The SmarK Rant for WCW Japan Supershow 91 – 04.07.91

The SmarK Rant for WCW Japan Supershow 91 – 04.07.91

Originally written 11.07.25

Another one I’ve never reviewed before, mostly because it was never really available anywhere before. This was filmed 03.21.91 in the Tokyodome as “New Japan Starrcade ‘91”, and then broadcast as a PPV on April 7 in a two hour format with overdubbed commentary as the Supershow before getting released on Turner Home Video. It’s not on streaming anywhere that I could find, either in this clipped format or in full, but of course I was able to order some Fish & Chips and make it appear.

Taped from Tokyo, Japan on 03.21.91, drawing 55,000.

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Jim Ross, pretending hard not to be in front of a green screen.

First up, we get footage of the WCW stars doing a press conference in Japan, with Ric Flair and Tatsumi Fujinami signing a contract for their title v. title match.

Brian Pillman, Tom Zenk & Tim Horner v. Takayuki Iizuka, Kuniaki Kobayashi & Shiro Koshinaka

Kobayashi’s sideburns own you all and you know it. Jim Ross stresses that in matches with Japanese rules, like this one, throwing someone over the top rope is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT LEGAL and in fact highly encouraged. The only match where it’s not legal is the main event, because that match is under WCW rules, so no throwing anyone over the top rope. That’s what we call the Sledgehammer of Plot. Also that was completely made up for the American audience. The babyfaces work on Koshinaka and Horner gets a side slam for two while JR clarifies that the fans are not bored, they’re just much more quiet and respectful than American audiences. Now WCW audiences in 1991, THEY were bored. Over to Iizuka, as Pillman and Zenk hit him with a double team Hart Attack dropkick and a slingshot splash from Zenk that gets two. Pillman dropkicks him to the floor and follows with a dive. Over to Horner for a snap suplex that gets two. Back suplex gets two. Demolition elbow from Pillman gets two. Zenk with a missile dropkick for two. Horner with a Twisted Bliss splash for two. Kneedrop gets two. Pillman beats on Iizuka with kicks and Zenk adds a piledriver for two as they’re doing all kinds of fun shit they never do in the states. Pillman comes in with chops and he trades with Iizuka until the kid fights back with a dropkick, but Pillman goes heel with a spinkick to cut him off. So Iizuka gets another dropkick and it’s hot tag Koshinaka, who runs wild with a hip attack and Kobayashi adds a suplex on Horner for two. Iizuka with a missile dropkick on Horner to set up a dragon suplex for the pin at 6:51. The WCW side looked like they were having so much fun out there. ***1/4

IWGP Junior Heavyweight title: Jushin Liger v. Akira Nogami

The graphic says he’s “Jushin” Thunder Liger. Good to know. Liger was still mostly an unknown to your average WCW fan in 1991, although of course he’d make a big impact stateside later in the year. Tony namedrops interpreter Wally Yamaguchi, who of course would later pop up in the WWF a few years after this. Liger immediately tosses Nogami and hits him with a dive, but he tries another one and Nogami kicks him in the knee on the way down. Back in the ring, Nogami tries a victory roll and Liger blocks him for two. He tries a tombstone and the knee gives out, allowing Nogami to put the boots to him and work on the leg. He tries a figure four and Liger cradles for two to counter. Nogami with an enzuigiri and he goes up and whiffs on a bodypress, landing on his face. Liger with the powerbomb, and then a Ligerbomb for two. Another try is escaped, so Liger hits him with a lariat and brings him to the top for a DDT, and that finishes at 4:02. I can’t imagine this thing only ran 4:00 live, but it was a good job of clipping because I couldn’t really tell where they cut it down. **1/2

Masahiro Chono & Mr. Saito v. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham

Tony reveals that this is Arn’s very first match in Japan, which is interesting if true. This is kind of a cool matchup, actually. The Japan team gets Windham in the corner and double-teams him, so it’s over to Arn and Saito grabs a headlock on him. Tony notes that it’s interesting to see Arn & Barry tagging up again since the Horsemen had basically disintegrated by this point. Well that’s WCW for you. They work Saito over in the corner, but Barry misses an elbow and it’s back to Chono. Windham and Chono slug it out and Barry gets a Saito suplex on Chono for two and then takes him down with a headlock that’s almost a judo throw. JR actually talks about people trading tapes, which is the first and only time I can remember our hobby being referenced in the real world. Barry with a DDT on Chono and Arn goes to the top, so Chono slams him off and goes up with the flying shoulderblock. Chono with the STF, but Barry quickly breaks it up, and THAT draws a reaction from the quiet crowd. Chono runs Barry out to the floor and hooks an abdominal stretch on Arn, and Barry breaks THAT up for another big heel reaction from the crowd. The Horsemen are just eating it up with a spoon. Windham with a floatover suplex on Chono for two and Arn gets his own abdominal stretch and they do the classic cheating routine until the ref breaks it up. Back to Saito, but Arn catches him with a kick to the gut on the way in and immediately cuts him off. And that pisses off the crowd even more. So Arn puts the boots to him and Saito is HULKING UP and he runs wild and hits Arn with the Saito Suplex. Barry breaks up the pin, so Saito suplexes him too. But then Barry hits a lariat before the ref’s back and Arn falls on top for the pin at 7:48. Simple but really good. ***1/2

The Big Cat v. El Gigante

They seriously left THIS match in the PPV version? Gigante shows some footwork and gets a slam to start. Cat tries to slug back and
Gigante uses the CLUBBING FOREARMS to put him down. Gigante spends forever prepping the move and then does a simple suplex like he’s doing a 450 splash or something, and follows with a kind of jumping kick before finishing with the iron claw at 2:14. DUD

WCW World tag team title v. IWGP tag team title: The Steiner Brothers v. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki

The crowd sure ain’t quiet for this one. Hase starts with Scott and the crowd is jacked to see it. Scott takes him down and bends him around with a leglock, but Hase escapes pretty easily. So Scott drops him with a suplex, but Hase gets a scorpion kick to block the Steinerline, and then clotheslines Scott to the floor. Over to Sasaki, who takes Rick down and then catches him with a powerslam for two. Bulldog follows and then he just CREAMS Rick with a lariat as Rick is knocked for a complete loop by this. Back to Hase, so Scott gets a pumphandle slam on him and takes him to the top for a samoan drop off the top. Scott’s too busy talking shit to the crowd to cover, so it’s back to Rick, who runs Hase into the corner as they start to assert themselves again. Rick with the Steinerline and Scott with the belly to belly for two. DDT follows as they’re working, how do the kids say it, a little bit snug here. Rick brings him to the top for a superplex and follows with an elbow for two, and then Rick whips Hase into a clothesline from Scott for two. Scott with a butterfly bomb for two. Clear edit there as they do the 10 minute call at 7:00. Hase manages to hit both Steiners with suplexes and makes the hot tag to Sasaki, who powerslams Rick for two. Scott saves and just pounds on Sasaki in anger, which draws heel heat from the crowd. Sasaki powerslams Rick again and then suplexes Hase onto Rick, and Hase hits the Northern Lights suplex for two. Hase is shocked by that and he collides with Rick for the double down, but Scott comes in with a dropkick and tilt a whirl slam. Back to Sasaki, who counters a DDT and they try a Doomsday bulldog, but Rick breaks that up and the Steiners hit Sasaki with their own bulldog. Scott with the Frankensteiner to finish clean at 9:50 and win both titles. This match SLAPPED. You could stick this on a modern show today with no problem, as they were just suplexing the fuck out of each other and I loved it all. ****1/4

The Great Muta v. Sting

Muta immediately hits him with the handspring elbow and goes up for the moonsault, but that misses and Sting is all fired up. So Muta tosses him and follows with a dive before spewing some red mist, which has strange and unpredictable effects on the victim, like changing him into a brooding Crow ripoff or making him grow a giant white beard like Santa Claus. Granted there’s no long term studies of the effects so it might take a while for anything to show up. Sting presses Muta over the top rope in a great bump and back in for a facelock from Sting, but Muta takes him to the corner and works him over. JR again reminds us that OVER THE TOP ROPE IS TOTALLY LEGAL IN JAPAN, as Sting goes back to the facelock and he follows with a bulldog, sending him to the floor. Sting runs him into the post on the way in and beats on him in the corner before going to another facelock. He tries for the Deathlock, but Muta quickly makes the ropes and comes back with the power elbow for two. Muta with a chinlock and he hits Sting with an elbow to the nose, turning himself heel. They both miss corner splashes and Muta gets the backbreaker and goes up, but the moonsault hits the knees this time. Sting tries a press slam and his arm gives way, and Muta falls on top for two. He goes up again, but this time Sting dropkicks him to bring him down. Sting goes up and misses a flying elbow for a double down. Muta tries a hiptoss and Sting backslides him for two. Muta with a cradle for two. Sting gets the Scorpion but Muta makes the ropes. Sting tries the Stinger splash and Muta hits him with the GREEN MIST to blind him, and a bodypress finishes at 11:50. Good but not like 89 level great. But good. ***1/4

Apparently at this point they edited out BIG VAN VADER & BAM BAM BIGELOW against DOOM?!? GODDAMN YOU WCW!

WCW/NWA World title v. IWGP title: Ric Flair v. Tatsumi Fujinami

OK, so, this is another one adding to the neverending confusion about Flair’s title reigns and the NWA controversy. So although Flair was WCW World champion, he was also still NWA World champion as recognized in Japan, and both WCW and NWA titles were technically on the line at the same time here despite WCW acting like they were the same title. Don’t worry, it’ll get even more confusing. Speaking of confusing, Jim Ross would like to remind us once again that in this match, unlike all the other matches thus far, OVER THE TOP ROPE IS NOT LEGAL. If you throw someone over the top rope, you are disqualified and cannot win the title. Do you have that straight, fans? If you see someone thrown over the top rope without the match immediately being stopped for a DQ, NO YOU FUCKING DIDN’T. BECAUSE OVER THE TOP ROPE IS SUPER DUPER ILLEGAL. But only in this match! Take a minute to write yourself a reminder on a Post-It or whatever.

They trade takedowns to start and Flair grabs a headlock, but Fujinami suplexes out of it and goes for the dragon sleeper early. Flair makes the ropes and comes back with some chops, but Fujinami throws his own and dropkicks Flair to the floor. Back in the ring, Fujinami takes him down with a headlock and hiptosses him into another headlock for two. Flair with the chops in the corner and he reverses a headlock into a back suplex. Flair kind of moves out of the way of a clothesline in a weird sequence, so Fujinami gives him another hiptoss before missing a dropkick. Flair goes to work on the knee, but Fujinami takes him down with the Scorpion Deathlock to counter the figure-four. They fight to the floor and Flair necks him on the way into the ring before putting the boots to him. Back suplex gets two, and an elbowdrop gets two. Flair drops the knee for two. Flair beats on him with chops and Fujinami chops back. They brawl to the floor and back in for a slugfest, as Fujinami beats on Flair in the corner to bust him open. Flair grabs a kick and Fujinami counters with an enzuigiri for two. Backdrop and clothesline gets two. Flair with more chops to come back and they get into another chopfest off that until Flair goes down. Flair Flip and Ric is hanging in the corner, so Fujinami puts the boots to him and gets a rollup for two. Saito Suplex gets two. They brawl on the floor again and trade chops, but the ref gets in the way and Flair bumps him by accident. So Fujinami gets a backslide for a visual pinfall and a small package for another visual pinfall. Fujinami backdrops Flair over the top rope and then suplexes him back in the ring for the abdominal stretch and rollup for the pin at 23:10, with Tiger Hattori running in to make the count. So to recap what this means, Fujinami retains the IWGP title and wins the NWA World title, but it was retroactively decided that the WCW World title was not part of that decision, so Flair retains that one due to Fujinami being DQ’d by Fonzie for throwing Flair over the top rope. Much like the SuperClash rematch, this one never really took off for me, but it was technically good before the Dusty Finish. ***1/4

And we finish with a press conference backstage, as an enraged Flair attacks Fujinami and steals his belt back, so that it can be explained why Flair still has the title back in the US. The Japanese press were not fond of this storyline, to say the least.

However, this show was awesome start to finish, especially for a nothing PPV in 1991. Obviously there’s another 2.5 hours or so that we’ll likely never see, but they did a hell of a job editing it down to 2 hours for home video release and including the most important stuff. Check this one out if you can get your hands on a copy.