El Samurai vs. Koji Kanemoto

[9.0] "Kanemoto was an abject killer here, his assaults on Samurai are some of the best stretches of offence I have ever seen. Samurai is great from below and while his offence is comparatively weak, his selling is brilliant in this match. El Samurai gets the win with a sickening lifted reverse DDT and this is a must watch, a truly brilliant match."

[10.0] "Probably one of the best Junior Heavyweight matches of all time, It surprised me because started more slow looking for the submit, tap out. But it got better without me realizing, El Samurai gets his mask ripped off, but kept going and Kanemoto was amazing as heel job was great, but if there's something I felt was that they both did a great job, but the part of Kanemoto completely took over, even though Samurai was great, in the end I think It was a great match, totally crazy how someone lost the mask and continues. 10/10 [*****]"

[10.0] "(4.75*) I can understand people's rating on this match, but I think this is one of the best Junior Heavyweight matches of all time, its nearly been 30 years since this match happened and I still find it a classic. Kanemoto's heat in this match was insane, Samurais comebacks were great, truly a 90s match."

[9.0] "El Samurai is always someone I consider the best wrestler I dont like, and while I do think this match is build around Kanemotos 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 cant deny the fact that what came after was so explosively entertaining that I didnt 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 thats got a major reputation and for good reason. Watch out for the brutal neck bumps, hot crowd and terrific bomb heavy performances. ****1/2"

[7.0] "A good match that really heats up at the end, but on the lower end of the spectrum as far as Meltzer 5*-rated matches, in my opinion. A good match that really heats up at the end, but on the lower end of the spectrum as far as Meltzer 5*-rated matches, in my opinion."

[7.0] "While not a bad match, I am slightly baffled by the high rating. The match didnt really seem to get going until the last 5-10 minutes. The first half was so slow that I was wondering if I put on the wrong match. But the last final 5-10 minutes were good enough to still make me consider it a decent match, especially with the top rope poisonrana spot."

"While I was enjoying the match at first, I could not understand the reason for its high rating until the closing stretch. To put it simply, the intensity became breathtaking. Featuring a blend of drama, suspense, and impactful moments, this match left me astonished multiple times as these two executed a sequence of brutal-looking moves. They executed the ending beautifully, which I'd argue is the most important part of any longer match. This is an 8/10 for me; I definitely recommend watching it!"

[9.0] "This was surprisingly stiff. I assumed this was classic juniors 90s NJPW but these guys were fucking nailing each other.. every hit looked legit and probably was. When Koji came out of the Tree of Woe with an ankle lock, I cringed. BRO A POSIONRANA FROM 1997? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! AAAAAAAAA. This match was phenomenal. Koji was a fuck. They both beat the fuck out of each other. I marked out about 15 times."

[10.0] "Genuinely an underrated match, watched it after a couple of years and while I had remembered a couple of memorable spots such as Samurai getting his mask ripped, I didn't remember it for much else. However, after rewatching it, I can say with full confidence this is one of the greats junior bouts of all time and certainly one of my favorites. This match has everything you can ask for, a babyface performance for ages, heavy strikes, big dives and risky moves, memorable moments, and most importantly a cohesive and sensical story you can grab onto that carries you through the match ans lets the viewer lose themselves in it. Certified Classic 10/10"

"Watched this match for the first time in years and I don't know why I don't recall it as one of the great junior classics of the 90s. Incredible match and brutal finishing sequence, an all time classic."

[10.0] "This match is NUTS! 24 years later and this still blows me away. Koji Kanemoto and El Samurai permanently raised the bar for Junior Heavyweight wrestling in this one and set a standard that few matches have been able to reach in the decades that have followed. Going a step further, but you could put this exact match on a card in 2021 without changing a single thing about it. That? s how far ahead of its time this legendary encounter was. Kanemoto orchestrated a technical masterpiece mixed with all the right ingredients to enter all-time territory. El Samurai was the perfect opponent, combining the love of the crowd with his elite high-flying and underrated power. Throw in the brutally stiff strikes and the raw emotion that they built in masterful form. Easily 5 stars and a standard bearer for Junior Heavyweight wrestling. 10 out of 10."

[9.0] "The matwork in the opening minutes is really cool, and for the most part this is a perfect pro wrestling match with Kanemoto being huge prick that does a masterful job of working on the leg of Samurai who is just so awesome as the face in peril that has to find openings to get on offence despite of his bum leg. Unfortunately, in the closing stages of this match they throw away everything they built before with Samurai completely no selling all the legwork and start throwing bombs until the finish. A flawed match, but still a classic. Highly Recommended"

[9.0] "What a beautiful match, I've already seen a comment comparing Kanemoto's attitude in this match with Naito and I 100% agree with that, Kanemoto is as arrogant as he can be, and the entire crowd is behind El Samurai. In this match, Samurai's selling is horrible but that doesn't take away the quality of the storytelling with Kanemoto having, for the most part, control of the match and having multiple opportunities of winning the match, he even rips his opponent's mask as an ultimate sign of disrespect, but, wanting to prove he's superior, he gets trapped by his own arrogance and Samurai regains the advantage. Liger being the spectator of the match is great as El Samurai is Liger's student, that adds to the storytelling. Overall, this is one hell of an entertaining match that I highly recommend. ****3/4"

[6.0] "I know my rating is low, at least compared to almost everyone else's rating, and I was surprised that I wasn't that impressed with this match. I thought it was great when I saw it back in 1997, but in 2019 it just doesn't seem that special and I'm not sure why. I did find it amusing to see such a highly revered match feature a reverse top rope hurricanrana get sold for less than a minute before the guy who took the move was back on offence. If that had happened today, you'd have people crying that the guy didn't know how to work, and they would be pining for the good old days."

[10.0] "For some reason, Koji Kanemoto in this match reminded me of Tetsuya Naito's attitude during his clash against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Kanemoto had the match won multiple times, yet he kept going back to moves like the Tiger Suplex or to the top rope to rub it in the face of those who previously doubted him as Tiger Mask III. I remember the specific moment from Okada/Naito where El Ingobernable heads to the top to try and hit his old Stardust Press and fails. El Samurai was a great foil for Kanemoto here, having moved up in the tournament to the main spot while still under Jushin Thunder Liger's tutelage. Liger as a spectator was tremendous, especially when Kanemoto ripped off the mask of El Samurai in a mocking gesture towards the heritage of lucha libre. The match picked up from there tenfold in terms of emotion, with Kanemoto as a dangerous assassin and Samurai as a man convinced that his training alongside the great Liger and the support of the fans will get him through. This was a match where the moves actively bled into the story. Kanemoto's frequent taunting that saw him head for the top rope time and time again leads into Samurai turning the favor around on him. Samurai smashes Kanemoto with two powerbombs into a cross arm breaker to insult the MMA tactics Kanemoto picked up after losing his mask to Liger three years prior. This was a cutting-edge story about pride. An added bonus is seeing both Chris Jericho and Chavo Guerrero Jr. on the outside taking in the action alongside Japenese greats like Liger and Shinjiro Otani. *****"

[10.0] "A classic BOSJ finals match, and one of the best Junior Heavyweight matches of the 90s. Kanemoto was full on dick mode in this match as he spent most of this match trying to destroy El Samurai's leg, and even went as far as to try and rip his mask off. Samurai made a great comeback (albeit by no selling the leg work) as he took the fight to Kanemoto with just as many strikes and crazy high spots. The finish is a bit sloppy on Samurai's end, but still a memorable sight as Samurai destroys Kanemoto while being completely mask-less, ****3/4."

[9.0] "Started off nice and slow and it built and built and built to an awesome last few minutes with some amazing top rope moves such as the reverse frankensteiner and powerslam with a general "I'm going to outdo you no matter what" type of attitude. I can't say there was a whole lot to remember in the first half but the character work was clear as day, that was good. As the final for the BotSJ, this was great and it definitely still holds up to today's standards. (****1/2)"

[8.0] "So this was a good match. Really good, in fact. But I don't see it as the masterpiece that so many others do. There were some awesome spots sure but there were also some really sloppy moments. Good stuff, but not great."

[9.0] "Excellent! First half of this 24-minute or so bout is a bit on the "boring" side, at least in terms of hot action. A lot is set up in this time--Koji works Samurai's leg a ton (which is sold fantastically, by the way). Lots of stiff kicks, etc. But the last half this match just takes off. Of note are Koji's SICK reverse rana from the top rope (nearly kills Samurai), the spamming of power moves but refusal to cover by Koji, and then the wonderful face comeback ending by Samurai, highlighted by the last 3 moves of the match, done in succession, to secure the win. Highlight reel sorta stuff. Great match. ****1/2."

[8.0] "Really awesome match. Kanemoto is a great heel, unleashing some really stiff kicks, viciously working over Samurai’s leg, not following the ref’s orders, and completely ripping off Samurai’s mask. Samurai is a good face, selling his leg damage well (at least until near the end of the match) and really doing a good job of portraying a face in peril. The extra slaps and head kicks thrown in throughout this match really helped in showing the hatred between these two. Kanemoto is really arrogant the whole match, even refusing to go for the pin at one point in order to inflict more pain onto Samurai, but after doing so and finally going for the pin Samurai manages to kick out, which was a great moment. Kanemoto pulls off a sick looking poisoned reverse frankensteiner from the top rope at one point and I was certain that Samurai was dead. Following this: Samurai gets his knees up to counter Kanemoto’s moonsault and then he begins his exciting babyface comeback. The issue is that he’s so keen to deliver some big moves to get the audience all excited that he stops selling his leg damage as much as he had been, which is a shame. I still enjoyed this comeback, however. It was great seeing Samurai eventually overcome the odds to beat the cocky Kanemoto. Definitely a well executed story-driven match. ***3/4"

[10.0] "Seriously, this is one of my favorite matches of all time. Kanemoto being a dick with Samurai and Samurai getting the face reaction from the public. A really great match that i will recommend."

[10.0] "This was awesome! Koji was just an amazing heel here and just dominated most of this which I did enjoy as well. Samurai played the underdog pretty well and got the crowd support as well. Samurai sold the leg work done by Kanemoto extremely well and I appreciated that and Kanemoto was amazing in attacking the leg and the submission predicaments were just awesome and created a lot of drama as well. The finishing sequence was just incredible as well and Kanemoto got a lot of heel heat to boost as well as he tore apart the mask of El Samurai. Just an incredible match and one I recommend checking out and this IMO is borderline 5 stars. (****3/4)"

[10.0] "This match was crazy good. And probaly the best Best Of Super Juniors final ever. Kanemoto proved here why he's such an underrated wrestler. And the finishing stretch was amazing as well. *****"

[10.0] "What a stupendous match, the first 80% is brilliantly constructed with Kanemoto viciously going after Samurai's injured knee, and Samurai scraping together all sorts of innovative and incredible offense to fight him off. The match lost a little credibility at the very end Samurai stopped selling the knee at times, but I think you can put that down to a combination of rage and adrenaline because once Kanemoto starts ripping the mask apart, it's like Samurai transforms into another wrestler. If they had stuck with the leg angle a little better at the end this might be my #1 match for 97, but even with that I think it deserves a 10 because it is absolutely fantastic."

[7.0] "Reasonably good match, exciting closing sequence but the early stages aren't too interesting and Samurai just blows off all of kanemoto's leg work without selling it."

[10.0] "WOW! Talk about an INSANE f*ckin match! Both men pull out all the stops and pull out more amazing moves than I can think of. Do not blink. Match features the greatest reverse top-rope frankensteiner I've ever witnessed and simply put is one of the best bouts of 1997."

[8.0] "Tremendous stiffness, story and heel behaviour by Kanemoto - this are the main strengths of this match. Unfortunately, the ending is garbage - Samurai decides randomly to completely no-sell the previous damage John Cena-style. 2/3 of this match are 5 stars worthy, but the ending left a bitter taste in my mouth."

[10.0] "My favorite BOSJ match ever. the final-stretch was just perfect."