#6

Jushin Thunder Liger vs Satoru Sayama-NJPW 1.5.1994.

An exhibition match with a ten minute limit-you know how those end. Glimpses of this were really great (Liger's Abisengiri, the slap-punch exchange and Sayama avoiding a shoulder block by just walking away) but it looked like they were too tentative to create something that would be more than merely good. It was completely devoid of conventional drama and had almost no highspots so I can't see traditionalists liking it much. I was curious how Liger would do in a strange environment like this, the grappling was fine but Sayama reacting to Liger's wacky takedowns made the match for me. The drama present here was based on whether a takedown would work or not which was solidly designed and executed and kept me entertained. ***