Streets of Rage 3 question

Sorry about posting this here, but I have a feeling nobody is going to get to the post I made on the game's page.  Here's the problem: 
 
 Using "X, Forward, Forward" you should be able to do a 'power rush' move without needing the necessary stars which one gains by getting 40,000 points without dying at the end of a level.  So on the PS3 that should be 'L1, >, >.'    
 
WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?   
 
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE HAS TO KNOW.   

If you're talking about Axel's Bare Knuckle (or the upgraded Bare Knuckle) then it is > > + attack.
 
That's the command for all forward-attacks for all characters ( > + > + attack).

Yep, I know about the >, >, attack moves.  There's an extra set you'd ordinaily obtain by scoring 40k points without dying which gives you stars at the beginning of the next level, or immediately, whichever.   
 
There's supposed to be a way to do them without the stars, and this is according to SEVERAL sites including GameFAQs, IGN, and more.  This is for the American version as WELL as the Japanese version.