Big Van Vader vs. Keiji Muto

[10.0] "Knowing this is before the time of Vader in WWF's New Generation Era, what a great work I've seen here of him, it's not easy to work with Super Heavyweights like him, but seriously this one was so great and too bad I didn't find a better quality match. 10/10 [*****]"

[8.0] "[4.0*] That was really good and the crowd was explosive all the time in the match. Vader and muto brought a classic here. I think if I've seen another tape of the match I'll rate higher ofc. But based of what I've seen.. that was absolutely amazing. Really good stuff here."

[10.0] "If you want your top star to look amazing, put him against Big Van Vader. He will beat the absolute dog snot out of him so that when his hope spots come the crowd will bite hard. This whole thing is on a fan cam, so it's like watching WorldStar. Muto is basically trying to survive Vader's onslaught, and the only way he can get the best of the mastodon is when Vader starts gloating "WHO'S THE MAN! ? " and Muto fights back. I'll always remember Muto's Razzle Dazzle getting countered into the German Suplex, that lives rent free in my head. Oh yeah and the crowd was on goddamn fire for this too. Five Stars out of Five."

[10.0] "It's too bad that there isn't better footage of this match, but it's still so much fun to watch. The drama and the near falls are great. This was a simple match structure of David vs Goliath which will always produce a great match if executed properly and boy was it executed to perfection. This was one of the best matches in the career of either competitor. Vader coming over to shake Mutoh's hand and raise his arm after the match was a great touch. Very cool."

[8.0] "That is one hot crowd, possibly one of the most frenzied I've ever heard. A classic pro wrestling story really - Vader throwing everything at Muto quickly and hard. Not a five star match in my opinion, but one I'm glad I've seen. Fun."

[8.0] "Muto moves faster than a cockroach like something out of a videogame, and Vader is as masterful at wrestling psychology as ever. Can't go wrong!"

[8.0] "Energetic young muto vs imposing giant Vader. Muto is insanely fast. Didn't write more on it because he match hooked me and it was amazing"

[10.0] "The crowd was really into this and rightfully so. The match they had was relatively simple but my favourite matches tend to be ones where every move has the opportunity to switch the momentum at anytime. It's not about what you can do but how you do it, and that's exhibited here. The flashiest thing other than the ending was Vader catching Mutoh and throwing him on the base of his neck. And speaking of the ending it was done expertly with Mutoh getting caught but then reversing his reversal into a small package, virtually stealing the win. Vader really was one of the best "Final Boss" types of all time because that role was natural, and Mutoh is one of the best babyfaces ever because you just knew that no matter what, he would do what he could to hang on even if it meant getting punched square in the jaw by one of the notoriously stiffest wrestlers. Love this one."

[6.0] "I think this match is worth watching because of its historical importance. The work itself was decent, even pretty good but not great. I like though how the match was structured, with vader dominating young muto here. The crowd was hot for this and especially for the finish. *** 1/2"

[8.0] "Archetypal story and it works well. Vader monsters Muto, Muto flies around and refuses to give in. Vader - precisely because he is a mobile big guy - is very good at this, because he can keep up, and Muto has this explosive physical energy as he recovers or as he charges around that just sells the dynamic. This doesn't actually escalate as much as I expected - in 1991 these guys could, I think, have spun this up just a little more - and the decision for Muto to switch to (engaging) flash pins intentionally damps things down, presumably really to protect Vader. It's still very, very good. 4.5/"

[9.0] "(****3/4) This was a solid match, it also played a story, everyone thought Big Van Vader would win and dominate the G1, but he full-on dominated this match, everyone thought Mutoh had no chance against Vader. A great match but it doesn't scream 5 stars to me, what's cool is the fans threw pillows in the middle of the ring (showing respect for the match). good match but it's not a 5-star worthy match."

[7.0] "The match is good, but not enough to give him a score above 7, even though wrestling was much more boring in the early 90s. There was nothing too difficult in this match, but the way the opponents got used to the roles of David and Goliath made me watch this match."

[8.0] "Good booking. A domination of Vader over Muto which varies his moves, perfect for discovering Vader. An audience giving voice was really cool. (4*1/4)"

[9.0] "There's not many things better than seeing Vader dominance and this was another example of that. Vader kicks Muto's ass for a lot of this match, with Muto selling his ass off for a lot of this match. All of Vader's strike based offense in this looked even more brutal, than Vader explosive power moves. All of Muto's offense in this was really exciting, well-timed and had the crowd on its feet. Just wanted to make note that Vader's German suplex counter after catching Muto's handspring when he went for it the 2nd time looked amazing. The finish was perfect for the kind of match they had just wrestled, with Muto looking to hit a crossbody, but Vader caught and looked to hit a power slam but instead Muto caught him off guard with a roll-up to win.****1/2"

[8.0] "This it's that kind of matches that didn't age well. I mean, it was really basic. I know that this is anyway a David vs Goliath match but they didn't do anything especial here. This is still a good bout but it's far to be the 5* classic it was in 1991. ***3/4"

[10.0] "What a shame that there isn't better footage available of this match, because it really is excellent. Vader looks like an absolute beast, savaging Muto with wicked looking strikes and impactful slams (his powerbomb looked especially devastating). Muto's comeback attempts are all well timed and exciting, and the nearfalls are extremely well done and very convincing. It's very easy to lose yourself in the moment, and the great atmosphere only further enhances this quality as the crowd are clearly eager to see if Muto can find a way to claim victory against the giant. The template for an exciting and convincing David vs Goliath matchup."

[9.0] "The good old David and Goliath formula applied very well here, Vader and Muto in their primes and delivering the best match of their careers and the first G1 Climax classic (****1/2)"

[8.0] "my rate is 7 for this match, but u guys say it its below average, but that is what i think the match deserve, a good match ( for me, 7 is a good match, and 8 is very good), between two great wrestlers in the 90s"

[10.0] "Who doesn't love a classic David vs Goliath match? Especially with talent like this. It was a simple story executed perfectly, with Vader as the nasty monster gaijin who loved to beat people up, and Muto with his fighting spirit not allowing him to quit, and with his wit allowing him to find ways to bring the big man down. Hard-hitting, brutal action at a great pace and featuring two men with a lot of chemistry together, it was beautiful to watch."

[10.0] "A hard hitting, brutal match, my first introduction to the NJPW style could not have come from a better match, by the end of it i found myself in awe at how invested i was."

[9.0] "This was a nonstop action packed match that told the classic David vs. Goliath story. Really, if not for just a little bit of a sloppy sequence I might have given this 5 stars too, but this is still a classic must-see match. ****3/4"

[9.0] "The blueprint for all the classic David vs Goliath bouts for years to come. Such a plain simple but ridiculously effective story told. Vader gave Mutoh one heck of a beatdown if I've ever seen one, but Mutoh just never knew when to give, coming back with new ways to take down this monster. And when he eventually did, the whole place exploded, literally. It's like a literal *violent storm* just hit Kokugikan. If this had gone on for another five minutes or more, I can easily call it a five-stars classic without any hesitation. As it is, it's still a phenomenal match worth viewing on its own. [****1/2]"

[10.0] "Incredible match. The size advantage of Vader is hammered home every time he gets offense in, and it establishes Muto's "fighting spirit." There're some excellent spots in and out of the ring, and the careful construction of pace and escalation builds some incredible suspense. Vader's pinning predicaments are honestly shocking, and every escape by Muto is a huge deal. The finish manages to be both shocking and believable, which pops the crowd like crazy."

[9.0] "Big vs Small. Monster Heel vs Beloved babyface. Classic match structure but it? s certainly one that defines it. Muto can get a ton of stick for having a ton of downtime but there was little here. Loved the frantic pace the match went on. The action was stiff with Vader laying in nasty shots and Muto retaliating with a few of his own. Vader hitting a german after catching the Handspring elbow was an awesome spot. The nearfalls were amazing. The crowd heat added to it as well. ****1/2"

[9.0] "The match is really slow for the first few minutes with exception to both men getting a flurry of strikes to each other. Vader's attacks are pretty cool since he is really stiff. Stuff like his clotheslines are really brutal and awesome. I like how Muto gets in quick kicks that knock Vader off his feet sending him to the outside on more than one occasion. The match was pretty even with each time Vader getting the upper hand, Muto would return the attack. The crowd got really into it when Muto hit some moves on the outside like a plancha and his back handspring elbow. The crowd was going crazy for Muto and were booing Vader. The crowd was great with each nearfall which were pretty great. The two had some good counters that kept me invested near the end. When Muto countered a slam into a cradle for the win the crowd went wild and it was awesome. I really liked the crowd throwing pillows. Overall the match was really great."

[9.0] "One of my favorite Vader matches and one of Mutoh's best matches too. A story told as old as time with Mutoh looking to take down the collosal Vader in a classic "David vs Goliath" match up. Vader pounds the hell out of Mutoh for a lot of this match which made all the Mutoh comebacks that much more special. The crowd was on fire for Mutoh to win, and it certainly was a great upset to see Mutoh get the roll up on Vader for the win, ****1/2."

[10.0] "My new favorite match of 1991, Vader lays an absolutely spectacular beating on Mutoh, but he keeps coming back and has his own array of incredible offense to throw back. Neither man wants to go down and the tension builds until the crowd is basically screaming nonstop. The post match scene is truly amazing, as the fans litter the ring with seat cushions thrown in absolutely mind losing excitement. Amazing, amazing match."

[9.0] "Vader is tremendous as always beating the taste out of his opponent & Mutoh is absolutely awesome with his punches and overall offense. Great fiery babyface performance by the man. ****"

[7.0] "Very good match with a special aura. Muto was the fan favourite as he went up against the gaijin monster of Vader, who spent time parading around the arena during his entrance to show just how threatening he was and how excited he was to get in and destroy Muto. Vader's performance was a bit mixed. His strikes were nice and stiff, and he beat Muto down multiple times with them. His power moves and body-based moves such as his splashes looked quite weak however, probably because was a bit tired by those points in the match. Muto sold all of Vader's offence really well, at least. Muto himself put on a very good performance as he had to rely on his agility and quick-thinking to avoid and counter Vader's moves, though not always successful. The match story was of Muto's resilience and undying hope, as he took a lot of Vader's offence but managed to survive each pin-fall that followed and constantly managed to stage his own convincing comebacks. He never really gained full control of the match, which made his surprise roll-up pin victory all the more exciting. It was even better because it came after Vader countered Muto's attempted cross-body from the top rope, so it looked like it would just be another instance of Vader halting a comeback of Muto's, but instead Muto countered Vader's counter which led to Muto's win. The crowd went absolutely crazy to see Muto best the monster of Vader. That crowd energy really made this match feel special. ***3/4"

[9.0] "Amazing match which may or may not be the best in either mans career. I can't really complain about the video quality, its better then some other fancam only matches but I really would have loved to see this bout shot by a professional camera. That being said it didn't take anything away from the match. The fans were hyped for just about everything in this match. There are several near falls that made me believe the match was over before the kickout. Muto does a good job out maneuvering the bigger man but gets caught in several of Vaders biggest attacks. The finish is marvelous, and its obvious the fans loved it. The image of them throwing pillows into the ring post-match is chilling. **** 3/4"

[9.0] "Damn great match here. One if Muto's best. He was full of fire here with his babyface performance. Vader bumped around for him while playing the monster role too. The nearfalls were great because of the high drama throughout the match. (****1/4)"

[9.0] "Great match! Shame it wasn't recorded properly but glad fancam exists. Great drama throughout the match with great nearfalls. Probably the prototype of what would be the matches that Vader would have with Sting. Go watch this. ****1/2"