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superkix

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  1. superkix
    Let us not forget Hikaru Sato, who knows what he is doing in the ring. Young dudes like Fuminori Abe and Koji Iwamoto continue to impress.
  2. superkix
    Neither guy is particular exciting on the mat and unfortunately, this match sees them spending quite a bit of time on the ground. Nakano, whose usually a pissy little warthog, seemed to be playing nice with Takada here. He does connect with a few headbutts and tries to choke him out, dumping Takada on his head with a German when that doesn't work and then unloading on him in the corner. But Takada quickly shuts him down with a flurry of strikes. Nakano doesn't want to stay down for Takada but by the end of the match, despite the crowd cheering him on, it's obvious Nakano's optimal match length is less than 15 minutes. He's barely hanging on in the final minutes, firing off a last gasp spurt of slaps, before Takada wears him down on the mat...slowly...finally submitting him without much of a struggle from Nakano. Meh.
  3. superkix
    A total blast with everyone playing their respective roles so well. On team Jumbo, you had the cantankerous captain himself, Grampa Fuchi destroying limbs, and crazy Uncle Kabuki doing...a little bit of everything. On the other side, the young gate-rattlers: the babyface fire of young Kobashi, the "too cool for school" 'tude of middle child Misawa, and the gangly big brother power of Taue. When Kobashi comes in, he's red-hot, blasting Fuchi with a sweet top rope dropkick and poking the hornet's nest with Jumbo. Jumbo lays him out with the jumping knee and takes out all the kids on the apron, pissing off middle child Misawa, who wants in there so bad and when he does, he gets lariated the fuck down. The stern dad vs. disrespectful teen dynamic between Misawa and Jumbo was terrific, and even when they were quarreling somewhere the ring, I liked that the other guys were still trying to wrestle the match. Kobashi's arm gets bullied for awhile, with Fuchi being especially relentless and awesome, targeting arms and legs both, wrecking Kenta's knee on the timekeeper's table. Love Jumbo waving off Kobashi's dropkick to pummel him with knees and boots. Misawa and Taue take over after teaming up on Tsuruta with a double dropkick. Misawa gets to show off his Tiger Mask offense with Taue knocking bodies around. Kobashi gets a little revenge on gramps the end, picking up a great nearfall off a German suplex hold on Fuchi. When Misawa tries to finish Fuchi off with the Tiger Driver, Jumbo creams him with a lariat. But, alas, youth prevails and Misawa's able to pin Fuchi with the tiger suplex hold.
  4. superkix
    Takada isn't the most exhilarating mat tech; his bread-and-butter is striking. He'd heat up the crowd with some of his kicks but then immediately cool them off by applying a very pedestrian leglock. Thankfully, Fujiwara makes up for that, grabbing an armbar when and where he can and avoiding a lot of Takada's wild swings. He's pretty great here as the wily veteran, hip-hopping Takada into a corner and blasting him with a headbutt, which serves as the real turning point in this match. Takada starts letting loose with the kicks, there are a couple of suplex throws from both sides, and the finish was pretty great, as Takada goes for one of his lame ass leglocks and Fujiwara counters with the cross kneebar and really cranks it in, sending Takada reeling, scrambling for the ropes and trying to peel Fujiwara off before finally tapping out. Fujiwara's post-match old man celebration is about as good as the match itself.
  5. superkix
    This match picks up toward the middle after some failed shoot ins and feigned kicks during the early portions of the match. Takada uses some neat, almost impromptu suplex throws to counter Yamazaki's lock up attempts and Yamazaki uses a swank leg takedown but can't get the hold cinched in before Takada escapes. But the striking is the bread and butter of this match. Yamazaki starts rocking Takada with kicks against the ropes but all it takes is one high kick to the grill to down Yamazaki. They trade strikes, pick up a couple downs, before Yamazaki targets the leg with kicks and leglocks. There's some good selling from Takada here and he's able to catch a foot, headbutt Yamazaki, and blast him with another boot to the face. In the end, Takada staggers Yamazaki with a few slaps and a single leg takedown, working in a single leg crab and then transitioning into the full crab, cranking back to submit Yamazaki. Real good second half.
  6. superkix
    Similar to the Minoru Suzuki, this match sees Nishimura's spellbook constantly countered by Kanemoto, who works with this perpetual shit eating grin. He's pretty great here with his fakeout spins, reversals, and overall cocky demeanor. He overwhelms Nishimura with kicks, primarily targeting the leg, but also figuring in a couple of facewash spots. There's a point in the match where the ref tries to prevent Kanemoto from attacking Nishimura on the apron...so Kanemoto leapfrogs the ref, dropkicking Nishimura, before following up with a plancha. Osamu can't catch a break as Kanemoto seemingly has an answer for everything. Osamu eats a corkscrew senton to the face and then Kanemoto really digs in with the legwork, with some terrific selling from Osamu. Kanemoto slips out of the backslide attempt, kicks Nishimura in the head and slaps on the grapevined ankle hold. Koji lands his moonsault press for a nearfall and counters Osamu's roll up by grabbing the injured ankle and bending it...but in true Osamu fashion, he's able to pin Kanemoto's shoulders to the mat to pick up the win. A solid match with a little bit of slop.
  7. superkix
    Whether it's bashing fools with rudo chaisrshots or lapping up the babyface sympathy juice, Liger knows how to elicit emotion from the fans. Here, having only a crimson mask of blood to hide his face, Liger not only puts in one of the best performances of his career, selling Sano's asswhippin' like he's about an inch away from heaven, but he still manages to maintain that same aura and mystique that's synonymous with Jushin "Thunder" Liger. The way he's able to remain hidden from the cameras behind the tatters of his mask is some real deal in-ring awareness. If there's anything to nitpick, perhaps that it's Liger's selling, or lack thereof, when he's on the comeback, going full-speed with dives and headscissors, and ultimately, making quick work of Sano after having been beaten down for roughly 80% of the match. Sano's able to deliver about every suplex variation in the book, including his game ending tiger suplex hold, which Liger's barely able to break with a foot on the ropes. I mean, Liger asked for this ya'll....he said "fuck your handshake" before the bell and bitchslapped Sano across the face. Visually, this is an awesome but frightening match - for example, there's a moment where Sano throws Liger almost lifelessly into the corner pad, leaving a smear of Liger's blood on the white padding. Each time Liger begins to build a momentum and speed, Sano's able to cut him off. After taking out Sano on the outside with a beautiful tope con hilo, Liger hits the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to set up the Romero Special but in a terrific counter, Sano rakes the exposed eyes of Liger to escape the hold. Later on, Liger's able to take Sano down with a headscissors but when he tries to follow up the attack, Sano back bodydrops clear over the ropes to the outside! Liger can't catch a break until literally the last two minutes of the match, when he sneaks in a flurry of offense, including a German suplex hold, a Liger Bomb, and a sweet tombstone piledriver, finally pinning Sano with the the Shooting Star Press. An awesome match.
  8. superkix
    Oh boy, this tag match has it all: tons of hot saves, hot tags and a hot crowd, a headgeared Yatsu throwing suplexes, shitkicker Hansen throwing his brisket-fed weight around, and the pissed off of Jumbo and Tenryu. All four guys really delivered here, putting in great performances. Oh, and Hansen going to retrieve Tenryu on the outside was a nice touch. They really bully Yatsu around, with Hansen removing the protective headgear to drive home the knees. Love how Hansen falls into his clobbering strikes. When Yatsu's finally gets some leverage on Tenryu, Tenryu's able to tug on the trunks to prevent Yatsu from getting too close to the ropes. He finally hits a German suplex and the fans are buzzing for the tag to Jumbo, who comes in fired the fuck up. Hansen takes a beating from Jumbo, selling the exhaustion on the irish whip before taking a backdrop, but the tide turns and Jumbo finds himself on the receiving end of some double teams. On the outside, Yatsu's getting his head taped and makes it back just in time to break up a pin attempt in an awesome little moment. He busts open Hansen with a running bulldog on the exposed concrete and gets the hot tag from Jumbo, exacting some revenge on the Texan with plenty of headbutts. He hits another bulldog but Tenryu interferes, giving Yatsu some dirty kicks to the head while he's in there. Jumbo's had it and he starts beating the hell out of Tenryu in the corner and the crowd is lit! Yatsu and Hansen slap it out and Hansen catches him square in the grill with a kick but when Tenryu tries for an assisted enziguri, Yatsu ducks and Hansen gets caught. Jumbo hits a diving high knee but Tenryu's there to break up the cover and gets some cheap shots off on Jumbo. Amid all the chaos, Hansen finally hits his big ole lariat on Yatsu and when Jumbo tries to make the save, Tenryu grabs his trunks, allowing Hansen to score the pinfall. Awesome tag with a super hot final five minutes.
  9. superkix
    I guess the best way to describe this "special" match-up is manic and sloppy strike porn. I mean, right from the get go, you had Sawa and Ibushi slapping and kicking away like two angst-ridden teenage girls. There are intermittent periods of ground game in between the stiff pissing contests but really, they mean squat here. You got Fujita blasting a provoking Ibushi with stiff kicks to the chest but when he signals for something devastating, Hayato picks up Ibushi, scoop slams him, picks him up again and then tags out. Dumb. Sawa was his terrific self with the hard smacks and Mutoh tribute spots, which included two Shining Wizards to Ibushi and Mochizuki. At one point, Ibushi stops selling Fujita's strikes and then destroys him with his wild lanky kicks and slaps and a German suplex. In the end, a busted open Fujita tries to submit Mochizuki with the K.I.D. but Mochizuki rolls through the final attempt and hits the Twister and a pair of high kicks to pick up the TKO victory. A glorious little clusterfuck of a match that doesn't quite know when to stop.
  10. superkix
    There was a cool chaos brewing in this match that never quite bubbled over into a full-blown violent pandemonium. Shibata hops out of the ring to attack Choshu, taking him to the back of the arena for a private PK ceremony, throwing chairs at him, kicking the snot out of him while he's helpless on the ground. Once it gets back into the ring, though, the match settles into something kind of forgettable. Shibata tries wearing Choshu out on the mat with holds until Choshu dumps him on his noggin with a backdrop, sits up, calmly fixing his hair, before beating on Shibata until the finish. He snapmares Shibata over the ropes in a cool spot and his first big lariat looked brutal enough to end the game...but no, it took six more to put the rabid Shibata down. Not bad but not quite the fight you'd hope for.
  11. superkix
    This felt more like a "greatest hits" montage, with some neat callbacks to their previous two matches, but never really finding its rhythm or structure. They go in and out of the junior prom stuff, working the mat in between, but the groundwork isn't nearly as important as their August match and serves more to fill in the gaps. There's a little bit of testiness from Liger early on with some of his kicks but it goes away and the final half is mostly exhibition, with tons of piledrivers, including an awesome jumping tombstone from Liger. Liger also suplexes Sano to the floor and hits that gnarly diving senton from the top rope to the outside! They tease the double dropkick spot, Sano's able to hit a German suplex hold but Liger counters the super backdrop finish from the second match. Liger's last ditch effort is a rounding body press but after Sano throws him off the top, he slips over into a tiger suplex hold for the clean victory and Liger still can't beat Sano. Solid match but it didn't feel as personal between the two -- more of a "going through the motions" rematch.
  12. superkix
    I think the date on this is 8/13/89. You've got the old guard of UWF dueling in a game of shoot-style chess. Fujiwara shows early on what happens when you back a grizzled dog into a corner, blasting Maeda's grill with some hard headbutts. When Maeda tries to sweep Fujiwara's leg, Yoshiaki smartly holds onto the ropes to maintain his balance. Maeda's strategy is straightforward: get Fujiwara into a corner and strike him down. As the match continues, you can really see the frustration mounting in Fujiwara, the way he slaps the canvas when he's forced to the ropes or the tired look on his face as he sits in the corner, biding his nine count. After Maeda dumps Fujiwara on his head with a backdrop suplex, he tries to grab the dazed Fujiwara in crossface chickenwing but he can't cinch it in. In a neat little counter, Fujiwara wrenches Maeda's ankle while he's in the bodyscissors and Maeda starts grasping for the ropes, the crowd buzzing. Fujiwara lays into Maeda with some bodyshots against the ropes but he's exhausted, collapsing into Maeda with headbutts as Maeda tumbles out of the ring. With the tank empty, Fujiwara keeps falling to Maeda's kicks in the corner and the referee calls the match, awarding Maeda the TKO victory. Fujiwara's performance in this match was fantastic and he really had my sympathy there at the end.
  13. superkix
    This may very well be my favorite example of limb selling in a match, if anything within a junior heavyweight match, where the high spots often take priority over sustained selling. I mean, you got Jushin "Thunder" Liger wearing American football shoulder pads to protect the shoulder but Sano doesn't let deter him. If anything, it's a giant target on Liger -- like, hey Sano, I'm hurt, please don't attack me here. Sano goes after the arm early on, pissing off Liger, who annihilates him with a rolling koppou kick. But when Sano gets a hold of it, he really does a number on the arm, kicking and stomping and stretching it to make Liger his (rarely seen) bitch. Liger essentially wrestles this match single-armed, the injured one hanging limp at his side. He tries to lock up but Sano overpowers him. When he tries for the surboard, he has to switch things up to a leg scissored armbar before...well, his arm is jacked. In perhaps my favorite moment of the match, Sano whips the arm and it's sold beautifully by Liger...just the way it drags along the canvas as he crawls. Awesome. Liger's finally able to turn the tide with a very conscientious top rope suplex to the apron and a follow-up plancha. He sidesteps Sano's dive and Sano crashes, giving Liger some much needed time to rest up. When Sano returns to the ring, he's bloodied up and Liger smells it, attacking him with boots and at one point, kicking Sano in the face. He delivers a quasi-Gotch-style piledriver and then piledrives Sano on the floor because he's Liger. Again, he uses his recovery time wisely and continues to target Sano's neck. Sano's able to snag the arm a few times with armbars but Liger's able to make it to the ropes. When Liger tries for the brainbuster, Sano again takes him down with the wakigatame, forcing Jushin back to the ropes. Assuming Liger ain't tapping, Sano hits a German suplex hold and when that doesn't do the trick, he hits a super backdrop for the win. A fantastic match and perhaps the shining example of how you can make sustained limb selling compelling from start to finish. Liger really is the best junior heavyweight.
  14. superkix
    This was a little over two minutes and it ruled. Tamura isn't kidding around this time and barrages Maeda with open-hands in the corner. Maeda's able to trip him up and goes after the leg but Tamura is quick to the ropes. Then Maeda decides playtime is over and starts destroying Tamura's face with some Muay Thai knees. He nonchalantly blocks Tamura's desperation dropkick and continues kneeing him until the referee calls the match. Oh well...better luck next year.
  15. superkix
    Miyato played the aggressor here and kept on him with kicks and groundwork, forcing Tamura back to the ropes. He dumps Tamura on his head with a backdrop suplex and Tamura's selling hard but the fight's still in him. Miyato keeps shutting him down with strikes, hitting a solebutt, a high kick and hard knees to keep him down for the TKO win. Quick and hard.
  16. superkix
    This was decent, with plenty of wild and loose strikes from both sides. There was some slop to this match but Funaki had some cool takedowns, including a nasty reverse cravate and the double arm suplex into the butterfly lock. The most compelling stuff came during Anjoh's legwork, which was sold well by Funaki and had Anjoh circling with kicks like a shark in bloody waters. Funaki gets a little revenge with some big spinning back kicks but when he tries to finish Anjoh off with a German suplex, Anjoh snags an arm and takes him down with the double wristlock for the submission win.
  17. superkix
    Onita is such a little shit in this match, only gaining some sort of advantage by cheap shotting Aoyagi. He attacks him from behind, avoiding most of Aoyagi's kicks and managing a few takedowns and outlasting the first round with a single leg crab hold. Aoyagi exacts his revenge in the second round, knocking Onita out of the ring with his big flurry of karate kicks. Onita keeps getting pummeled into the corner and when the referee intervenes, Onita takes advantage and clobbers Aoyagi with a lariat.There are plenty of cheapshots in the ropes and even Aoyagi doesn't care anymore and he's just putting the kicks to the grounded Onita. Onita fires off a backdrop, Aoyagi responds with a koppou kick. The Gi comes off and after Aoyagi spin kicks Onita out of the ring, he follows him out, taking the fight to Onita's familiar grounds, and he comes back busted open. The last few minutes of the match see Onita just getting destroyed by kicks in the ring. Whenever he's able to get up, he's stumbling, hanging onto the ref, before Aoyagi shuts him down again. After Aoyagi takes him out with a big kneel kick, the towel's thrown in and Aoyagi wins via TKO...but Onita ain't happy about it. A wacky clash of styles and Onita being the scummy, lowblowing Onita we've all come to love.
  18. superkix
    This was more of a methodically-paced defensive contest, with both guys wary of strikes, backing into corners and trying to wear each other out on the canvas. It may not be as "exciting" as other UWF bouts but it's worked smartly. The don Fujiwara lets Yamazaki know just how hard his forehead is early on as he lunges in with a headbutt during a lock up. Yamazaki's able to avoid some of Fujiwara's signature offense but he can't manage any traction either. They try to chop each other down with kicks but in a nice move, Yamazaki holds onto Fujiwara's legs to prevent the down. Yamazaki misses a lot of his big kicks and at times, it appeared as though he was holding back. But Fujiwara, as always, is an absolute joy to watch in the ring. When he's got Yamazaki in a leglock, he holds on through Kazuo's kicking. When he catches a foot against the ropes, he hangs on and turns it into a fisherman suplex, not letting go upon impact. When Yamazaki tries for a sleeper hold, Fujiwara snatches a foot and twists, then grabs the other and does the same thing. He dodges a solebutt attempt and curtsies. A lot of the knock downs come from body shots in the corner or against the ropes and there's quite a bit of back-and-forth legwork. They spice things up in the final few minutes as they trade punches, slaps, kicks, with Fujiwara sandbagging after he eats Yamazaki's knee. Yamazaki's able to deliver the German suplex hold but he can't maintain the bridge as he's wore the fuck out. He signs his own death certificate when he headbutts Fujiwara because...well, Fujiwara is going to headbutt you right back and after he conks him with one, he picks up the TKO victory. A differently worked/paced match but still an absolute pleasure, thanks to Fujiwara's appeal.
  19. superkix
    This was a super duper juniors exhibition, with lots of slick back-and-forth mat-tastics and a bubbling aggression that didn't quite pop. Instead, they unload almost all of their offense and it's pretty great. Liger drops a boss diving elbow, suplexes Sano from inside the ring and drops him to the ground, and then follows that up with a big somersault senton from the top rope to the floor. Not to be outdone, Sano rallies back with lots of kick variations and he goes up top and uh, maybe slips or maybe kicks Liger on the floor. Some of Sano's stuff isn't quite as squeaky clean as in later matches but he's trying everything, hitting a German suplex hold and a dope arm trap suplex floatover for a two count. They both collapse on the top rope backdrop attempt and the match ends on a double KO. Weird finish but it works and sets up the subsequent rematch.
  20. superkix
    Yamazaki brings his hunger, his speed and counterwork, and the dreaded single leg crab to top boss Maeda. He's able to outmaneuver Maeda at the outset, stunning him with some kicks -- in fact, there's a lot of dueling kicks in this match. Maeda was good here, although it did seem he was brushing off some of the shoot-style ring rust. He was able to plant Yamazaki with his capture suplex, land some extra nasty kicks, and finish him off with the katahajime after catching him with the rolling heel kick. Yamazaki's a perfect underdog here with the crowd behind him throughout. The single leg crabs added some drama to the match, with Maeda's struggle giving the Yamazaki fans some hope for their boy. He's able to hit the German suplex hold and a belly-to-belly before they both start emptying the kick tank down the home stretch. Yamazaki lays Maeda out with beautiful high kick to head but he can't keep him down and in the end, Maeda submits him with the crowd chanting Yamazaki's name. An entertaining return to form with the promotion "ace" taking out the fiery underdog in Yamazaki.
  21. superkix
    They’re back at it, this time with a little more seriousness and a little less umphs behind the strikes. The slower-paced matwork dominates the opening of the match, with Takada being dominated by Maeda. Takada’s looking for an answer to Maeda’s holds and kicks but can’t find it as Maeda overwhelms him with strikes and keeps him going back to the ropes with the wakigatame. There’s some really terrific selling from Takada in these moments, crumbling from the heavy blows as he desperately tries to fight back, exhausting his outs between the rope breaks and the falls. There’s a glimmer of hope as he levels Maeda with a big kick but Maeda’s able to take back control on the mat, once again forcing Takada to his home away from home with a leglock. Something seems to snap inside Takada as he comes back swinging and kicking, knocking Maeda down with a solebutt and high kick, slamming him with the belly-to-belly. There’s a great little moment when Maeda tries to trap Takada’s arm for the crossface chickenwing and Takada counters with the single leg crab hold to force the rope break. The final minute or so of the match was awesome, as the score is tied and they’re just unloading with big ass kicks. Takada lands a high kick, Maeda collapses, quickly trying to stand on rubber legs but failing as the fans go nuts for Takada’s TKO victory.
  22. superkix
    There's a lot to digest but on a whole, it's a pretty spectacular display of athleticism and endurance. I can see where some might be turned off by this as it's a lot of takedowns, counters, and matwork but they manage to keep the drama going and the crowd engaged throughout. I'll hit on a few of my favorite moments instead of regurgitating sixty minutes worth of action.Early on, Inoki stuns Fujinami with a takedown but when he tries for a high kick, Fujinami catches the leg and turns it into a giant swing to set up the figure-four leglock. I love the Indian deathlock teases and when Inoki's able to lock it in, he turns it into a bow-and-arrow hold, then goes back to the Indian deathlock, then again to the bow-and-arrow hold, but this allows Fujinami an opportunity to escape and in turn, cinch in the dragon sleeper. Fujinami's use of the choke was awesome, with the ref reprimanding him between counts. Inoki scores a two count off a German suplex hold and Fujinami takes a breather on the outside, returning to barrage Inoki with headbutts, hitting a Billy Robinson-style backbreaker to once again set up the figure-four. This time, they end up falling out of the ring with the hold still applied! With Inoki struggling back into the ring, Fujinami continues targeting the leg with kicks and a sasorigatame. Inoki was really terrific in the last half of the match, getting pissy with Fujinami when he tries for the octopus hold, peppering him with slaps, then straight punches, before taking him down with the enziguri. He uses a seated torture rack and when Fujinami escapes, Inoki backdrops him. At this point, they're trying to wear each other down on the mat and as Inoki starts building some momentum, hitting a double arm suplex, Fujinami's able to cut him off with the octopus hold. Inoki's tried just about everything to beat Fujinami but he can't do it and in the end, you really see the desperation as Inoki repeatedly tries to pin Fujinami before the time limit expires. If you've got the patience and time, check this one out. It's the last of it's kind in a lot of ways as the style transitions into what would become the more fast-paced, bomb-dropping routine of the 1990's.
  23. superkix
    Yamazaki rules in this match. He's such an awesome fiery underdog and of the shoot-style bunch, he's one of the better sellers, especially here. The way he screams and scrambles on the armbar, or rolling out of the ring after the leglock. The crowd was brewing throughout, heating up early on when Takada reaches in during a lock up and smacks Yamazaki. Takada zeroes in on Yamazaki's leg with some snug kicks and working in the single leg crab hold. When Yamazaki comes at Takada with knees, Takada drops him with a hard right. Takada was Takada here, wrestling like he's got something to prove, but Yamazaki hung on, surviving the belly-to-belly and dragon suplexes. He's able to connect with a high kick but after all that punishment, he collapses in exhaustion. I loved the German spot, with Takada struggling to break out of the rear waistlock and Yamazaki headbutting him to deliver the German siplex hold for two. A couple of high kicks later, the underdog Yamazaki picks up the victory and the supportive crowd is stoked. Tons of fun.
  24. superkix
    Maeda bled a whole lot here, it was crazy. Such a big moment when he collapses upon entering the ring, and then he's at the mercy at big grunt Saito. Good comeback story, great performance from Maeda, and Saito doing what Saito does, which works.
  25. superkix
    I think Ishikawa/Nomura is my current match of the tournament.
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