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[1998-04-16-RINGS] Kiyoshi Tamura vs Valentijn Overeem


Loss

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  • 1 month later...

This is an interesting match that I suggested needed to be put on the yearbook, even though it is a 100% shoot. RINGS transitional period of blending more shoots alongside worked matches occurred from August 1996 until August 1999 when they went to a complete shoot company.

 

The company ran shows in Holland in 1997 and 1998 that were all shoots. Tamura participated in the Feb 1997 show and won his fight against Andre Mannaart in 2:11 with a rear naked choke. His April 1997 match against Tsyoshi Kohsaka looks to have been a shoot but no one is really 100% sure. In September 1997, Kohsaka would go to a 30:00 draw with Frank Shamrock in a legit shoot. Tamura won the RINGS Battle Dimension Tournament in January 1998 to win the RINGS World Title. For whatever reason, Maeda decided it would be okay for Tamura to fight Valentijn Overeem on 4/16 in a legit shoot. Tamura was noted for being highly talented as not only a worker but also as a shooter. Overeem was way too much for him and Tamura lost the fight in 4:00 minutes. Consequently, Tamura was forced to drop the RINGS World Title to Tariel Bitsadze in May 1998 because of his “real” loss. Tamura would get his win back from Overeen in a worked match in February 1999. The fight is so short that it won’t be hard for anyone to sit through (and it is entertaining in its own right) and the booking decisions that accompany it are something New Japan would deal with a lot from 1999-2005.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting to watch. I haven't really watched very many shoots, so I'm always surprised at how much the worked RINGS style resembles shooting. This was fun to watch and it's unfortunate that they would put Tamura in such a position. Regardless of his talents as a shooter, he was probably the best worker in the world at this point. I wish wrestling promoters wouldn't play around with a sure thing like that.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1998-04-16-RINGS] Kiyoshi Tamura vs Valentijn Overeem
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