[2010-10-24-FUTEN] Makoto Hashi & Kengo Mashimo vs Daisuke Ikeda & Takahiro Oba

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Microstatistics]

One of the better matches of the decade. Great mixture of strong matwork, crazy violence, storytelling and comedy with a genuinely epic finishing stretch. ****3/8

[superkix]

Ikeda was the star of this match, taking a brutal, brutal beating, mostly at the hands (or, forehead) of Hashi. His selling was phenomenal and despite his constant interfering on his partner’s behalf, I felt for him and wanted to see him reap his vengeance. There’s some lighter-hearted stuff too with Oba being a goofball, falling on his ass on a whiffed kick and flailing his arms around on offense but yeah, this thing was built around the interactions between Ikeda and Hashi. The headbutt exchanges were on another level of uncomfortable, as Hashi busts Ikeda and himself open with some nasty cranium-to-cranium contact. Then when they’re on all fours like a couple of pitbulls ramming their noggins together, yikes. Not only are the headbutts gnarly but there is zero hesitations behind Hashi’s chops and Ikeda’s kicks. Mashimo and Oba have some good chemistry together as they trade strikes for a minute and when Kengo’s up against Ikeda, he’s blasting him with kicks and knees, trying to lay him out for the ten count. There’s a great spot where Mashimo ducks the lariat attempt and plants Ikeda with a uranage, following it up with a sick punt kick to the back. The final showdown between Ikeda and Hashi is incredible and gut-wrenching. Loved the spot where Ikeda gets headbutted by Hashi and he stumbles back to his corner, looking for a tag out, and Oba slaps him in the face! The two of them unload on one another with the stiffest shots they can muster and Ikeda tries to end it via submission but Mashimo breaks it up. Hashi’s pissed now (as if he wasn’t before) and doesn’t let up with the headbutts, repeatedly bashing Ikeda in the corner, turning his forehead into a Margarita pizza pie. Ikeda’s trying to fight back with kicks and he’s finally able to deliver that lariat before laying the final nail in the coffin kicks to Hashi, including one foot to the mouth, which Hashi isn’t able to recover from. Super intense final minutes. What a tag match.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Daisuke Ikeda & Takahiro Oba vs Makoto Hashi & Kengo Mashimo - FUTEN 10/24/10

FUTEN 2010 was supposed to be the promotion that salvages a very mediocre year of puroresu similar to how 2008 BattlArts salvaged the year 2008 for puroresu. For me, at least that has not been the case as FUTEN 2010 has not been as good as BattlArts in 2008. 

First Half: Oh boy, Oba is in this, I didnt really care for him in the May tag but he is more subdued in this. Donnybrook to start. Ikeda taunts and then Oba goes over the top. Draws a Yellow Card. There is a cool dynamic of Ikeda as the Ace and Oba as the comedy goofball against two asskickers. So on two different occasions Ikeda has to save Oba in holds, but Oba holds his own especially in his second stint applying some gnarly holds on Hashi. The value of this match is when Ikeda is in there. He is a totally bully to both Hashi and Mashimo. When he finally relents to a  clean break to Hashi, Hashi cracks. Mashimo is the first to get a knock down scoring against Ikeda. Ikeda is such a wonderful offensive worker. On his second stint, he goes full battering ram and they unleash sick shoot headbutt on one another and that bust each other open hardway. I am not a big headbutt fan. They dont look as cool as punches or kicks. Yet they are super painful. It is kinda how look like shoot punches sometimes look worse than worked punches because they are too fast. Worked punch have that beautiful wind up and rear back nature to them. There are some headbutt marks out there that probably love this match but I didnt care for it. Hashi gets a knockdown in the corner on these nasty headbutts. Ikeda is selling really well and hits two beautiful kicks that wrap around Hashi's head for a knockdown. That I like it. They do the JYD/Terry Funk headbutt exchange in the dog position which yeah does nothing for me and it is just ridiculously painful for no reason. Ikeda looks fucked and Oba is having trouble holding his own, will Hashi/Mashimo cruise for the win or will Ikeda/Oba rally?

Second Half: If memory serves me correctly, Ikeda gets the better of the dog headbutt contest and this forces Hashi to tag out, Ikeda also takes advantage to tag out. Oba decides his best recourse is windmill punches and an airplane spin. No matter what year or what culture, the airplane spin is in any comedy wrestler's arsenal. There was a one legitimately funny spot when Oba goes to tag out but tries to tag Hashi because he is so disoriented. I am sucker for that. Oba lasted long enough to give Ikeda a breather and after a couple elbows tags out to the Ace. There is a funny moment where Ikeda takes one wicked headbutt and goes to tag out and Oba SMACKS him, ostensibly to fire him up, but more likely because he wanted to no part of Hashi. They just destroy each other with headbutt. I can see why this got a rep because I feel like a lot of the DVDVR gang love headbutt. This was headbutt-palooza. They tease Ikeda losing by knockout but he gradually makes in-roads. The finish stretch is pretty dramatic. Even within a minute of the end of the match, Ikeda is being counted down after a wicked headbutt. He roars backs with an onslaught of kicks and Hashi cant make it up.

The match did not do much for me, but for stiffness marks and headbutt marks this must be downright pornographic. I enjoyed enough of it, but I dont see a classic here just sado-masochistic theatre of pain. ***1/2