WCW in the late 90s. When it comes to ring ropes, I prefer black. Actually, I don't even like the WWF ropes. I prefer the cables used by ECW and WCW.

Also, the lighting has a way of adding to, or taking away from, the atmosphere. Personally, I miss the 80s. I liked it when the house light were dimmed and the main focus was on the ring. I'd rather the crowd just be a dark background, instead of seeing people acting like idiots and so on.

Just some random thoughts.

The Death of Territories: Why Pro Wrestling Is Doomed

When I was growing up, there were several wrestling promotions that had TV time, throughout the country. Granted, as a child of the 80s, the territories were dying out already, but they still had some impact. WWF was growing larger and larger, but we wrestling fans could still watch the various NWA programs. If you had ESPN, you could also see AWA. Then there was UWF, PNW and even USWA. Generally, the way things worked was that the larger companies would scout talent in the various territories and pick up the top stars to bring in to their organization. So, these wrestlers that they brought in were already somewhat established. Whether they had worked Portland for a couple years or even passed through Stampede, up in Calgary, they had honed their craft and done something that had gotten them noticed. This continued on with ECW, which was really like the last great territory. These days, who does WWE or TNA bring in? Well, for the most part, WWE brings in talentless, cookie-cutter guys that have done nothing. Most of them are in their early 20s, at best, and haven't paid their dues. It's no wonder that they get on TV and bore the hell out of everyone. The thing is, they're unpolished and have no business being in televised matches and having their own gimmicks. If anything, they should be doing jobber matches on TV. I hated the Hardys, but at least they got squashed, week in and week out, for a few years before they were given characters and pushed like hell.

Look at someone like John Cena. People like to compare him to Hogan, in an attempt to justify this lame character. However, Hogan was red hot in AWA before Vince Jr. brought him in and Hulkamania got underway. Hogan had wrestled in various territories, and even in New Japan, and was ready for the spotlight when he was put in the main event. Cena, on the other hand, was brought up through WWF's pathetic developmental system. He was right out of training, practically, when he got called up. He paid no dues. He was still in diapers, more or less. He got a ridiculous gimmick that managed to get over because most of the American population are into the thugged-out Jerry Springer anti-culture that this country is known for. Then, they push this bastard to the moon and force-feed him because, whether the guy is worth a damn or not, they need their next big star. The problem is, guys like Hogan, Hart and Austin, who had all worked their way up the ladder over many years and were ready for that spot... this type was gone. In its place was the manufactured superstar, who was simply forced down the throats of the fans. The got lucky with Rock, though he was a big failure as the Blue Chipper.

At this point, the business is being carried by the few vets left and will soon die once left to the hands of these inexperienced rookies, getting to main event Wrestlemania in their third year as a wrestler. It's pathetic. Another large part of the problem has been the booking since 2002. Around this time, they were losing Rock, Austin and Foley. Instead of truly giving the ball to Jericho, RVD or even Goldberg and Booker T, they buried them to keep pushing HHH during his Reign of Terror. Anyone that doesn't think RVD and Jericho were over enough to carry the company are either clueless or in denial. They were white hot. Then they were fed to HHH. So, once their heat was killed, who was next? Green rookies like Cena, Batista and Orton. This, of course, alienated the remaining fans from the so-called attitude era and ushered in the Green Age; the years of forcing unpolished jobbers down our throats as main eventers.

Wrestling Magazines

I was looking through the magazines, at Wal-Mart, and it seems so pathetic that all there was for wrestling mags was WWE and the PWI 500. In the late 80s/early 90s, I used to go to the grocery store and there were tons of wrestling magazines to choose from. I'd stand there and read several and then buy all the ones I didn't read in the store. Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, Sports Review Wrestling, Wrestling Superstars, Inside Wrestling, WWF Magazine, WCW Magazine, Wrestling World, Wrestling All-Stars and several more that I can't remember. Where the hell did they all go? Now, I'm lucky if I even see the lame ass WWE magazine on the rack.

Did the internet kill them off or was it the death of kayfabe that made them less popular?