I purchased a copy of this tape from one of my tried and true sources on the world wide web a year or so ago, I figured it was about time I get around to reviewing it! I haven’t watched much Osaka Pro Wrestling (especially 2004-), but being honored as the host promotion of this 4th Stage of the interpromotional Super J-Cup had me interested in their version of this famous tournament. What did I think? How did this year’s matches stack up? Only time will tell!

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS:

After Michinoku Pro Wrestling held a pretty middle-of-the-road 3rd Stage of this famed interpromotional tournament in 2000, I was feeling more than a little skeptical of what Osaka Pro Wrestling would be able to produce in 2004 for this 4th Stage. I know of some Osaka Pro stuff I really enjoy, mostly early, as I am a Super Delfin guy through-and-through. However, light-hearted comedy is what put Osaka Pro on the map, which kind of clashes with what the Super J-Cup was built on: hard-hitting, highlight-reel-worthy, straight-up great matches. Should be an interesting dynamic, to say the least. Just as with the 2000 tournament, I haven’t watched a lick of this 2004 edition, and to find info or even pictures online about it is much, much harder. So, another blind watchthrough here for me!

BACKGROUND INFO:

In January of 1999, Super Delfin as well as a small faction of wrestlers close to him announced that they would be leaving Michinoku Pro Wrestling. The departure was based on creative differences, amongst other things, and with Delfin at the helm, the exodus birthed the creation of Osaka Pro Wrestling by March of that year. Super Delfin’s comedy-based, light-hearted Osaka Pro Wrestling would most importantly commit to a home arena, with a home crowd, and a handful of homegrown talent. After getting comfortable and hurdling some growing pains, by 2003 OPW would begin holding their largest yearly event every February, known as Osaka Hurricane. For 2004’s edition of Osaka Hurricane, Osaka Pro Wrestling aimed for something bigger: the revival of the Super J-Cup! Promoted as Super J-Cup: 4th Stage: Osaka Hurricane 2004, the famed Osaka-jō Hall would be locked in as the tournament’s location and the stage would be set. Seven Japanese promotions would lend their talent for the date, February 21st, 2004. Once again, some of the best junior heavyweight talent in the world would come together and clash in interpromotional warfare!

This edition of the Super J-Cup would be slightly different from the ones that came before. Returning to form, the 4th Stage would once again be held on a single night, as opposed to the two-night tournament held in 2000. Also, this edition would mark the fourth different host promotion for the Super J-Cup, following New Japan Pro Wrestling (1st Stage), Wrestling Association R (2nd Stage), and Michinoku Pro Wrestling (3rd Stage). Though, this edition’s tournament bracket would have the least number of wrestlers out of the four, with only eight participants instead of the regular fourteen (removing the need of a first round). Lastly worth note, this would be the first time Jushin “Thunder” Liger wouldn’t be featured as a participant in a Super J-Cup tournament! How will all this factor into the 4th Stage? Let’s find out!

(NOTE: ALL MATCHES ARE RATED OUT OF 5 STARS.)

– QUARTERFINALS –

Jun Kasai vs. Naomichi Marufuji – I was excited for this opening contest of the tournament because it was a clash of styles. Kasai is known today as a crazy deathmatch guy and Marufuji is widely considered as one of the most underrated talents of the last two decades. The match started off at a lightning pace before things degenerated to the floor outside. Within minutes, a table was set up at ringside with Marufuji naturally being the one placed on it. A big body splash off the top through the table sent him through. Back in the ring, a piece of table was used over Marufuji’s head twice for a near fall. Kasai delt most of the damage here, with Marufuji only getting in a burst of momentum here and there. A low blow and backslide pin nearly got Marufuji again! A flurry of false-finishes commenced, with some spots that definitely could’ve closed the contest, but the finish came when Marufuji hit a superkick and followed by his innovated Shiranui. Naomichi Marufuji will be advancing to the semifinals. I would’ve saved this for a semifinal match, or even a finals bout, as these guys were probably two of the most recognized names in this tournament. A really solid opener though, for sure.

Goa vs. GARUDA – All I knew of Goa prior to this, is he at one time wrestled as Super Dolphin, the rival of his trainer Super Delfin. As far as GARUDA, I knew him as a former late-stage FMW guy, and that was about it. So, two pretty fresh guys to my eyes. Goa jumped his opponent before the bell, leading to a brawl that sent him to ringside. GARUDA capitalized with a suicide dive that sent both into the crowd wall. Back in the ring, Goa gained momentum and several near falls. Goa’s version of a Sharpshooter was locked in and took a lot out of GARUDA, who was forced to grab the ropes for a break. GARUDA fired back up by delivering a missile dropkick off the top and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A Falcon’s Arrow and brainbuster put Goa down for a near fall. A sequence of big moves and pin attempts ensued, but it was a Dragon Suplex that dropped Goa on his head and a Hurricanrana pinning combo that caught him for a surprise three count. GARUDA will be advancing to the semifinals. I walked away from this one a fan of both of these guys, they worked well together and you can definitely tell that Super Delfin and Hayabusa had a hand in the training of their respective wrestlers. High spots mixed with some hard hits made me like this match a little more than the opener.

Wataru Inoue vs. Kazuya Yuasa – Prior to this, I knew nothing of Kazuya Yuasa, and only knew Wataru Inoue as a tough junior heavyweight that worked for New Japan in the 2000’s. So, again, two young guys basically new to me. Yuasa took control early on with strikes. The two then traded strikes back and forth, with Inoue ending up in control of the exchange. Ground offense then commenced, with the crowd maybe not so interested in this match as much as they were for the two prior. The action would spill to the floor, with Inoue getting hit with a dropkick in the stomach in the middle of a attempted attack from the apron. Back in the ring, an Ankle Lock would be applied by Yuasa, forcing Inoue to look for the ropes. A few pin attempts were made by both men without any successes. The finish came when Inoue locked on a standing Triangle Lancer submission, forcing Yuasa to tap out. Wataru Inoue will be advancing to the semifinals. Definitely didn’t like the slower pace of this match. It was a nice break from the break-neck speed of the first two, but the combination of Kazuya Yuasa’s basic and repetitive moveset mixed with the lack of crowd enthusiasm for this one pulled it down for me.

Takehiro Murahama vs. Taichi Ishikari – This one was interesting to me, as the little I knew of Murahama was of him being this legit, badass, RINGS shooter guy. Of course, I knew Taichi Ishikari to be just the lip-syncing Taichi of current New Japan Pro Wrestling fame. Odd pairing, to say the least… I was scared for Taichi’s wellbeing. During the introductions, he looked nervous himself! Though, he wasted no time going right after Murahama, nailing him with a dropkick off the top but then running into a roundhouse kick to the head for his troubles. Suddenly, bone-rattling body kicks were being thrown and Taichi found himself in brief trouble. A nice rolling tornado DDT off the top almost won Taichi the match. It become obvious at this point that Taichi was looking for any backdoor victory over Murahama, trying to catch him in a pin at every pass. Suddenly, It was a combination of stiff strikes followed by a brainbuster that would win Takehiro Murahama the match in what ended up being a very quick victory! Takehiro Murahama will be advancing to the semifinals. I considered this one to be the weakest of the opening round matches. Taichi actually put up more of a fight than I thought he would, but things ended before they were really able to get going.

– SPECIAL ATTRACTION KAIENTAI DOJO LADIES SINGLES MATCH –

Apple Miyuki vs. Ofune – I had no prior knowledge of these ladies prior to this bout, but I am always open to some awesome Joshi action! These ladies got right to it with some rolling elbows, big chops, ad plenty of one-upmanship. Ofune delt a bunch of damage early on, but her momentum was cooled off after being hit with a running crossbody. Miyuki put the boots to Ofune in the corner and landed a quick STO. A flying crossbody off the top earner Miyuki a near fall. You could tell these ladies were putting it all out there with their offense with each big move taking more and more out of them. Ofune hit a running cutter and then forced Apple Miyuki to tap out with a grapevined sleeperhold. These ladies gave all they had for this one, hitting big move after big move on each other in an effort to showcase what they had. Nothing but respect for both, but it was a pretty quick match and not the tightest as far as execution.

– SPECIAL ATTRACTION SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH –

Men’s Teioh, MIKAMI, & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Azteca, Kintaro Kanemura, & Big Boss MA-G-MA – Azteca, Kanemura, and MA-G-MA came out to Keep ‘Em Separated by the Offspring, so that was pretty dope. I was rooting for Teioh, Ishii, and MIKAMI because I had a better knowledge of them individually as wrestlers, though. This one was utter chaos as soon as the bell rang. Big Boss began working with MIKAMI, with flying head scissors and color offense at the forefront. Next, it was Men’s Teioh and Azteca would showcased a nice taste of Lucharesu. A springboard body splash took both men out on the floor. Then, the big men went at it with Ishii meeting Kanemura in the ring for some shoulder blocks. All six men made it to ringside for a chaotic brawl, making tag format nearly null and void. A ladder found its way in the ring and was pushed into the groin of MIKAMI who was seated in the corner. Tags did return long enough for Kanemura to destroy MIKAMI with some devastating big-man work. Teioh got the hot tag and was able to make quick work of Azteca and Big Boss. Ishii’s turn came again and he hit a HUGE suplex off the top rope on Kanemura that seemingly popped a board out of place in the center of the ring. The official had to stomp the board back down as the action continued around the ring. A five-man suplex then took place, with Teioh, MIKAMI, and Ishii getting the better of the exchange. The ladder reappeared and MIKAMI leapt off onto Azteca with a big Swanton Bomb. Ishii was able to capitalize on this, hitting a brainbuster on Azteca to win the match for his team. This was a fun, crazy six-man battle. A couple of nice spots and segments made for a match that definitely kept my attention. Solid showing for all guys involved here!

– SINGLES MATCH FOR THE OSAKA MEIBUTSU SEKAIICHI CHAMPIONSHIP –

Ebessan vs. Kuishinbo Kamen – I was absolutely PUMPED for this one. This is Osaka Pro Wrestling to me. These guys are what I think of. I know they are able to put together some of the best comedy matches pro wrestling has ever seen, so I was ready. Kuishinbo Kamen had an extended entrance to the ring that included a dancing, cutesy drumline routine and handing out snacks to the crowd at ringside. The champion, Ebessan, got an even more elaborate entrance that included chanting, wish collecting, luck granting, dancing, and even the firing of arena streamer cannons. The match started with Ebessan trying and failing to deliver a bodyslam on Kamen! They avoided locking up a few times and hit their pose. Then the world’s most dangerous offense began, some of the best bits these guys do, ending in a slow Shining Wizard on Kamen. More of their classic comedy work continued, but Kuishinbo Kamen did land an awesome springboard Asai Moonsault from the apron on a standing Ebessan on the outside. Perhaps my favorite part of what these guys are able to do, is wrestler their asses off in between busting the crowd up with laughs. Back in the ring, a real Shining Wizard nailed Kamen and almost costed him the match. Kuishinbo Kamen was able to string together some speedy offense and land a beautiful Kankuu Tornado off the top rope for the upset victory! Kuishinbo Kamen is crowned as the new Osaka Meibutsu Sekaiichi Champion. If you are looking to find out exactly what these guys are all about in a short amount of time, I’d say this is the perfect match for that. They hit all their famously known marks and mixed in some well-executed high-flying wrestling. A great and uniquely Ebessan/Kamen styled comedy match, just as expected.

Rating:

– SEMIFINALS –

GARUDA vs. Naomichi Marufuji – I was excited for the semifinal matches to be big steps up from the quarterfinal matches, beginning here. We started this one with a series of standing hold reversals. A big running tope suicida over the top rope by GARUDA sent Marufuji onto his back at ringside early on. Marufuji would lock in a tight Kimura lock, forcing GARUDA to get a leg on the bottom rope to break the hold. GARUDA then stopped Marufuji from attempting a Asai Moonsault from the apron to ringside and then landed one of his own onto Marufuji! Back in the ring, GARUDA missed a huge 450 Splash and the two traded strikes and elbows. Marufuji then landed a nice superkick but had his Shiranui reversed and in this scramble, he was able to roll GARUDA up instead with a magistral cradle for a three count. Naomichi Marufuji will be advancing to the finals. I was pretty disappointed with this outing, as GARUDA had a really nice showing in his match prior and I know what Marufuji is capable of. I can’t help but to feel this one was rushed for time, as it didn’t go that long at all. I will be walking away from this tournament a GARUDA fan, though. Hopefully, this shorter semifinal just means that the finals will be that much better!

Rating:

Wataru Inoue vs. Takehiro Murahama – With what happened in the semifinal match prior, I wasn’t expecting this one to go long at all. With Marufuji advancing, I was definitely pulling for Inoue here, as I felt he’d give a better performance than his shoot fighting opponent. Murahama’s stiff kicks began immediately, followed by a big brainbuster for the closest pinfall of the night! Inoue begged him to bring it and began throwing some stiff chops and elbows of his own. A high-angle Boston Crab sent Murahama looking for the ropes to break Inoue’s hold. A modified STF then found Inoue in a bad way, but he was able to crawl to the ropes. Murahama continued his kicks into submissions, trying to tap his opponent out quickly. Back to their feet, a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster sent Murahama down for a near fall. Inoue protested the official’s call, so he fired up and looked for a deadlift German Suplex to which he landed for ANOTHER near fall. At this point, I didn’t believe Murahama was losing. He rallied back into the fight, threw a head kick in the corner and the two battled on the top rope. Finally, Inoue was suplexed off the top, but both stood to battle with strikes again. Another near fall for each men sent them both into a frenzy of strikes, with Murahama getting the better of Inoue. With nothing left to give, Inoue fell victim to a brainbuster and Murahama was able to put him away. Takehiro Murahama will be advancing to the finals. I suppose it was natural to put the Osaka Pro Wrestling guy over here, even though I wanted this New Japan star to meet the Pro Wrestling NOAH star of Marufuji in the finals! That said, this was a much more exciting semifinal match, as it really felt these guys were giving it their all for a chance at advancing. The strikes were high and tight, which made the stakes feel that much larger.

Rating:

– TAG TEAM MATCH FOR THE OSAKA PRO WRESTLING TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP –

Billyken Kid & Tigers Mask vs. Shiryu & Taka Michinoku – We got a short video package recap of how this match came to be. I really like that Taka’s song begins with someone saying “Fuck You”. Billyken Kid & Tigers Mask came out with split half-and-half entrance masks, which was cool. The titles looked like they were straight out of 1974 too, by the way. Some stereo offense started us off, ending in double dives over the top rope to the floor onto Shiryu and Taka. More tandem offense continued in the ring as Kid & Tiger Mask worked over Shiryu briefly before tag format was restored. Once order was restored, Shiryu began working over Kid with some stiff strikes. Taka was tagged in next and put the boots to Kid. Taka used his corner to his advantage as he choked his opponent with a boot and then tagged Shiryu back in. A little bit of miscommunication happened between Taka and Shiryu, resulting in a few shove offs before they were able to refocus on the task at hand. Taka and Shiryu locked in Crossface submissions on the champs, until both were able to get to the ropes and force a break. Tigers Mask was able to fire up and dropkick both opponents out to the floor, setting up for he and Kid to hit more stereo dives out to the floor. Back in the ring, a big crossbody off the top from Tigers Mask nearly put Shiryu down for a three. We got some trade-off spots here, ending with a seated Taka eventually being double powerbombed off the top rope for a near fall. Some great work was then put in by Taka and Shiryu, including stereo dives to the floor and some sweet double-team moves on Billyken Kid. I wasn’t until another miscue came between them, opening Taka up to be pinned with a backslide for the finish! Billyken Kid and Tigers Mask retain the Osaka Tag Team Championship. This went longer than I thought it would, and was actually better than expected, too! The title matches definitely delivered tonight, which showed well for the promotion. The crowd was very invested in this match, as well.

Rating:

– SPECIAL ATTRACTION SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH –

Jinsei Shinzaki, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, & Super Delfin vs. CIMA, Heat, & KENTA – Out of all the special matches on the card, I was most looking forward to this one. The teams are absolutely STACKED and it was saved for the second-to-last match of the night, presumably for a reason. Our young team was out first, representing three different companies, three carrying championships. As a fun bonus, it was nice to see former winners of the Super J-Cup included, CIMA & Jushin Liger. The three legends got a big reaction, of course! As soon as the introductions concluded, the match was on, as the young guns jumped the established stars and sent them all to the floor individually. It was Delfin versus CIMA first, with action being fast and furious. Liger and KENTA had the spotlight next and two wasted no time taking it to each other. Lastly, SHINZAKI and Heat purposefully started slow and then it became a slugfest. I was really wishing these guys had been included in the Super J-Cup, what a missed chance! The young guys kept Delfin in their corner for a bit and dealt some major damage. A hot tag to Liger allowed him to lock in his Romero Special on CIMA, much to the excitement of the crowd. A triple dropkick sent CIMA flying. Shinzaki was then legal and landed his second-rope springboard body splash to a down CIMA for a near fall. The legends continued their assault on CIMA with awesome aerial attacks they each delivered. KENTA came back in with a head of steam and put Jushin Liger on ice. Separate dives out of the ring by each of the three young guys took the legends out individually. Back in the ring, Shinzaki trapped both CIMA and KENTA’s arms for him to walk the ropes and take them both out. He followed this up with a double chokeslam. KENTA and Liger then put on a clinic of offense, making me almost wish this was a singles match between the two! CIMA was able to Super Delfin away after Delfin suffered the wrath of all three opponents and CIMA landed a signature Schwein. Wow. This one was no joke! This was an awesome display of Japanese stars of the 1990’s being more than able to keep up with the Japanese stars of the 2000’s, despite the loss. Each man had several spots to shine in this one, with one-on-one segments standing out just as much as the multi-man work between the two teams. Having it on this card was a big credit to Osaka Pro Wrestling. I enjoyed this match the most up to this point on the show.

Rating:

– FINALS –

Takehiro Murahama vs. Naomichi Marufuji – Would Pro Wrestling NOAH walk away with bragging rights, or would that be the pleasure of Osaka Pro Wrestling? It all came down to this. They were going to have a hell of time following the prior match, I’ll tell you that! The two started off cautious as they circled and felt each other out. A ground game developed quickly, with neither man able to get a clear advantage over the other. We almost saw a TKO called when Marufuji wasn’t answering the official at one point. He rolled to the floor and was almost then counted out. Once back in the ring, the onslaught continued, Murahama not letting up on his kicks at all. The action spilled to the floor and there was a clumsiness to it, as Marufuji locked in a Sharpshooter around the ring post. A handful of fans at ringside booed as their Osaka Pro guy was getting the fight taken to him at this point in the match. Marufuji continued to work on the legs of his opponent, even taking him off his feet with a missile dropkick to knee from the top rope. Marufuji attempted a dive from the top rope to the floor but caught a kick to the gut on the way down that doubled him over. Murahama doubled down, running and diving over the top rope onto his hurting opponent. Back in the ring, they gave it their all as they traded devisting spots, finishers and BIG near falls. A coast-to-coast dropkick connected with a trapped Murahama and then it was an amazing SUPER Shiranui off the top to end the match! Naomichi Marufuji wins the Super J-Cup 4th Stage tournament. For a tournament that was definitely lackluster comparatively speaking, this final was really good. I credit these guys bigtime for being able to pull off an awesome main event and retaining the respect of the Super J-Cup with a solid performance. The right man won, in my opinion, as he was the most consistent of the tournament. A job well done by the man I doubted, too, Takehiro Murahama!

Rating:

FINAL THOUGHTS AND OVERALL OPINION:

For what I expected and what we got, this was a very nice surprise! We were still a long way from what the Super J-Cup was and had meant ten years prior to this installment, but for Osaka Pro Wrestling, this was a homerun. As a whole show, I liked the 4th Stage more than the 3rd Stage hosted by Michinoku Pro in 2000. Nearly every one of the special and championship matches outshined the tournament matches, which was a bummer for the Super J-Cup itself. I think there was a genuine lack of recognizable, established talent included (unlike years prior). The tournament lacked star power, but the card itself didn’t, which is why I found myself wishing a lot of those guys had been used in the tournament instead. I think having Naomichi Marufuji win was the only correct choice from the outset, so I was glad to see him capture the trophy in a dynamic main event! This is hands-down the best Osaka Pro Wrestling show I’ve ever seen. They presented a unique J-Cup that I think deserves a second look by those interested in the deep history of this mythical, Japanese-founded, junior heavyweight, single-elimination style tournament!