Kendo Ka Sjin wins Top of the Super Juniors Tournament
By JOHN MOLINARO -- SLAM! Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling's 10th annual Top of the Super Junior tournament concluded Thursday with a shocker as Kendo Ka Shin upset last year's winner, Koji Kanemoto, in the tournament finals from Tokyo's Budokan Hall.
The two combatants put on a show for the 13, 600 fans that packed the venerable wrestling hall before Ka Shin forced Kanemoto to submit at the 13:15 mark with a triangle lock submission.
Junior hevayweight division booker Jushin "Thunder" Liger choose to create a new superstar by having Kanemoto, pound for pound the best wrestler in the world today, put the lesser experieneced Ka Shin over. With this win, Ka Shin has been elevated to the upper echelon of the elite workers in the division, joining the likes of Liger, Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani.
1999 New Japan Top of the Super Junior Tournament Final Standings
|
Block A |
Gran Hamada |
Koji Kanemoto |
Jushin Liger |
Mochizuki |
Tatsuhito Takaiwa |
Shocker |
Total Points |
Kanemoto
|
WON |
|
LOST |
WON |
WON |
WON |
8 |
Hamada
|
|
LOST |
WON |
WON |
LOST |
WON |
6 |
Liger
|
LOST |
WON |
|
WON |
LOST |
WON |
6 |
Mochizuki
|
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
|
WON |
WON |
4 |
Takaiwa
|
WON |
LOST |
WON |
LOST |
|
LOST |
4 |
Shocker
|
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
WON |
|
2 |
|
Block B |
Kendo Ka Shin |
Shinjiro Otani |
El Samurai |
Tanaka |
Dr Wagner Jr |
Orihara |
Total Points |
Ka Shin
|
|
LOST |
WON |
WON |
WON |
WON |
8 |
Otani
|
WON |
|
DRAW |
LOST |
WON |
WON |
7 |
Samurai
|
LOST |
DRAW |
|
LOST |
WON |
WON |
5 |
Tanaka
|
LOST |
WON |
WON |
|
LOST |
LOST |
4 |
Wagner
|
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
|
WON |
4 |
Orihara
|
LOST |
LOST |
LOST |
WON |
LOST |
|
2 |
