[1993-12-25-RINGS] Andrei Kopylov vs Pavlev Orlov

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Really "power"-based matwork early on, meaning there are many Backlund-like strength spots that get over big. The rest of this is typically awesome RINGS exchanges, and I wish I knew the name for many of these holds.

[Zenjo]

It's Pavel Orlov.

 

Not how I'd choose to spend Christmas Day. Still it was decent enough with a few highlights. Kopylov was a bit better and merited the win. The fans weren't sure who to root for in this all-Russian affair.

[Jetlag]

This was a ridiculously fun match. It's Christmas Day so they work this match almost like Navarro and Solar just constantly tying eachother into the whackiest holds. Really tons of stuff that wouldn't look out of place in a lucha match. There's also one moment where Orlov tries a Koppu Kick and Kopylov nails him with almost a Kawada style enzuigiri. Despite the "show of this crazy matwork" nature of the match there was some nice selling. Orlov wound up using up lots of rope escapes and you could tell he was really desperate to get a good submission of his own. The finish sequence itself was flawless and emphasized Kopylov as the superior grappler well. These russians put on a really neat showcase and the crowd suitably ate it up.

[Kevin Ridge]

There's also one moment where Orlov tries a Koppu Kick and Kopylov nails him with almost a Kawada style enzuigiri.

Man did Orlov miss big time with that kick attempt. Like by a good five feet.

[PeteF3]

These guys are like poor men's versions of Volk Han, which means they're still pretty good, and their styles blend perfectly into a really fun match. Even the ridiculously missed kick was fun just because it was so incongruous.

[garretta]

Not a whole lot to see here, as Kopylov dominated from start to finish.

 

Some of the submissions looked a little strange, but it speaks to the grappling skill of both men (particularly Kopylov) that they were able to apply these holds and get them over as possible submissions even if the fans had no idea what they were, .

 

Could someone explain to me how Orlov had Kopylov in a headscissors and ended up needing a rope break? I've never seen anything like it, and I've watched plenty of shoot-style over the last few years.

[superkix]

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.

[soup23]

Merry Christmas to me as I thought this was really well done. Kopylov gets a chance to shine and ORlov can be fun going for stuff like the aforementioned flying leg  kick. Kopylov is one of those workers that was always in the mix at RINGS but not a name that instantly comes to mind in the shoot style lexicon. This is a good showcase match to present against a non name. ***3/4 7.3