10 Most Prestigious Wrestling Tournaments Of All Time
2. The Super J Cup 1994 (NJPW)
Though it isnt hosted regularly like the other entries on this list, the Super J Cup has been one of the most popular and exciting of wrestling tournaments. The 1994 Super J Cup, hosted by New Japan Pro Wrestling was, according to Dave Meltzer, the single greatest night of professional wrestling ever. It featured some of the best technical wrestlers of the dat, many of whom have since become legendary in the sport of pro wrestling. You had wrestlers like Black Tiger II (Eddie Guerrero), Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit), Jushin Thunder Liger, Hayabusa, and Dean Malenko, just to name a few. The matches were simply outstanding, and this tournament served to help build a new generation of fantastic wrestling workhorses. The final match, Wild Pegasus vs. Great Sasuke was given a 5-Star rating, and the encounter between Liger and Sasuke a 4 ¾ -Star Rating. While later iterations of the tournament havent been as historic or as significant as the 1994 edition, this is still an absolutely marvelous tournament. Given how the tournament was presented, it was a considerable honor to win the tournament, even if the belt that represented the winner was deactivated shortly thereafter. Anyone who considers themselves a wrestling fan must watch this tournament. Then theyll understand why the tournament is an ideal tool for building new stars.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
