[1997-09-26-RINGS] Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Han's simplicity is awesome. I love him countering Tamura's anklelock by just reaching up and applying a side headlock on him. He also does an amazing shoot looking armdrag that looked pretty painful. Han isn't a striker and you can tell that Tamura's kicks fluster him at times. But he never deviates from what he does well. This eventually pays off when Tamura is spending too much time setting up a leglock and Han ends up letting him pretzel himself into some type of crazy leglock. There are some interesting narratives that can be explored through matwork this advanced and this match is really built around the idea that any advantage, no matter how strong it appears to be, has the potential to be a disadvantage at a moment's notice. Tamura ends up winning with a perfectly applied cross armbreaker. Awesome cat-and-mouse stuff and another wonderful match between these two.

[Kevin Ridge]

With the dreaded arrival on MMA happening soon I started to look at these type of matches sooner. What I like here is we get rope breaks. I know Pride would stop matches and move guys away from ropes for safety reasons but having ropes breaks here allows good teases with submissions. Tamura had top position at one point and you would think he would attack. But I looked at it as him being wary of yet another Han counter or set up to submission. Tamura striking is much better but Han ends up getting a knock down and then arrogantly cheers it. Tamura quickly submits him after for a big win.

[soup23]

I could watch these two go back and forth all day. Han knows how to maximize everything he does and makes the tiniest transitions look like dangerous propositions. Tamura getting the win here feels like a big moment. Only have this a slight step behind the January match.

[GOTNW]

I believe Matt D once said he'd be interested to hear someone talk about storytelling in Volk Han matches so someone direct him here

 

 

 

I loved their match from january but actually preferred this one. What really made it for me is the narrative, Tamura was cleary a bigger threat here than he was in the january match, he smacked Han with a couple of badass kicks that really rocked him, Han's stoic reactions to peril were great (and his selling style was perfect for it, it's really hard to express pain in a way it seems like you're trying to act like you're not bothered like it while you actually are and Han was amazing at it), Tamura recognizing Han's stoicism by keeping him in a full mount after a rope break to emphasise his dominance was great, Han trying to brush off Tamura's attacks while gradually weakening was even better, him trying to do so even after it was clear he was knocked down now was even better. Then you get Tamura reacting to Han's false bravado by just shoot kicking him in the ribs so hard he couldn't brush it off. The struggle for the final takedown was great and played off the size difference really well. Awesome, dramatic finish.

[PeteF3]

A fantastic match and another MOTYC--one that seems to build on their January bout with Tamura being more of a peer than a guy who was gutsy but overmatched. There are so many cool little moments on the mat here--what stood out to me were some truly agonizing "near-misses" as it appears both guys are just milliseconds away from locking in a deciding submission only to either lose the hold or be countered. Han also actually shows some character work here, such as trying to dismiss his knockdowns to the referee as slips. Tamura hasn't slowed down a bit--he's the Best in the World for this year, hands down. While I understand it, I find it a bit of a pity that he never did wrasslin' because I think he'd have been spectacular working pro-style.

[Zenjo]

Sometimes a match that looks great on paper fails to deliver in the ring. Not this one. At all. Arguably the two greatest practitioners of the shoot style going at it and the fans were loving every moment. It was only in Rings that the audience were conditioned to believe that a main event could end at any moment. Excellent matwork as they tied each other up in knots. Such innovation and creativity on display. It flows so quickly and never feels rehearsed. Some good strikes as well. My only complaint is that like in January I was left wanting more. A big win for Tamura. He looked to be in phenomenal shape. An athlete at the peak of his powers.

[JKWebb]

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-200-151/2/

#168

I liked this match a lot. It's not my favorite style of wrestling, but I get it. I thought the excitement built during the submissions and Han's countering was super. Also, love the hard-hitting and almost knock out blow towards the end.

[Microstatistics]

The best of the series and one of the greatest matches of all time. Here Tamura combines his confidence and improved skill from the previous match with new found maturity and so is a much bigger threat. Han realizes this and is almost desperate in his attempts to end the match as quickly as possible. Probably the best Volk Han performance ever with the desperation, urgency, incredible submission assaults and even some arrogance. Tamura weathering the storm and cerebrally going for kill shots is excellent. That almost knock out blow from Han JKWebb mentioned rules and Han's reaction to it is the moment from the match that stuck with me the most. Just a last ditch effort from the maestro to salvage things as he realizes he has been surpassed. Sort of drew parallels to the Taue eleventh-hour eye claw on Misawa from the CC95 Final. Excellent, decisive finish. ****7/8

[Superstar Sleeze]

Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura - RINGS 9/26/97

Some people find God, I found Volk Han. Fan-fucking-tastic. I love how aggressive Han comes out in this match. He wants to rip Tamura's arm off. The normally stoic, nonchalant Tamura was even caught off guard. Han ripped him to the ground and hit a wicked palm strike to break the clasp of Tamura's hands preventing the cross-armbreaker. It set the tone for the entire match. The drama was off the charts. On the second scrap, Han loses the grip on his clasp for a second and then quickly regains before Tamura get him all the way over. That was crazy. Han was just so into the double wristlock. Great double wristlock rip takedown. Tamura is a great fighter, but Han was just imposing his well. Han wraps Tamura up in a pretzel and Tamura escapes right into a double wristlock. Tamura shows some signs of life when he gets a kneebar and forces a ropebreak. Then all of sudden the match changes. Tamura has all this pep in his step and Han has kind of gassed himself. Tamura throws some AMAZING kicks in this match. Han is knocked down but quickly springs to his feet as if to stay dont charge me with a knockdown. The first two times they dont but Tamura is just blitzing him and evrntually Han has to take counts. Two knockdowns are scored back to back. Han catches the next kick, but Tamura wraps him in a guillotine choke. It was all Han in the first part, but Tamura is whuppin' him now. So Han does for his trusty double wristlock, but Tamura partially blocks but it leads to a Han cross armbreaker and Tamura needs a rope break. Han is feeling better and again goes back to the double wristlock, but cant get the right positioning. My favorite moment of the match is when Tamura reverses into a cross armbreaker but just as he breaks the clasp, his grip slips and he loses Han's hand! Han immediately grabs the legs! A close second is right after this, Han comes in with a wicked combination of palm strikes and knocks Tamura down! Han's cocky celebration is magnificent. I fucking love him! Not to be outdone, the finish sequence is a beauty. The struggle it took for Tamura to yank Han down to the mat with a side headlock takeover into a cross armbreaker was awesome! Perfect reaction upon tap out...Tamura is fucking pumped and Han slams the mat in disgust. 

The only reason I know more perfect matches exist is because I like the other two more, but this is terrific. It is absolutely thrilling with so many character touches. All three of Han/Tamura matches will make my Top 100. ****3/4

 

[superkix]

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. 

[Makai Club #1]

I love how this progressed from the first match. Tamura looked super dangerous in the backend of the match when he stopped relying on his submission and began striking. So in this match, Tamura began throwing the kicks in early. Han reacted strongly to the kicks, going for the kill early. Volk Han’s submissions were world class. The extended double wrist lock looked so painful and Tamura sold it perfectly. Han was twisting Tamura up with holds and Tamura could only withstand it all and lock for the small openings that Han would leave behind. Tamura weathering the storm and firing off with blasting kicks was great to watch. Han trying to shrug every kick off like it was a fly bite was great. So stubborn by a man who is a clear perfectionist. Han firing back with a few wicked palm strikes to get a down after Tamura had been schooling him in the stand up was the perfect receipt for him but Tamura catches him with a brilliant judo throw into the cross arm-breaker submission. Excellent match although I prefer their January match. Great win for Tamura though after previously losing to Han in their first two matches. ****1/2
 

[cactus]

I used to struggle with shoot-style as I thought it was too focused on hyper-realism and not the story-telling and character work that I love in my wrestling, but I was so wrong about shoot-style not having good story-telling after sitting down and watching all three of the Han/Tamura trilogy. You need to watch all three matches to get the whole picture and see how one Kiyoshi Tamura starts the series as a promising upstart and ends it as a RINGS legend who's able to tap out the iconic Volk Han. Han looked like a damn anaconda at times when he would wrap his body around Tamura in an effort to tap him out with many types of unique submissions. Tamura felt like the best fighter in the world when he tried to take out Han with his deadly strikes. Just perfect execution and body language. This was the perfect way to wrap up the trilogy. ★★★★★