10 Best Ever Wrestling Tournaments
2. NJPW Super J Cup 1994
WCW may have popularised the lighter weight classes in America, but Japan’s Junior Heavyweights will killing it long beforehand. The Super J Cup was devised as a means of finding out who the best Junior Heavyweight on the planet was, and in 1994, NJPW gathered 14 wrestlers from six different promotions to finally answer the question.
The talent pool was astounding. Featuring the likes of Jushin Thunder Liger, Eddie Guerrero, Chris “Wild Pegasus” Benoit, and the Great Sasuke, it was one of the most talented groups of wrestlers ever assembled. The booking was sublime, too: almost everyone emerged from the tournament stronger than before it had started, with Gedo, Sasuke, and Wild Pegasus (the eventual winner) looking particularly excellent.
The finals produced one of the most revered JHW matches of all time. Pegasus and Sasuke’s epic conclusion earned the full five stars from Dave Meltzer, and they worked an astoundingly fast-paced match with a great balance between grounded chain wrestling and high-flying action. The crowd lapped it up, and it was the perfect conclusion to a thrilling tournament.
Benoit eventually pinned Sasuke (who’d defeated the legendary Liger en route to the finals) to take the tournament, and firmly cement his greatness in Japan. He’d soon return to the United States with ECW, before transitioning to WCW in 1995, and making his way to WWE five years later. Of all the great matches he had in his career, this might just be the best.