superkix

Underwhelming to say the least. Tamura's got the speed advantage, as he's always able to find his way on top or on his feet, out of Severn's POWER ZONE. Severn has plenty of suplex throws but he looks completely lost on the mat. At times, it looks like he's just trying to hang on to Tamura but it's a struggle when he's struggling to find an actual hold. His shoot spinebuster into the head-and-arm lock was very cool but the match drags on and Severn's burnt out by the end of it. Tamura's all over him in the final minutes, taking him to the ropes several times, until Dan's finally frustrated and wins with his can opener hold. Not bad, not very good. Just there.

Maybe the MOTN? I don't know - it's got Kaki showing no respect for Sano at the outset and immediately taking him down with his barrage of slaps. He utilizes some great suplexes, including a front necklock suplex, but can't quite get anything going on the mat, as Sano's able to slip out into armbars and single leg crabs. Sano's able to hit his own front chancery suplex, working his way into the rear choke, and I loved his sneak in overhead suplex, avoiding Kaki's slaps. Sano wins it with the German suplex into the armbar. A fun sprint!

Surprise surprise, Allen's match is the worst on the card. Other than his judo throw, he's got almost nothing going for him. Miyato landing that debilitating solebutt to the gut was funny but Allen ultimately wins it with another judo throw into an armbar. Snooze.

As is the case with the majority of UWFi tags, there are some cool spots throughout but it's sloppy and there is like zero cohesion to the match itself. The best parts of this tag are the exchanges between Anjoh/Nakano. Burton is still not very good - although he does bust out a double wristlock takedown - what a trip! And Lydick looked very lost in there, even scared when up against Anjoh. As for the highlights, Anjoh's kneebar counter to Nakano's choke attempt, Nakano's snap suplex and nasty running knee to Anjoh, and Anjoh's uranage into the armbar. There are random suplexes throughout, which only add to it, and finally, Nakano counters Burton's powerbomb attempt with the Fujiwara armbar. Neat enough finish to an otherwise okay tag match.

Not very good at all. I guess Fleming has kind of a fun bulldog energy about him and he's decent enough with the suplexes. But he's absolutely clueless on the mat and wins with a terrible STF. Takayama, on the other hand, always slangs the hard open hands and knees, and the transition into his own STF was very swank. Other than that, pass.

Solid opener with a good showing from Day. There's a franticness to the match, which I always enjoy, with Day using a number of arm whip takedowns to set up the finishing armbar and supplementing them with various suplex throws. At one point, Kanehara lands on his own damn neck with a waterwheel drop but other than that, he doesn't get too much offense in before Day German suplexes him and finally taps him following a final arm whip>armbar combo.

Here we go - the best of RINGS '96! Akira Maeda vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 1/24/96) Probably Maeda's last good match. Nowhere near the level of the 12/16/94 match but still a lot of fun, with Yamamoto being the aggressor and Maeda going after the leg with less and less energy as the match progresses. Yamamoto earns himself a yellow card when he went for a kick or knee to the grounded Maeda. While Yamamoto's able to escape Maeda's submission attempts, by the end of it, he's shot and Maeda just has to hold on long enough for the submission. Some nasty hands from Yamamoto to down Maeda but he couldn't quite finish him off on the mat. Good stuff. Mitsuya Nagai vs. Mikhail Ilioukhine (RINGS, 3/25/96) The crowd loves Nagai. I love Nagai. He's scrappy as fuck and he's able to survive and squeeze out submission attempts between the random heavy strikes. Mikhail is a good submission aggressor and gets a few neat attempts, like the early shoot STF or stepover armbar. But Nagai is just a pain in the ass with his leg kicks and palm thrusts. Low kicks, mid kicks, high kicks - Nagai doesn't let up but Mikhail keeps trying to slam and submit. The slams are mostly fails and while the submissions look good, Nagai is too pesky. I just wanted a Mikhail powerbomb, which I thought was happening for half a second...but then Nagai keeps popping him in the face with shoteis and finally busts his nose open for the KO. Best match of an otherwise underwhelming card. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 4/26/96) At this point, Yamamoto is positioned as the successor to Maeda and TK has been working his way up the ranks. The frantic, back-and-forth scramble and struggle on the mat early on was excellent, and then Yamamoto takes the advantage in terms of successfully grabbing holds and forcing TK to react. Or, you know, slapping the shit out of him. TK turns this around with a beautiful takedown into the calf slicer and then he turns the pressure on Yamamoto with the holds and knee strikes. Good peppering of stand-up strikes throughout to supplement the solid groundwork. The final couple of minutes are sluggish but Yamamoto's able to use the double leg takedown into the heelhook to tap TK. Great match.  Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 4/26/96) Love this match-up. Han continues his more aggressive approach, coming out of the gate with knees to Zouev. But when it comes to the submissions, it's largely a stalemate and the struggle for position throughout is exactly what you'd expect from two submission masters. Zouev is quick to grab the ropes whenever Han snaps something off, and vice versa. At one point, Zouev turns up the heat and you don't see Han scramble often but he does here. Zoeuv's shoot snap suplex was cool and his leg scissors into the kneebar was a thing of beauty. Of course, Han pulls out the leg extension leglock, the single leg>STF>sleeper combo, the general octopus defense and offense. In the end, Zouev is able to block the hammerlock takedown and turn Han's attempt into a modified wakigatame for the big tap out. Great stuff as usual from these two. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Mikhail Ilioukhine (RINGS, 5/25/96) Mikhail is wilding out with the kicks and airplane spins and single leg crabs and big open hand slaps, and the Russian crowd is loving every minute of it. He throws TK with a belly-to-belly into a neck crank and TK is trying to get something going, throwing knees, grabbing holds, but Mikhail blows right through them. At one point, he's clearly just showing off, trying to deadlift TK off the mat. Mikhail pummels TK with palm strikes for a knockdown but TK is quick to pop up and drops Mikhail with a pretty sick uranage. Good back-and-forth struggle toward the end, although Mikhail stays aggressive throughout with the strikes and straight armbar attempts. But TK ends up tapping him with the rear choke. Good stuff. Masayuki Naruse vs. Todor Todorov (RINGS, 6/29/96) The returning Naruse has got a hot crowd behind him and boy, do they both swing for the fences throughout this match-up. Tons of strikes, some great suplex takedowns, and good groundwork as Naruse tries to re-assert himself back in the landscape. Early on, Naruse snags the heel and doesn't let go as Todorov tries to squirm his way out of it and eventually has to roll over for a rope break. Some sweet takedowns, like the chickenwing from Todorov and the flying armbar from naruse. Todorov also delivers a pretty dope armtrap suplex. At one point, poor Todorov gets dick punched and then eats some nasty shoteis but he fires back with knees and kicks. But Naruse is relentless with his strikes and after Todorov seemingly expels his last energy with a semi-powerslam, Naruse takes him to the corner and pummels him until he gets the KO. Great stuff. Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 6/29/96) While not at the level of their 1993 match, I enjoyed this more than the 1994 match. Nagai delivers yet another top-notch underdog performance and nearly has you (the viewer) convinced that he can beat Han at his own game...or via strikes, which he stuns Han with on a number of occasions. Han goes from his standing leglock to the single leg crab but Nagai counters with the heel hook, albeit briefly, before Han regains control and slaps on a neat cross heel hook. Loved him pulling Nagai down with the rear choke...only for Nagai to fight his way and send Han reeling after the ropes with a modified leglock. Han utilizing the full nelson hold with the legs for added leverage is another key Volk Han characteristic. Great armbar transition out of Nagai's rear waistlock and the finish was great, where you've got Nagai trying to transition his hold into something fancy and Han turning around, looking at him, grabbing the choke and tapping him. Enough playtime. Terrific match. Masayuki Naruse vs. Sergei Sousserov (RINGS, 7/16/96) Sousserov is spin kicks and suplexes, which he quickly re-establishes within the first minute of this match. He comes off as this big Russian brute, strong right out of the gate, but as the match progresses, his offense usually falls apart with weak takedowns and plenty of whiffed spin kicks. It didn't necessarily happen here - although he whiffed earlier rather than later - and he gor some cool late game takedowns, including a dope German-style uranage. This definitely had more of the pro-wres feel to it, with Naruse playing the scrappy doo, hanging onto Sergei's neck with chokes as Sousserov continually tries to spin him off to no avail. At one point, Naruse hits a SHOOT DRAGON SCREW to set up the heel hook>single leg crab finish. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Willie Peeters (RINGS, 7/16/96) This was Willie Peeters' best performance since 1992 (the '95 Nagai match was pretty good too) but basically, it's Peeters as his shitty best, throwing full rotation suplexes and being aggressive with the strikes. Tamura almost looks lost in there at times as he tries to get stuff going on the mat but Peeters is always near the ropes. Loved Willie's shit-eating grin when Tamura tells the referee to count him down on a missed kick attempt. Of coruse, Willie mocks Tamura's kicks and it becomes clear that Tamura really wants to submit him. Peeters wants none of ti, taps even after he manages an escape, and finally gives up the ghost to a triangle. Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 7/16/96) Tons of compelling matwork, with each trying to pretzel the other and win out on the ground. But the strikes added something visceral to the match, especially that final catfight flurry from Han in the corner with the palm shots and knees that end up busting TK open and winning Han the match. We've already established that Han is a master of unique holds and transitions and reversals, as showcased in this match -- I mean, his hammerlocked necklock is so cool. But TK has answers for him and Han has to go to the ropes more times than he's usually used to. Neat rolling necklock from TK and toward the end, he keeps going back to the choke, since Han would turn any leg submission attempt against him. Great stuff. Masayuki Naruse vs. Egan Inoue (RINGS, 8/24/96) The last thirty seconds of this match are worth the price of admission alone. Things are slow going initially, as they test the waters with kicks, which leads to some messy scrambling and some hesitancy on Inoue’s part, having never worked a “worked” match before. But after Egan takes a shot to the eye, he comes back into this match SUPER pissy and the chaos of the final strike exchanges is awesome. Tons of nasty knees and palm strikes, especially from Naruse, and then Egan gets himself disqualified by pounding a grounded Naruse with body shots. Fun stuff. Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 8/24/96) Yup, this one ruled, right from the opening. TK's initial counter to Han's armwhip takedown was the chef's kiss and then Han is like, okay, let me fuck with the leg now, to which TK works his way into control and we're presented this great sequence of them vying for control. Beautiful counter submission wrestling and if that's your thing, welcome. Han is just so good at adapting to his opponent's movements and escape attempts. He'll snap off an armbar but if there is too much squirming, he'll shift his attention to the leg. Love TK's rolling necklock and there's a great moment where Han tries his "step on the foot" extension leglock but gets caught off guard with a heel hook. They pretzel each other with hold, twisting and twerking limbs to try and gain the advantage. Han dragging TK down with the choke was great but then, of course, TK turns the tables with the leglock and sends Han scrambling for the ropes. Beautiful arm takedown into the hammerlock by Volk and he does such a good job of preventing the escape…although it happens, barely. The end was great - Han with the little cat slaps and again another armlock takedown but when TK counters with the kneecrusher, Han is like "shit, I just need to grab the arm and bend it to win." And he does it. Awesome match. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 9/25/96) Nagai was very aggressive throughout, battering TK with nasty head kicks and face palms and knee strikes in the corners. TK's trying to find a way to the mat, where he excels, and at one point, he usues a quasi-capture suplex but Nagai continues dominating up top, targeting TK's midsection and popping him in the head with more palsm and knees. TK manages a nice scissors takedown into the kneebar, a front necklock, and some slick maneuvering to set up the armbar, but Nagai manages to escape each attempt, finally kneeing TK for the KO. TK's poor gut couldn't take it anymore. Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS, 9/25/96) Incredible. The two of them slip slidin' in and out of submission attempts, the drama built around the escapes and counters, Han's usual attempts being thwarted by the younger, quicker Tamura. I mean, right out of the gate, you've got Han carrying Tamura around in a hammerlock before he throws him down and the scramble begins. Loved Han slipping under the kicks to grab the choke and drag Tamura down, only for Tamura to snag a heel hook to force the break. Han's armbar out of the knee crusher attempt was so slick but Tamura doesn't let it breath and fights his way into his own armbar. Tamura's straight kick to the gut ruled. By the end of it, they're both fairly exhausted and missing their executions, and Han seems fed up when he starts peppering Tamura with face palms and knees. Great finish too, with Tamura's last choke effort and Han extending the arm with the double wristlock for the win. What a match. Todor Todorov vs. Gogitidze Bakouri (RINGS, 10/25/96) Bakouri rules. He throws Todorov with a great suplex early on and follows that up with a big Karelin lift. The ground stuff in this match is whatever but when they're throwing slaps and throws, it's a lot of fun. Poor Todor gets kneed in the nuts but Bakouri is sorry, it's all good. Todorov's gut punch > armbar takedown was pretty cool and rhe finish was neat, with Bakouri hitting a necklock suplex and holding on for the submission. Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 10/25/96) One of Naruse's best RINGS performances thus far and another feather in Volk Han's ushanka. So many cool moments throughout. There's a really great counter-for-counter exchange in the first minute - loved when Naruse tries to set up the STF and Han says "nuh-huh" and grabs the arm. And then Naruse straight punches Han in the gut, which is, of course, Han's kryptonite. You've got Naruse's 2019-esque flipout of the armbar, which was unexpected, and then Han immediately throws him over his shoulder with a gnarly looking hip throw into the leglock. Han's inverted STF is always a thing of beauty and the hammerlock>hammerlock suplex>rear necklock. There's a great spot where Han has Naruse in an armbar and he's using his feet to keep Naruse from escaping. Naruse gets some neat offense in - I liked his gator roll and him blasting Han with the palm strike and rolling backhand. A fed up Han flipping him over the ropes was another great moment, which leads to the back-and-forth finish before Han traps him within inches from the ropes...and Naruse passes out. Terrific match. Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 11/22/96) Much more aggressive than their previous match-up, with TK breaking out the nifty counters - the shoot-Exploder to escape the straight armbar and later the belly-to-back throw. Of course, they both pull off some impressive submissions - I liked TK's ankle hold and how he maintains it through Han's struggles. And Han's kneebar transition was a thing of a beauty, fluid like water. Also the small moments flesh this thing out, like Han punching the hands to try and break off the jujigatame, and TK's kryptonite gut punch. Han keeps going for the double wristlock but TK's able to escape each attempt, which leads to the final submission struggle and Han being able to get the extension on the arm for the tap out. Great stuff! Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 12/19/96) Yamamoto has a major chip on his shoulder. He was the golden boy of RINGS pre-Tamura but post-Tamura, he's been losing all his matches, he's fed up and he takes that frustration out on Tamura. I mean, Tamura is just trying to survive and not get choked out. The opening is intense, with Yamamoto palm striking the hell out of Tamura, pelting him in the corners, with Tamura trying to grab something to take him down but Yamamoto is way too aggro. Tamura manages a few cool takedowns, including a beautiful kneebar counter, while Yamamoto keeps trying to climb on with his backpack choke. I thought some of the grounded sections of the match were sluggish - maybe they were just resting in between all the striking. At one point, Tamura rocks Yamamoto with some nasty slaps and somewhere in the mix, Tamura's nose gets busted open. The finish, with Tamura looking battering but then pulling out the beautiful flying armbar with that extension for the immediate tap out. Chef's kiss. Very good stuff overall.

Yamamoto has a major chip on his shoulder. He was the golden boy of RINGS pre-Tamura but post-Tamura, he's been losing all his matches, he's fed up and he takes that frustration out on Tamura. I mean, Tamura is just trying to survive and not get choked out. The opening is intense, with Yamamoto palm striking the hell out of Tamura, pelting him in the corners, with Tamura trying to grab something to take him down but Yamamoto is way too aggro. Tamura manages a few cool takedowns, including a beautiful kneebar counter, while Yamamoto keeps trying to climb on with his backpack choke. I thought some of the grounded sections of the match were sluggish - maybe they were just resting in between all the striking. At one point, Tamura rocks Yamamoto with some nasty slaps and somewhere in the mix, Tamura's nose gets busted open. The finish, with Tamura looking battering but then pulling out the beautiful flying armbar with that extension for the immediate tap out. Chef's kiss. Very good stuff overall.

What an idiot.

Kind of scatterbrained but with the underlying theme of Takeshita working the neck/back, which Endo sold relatively well at points - the failed torture rack was a nice touch and he bumps like hell. Takeshita is just so good - so crisp, so innovative. Every time I see him, he incorporates new things into the match. Simple things, like the way he hooks the leg off a leg scissors kip up. And he has one of the best modern leg lariats I've seen, the way he hooks it on Endo's neck as he continues working it over. Endo on offense is whatever - he doesn't bring a whole lot that draws me in. But Takeshita's Blue Thunder backbreaker to put him back in the driver's seat was very cool. We get some nasty apron spots and I liked Takeshita opting not to kick Endo's face in the corner but instead, grabs him and piledrives him. In the final minutes, Endo's got the crowd behind him and Takeshita's surviving everything he's dishing out. It definitely shifted into overkill territory with all the Canadian Destroyers but Takeshita tapping him with the Liontamer was the perfect way to payoff all that backwork. I think I liked parts of the match more than the match itself but it was still one of the better EPIC-style match-ups I've seen this year.

Uh, yeah, this ruled. Much more aggressive than their previous match-up, with TK breaking out the nifty counters - the shoot-Exploder to escape the straight armbar and later the belly-to-back throw. Of course, they both pull off some impressive submissions - I liked TK's ankle hold and how he maintains it through Han's struggles. And Han's kneebar transition was a thing of a beauty, fluid like water. Also the small moments flesh this thing out, like Han punching the hands to try and break off the jujigatame, and TK's kryptonite gut punch. Han keeps going for the double wristlock but TK's able to escape each attempt, which leads to the final submission struggle and Han being able to get the extension on the arm for the tap out. Great stuff!

The modern BJW Strong six-man tags are some of my favorite matches to watch and the build to Nomura/Okabayashi has me stoked. One of my most anticipated matches of the year. But man, they are ready to kill each other. This was great - you've got bald-headed Kikuta looking like the Japanese Vulture and punching people and plenty of good, hard-hitting house show filler between Hashimoto, Kamitani and Kawakami. Punches to the face, headbutts, suplexes, etc. But Nomura throwing Daichi into the corner like a chew toy to call out Okabayashi is what you signed up for. Fun technique vs. power grappling to start, with Nomura adding a cool rolling double wristlock set-up to his repertoire, but then the slaps come out. Tons of nasty open hands from both but particularly Okabayashi. Nomura's kicks looked very crisp and stiff. And the finish put Okayabashi over like a beast - Nomura smacking Okabayashi when Yuji's got the leg and then Yuji destroying him with gnarly slaps and a spear and an Argentine backbreaker to end it. It's like 8 minute, it's brutal, check it out.

Top two for 2019 so far. I feel like 2019 is even worse than 2018 in terms of quality. I still need to finish my 90's - 00's adventure, which feels impossible at this point but I'll keep chugging away.

Another good striker vs. submission dynamic that we saw early on with the Vrij/Han matches. Although not as compelling, this was still fun, with big Dick landing some nasty kicks and knees and a couple of real dirty elbows to the face. It's the usual dominant Vrij performance upfront, with TK getting beat down, until he finally starts striking back with hard mid kicks and finally takes Dick down with the rear necklock for the submission. Solid stuff.

Bakouri rules. He throws Todorov with a great suplex early on and follows that up with a big Karelin lift. The ground stuff in this match is whatever but when they're throwing slaps and throws, it's a lot of fun. Poor Todor gets kneed in the nuts but Bakouri is sorry, it's all good. Todorov's gut punch > armbar takedown was pretty cool and rhe finish was neat, with Bakouri hitting a necklock suplex and holding on for the submission. Good stuff.

One of Naruse's best RINGS performances thus far and another feather in Volk Han's ushanka. So many cool moments throughout. There's a really great counter-for-counter exchange in the first minute - loved when Naruse tries to set up the STF and Han says "nuh-huh" and grabs the arm. And then Naruse straight punches Han in the gut, which is, of course, Han's kryptonite. You've got Naruse's 2019-esque flipout of the armbar, which was unexpected, and then Han immediately throws him over his shoulder with a gnarly looking hip throw into the leglock. Han's inverted STF is always a thing of beauty and the hammerlock>hammerlock suplex>rear necklock. There's a great spot where Han has Naruse in an armbar and he's using his feet to keep Naruse from escaping. Naruse gets some neat offense in - I liked his gator roll and him blasting Han with the palm strike and rolling backhand. A fed up Han flipping him over the ropes was another great moment, which leads to the back-and-forth finish before Han traps him within inches from the ropes...and Naruse passes out. Terrific match.

Nice Tamura showcase, where you've got Iloukhine trying to grab him but Tamura's not letting that happen, instead putting Mikhail in a variety of predicaments. I mean, Mikhail will sometimes grab a leglock or a knee crusher, but Tamura finds ways out - loved his dope joint lock counter. He's just so quick and fluid, at one point, floating all around Mikhail with headlocks, armbars, headscissors, etc. So slick. He doesn't land a whole lot of strikes but he gets a couple of good face slaps and finally taps him with the rear choke.

I've needed more Hideki Suzuki squash matches in my life. It's the simple things like not letting Inamura tie him up in the ropes, slipping out of headlock attempts, making Inamura work hard for everything and not just giving him offense. What offense Inamura does get off is your typical young beefy dude offense and it's okay but what you're here for is Hideki's armwork and some nasty strikes in the corner and stomps to the face. Love the finish, with Hideki setting up the takedown with multiple mini headbutts before he hits the rolling double wristlock into a modified neck crank. Very dope. Nothing high end but Hideki's still one of the best guys working today.

Yeah, NJPW has badly been missing a Shibata-type so hopefully, KENTA can somewhat fill that role by just kicking the shit out of people.

Ishikawa in 2019 has ruled so far and another chapter in Ishikawa/Ikeda's storied rivalry is always a good thing. That's the highlight of this match for sure - Yone is good for a random kick or two, Otsuka has been hanging out at Disneyland a lot lately but he can still throw a good German or two and giant swing somebody. But the Ishikawa vs. Ikeda was great, from the opening groundwork, to the final encounter where we see Ikeda solebutt kick the shit out of Ishikawa's face. Ikeda has slowed down quite a bit but his selling was great throughout - gotta love the "I'm an old man still doing stiff shit but the stiff shit hurts now" selling. And he straight punches Yone in the face, so that's a plus. The final few minutes between Ikeda/Ishikawa was the highlight for sure and we get that kick and a brainbuster and Ishikawa working the holds and submitting Ikeda with the manjigatame. Definitely a fun bati-bati treat unlike most things you'll see in 2019.

Fresh off Yamamoto's utter shoot annihilation, the once golden child of RINGS faces gruff Russian submission dad Kopilov in a predictably solid match-up. They work through some decent holds in the early going - nothing super slick. It picks up when Yamamoto starts paintbrushing Kopilov with face slaps, and then slides in for the takedown into the rear choke, which he works into an armbar. In general, the takedowns look weak and the transitions sloppy but when they're both on their feet, slapping away at each other, it's pretty great. Kopilov's lip gets busted and he comes at Yamamoto hard and pissy with the open hands. By the end of it, Kopilov is spent but poor Yamamoto still can't put him away and after eating some more face palms in the corner, Kopilov grabs the kneebar for the win. Solid but underwhelming.

Nagai was very aggressive throughout, battering TK with nasty head kicks and face palms and knee strikes in the corners. TK's trying to find a way to the mat, where he excels, and at one point, he usues a quasi-capture suplex but Nagai continues dominating up top, targeting TK's midsection and popping him in the head with more palsm and knees. TK manages a nice scissors takedown into the kneebar, a front necklock, and some slick maneuvering to set up the armbar, but Nagai manages to escape each attempt, finally kneeing TK for the KO. TK's poor gut couldn't take it anymore. Good stuff.

Incredible. The two of them slip slidin' in and out of submission attempts, the drama built around the escapes and counters, Han's usual attempts being thwarted by the younger, quicker Tamura. I mean, right out of the gate, you've got Han carrying Tamura around in a hammerlock before he throws him down and the scramble begins. Loved Han slipping under the kicks to grab the choke and drag Tamura down, only for Tamura to snag a heel hook to force the break. Han's armbar out of the knee crusher attempt was so slick but Tamura doesn't let it breath and fights his way into his own armbar. Tamura's straight kick to the gut ruled. By the end of it, they're both fairly exhausted and missing their executions, and Han seems fed up when he starts peppering Tamura with face palms and knees. Great finish too, with Tamura's last choke effort and Han extending the arm with the double wristlock for the win. What a match.

Match of the Year - Yuki Ishikawa vs. Timothy Thatcher (wXw, 3/9) Runner Up - Hideki Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher (Bloodsport, 4/4) Best Major Wrestling Show - Bloodsport (4/4) Best Promotion - BJW Most Improved - Shotaro Ashino Wrestler of the Year - Timothy Thatcher?

Ishii/Shingo and Ibushi/KENTA sound interesting on paper so we'll see. Bummed no Suzuki. Bummed we don't get Ishii/KENTA. Bummed Ospreay's in it again and not Liger.