[1992-08-21-RINGS] Grom Zaza vs Shtorm Koba

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

A PRESS SLAM IN RINGS! Shtorm Koba doesn't even show up in a Google search. Fun little match.

[Tim Evans]

The kick to the face while the guy had him in a leg lock was just brutal. I'm shocked that didn't end the fights. Nice slams and the finish was nice.

[shoe]

I thought this was pretty fun. I was loving all those throws. I guess this is what a spot fest would consist of in Rings.

[Kevin Ridge]

No clue who these guys are but this was lots of fun to watch. The typical kicks and mat submission of these matches but these guys were also dropping power moves on each other.

[Zenjo]

If you wanted a comp to show how diverse pro wrestling can be then this would be a good pick. I came in not knowing what to expect, and was royally entertained by 2 unknown Russians. As an aside has any Russian wrestler ever not had a copious amount of chest hair? Anyway this was a learning experience for the crowd too who were enjoying it as much as me. Some exciting submissions early on and plenty of unusual moves and sumplexes. It wasn't at all polished yet that added to its effectiveness.

[WingedEagle]

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this as a random shoot style match b/w guys I didn't know at all, but was never disappointed as this felt fresh and different from the rest of the set. Cool jumping takedown and early suplex by Zaza, with a number of fun takedowns throughout before a submission finish.

 

***1/4

[PeteF3]

Fun spotfest of a match between two guys I've never heard of. Lots of big, broad throws and takedowns to hold your attention.

[garretta]

I got easily confused as to which guy was which, and that didn't exactly help my viewing experience. The power moves were nice but I would have preferred some more scoring. That full nelson-type hold that got the submission was rugged-looking.

 

Even though I couldn't tell them apart, both guys looked good enough to have at least a decent future ahead of them.

[superkix]

A swanky Zaza exhibition, with plenty of headscissor usage, cool takedowns and transitions, and...well, shitty striking but that's okay, because everything else works. Koba doesn't quite have Zaza's finesse but his rawness works well against Zaza. I mean, at one point, he press slams him into the turnbuckle. The action heats up heading into the finishing stretch, with Koba using a neat armwhip takedown before Grom dumps him with a throw and cinches in a terrific full nelson hold for the submission. Fun stuff.

[dawho5]

I thought it was a fun matchup with both guys bringing something fun in a grappling sense to the table.  Busting out the Karelin lifts on each other was pretty sweet too.  Liked the story of Koba looking like the underdog on paper but being ahead on points due to somehow being able to find counters to everything Zaza did that led to submissions.  And Zaza fighitng back with a better striking offense and more flexibility.  The kick to Koba's chin while on the mat and the finishing submission were nasty in the most awesome way possible too.  At around 11 minutes this one does not overstay it's welcome.