Control21

AWA has been on a roll lately. I really enjoyed the Puerto Rico event! That territory has always been one of my major blind spots, but everything I've seen from it was really solid, and I think you did the spirit of that particular strand of wrestling a lot of justice with that show.

Really enjoyable episode of SMW. I think this promotion is giving space for a lot of guys to shine, including Ahmed Johnson and Steve Austin. Looking forward to the future is always a smart play, regardless of promotion size.

I don't think the top 10 signifies a conservative list. It just signifies that the English-speaking wrestling fanbase consistently ranks 10-12 guys as the greatest of all time. I think the 2026 list has been much more balanced overall than 2016, which was the most conservative and American-centric of the three GWE rankings, if you ask me. Obviously, certain styles like Lucha and World of Sport suffered, but you always risk having things get overlooked when you open balloting up to the wider public. I expected the list to be way worse, though.

UWF Newborn – “Battle Dimension: Nagoya” May 29th, 1991 Nagoya, Japan Tsuyuhashi Sports Center Attendance: 5,000 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (taped) Steve Nelson vs Billy Scott The two American young lions met once again, and although Steve Nelson got a bit more offense in than usual, Billy Scott held his ground and showcased his defensive wrestling abilities. Scott never lost control of the match despite an impressive effort from Nelson. Nelson, in particular, was very dangerous when it came to his suplexes, but Scott did well to survive the initial efforts before figuring out how to reverse one into a double wristlock. Nelson was caught by surprise and had to tap with no ropes in sight. Scott defeats Nelson via submission (double wristlock), 8:57 Koji Kanemoto vs Koichiro Kimura Koji Kanemoto is still quite raw, but the improvement he has made since his debut has been noticeable. Kimura was very conservative in his approach during the match, and this enabled Kanemoto to take some risks offensively. Kimura seemingly preferred to wrestle on the counter, and Kanemoto was happy to oblige. By controlling the tempo, Kanemoto found his comfort zone more easily than Kimura did, especially as he softened up his opponent with low kicks that frustrated Kimura more and more. While Kimura hoped to recover some momentum on the mat, Kanemoto was quite game and knew how to navigate Kimura’s attempts at more methodical grappling, and even found ways to quicken the pace by energetically moving from hold to hold. Kimura had plenty to think about in this match, and Kanemoto seemingly wanted to make a statement against a young lion with a similar skillset level. With a comfortable 3-1 lead on points after two quick knockdowns, Kanemoto caught Kimura with a rolling kick and quickly went for a Boston crab to secure the victory. Kanemoto defeats Kimura via submission (Boston crab), 11:21 Chris Benoit vs Tatsuo Nakano Benoit wanted to continue his impressive streak in UWF, and Nakano would be no slouch. The Canadian grappler had to contend with Nakano’s powerful striking, and had to adapt early after realizing his takedown-centered strategy would have no bearing if he couldn’t defend against Nakano’s relentless palm strikes. Benoit fired some back on his own, but Nakano didn’t seem too bothered. Eventually, Benoit learned a quick lesson after being caught on the counter by one nasty hit from Nakano. Benoit beat the ten-count after being sent to the mat and started gaining a better sense of Nakano’s approach. As a result, Benoit found more luck securing leg takedowns after ducking more palm strikes and started to find success on the mat by attacking Nakano’s legs. Nakano had to burn a few rope breaks to even the match, and a similar theme would continue as Nakano attempted to neutralize Benoit before he could utilize his strengths more and more. While Nakano wasn’t clueless on the canvas, Benoit clearly had the advantage, and his increasing knowledge of catch-as-catch-can paid dividends. After they found themselves tied 2-2 on points, Benoit hit Nakano with a powerful German suplex that he turned into a rear-naked choke. Nakano did well to leverage himself and prevent Benoit from getting all of it, but Benoit was quick and transitioned into a clever pinning combination that kept Nakano’s shoulders on the mat for the three count. Benoit defeats Nakano via pinfall, 13:44 Masahito Kakihara vs Eric Edelenbos Eric Edelenbos, coming from Chris Dolman’s Amsterdam gym, was a competent striker with decent submission skills, and he would be no pushover for Kakihara. Kakihara learned quickly that the Dutchman was not afraid to go toe-to-toe and offered a similar danger when it came to hard, fast palm strikes. Kakihara had to adjust quickly after suffering an early knockdown and attempted to change the pace of the match by attacking the Dutchman’s legs and going for takedowns. On the mat, Edelenbos was able to handle himself, but Kakihara dictated the tempo and was much better at finding gaps to exploit. Kakihata evened the match up on points after securing several rope breaks from Edelenbos. Back on their feet, Kakihara gained a better read on Edelenbos and started to threaten the Dutchman more with a variety of kicks and counter palm strikes. The two would trade one more point each after more knockdowns and rope breaks, but Kakihara would eventually find a way to put Edelenbos away for good with a high kick combo that was enough to cause Edelenbos to lose track of where he was, resulting in a full ten count and a KO. Kakihara defeats Edelenbos via KO, 12:03 Kiyoshi Tamura & Kazuo Yamazaki vs Joe Malenko & Erik Paulson With Tamura and Yamazaki pushing for a tag team title shot, a win here seemed critical. While Malenko and Paulson were not recent UWF regulars, they were still a formidable catch-based duo that presented plenty of danger on the mat. In a sense, this tag team bout turned into a clash between the striking skills of both Yamazaki and Tamura, and the submission-based wrestling of Paulson and Malenko. That is not to say Tamura and Yamazaki lacked abilities on the mat, of course not, but Tamura and Yamazaki knew that the most effective counter to the more methodical grappling of their opponents was to force the tempo with speed and precision. Tamura, in particular, presented a whole bunch of problems as Malenko, and to a lesser extent, Paulson could not effectively counter Tamura’s urgency early on. Yamazaki offered a slight deviation in his ability to frustrate their opponents on the mat with intelligent counter-grappling whenever Malenko or Paulson attempted to slow things down. While Malenko and Paulson managed to secure two points off Tamura and Yamazaki through rope breaks, the Japanese duo never seemed to be in real danger, and they controlled most of the match. A furious stretch from Tamura saw the young sensation knock down both Paulson and Malenko consecutively, and this secured a roaring pop from the audience. Eventually, Yamazaki delivered a powerful side suplex on Joe Malenko and promptly hunted for and secured a cross-armbreaker for the submission victory. Yamazaki & Tamura defeat Malenko & Paulson via submission (cross-armbreaker), 15:17 Satoru Sayama & Atsushi Onita vs Naoya Ogawa & Tatsumi Fujinami After a bit of a hiatus, Sayama had finally returned to UWF and was hungry to start a new climb to the top. Sayama and Onita's chemistry as a team was an open question heading into this bout. Ogawa and Fujinami were wise to the potential unpredictability of the two, and they worked in fluid tandem to neutralize Sayama whenever he attempted to quicken the pace. Onita’s grappling added a different dimension to his team's offensive game, and this occasionally caught Fujinami off guard when the two shared the mat. Ogawa was the standout performer on his side, using his considerable size and explosive wrestling instincts to give Onita trouble during their exchanges and limit the damage Onita could do with his Luta Livre skills. Sayama, for his part, was at his sharpest when targeting Fujinami's legs, and he managed to force two rope breaks in succession during a particularly sharp stretch of mat wrestling that energized the crowd. Onita's toughness kept his team in contention whenever Ogawa threatened to overwhelm him, absorbing punishment and wearing down the Judo prodigy that prevented Ogawa from ever fully establishing control. With the match tied on points, Sayama and Onita continued to gain momentum with smart tagging that kept both wrestlers fresh. Fujinami was targeted more, and this resulted in Onita gaining the advantage on the mat for the final time. After Fujinami attempted a dragon screw, Onita countered with a guillotine choke. Fujinami was trapped, and any escape seemed impossible. After some reluctance, Fujinami tapped. Onita defeats Fujinami via submission (guillotine choke), 15:01 Wayne Shamrock vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Fujiwara's reputation preceded him, and Shamrock knew better than to be drawn into a patient, methodical chess match on the veteran's terms. Shamrock was aggressive from the opening exchange, attempting to use his athleticism and explosive takedowns to prevent Fujiwara from ever settling into a comfortable rhythm. Fujiwara, ever the craftsman, absorbed the early energy with quiet patience, happy to concede the tempo and wait for Shamrock to overcommit. That moment came sooner than Shamrock would have liked, as a rushed single-leg attempt gave Fujiwara the opening he needed to pounce on a wrist and drag Shamrock into a painful arm entanglement that forced the first rope break of the match. Shamrock recalibrated and became notably more measured in his approach, and the match entered a tighter, more competitive phase as both men fought for positional control on the mat. Shamrock's strength and physical gifts made him a genuine handful whenever he secured top position, and he forced rope breaks of his own by threatening Fujiwara with a rear waistlock that he looked to convert into a choke on two separate occasions. But Fujiwara's mat intelligence was always lurking, and the veteran seemed to study every movement Shamrock made with quiet calculation. After a knockdown from a sharp Fujiwara headbutt evened the points at two apiece, Fujiwara baited Shamrock into another aggressive scramble, and this time had a kimura waiting for him. Shamrock seemed trapped, but his athletic abilities and natural strength allowed him to fight out of it. This surprised the crowd quite a bit and got them behind the American as an underdog. Shamrock pulled off the impossible when he captured Fujiwara with a bridging Dragon suplex that suddenly pinned Fujiwara to the mat for a full three count from the referee. The arena exploded as Shamrock secured a stunning upset. The American celebrated by jumping up on the nearest turnbuckle and taking in the raucous ovation. Shamrock defeats Fujiwara via pinfall, 16:22 Nobuhiko Takada vs Volk Han The crowd was buzzing in anticipation, and the match delivered on every expectation. Han's reputation as one of the most creative submission wrestlers in the world was well established, and Takada had every reason to be wary of the Dagestani’s ability to conjure holds from seemingly impossible positions. Takada's approach was characteristically disciplined. He used measured kicks to establish distance, probing takedown feints to test Han's reactions, and refused to engage on the mat unless the position was clearly in his favor. Han was unhurried and almost hypnotic in the early going, inviting Takada to engage while carefully constructing his own angles. The match's first genuine moment of danger came when Han caught a Takada kick and converted it into a spinning heel hook in one breathtaking motion, forcing Takada to the ropes immediately. From that point on, Takada's striking became more conservative and deliberate, unwilling to offer Han any further invitations. The rope breaks accumulated in both directions as the match found more of a rhythm. Han threatened with an almost endless variety of arm, leg, and neck attacks from improbable positions, while Takada countered with his sharp combination striking whenever he created enough separation to unload. On the mat, Takada used his veteran knowledge to exploit any undisciplined openings Han left waiting. Two knockdowns apiece brought the match to its peak tension, with the crowd hanging on every scramble. Takada eventually manufactured enough space to land a thunderous high kick that visibly buckled Han, and he rushed in immediately to secure a cross-armbreaker before Han could clear his head. Han was prepared, though, and immediately rolled through, creating momentum to get Takada on his back. In one swift magisterial move, Han turned a potential cross-armbreaker into a cross heel hold that caught Takada completely by surprise. Unable to reach the ropes, Takada chose to tap and concede the victory to an impressive Volk Han. Han defeats Takada via submission (cross heel hold), 16:46 Akira Maeda vs Dick Vrij The main event brought two of UWF's most physically imposing figures into direct conflict, and the atmosphere in Nagoya was electric. Vrij's elite kickboxing pedigree made him a dangerous striker, and Maeda had no illusions about the punishment he could absorb if he allowed the match to become a pure stand-up exchange. Maeda's early strategy was sensible. He used his grappling range to smother Vrij's kicking game and drag the match toward the mat whenever possible. Vrij, however, was prepared for this approach and displayed impressive takedown defense in the opening minutes, shrugging off Maeda's collar ties and creating enough separation to pepper him with body kicks that started to take a visible toll. Maeda was rocked badly by a clean head kick midway through the match and was fortunate to beat the ten-count, spending the next several minutes in pure survival mode as Vrij smelled blood and pushed the pressure. To his enormous credit, Maeda weathered the storm with grit and ring intelligence, clinching at every opportunity and disrupting Vrij's timing enough to keep himself in the match. As the late rounds wore on and Vrij's output inevitably slowed, Maeda began to reassert himself, shooting for takedowns with more conviction and beginning to find the mat time he had been denied earlier. Vrij was forced to burn rope breaks in quick succession as Maeda hunted for submissions constantly. Vrij was just trying to survive, even if it meant giving up points easily. Eventually, Maeda had built up a 3-1 lead on points. Vrij was still dangerous, but Maeda was clearly in control. With Vrij visibly fatigued and no longer able to generate the same explosive kicking power, Maeda threw a sharp combination and followed a stumbling Vrij directly to the mat, wrapping him up in a rear-naked choke. Vrij struggled powerfully, but the position was locked, and he had no choice but to submit. Maeda defeats Vrij via submission (rear-naked choke), 18:55 News and Notes (5/25-5/29-1991) - UWF is getting closer to signing several "high-profile" collegiate American wrestling stars after a round of talks led by Lou Thesz in Virginia. Details are still being kept very close to the vest, but one source mentioned that the deals could be finalized and announced as soon as next month. The contracts will be very financially competitive, and the wrestlers will be assigned to the UWF dojo to begin several months of training before their debut. Some details are still being ironed out, including any potential Olympic clauses and compensation if they choose to withdraw from Olympic qualifying. (Wrestling Observer, 5/28/1991) The "New Generation" eight-man tournament will begin in June. The brackets were announced at a press conference before the upcoming UWF event in Nagoya. First round matches include Masakatsu Funaki vs Manabu Yamada, Kiyoshi Tamura vs Masahito Kakihara, Minoru Suzuki vs Naoya Ogawa, and Wayne Shamrock vs Yusuke Fuke. The winner will receive a cash bonus and a significant boost in the UWF rankings. (Tokyo Sports, 5/24/1991) Vader could be making his return to the UWF in the near future, as he is interested in renewing his relationship with the promotion in a working arrangement with World Championship Wrestling. With his unfinished business with Akira Maeda, he would seem like a natural opponent for the current world champion at the upcoming anniversary show in July. (Weekly Pro Wrestling, 5/25/1991)

Ehh...I don't think so. I ranked him #1, so I might be biased, but not many wrestlers had the same run he had from 1991-1997, and even the stuff before that was pretty good.

I expected these two to deliver, and they did. While Tamura looked impressive in his previous UWF outings, I think this match is really the start of the Kiyoshi Tamura we would eventually fall in love with in UWFi and RINGS. He is sharp, and despite his size, he is quite a physical presence. Kakihara is still a little raw, but Tamura plays off this well, and the stiff, tense nature of this match is the result of these two recognizing how to play the music, so to speak. Tamura is still vulnerable despite his rapid improvement, and Kakihara picks him off with well-timed strikes, but Tamura is just better, and he knows how to get under Kakihara's skin. Kakihara exhausts a lot of rope breaks as a result and is increasingly vulnerable to Tamura's striking. The two are pretty much even on points down the stretch, and both are down to their last out. Kakihara actually gets back into the match with some well-timed counters, but Tamura keeps pressing, and Kakihara burns all of his rope breaks. Tamura looks a bit upset after the match. He's aware that he couldn't get Kakihara to tap, and knows the victory isn't quite decisive. Mechanically, this is a very impressive match, a great example of what made Kakihara and Tamura so good, even this early in their careers. ****1/4

Aja missing out on the Top 10 is a bummer. I should have ranked her higher

Masakatsu Funaki is a phenom, but of course, Akira Maeda is a master of his craft who used to be a phenom himself. He knows everything that is on Funaki's mind. He was in Funaki's position before as a young gun who wanted to prove himself. A dangerous striker with a chip on his shoulder....sounds familiar, right? Maeda knows he can't keep up with Funaki in a straight shootout, so he attempts to exert control over Funaki by using a more methodical strategy. He gets Funaki to engage in a grinding mat battle at times, and this definitely has an impact as Funaki doesn't get too many chances to overwhelm Maeda on his feet. When Funaki gets that chance, though, he looks absolutely incredible. Maeda has little answer for Funaki here, and can only cover up and attempt to get the young sensation on the canvas again. Funaki exhausts a lot of rope breaks as Maeda's submission holds begin to take a toll. Maeda knows he doesn't need to go for a match ender every time; he just needs to apply enough pressure and pain to get Funaki to exert more energy and wear his body down. While Funaki is happy to go for the ropes and get a clean reset, he knows it is a losing battle every time. Funaki isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with Maeda and fires off strikes whenever he gets a chance. He even bloodies Maeda's nose in the process. Maeda is just resilient, though, and has no problem taking the punishment because he knows he can outlast Funaki as long as the match remains on his terms. What strikes me as a key moment in the match is in the later stages, where Funaki appears to get a little frustrated and even begins to appear as if he is resigned to the inevitable. As good as he is, he isn't Akira Maeda yet, and Akira Maeda gets his way. This is specifically noticeable when Funaki attempts to go for a side suplex, but he doesn't get all of it, and Maeda lands right on top of him. I think this is where Funaki loses his edge, and Maeda realizes this. He just needs to add the finishing touches to crush Funaki's hopes for good. These two had a huge task following Takada and Fujiwara, and they succeeded. ****1/2

I don't think Kawada did anything to piss people off. All the major AJPW guys have gone on a downward trend so far. There's been some AJPW pushback in recent years as people re-evaluate it and compare it to other 90s wrestling that was overlooked, or how those guys compared to some of the other greats in their time.

Fujiwara's performance in this match is one of the most cerebral I've seen in any style of wrestling, let alone shoot-style. Fujiwara knows he can get inside Takada's head, as we saw from the February 1990 match, and he tries the same tactic here, especially as he uses his facial expressions to try to throw his opponent off his game. Fujiwara is overconfident here, and Takada resists the same tricks and mind games that cost him earlier in the year. Instead, Takada waits Fujiwara out, rolling with Fujiwara's approach without giving an inch. It's a great display of Takada's development; he is wiser and knows he can't beat Fujiwara by sheer force. He needs to be patient and take his opportunities when they come. Fujwiara works harder as a result and is drawn into a position he is less comfortable with. He doesn't mind playing long chess games, but he is more vulnerable when he doesn't have control of them. Takada isn't afraid to use rope breaks when he needs them, unlike Fujiwara, who chooses to risk himself rather than opt for a reset. While Takada doesn't get Fujiwara in any real dangerous moments, he does wear him down. This makes his task easier, as Fujiwara is increasingly exhausted, leaving himself open to Takada's striking. Takada's strategic approach starts paying off. He doesn't get baited this time; you could even say that he is the one who is baiting Fujiwara in the end, especially as he lures Fujiwara into his favorite defensive spot near the turnbuckle, only to use the close distance to fire several knee strikes into Fujiwara's body. It's a huge victory for Takada because he doesn't just beat Fujiwara; he beats Fujiwara in one of the greatest wrestling chess matches of all time. *****

Eddie Guerrero is one of those guys who seems to have universal appeal. He's been very consistent in the rankings the past two decades. Same with Vader

I hope TV Asahi doesn't waste time in changing up the booking, because it has needed a refresh for a very long time now.

This is the greatest shoot promo since Heyman at One Night Stand.

Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "Battle Dimension: Nagoya" May 29th, 1991 Nagoya, Japan Tsuyuhashi Sports Center Steve Nelson vs Billy Scott Koji Kanemoto vs Koichi Kimura Chris Benoit vs Tatsuo Nakano Masahito Kakihara vs Eric Edelenbos Kiyoshi Tamura & Kazuo Yamazaki vs Joe Malenko & Erik Paulson Satoru Sayama & Atsushi Onita vs Naoya Ogawa & Tatsumi Fujinami Wayne Shamrock vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Nobuhiko Takada vs Volk Han Undisputed World Heavyweight Title: Akira Maeda(c) vs Dick Vrij

I suppose so. I consider myself a shoot-style purist, and I still prefer Volk Han personally. Both are awesome, though. Tamura was incredible in his unique ways. Theoretically, the difference between #2 and #5 isn't that big, but y'know.

I'm really not sure why Volk Han has been ranked higher than Tamura in every GWE ballot so far. I think he definitely has more moments where you kinda go "WTF?" than Tamura, and that could be the decisive factor. He's also more of a mythological figure due to that I think. I ranked Volk higher than Tamura, so I really don't have a problem with it. Both should be Top 50 wrestlers, though. No question.

I think what is defining the 2026 GWE is a battle between pluralities. It's coming down to who can build the strongest coalitions across certain aspects of the fanbase.

Blue Panther had a decent jump compared to 2016, but I thought he would finish higher. As one of his high voters, I think he was one of the best ring workers of all time. He was just consistently great from the very start and never missed a beat. A true maestro. I also thought Fujiwara would finish higher. It's not a significant drop for him, but it's interesting to see how Tamura and Han made big improvements compared to 2016. Fujiwara kinda just held his own. I think Fujiwara is just as exciting as Han and Tamura, and probably should have been ranked in the top 30, but I'm just one guy. Moxley finishing above Panther, Meiko, and Fujiwara is pretty silly.

UWF Create (8/13/1990) Masahito Kakihara vs Yusuke Fuke Finally! We get new young lions debuting in UWF, and it is none other than Masahito Kakihara and Pancrase legend Yusuke Fuke. As expected, these two did not disappoint. They were hungry and eager to impress the crowd after spending years in the UWF dojo. I think Kakihara gets a bit overlooked in terms of shoot-style phenoms, because he was very good right out of the gate. Fuke is impressive as well and is more than willing to trade blows with Kakihara, who already has some very vicious strikes. They kept up a very good pace for 15 minutes and didn't slow down at all, which is pretty neat. There's a very cool spot in the end where Kakihara reverses a leg trap into a jumping knee, and the arena goes crazy. I was pretty surprised by how good this was. ****1/4 Bart Vale vs Tatsuo Nakano This match felt very disjointed at times. Nakano and Bart Vale did not have good chemistry at all. Still, things do pick up in the end when Vale decides to go to his strengths in striking, and Nakano settles into a more comfortable role of being the gritty underdog instead of trying to work as a technical match with Bart. The finish is neat, with Vale doing another shoot-style Crucifix powerbomb. Other than that, this felt very flat. **3/4 Bert Kops Jr vs Minoru Suzuki This was a very interesting and gritty match. It almost felt like a shoot at times. Kops Jr would later be known as one of the Dutch RINGS guys, and he was decent here. I think he had a good dynamic with Suzuki, and there was a constant sense of danger throughout. It's kind of interesting to have a random Dutch guy beat Suzuki, but perhaps it was a favor for ole' Chris Dolman. ***3/4 Akira Maeda vs Yoji Anjo The second half of this match is pretty enjoyable. The first half is a bit slower, but I think the pace was decent overall and it didn't seem disjointed. Maeda did a great job of playing off his consecutive losses and making himself seem vulnerable to an upset from Yoji Anjo. Anjo was hungry and wasn't afraid to take it to Maeda. He managed to get Maeda into several threatening moments, but couldn't find a way to put him away for good. The second half of the match benefited quite a bit from Maeda's vulnerability, and the crowd was quite invested in Anjo as a result. **** Dick Vrij vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara This was pretty entertaining overall. Fujiwara and Vrij have great chemistry, and it created a very good dynamic that centered around Vrij trying to play Fujiwara's game and get inside his head with some antics and somewhat impressive grappling. Of course, Vrij's strength was his striking, and he didn't shy away from that when he needed to punish Fujiwara. Fujiwara resorted to a defensive strategy, trying to lure Vrij into corners when he could to trap him, but Vrij seemed wise to this. There was a pretty funny moment where Vrij rubbed Fujiwara's head after the referee broke up a stalemate near the corner, and Fujiwara returned the favor just a minute or two later. When Vrij seemed to get the upper hand, Fujiwara revealed he still had an ace up his sleeve. The crowd loved this as well, and they seemed quite confident that Vrij could actually beat Fujiwara. **** Masakatsu Funaki vs Nobuhiko Takada Funaki's impressive run in 1990 continues, and he is absolutely dynamite in this match. Takada almost seems too relaxed initially, and even gets caught off guard by just how explosive Funaki is. Takada has to resort to bringing the match to the mat to try and slow Funaki down, but Funaki pushes the pace and gets things going on his feet whenever he can. Takada grows more annoyed in this match, which is very interesting because he begins to taunt Funaki in a way. This is evident towards the end, when he finally gets pissed off enough to launch some very stiff shots right on Funaki's face. He almost seems to dare Funaki to shoot on him, and Funaki returns fire in kind, and almost rearranges Takada's face as a result, resulting in a bloody nose and a cut near Takada's eye. There are some slow points in this match, but they pick up quickly, and the last few minutes or so are very much worth the wait. An underrated UWF gem. ****1/2 UWF Move (9/13/1990) Masahito Kakihara vs Yusuke Fuke These two deliver yet again with another fun, all-action match that saw neither really let up. The hunger in these two was very evident, and they spared no expense in delivering an intense match with plenty of stiff strikes. The fact that Kakihara was so good at this stage in his career is a revelation for me, and Yusuke Fuke was right there with him. Fuke seemed to pick up on a few things from their previous encounter and was more comfortable in baiting Kakihara to set up a counter-offense, especially on their feet. There are some really nice moments in this match, especially when Kakihara catches Fuke with a wheelhouse kick, and then towards the end, when Fuke hits Kakihara with a sick jumping knee to set up a single-leg Boston crab for the finish. ****1/4 Shigeo Miyato vs Bart Vale Not a bad outing from either. Vale was allowed to play to his strengths with his striking (although he was pretty light), and Miyato played the role of the underdog, which allowed Vale to dictate the match as the tall, imposing American. The resulting dynamic was pretty smooth, although the match lacked a sense of urgency that probably could have helped elevate it. *** Minoru Suzuki vs Tatsuo Nakano I love the Nakano/Suzuki pairing. They both recognize what makes each other tick, and they allow the space necessary for their best traits to shine. Nakano and Suzuki both get the chance to play the bully role in this match, which is a bit unique. Nakano knows Suzuki's skills are quickly surpassing his own, and he tries to resort to brute force to get the upper hand. Suzuki is just too good on his feet, though, and on the mat, Nakano cannot keep up with him. Nakano starts off the match as the antagonist, but Suzuki takes over that role pretty quickly, and this makes for a very interesting match structure. Suzuki's nastiness shines through at the end, where he applies a very painful-looking heel hook, which makes Nakano tap. **** Yoji Anjo vs Johnny Barrett Not bad at all. This match had a bit of a disjointed start, but things picked up after the second half when Barrett and Anjo developed a bit more chemistry. Barrett was pretty solid in this match. He presented as a bit of a threat to Anjo on the mat, which Anjo needed to neutralize through striking. Barrett isn't my favorite UWF wrestler, but I thought this was a good showing. Anjo was up to his usual standards, and these two things prevented the match from being a snoozer. ***1/4 Akira Maeda vs Nobuhiko Takada This was a very unique Takada/Maeda bout. It went much shorter compared to their previous matches, and they leaned more into the grappling side of things for most of the match, with striking playing a role towards the end. It almost felt like a Pancrase match at times, although the grappling wasn't as advanced. In a sense, this is the most realistic Maeda/Takada match I've seen, and it felt like either guy could win. Maeda seemed to be in control for most of the match, at least until Takada started creating distance to fire off his strikes. There was a good tease at the end with Takada catching one of Maeda's kicks, threatening to reverse it into a takedown and submission. Maeda manages to corral Takada, though, and sets him up for a rolling armbar. The crowd audibly deflated at the end because it seemed like they were caught by surprise by how short this was. Not for everyone, but I quite enjoyed how different this was. ****1/4 Masakatsu Funaki vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara This was pretty awesome. Fujiwara looked very sharp on the mat, going toe-to-toe with Funaki in terms of grappling. Both wrestlers were very creative and smooth on this front. I don't want to say this is the best I've seen Fujiwara look in more modern shoot-style grappling, but it is pretty close. Funaki seemed to be taking it easy with Fujiwara at times, not really exerting himself, knowing it wouldn't take much to wear down Fujiwara, who can't keep up with him, even when the latter is going at 50-60%. Funaki also has the edge in striking, and despite Fujiwara's best efforts to play the defensive game, Funaki is too quick. Funaki also has a great sense of timing his strikes and going for Fujiwara's weak spots, such as his legs. There is also an awareness by Funaki to avoid getting drawn into corners with Fujiwara. All of this results in Funaki slowly taking control of the match, and Fujiwara becoming more exhausted as a result. He can't do much. It's like watching an older soccer/football team set up to play a deep block against a much younger, quicker, and more explosive team that knows all the former's weak points. This resulted in a very compelling sporting narrative. The upset is inevitable; it's only a matter of how long Fujiwara can hold before he breaks. Excellent match. ****1/2

6 out of my top 10 remaining 13 out of my top 25 remaining 26 out of my top 50 36 out of my top 100

If Volk Han and Kiyoshi Tamura had AEW runs, they would probably be in the Top 25

Tamura was a tough one, but it's his best result yet too. Glass half full and all

Top 50 is Top 50 😁

Volk Han making the Top 50 is pretty awesome

Tamura +8 vs 2016 is a good result for him, all things considered. Hopefully he can crack the top 50 in 2036.