superkix

This was almost all fast-paced exhibition but everything looked fluid and the finish was a nice subtle nod to Regal's prowess in the ring. Fun match.

Very similar layout to their 8/19/96 Nitro match but Regal was even better here and really outshone Malenko. In theory, I like the time limit draw but there was zero drama leading it up to it and it fell pretty flat.

This was fine. Pure exhibition in the opening minutes, mechanical at times, but Regal in control was good and he had some fun character-moments. I liked the finishing stretch and quick pinfall for Malenko to "upset" Regal.

Kind of what you'd expect from Dick at this point in his RINGS career. Not really selling much of Han's attempts and being smug about everything. He lands plenty of big kicks to Han, including the dreaded gut kick, and Han is trying to get him in the center of the ring for the submission. At one point, he drags him over with the hammerlock and tries to transition to the armbar but Vrij floats over to the ropes and he's very smug about it. The fans eventually turn on Vrij's smugness after all the shitty kicks to Han. Han gets revenge in the end...kind of...with a rear choke that Dick doesn't take well but taps to. Not great but another chapter in their rivalry.

Look, we know who is winning this match, there's no question. But just when it seems like Nagai's here to play the Maeda game, he pops him hard with a palm strike, then very hard with an upperhand. And then he lets loose with the mini slaps and knee strike to the face. Maeda's clearly not happy with it and his response is often to smother Nagai. Nagai responds by grabbing a heel hold and sending Maeda quickly the ropes. Whenever they're on their feet, Nagai wins - he doesn't let up against the big boss and the fans are rallying behind him. Nagai tries to take his head off his shoulders with a high kick but Maeda blocks it. Ultimately, Maeda wins it with a rear choke but he takes a beating to get there. And even post-match, he's still pissed and slaps Nagai in the face. Very fun Nagai performance.

A very good fight between these two, with Mikhail grabbing kicks and tossing or trying to go to the mat, whereas TK is rolling around, trying to avoid whilst also trying to entangle. TK plays great defense against the armbar attempts and manages some very nice takedowns and transitions. He also lets loose with the kicks and knees, trying to take Mikhail down with his strikes but Mikhail typically overpowers him on the mat. There's a real rugged quality to the matwork, in that they're working hard for each hold and counter. Nother super fancy, like Tamura/Han, but rough and tumble. The finish was dominant and looked pretty nasty. Good stuff.

So much fun! Okabayashi/Nomura pick up where they left off from their title match, Irie was explosive and fun, Abe brought his unique energy, selling big for the hosses. Loved Irie's headbutt counter to the windup punch and of course, Nomura walloping Irie with the face slap. The fujiwara armbar set up toward the end was cool, the finishing stretch was hot, with Okabayashi's offense looking big and nasty (the short-arm lariat, the fold up powerbomb). BJW continues to deliver, even if nobody is watching.

Not necessarily what I was hoping for in terms of a bloodbath or more shoot-style approach, although they opened with a bit of grappling, which had some cool moments like Suzuki grabbing the wristlock off the drop toehold, and turning it into a double wristlock. Still, a very solid match and emotional finish. I liked Liger playing possum after the sleeper only to trap Minoru in the Rings of Saturn. Post-match was great, too, with Suzuki showing respect.

Long-time comrades and rival, this was exactly what you'd expect with both guys fighting for holds, tons of entanglements and WRENCHING action. Not as feisty standing up as past encounters, but the submissions are dope. Han grabs a nasty straight armbar off of Kopilov takedown, and then works his way into a grounded full nelson. Kopilov tries a lot of...uh, slams, I guess, but they don't quite come off...but he does get Han in a very dope armtrap neck crank, forcing Han to the ropes. After an armwhip, Kopilov finds a cool crucifix hold and then a double arm hold, but Han keeps slipping out. He drags Kopilov down with the rear choke and when that doesn't do it, he taps him with a leg triangle. Another worthy addition to their singles matches, although not quite at the same level as some.

Maeda looks good here, better than he has all year in terms of his weight. And this was a really solid scramble with the perpetual great hand, Zouev, who plays well with Maeda as they trade holds and wrangle around the mat. Lots of good counterwork and takedowns, like Maeda's nice snap single arm suplex. Maeda, of course, wins out in the kick department and ultimately, he finds an opening and with it, a sleeper hold for the submission.

This isn't great but it has its moments. I mean, at this point, Maeda is turning out anymore classics and the whole thing is pretty sloppy but the fans are eating up the Maeda show. His cross heel hold is the first legit submission threat to Kopilov's existence. I loved Kopilov catching Maeda's leg scissors sweep with the wristlock, and then dropping down into the armbar. There is laughter among the fans. It definitely seems like Kopilov is giving Maeda plenty, and he pops the boss with a couple of good palms but overall, it's Maeda on the leg, per usual. But the sleeper finish is a surprise...kind of.

Holy shit, what a masterpiece. I preferred this to their January match as well, as I felt this one was very high drama on the mat, with each submission seemingly a "Game Over" screen. Han's savvy is on full display here from the get-go, with that beautiful armwhip and then trying to destroy the arm while simultaneously positioning Tamura away from the ropes. His takedowns and counters are just so slick and organic. Ham grabbing the side headlock/neckcrank to counter the heel hook looked especially nasty. I thought Tamura's selling was subtle but top notch when it comes to this style. There is thought behind every movement, a patience to find the right position/angle/leverage, which further blurs the line between worked and shoot. Loved Han's hammerlock throw into the armbar attempt. Tamura seems to utilize more kicks throughout this match, staggering Han with some big shots and then working the leg with repeat low kicks. When Han falls, he's quick to get back up before he's counted down but...no dice. The struggle and desperation during the final minutes, especially from Han, elevates the entire performance and he starts throwing those palm strikes as a countermeasure to Tamura's kick. Him knocking Tamura down and flaunting afterwards was priceless. Tamura really fights to hit that judo throw to set up the final armbar and with Han positioned in the middle, he's got no choice but to submit. A fucking Plus.

Liger/Suzuki has to be one of the most anticipated matches of the year.

This was solid enough, with some cool spots (i.e. Naruse's backflip counter, Haseman's legsweep takedown) and the intensity picked up on Naruse's end with some of those open hands. Han/Yamamoto was the far superior match of this show but still worth a watch.

Yup, this ruled - quite the do-si-do of mat techniques and counterwork. The human octopus, Volk Han, is just so good at trapping limbs out of any which direction, while Yamamoto is slippery throughout, flipping out of holds and turning the pressure on Han. Great awareness from both guys and great escalation of rope breaks and close calls. Yamamoto loves to milk the shit out of submission holds, especially that final Han leglock that brings him to his final out. There was a part midway through the match where Han grabs a low angle single leg, which Yamamoto counters with a heel hook, only for Han to react with the cross heel hook. Loved Han powering Yamamoto up on the armbar attempt and dumping him on his head. Some beautiful leglock takedowns from Han as usual, and a spirited performance from Yamamoto during his rehabilitation. Strong KO finish by Yamamoto to put the cherry on that exciting finishing stretch.

Kenny O-MAGA

Jim Henson and Bryan Danielson

Zaza's back, baby, and his takedowns are still filled with slams and wrist throws. Very good legwork throughout, with Zaza putting TK on the rocks plenty but TK's the slicker of the two with his transitions - really liked the rolling necklock sequence, which leads to a scramble and TK on top with the armbar attempt. Also, his beautiful kneebar transition, which forces Zaza to the ropes. Very much a chess match of takedowns/holds/counters with a little more of a worked feel than a lot of the 1997 RINGS match-ups. TK finally grabs the choke to finish him off. Very good match.

Tariel is Georgian, not Russian, by the way. But regardless, this was contrast of styles, as mentioned previously, with Tariel throwing his weight around but eventually tiring out as the quicker/slicker Tamura is able to keep him reaching for the ropes until he runs out of options. Even with how limited Tariel is on the mat, Tamura makes the most of it and it just goes to show how truly awesome Tamura was in '97.

Awesome counterwork from both guys but more organic than something forced and hokey like a ZSJ match. The way Tamura transitions his holds or slides into a leglock is a thing of beauty. So fluid. Zouev's armwhip takedowns look pretty brutal and Zouev has a lot more patience on the mat when looking for an opening, where as Tamura is all about overwhelming with speed. I really liked Zouev's simple wristlock answer to Tamura's calf slicer to send Tamura to the ropes. Zouev starts to show weakness when Tamura attacks the leg with kicks and you can see the frustration in zouev mounting. Big head kick from Zouev to set-up the takedown but Tamura recovers and snags the armbar as a last ditch effort but in the end, Zouev rolls him up with that unique submission for the big upset. This was a great match.

I mean, Maeda at this point in his career ain't producing any classics but against Volk Han, it's hard to have a bad match. Maeda at times is so casual when he's in a submission predicament - he'll casually apply a counter, or when Han finally snaps off the armbar, he struggles in it for a long time but he can't figure out a reversal, won't tap, and finally has no choice but to go to the ropes. Maeda manages some good strikes and takedowns but Han isn't going to lose this one, and after Han knocks Maeda down with some big open hands, he drags him into the middle and taps him with the calf slicer. Perfectly solid match-up.

Yeah, I'd agree with the "worked shoot" notion - the most telling aspects being the groundwork. But it was a damn good match, with plenty of strong tension, good defense on the mat, and some real sneaky strikes, especially from Tamura. He really lets those palms fly - love TK's staggering collapse into the corner after Tamura catches him with a hard shot. The finish was great as well, as they both fight for an opening and Tamura finally cranks the ankle to force a submission (and a yelp) out of TK.

Yeah, this was a lot of fun - Bodyguard is limited in what he can do but he makes it work and has a great presence. Sekimoto's first deadlift German suplex was very cool and also loved Abe's leg screw counter into the kneebar to turn the tide against Sekimoto. Bodyguard's selling when he gets smacked in the face by Nomura was terrific and he follows that up by clobbering Nomura upside his head. Abe is very good at what he does and brings something unique to the table. I'm pretty sure Nomura broke his nose on the pair of Germans at the end - Bodyguard lands on his face twice and when he sits up, his nose looks fucked. Not sure if I'd consider it a MOTYC but a blast of a tag match, with the "less is more" approach.

My goodness, what a battle. The escalation of the strikes, the desperation of the submission holds, the absolutely struggle and narrow escapes, blood spilled and a concerned Akira Maeda. This match had it all. The matwork was very sharp, with both guys trying to take advantage of the other's mistakes, and the many reversals/counters were great and added to the drama in the final minutes. Loved TK's beautiful takedown into the heel hold. I like that the early strikes were used as mere transitions into submission attempts, and then the latter strikes became purely about the KO and finishing this grueling match. They're both so sluggish by the end of this, and each back-and-forth submission seems like a plausible finish, and as the time limit expires, they're both still fighting for the submission to win it all. Great great stuff.

Yes, this rules. Tamura isn't going to lay down for the old dog Maeda and lays into him with strong kicks to set the stage. I loved Tamura's defiance here, sweeping the leg because he can, jooking and jiving to add the confusion, breaking the leglock and staring down Maeda as the fans eat up every second of this. Tamura's cross heel hold counter had Maeda on the ropes and he looked he almost inadvertently tapped out. He managed to make Maeda look not broken down, and Maeda pulls out some neat tricks like the front necklock takeover. Tamura maneuvering in and out of holds, only to get caught in the double wristlock was a great sope, and I loved the finish, with Tamura's glimpse of hope getting choked out by the big boss. Is this Maeda's last great match? I guess we'll see...