superkix

Not much to this one. Burton still doesn't do a whole lot and the best part of the match was him throwing Miyato with the double arm suplex and powerbomb to set up the finish.

Lot of slams from Burton but Tamura was able to block a lot of his attempts and by the end, you can tell Tamura just wants to finish him. Tamura works with what he's got, which isn't a ton, but he gets some cool takedowns and snug kicks. At one point, Burton catches a kick and takes him down with an ugly clothesline. Probably the best part of the match is when Tamura comes at him with a rush of strikes and Burton grabs him and sideslams him down. But not a very good match.

The kicking was really good in this match, between Yamazaki's high kicks and leg kicks, and Miyato's solebutts. They throw a couple of nice suplexes and Miyato's head kick counter to the leglock was nice. Yamazaki continually cuts out his legs to finish. Pretty good.

Takada was ready for this to be over. Southern wasn't awful in there but he wasn't good. Takada wakes him up with that hard leg kick and then the finishing armbar with his boot on his face was great.

Super fun "house show" tag. I thought the chemistry between Naruse and Liger was terrific, form their opening exchange to Liger's finishing run. Samurai is kind of toasted at this point but he gets his time to shine in there, pulling off some signature spots against Minoru. Lots of submission work from the shooters. Naruse uses a cool legscissors takedown to get Samurai in the cross kneelock. Toward the end, they stay on Liger's arm until he makes his comeback. Kind of a clunky finishing stretch but the fans were into it and Liger sent them home happy with the brainbuster to win.

Dumb fun. Takada’s like "okay whatever" through most of the match and Tom looks like the bouncer at an east Texas strip club. Loved Burton’s reaction to that first leg kick and I thought he did a goob job of selling Takada's submissions. Doesn’t really do much in there for awhile -- Takada lets him have it with a rush of strikes and Tom slams him down and sits there. But it does pick up toward the end. Tom dumps Takada with a German and sits down with the single leg crab. Nice finish from Takada with a great waterwheel slam to set up the crab hold.

Pretty fun match that definitely picks up during the finishing stretch. The early shooty exchanges between Naruse and Kakihara were really good with some slick matwork and strikes. Naniwa is here for the laughs, Minoru is here for the swoons, but that's okay. The final showdown between Minoru and Kakihara was good. Naniwa makes the big save on the kneebar and then Kakihara finishes off Minoru with a pretty awesome cobra clutch Kaki Cutter.

This was a lot of fun and probably the best match on the show. Fujiwara isn't afraid to go up against Dick and Dick seemed to be having fun in there as this was the most "pro-wrestling" I've seen him. He's in there trying for throws, trying for armbars, knowing when to escalate his strikes. At one point, they're both on the mat blatantly choking each other. Fujiwara so was good though, from popping him in the face with his cheeky slaps to taking him down with a belly-to-belly suplex, all the while wearing a big grin. Really liked Vrij's well-targeted knee strikes but in the end, the veteran wins out and snags the armbar for the submission. Afterwards, he gives Vrij the tropy he just won. Classic Fujiwara.

Pretty disappointing main event considering the build. 80% of the match is wrestled on the mat and there's some decent struggle with Funaki trying to snag a hold but the match doesn't really pick up until after Takada's nose gets busted. The striking really heats up at that point with some palm thrusts from Funaki and Takada blasting him with knees. They trade big open hands and Funaki lands some nasty knees of his own, one of which splits Takada's eyebrow. They bring in a doctor and the ref calls the match. Womp womp.

Match of the tournament so far and the kind of hard-hitting, meat and potatoes match-up I love. Ishii's selling in this match was terrific, from the way he took Goto's kicks to the lariat battle later in the match, with Ishii falling into the ropes and then both collapsing in one of the most convincing ways. Loved Ishii punching out of the sleeper hold and then the way he responds to Goto's slap to the face, just beating him down in the corner. The big lariat toward the end looked really brutal and then, of course, the final headbutts building to the finish. Really good stuff.

This was fun. Yano rules and Sabre was a little more...uh, believable here? Maybe? I don't know -- at least he stuck to one body part.

This was a fun "house show"-style main event. The chemistry between these two is undeniable but it's nothing we haven't already seen. Love stuff like Naito spitting at Ishii while he's getting chopped to hell, or the shitting boots to Ishii's head in the corner and Ishii giving it right back. The Destino needs to go though.

Nikolai Zouev vs. Todor Todorov (RINGS, 7/13/93) A good exhibition for the debuting Zouev, who showed off what he can do with his swanky takedowns and reversals, stretching Todorov all over the mat, working in holds like the double chickenwing and full nelson hold. His kicks were decent and he had some neat throws. He keeps slipping out of Todorov’s submission attempts to turn the hold against him ala Volk Han. Todorov got in a throw here and there, and at one point, catches Zouev’s kick and hits a big knee to the ribs. But eventually Zouev rolls him up into a wacky split-legged hold for the submission win. Volk Han vs. Dick Vrij (RINGS, 7/13/93) My other favorite match of the first six months of 1993 RINGS, and hey, it's my favorite match-up of 1992 RINGS! Volk is much more strike-focused and aggressive in 1993 then he has been, and here, he immediately punches Vrij in the face, kicks him down, and goes after the arm, trying to pin him down with the submission attempt. Vrij is vulnerable on the mat but he doesn't struggle often and Han made him squirm. Han is willing to absorb Vrij's big kicks and knees in order to get close enough for a takedown, knowing full well that he's not going to outstrike Vrij...although he'll try with his spinning backhands. There were times in the match where Vrij looked legitimately frightened of Volk. Han also busts out a shoot Russian legsweeip into the submission, which ruled. But the dynamic between these two -- the cyborg striker vs. the cool submission specialist -- is awesome, and like their first match, it comes down to the final point after Vrij keeps knocking down Han with kicks and knees, and Han keeps sending Vrij to the ropes. In the end, Vrij unloads on him with some really nasty knees in the ropes and then delivers a combo of strikes that ends in a palm thrust for the TKO victory over Han. Terrific match. Grom Zaza vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 8/21/93) Both guys have a similar style, although Zouev is less about the throws and more in the same vein as Volk Han, using Sambo takedowns, headscissors, arm submissions, and often turning an opponent's hold against them. Zaza comes out more aggressive than usual, landing some big kicks and a sick spinning backhand to the face. But once they get on the mat, Zoeuv takes control of the situation. He uses a grounded full nelson and a sweet arm-and-shoulder takedown into the submission. Zaza mostly sticks to neat strikes and throws, and his over-exaggerated selling of the leglock was something else. Things get sluggish toward the end as they struggle to get something going on the mat but in the end, Zoeuv catches him a cool neck-crank for the submission. Masayuki Naruse vs. Dieseul Berto (RINGS, 9/10/93) Pretty fun match, with Berto working as the big strong dude who smothers Naruse on the mat with his weight and Naruse trying to find the submission. He isn't intimated by Berto's size and immediately pops him with a spinning backhand to start. Berto has some decent takedowns and big jumping kicks but can't do a whole lot on the mat. The match picks up toward the end as they're both trading open hands and Naruse gets busted open with a spinning backhand. Berto keeps trying for a calf hold of some sort but Naruse's able to grab him with a leglock for the tap out. Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 10/23/93) What a great squash by the master Volk Han, who has to side slam the fire out of underdog Naruse, who comes out of the gate hot, trying to stun Han with open hands and knee strikes. Of course, Han uses some awesome takedowns and submission holds thoughout, including a split-legged kneebar and a standing armbar. Naruse's just trying to hang on at points, either onto Han with a sleeper attempt or onto the ropes. His selling of Han's holds is terrific for a shoot-style match and his hope spot punch to the ribs was a cool moment that lit the crowd up. Naruse ultimately falls victim to Han's stepover armbar but he gave a spirited effort and Han continues to showcase why he's one of the best wrestlers in the world. Andrei Kopylev vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 10/23/93) Two Russian submission specialists = lots of struggle and defense. This was a back-and-forth game of chess on the canvas, where Kopylov would manage a rolling armbar takedown but Zouev would block the submission, and vice versa, with Zouev utilizing some cool takedowns but Kopylov playing heavy D on the mat. When Kopylov finally gets him in a double leglock, Zouev tries to struggle out and Andrei smartly hooks the leg to prevent the escape. I thought Kopylov looked more aggressive here with his strikes, landing knees and open hand slaps, but Zouev fires back, knocking Kopylov down with a big high kick. As the match progresses, they obviously get more sluggish and desperate to get something cinched in. Zoeuv finally grabs a toe hold with Kopylov trapped in a full nelson using his legs -- a very cool submission and another nice win for Zouev. Dimitri Petkov vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 11/18/93) Petkov looks like a big dumb baby in his neon green singlet but he's a lot of fun and unlike pretty much everyone else in RINGS. Paired with a fiery underdog in Nagai, you get Petkov at his best: suplex throws, an Anaconda vice attempt, sitting on leglocks and smothering Nagai with his weight. Nagai is trying to kick and grab a hold and when he finally gets a kneebar, forcing Petkov to the ropes, Petkov has to take a time out to cold spray his knee. This plays directly into the finish, as Nagai goes back to the kneebar and taps Petkov right in front of the ropes. Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 11/18/93) This is, quite possibly, the best match in RINGS 1993. Zouev has been the man throughout the last half of the year and now he's up against THE man in Volk Han. I loved the opening – you have Zouev shooting in for a takedown, Han whipping him down by the arm and trying to lock in the submission, but Zouev is able to turn Volk’s attempt into the cross armbar and sends him to the ropes. For the first time, Han is truly put to the test on the mat. They start taking each other down with submissions, throwing strikes in between. Han uses a cool hammerlocked double wristlock, and Zouev comes back with a rolling cross kneebar, making Han lunge for the ropes . At one point, Zouev has him in a scarf hold and Han tries to whip him over in an escape but Zouev keeps the hold locked in, forcing Han to go the ropes yet again. As one might expect, the struggle was excellent as they fight over holds – tons of great takedowns and unique submissions. A couple slaps and kicks from Zouev but this was mostly submission warfare. The finish was awesome, as Han tries for something fancy and Zouev snags the Fujiwara armbar, trapping the legs to prevent Han’s escape and tapping him. Fantastic submission wrestling. Todor Todorov vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 12/8/93) This was a fun, evenly matched contest, with Naruse hanging with Todorov on the mat as they roll around, trying to counter counters and reverse holds. Todorov uses some cool takeovers and suplexes whereas Naruse is more focused on the striking, primarily knees and kicks. He also brings his submission game. working through a crossface hold, a triangle, and a kneerbar. Naruse continues to improve throughout 1993 and this was probably one of his better singles performances, although Todorov gets the better of him in the end and submits him with a nasty rear necklock. Volk Han vs. Pavel Orlov (RINGS, 12/8/93) Essentially a Volk Han squash match but it's still Volk doing his thing, which rules. Other than a judo throw into a cool arm-trap submission, Orlov doesn't do much else here but get dominated by Han on the mat. Han wrangles him in a cool side STF, lands a few slaps and knees, and of course, he's aware of his positioning at all times, scooting Orlov away from the ropes as he takes control of a leglock. Orlov can’t get much going and when he does manage a hold, he’s usually positioned too close to the ropes to be much of a threat. Volk tries to submit him with the single leg crab hold but finishes him off with the classic jujigatame. Andrei Kopylov vs. Pavlev Orlov (RINGS, 12/25/93) This was a Kopylov showcase match with Orlov but it wasn't quite as one-sided as the Han/Orlov match. Kopylov is explosive early on with some cool takedowns and throws, and then it settles into a prolonged struggle on the mat, where they work through holds, countering when they can, grabbing ropes when they need to. Orlov completely whiffing on whatever he was going for and then eating an enziguri kick from Kopylov was awesome. Also, Kopylov's crucifix rolling submission was super cool. Orlov is a good jobber for the Russian submission guys.

This is fun. Here are a few more: Irish Jungle Which Salesman? Kodiak Autobahn

Bingo x2!

Batista Mockery Ebonics Junior

Bingo!

Easy one. One Damn Lake

Cool, a male gymnast. Perfect for 205 LIVE.

I really liked the brutality of this match, with Vader whipping Sting around and into guardrails with the strap. Sting bloodying Vader's back or the nasty punches in the corner that further bloody Vader. The stipulation is obviously dumb -- i mean, why not just start touching corners -- and when the referee gets in Vader's face about beating up Sting. Come on dude, it's an unsanctioned strap match? But the last few minutes leading up to the finish were awesome. Vader whipping Sting into that rolling koppou kick, then hitting that great release German. The finish was dumb and as a whole, this may be my least favorite match of the series...but when it picks up, it really picks up.

My favorite match of the series. Loved the opening few minutes, with Vader no selling the punches,, powering Sting around before Sting comes back with that cannonball kick and a release German suplex, building momentum, knocking Vader out of the ring, knocking his mask off, and then hitting a plancha onto Vader AND Harley Race. Whoa. Sting even hits a SUPER DDT at one point. Sting will get these little flashes of offense through Vader's dominance and he does such a good job of selling here. Loved his struggle for the backslide. The finish was really cool too. Great match.

Sting really sells the enormity of Vader (although, realistically, he’s not THAT much bigger) and Vader does a great job of making Sting’s lighter offense look more impactful. Sting really sells the hell out of Vader's punches and I never knew Sting was capable of delivering German suplexes -- that was a cool surprise. I liked the finish with an overzealous Sting busting himself open and Vader putting him down with the big powerbomb. Really good stuff.

No idea who any of these people are aside from Io Shirai and Keith Lee.

Giving some life to this thread with 1993 RINGS. This is only the stuff worth watching (imo) but I recommend watching everything because RINGS is so much more than the matches/match quality. Mitsuya Nagai vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 1/23/93) A pretty fun, extended squash, with Nagai controlling most of the match. He's throwing suplexes and attacking the leg with submissions, popping Naruse with kicks to the leg and the ribs. At one point, Naruse catches a kick and uses a cool waterwheel drop. But that’s about it. Nagai knees him in the face, kicks him in the head, and finally submits him with the armbar. Sotir Gotchev vs. Todor Todorov (RINGS, 1/23/93) A fun exhibition match for Todorov, who was really good at tying Gotchev up in interesting predicaments. He keeps trapping the arm, whipping him down, going for armbars. Gotchev is less of a finesse guy and more of a rough and tumble guy. He isn’t much of a striker but he’ll dump Todorov with a fireman’s carry, or his awesome bearhug suplexes, and when he’s got him on the mat, he keeps trying for a choke. Cool submission finish too. Sergei Sousserov vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 2/28/93) Kind of a mess but fun – Sergei’s almost filled the Willie Peeters role for 92-93 with his explosiveness but lack of actually connecting. He does have some cool suplex throws and slams, and when he’s on the ground, he’s grabbing arms, legs, chokes. Naruse is, more or less, trying to weather the storm of Sergei’s barrages and find a submission. He’ll throw a couple of knees here and there, but he’s mostly attacking the legs on the mat. This went a little long as they kind of struggle to get anything cinched in, with Sergei ultimately submitting him with a kneebar. Sergei is dope but his sweet spot is under 10 minutes. Sirra Fubicha vs. Kalil Valvitov (RINGS, 3/5/93) This is wrestled in rounds, which is probably a good thing considering the pace these two unknown European dudes were working at. Sirra Fubicha may be of Georgian-descent but don't quote me on that. The first three rounds were awesome. In the first round, Fubicha is all about suplexing and trying to grab a limb, while Valvitov keeps trying for a shoot STF. Fubicha opens the second round by hitting a low-angle Olympic Slam and a deadlift uranage on Valvitov, then gets him in an ankle lock. Valvitov throws a couple of suplexes but he’s trying to get the STF locked in. He's more of the bruiser in this match, clubbing Fubicha down at one point with forearms. Fubicha gets a little too fancy with his headscissors takedown but other than his takedowns and throws, he’s not much of a submission specialist. In the fourth round, he gets a little crazy with the open hand slaps but by the fifth, they’re both spent. They fire off a couple of deadlift Germans but it ends in a draw after the sixth. Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 3/5/93) A much different match than their previous encounter. Kopilov is very aggressive early on, throwing Han around, kicking out his leg to try and tangle him up on the ground. Of course, Han calmly waits until he sees an opening to crank on some kind of hold. Love his stepover armbar takedown. Han throwing some pretty nice open hand slaps. Aside from the blitzkrieg opening, Kopilov is mostly on the defensive, reversing holds when he can, but Han wins in the end with the ankle hold. Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 4/24/93) One of my favorites from RINGS '93 because I love an underdog fired up and within the palms of the Japanese crowd, swinging for the fences with wild abandon. Nagai puts Han on the rocks, here and there, but he definitely puts him on the rocks. Han does his thing, taking him down to the mat to stretch him in ways only Volk Han can do -- at one point, choking him with his own arm. But Nagai keeps coming at him with kicks, catching him with a shot to the face before Han snags a foot and takes him back down. He's also upped his submission game against Han, using a rolling leglock, a cross armbar, a kneebar...but Han will find ways to slip out and turn the hold against him. I thought the finish was awesome, with Nagai knocking him into the ropes with the big wheel kick, briefly turning him over into the single leg (the crowd losing their shit) before Han forces the submission out of him. Yuki Ishikawa vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 5/29/93) A half hour of mat warfare. If that's your shit, welcome. There weren’t many knockdowns – this was mostly them scrambling around, trying to grab chokes, leglocks, armbars. Anything. Ishikawa keeps taking Naruse off his feet with double leg takedowns but at one point, he grabs Naruse's leg and Naruse pops him in the face with a nasty knee strike for a knockdown. Nothing blow away but a lot of fun to see Ishikawa in this environment. Dick Vrij vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 5/29/93) Vrij was uber-dominant and aggressive against Kopylov, not giving him an inch. He’s laying into him with big kicks, kicks him in the nuts at one point, and whenever Andrei gets him on the mat, Vrij is quick to grab the rope so Kopylov never really has an opportunity to keep him on the ground long enough for a submission. Kopylov finally catches him with some body blows and knees but that’s about it -- Vrij just keeps knocking him down with his mean flurries and finally pops him with a palm thrust for the KO.