[1992-03-17-UWFi-E=MC2] Mark Silver vs Masahito Kakihara

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Silver looks great. I don't know anything about his charisma, but he seems like a guy who could have been a star. I was little nervous about watching a 30-minute match in this style, and there were a few slow points, but overall, they had an excellent match. I'm digging 1992 UWFI. Kakihara gets a bloody nose in the closing minutes and Silver, who has taken a beating himself, switches strategies and takes it to the mat with the goal of beating him there. Kakihara won't have it, and the last minute of this may be the most dramatic minute or so in UWFI history, at least from the footage I've seen. Wish there could have been a victor at the last second, but wow, what a match.

[Tim Evans]

Good finish to the match but it dragged a lot in the middle. Not my favorite type of wrestling.

[shoe]

I liked this match. Like the others said it did drag in spots. The blood added a ton of drama to this. I dug Silver bullying through Kakihara slaps because of the weight advantage.

[Chess Knight]

I like Kakihara, but watching 30 minutes of him and a guy who was boring me to tears isn't how I want to spend my time. I wanted to like this, but couldn't.

[MikeCampbell]

The last five to seven minutes were a good change of pace, but I wasn't into this at all. Neither was especially flashy like Tamura can be, or showed the personality of Anjoh. It'd have been just as easy for them to go 10-12 as it was to go 30.

[WingedEagle]

While this dragged a bit at times, it was paced very well and logically. Quick striking early with Silver's big kicks looking great. The crowd finally pops pretty big for a backdrop suplex followed by a transition into a choke. Silver continues controlling things standing with his kicks, working in a half crab after a takedown. He also hits a big German suplex. The infrequency of those kind of spots in this style make them feel like absolute game changers.

 

Things come together late, where every single move and attempt looking like a potential finish. Kakihara withstands an onslaught from Silver and counters with an uppercut slap that busts the big man's nose. They continue trading kicks and strikes as time expires. So different, and so much fun.

 

***3/4

[PeteF3]

This definitely built up well to the closing stretch, though it's definitely not a match I'll ever feel like revisiting.

[xlynwoodx]

Mark Silver looks to be twice the size of Kakihara. I've never heard of Silver before, did he ever do anything in the US? Started out a slow power v. skill battle. Picked up in the last ten minutes when Kakihara missed a flying enziguri and got kicked in the head. He got up before ten and immediately tried it again and damn near got the KO. Then he tried it two more times! Turned into a real test of wills, Silver got bloodied up in another near KO and eventually the bell rang and...? A draw? I guess the point system doesn't factor into the time limit. I enjoyed the second half of this very much.

[garretta]

If they're not going to use the point system in the event of a time-limit draw, then why have points in the first place? By points Kakihara should have taken a 5-3 decision,

 

Is the blood in UWFI hardway? I can't imagine when they'd have time to blade without being seen, but I guess it's possible. I'm guessing that Silver's broken nose was legit, though.

 

This really dragged until Kakihara scored two knockdowns in about five seconds right after the twenty-minute mark, then we had a nice little sprint to the finish. By the way, was it just me or were there several rope breaks and at least one knockdown (on Kakihara, I believe) that the referee could have called but didn't? If so, that was terribly sloppy on his part. Refs shouldn't go to obvious lengths like that just to make sure that the finish comes out the way it should, at least not when you're trying to present the match as an actual fight (as opposed to an American-style pro wrestling match, where showmanship is acknowledged even while kayfabe is being maintained).

 

Silver looks like he could have been at least a tryout candidate for one of the Big Two. I look forward to possibly seeing him again later on down the line to find out if he made it big in UWFI.

[superkix]

The last few minutes with a bloodied Silver fighting pissed against Kakihara who still isn't holding anything back despite probably breaking Silver's nose is the best part of an otherwise long and tedious match. Silver has some cool throws and at this point, is likely the third best gaijin behind Albright and Scott at this point.

[dawho5]

I noticed that suplex on Kakihara that was not counted as well.  I thought it would have been smarter work on Silver's part to make Kakihara come in on him and pester him with kicks instead of charging into the corner after him.  Kakihara was coming up with more and better counters on the ground and struggled when pressured on his feet.  Then again, Kakihara showed a lot more on his feet in the last 10 minutes.  Good match, slow at points as mentioned.