[2000-03-12-BattlARTS] Ikuto Hidaka vs Katsumi Usuda

[soup23]

This match started out really middling with a lot of grappling that was dull but really opened up in the back half and became enjoyable overall. Usuda was the standout here as he was electric and brought intensity which helped with his non descriptive appearance. March feels like the month for good matches so far but not a whole lot is knocking my socks off to a great level that was so prominent in January and February. ***1/4

[Loss]

I didn't care for this one much. The work was solid, but this felt a little what some would call Terry Taylor-ish, to coin a phrase, in the sense that it was technically fine wrestling with no real personality or grit. Just there.

[Moonsault Marvin]

This was very competently worked, but neither guy showed any personality. I wanted Hidaka to do more with selling the leg, but he was very inconsistent with it. Average match.

[ohtani's jacket]

I thought this was an excellent bout. Nicely paced and well worked. Hidaka isn't your typical shoot style worker but he worked an effective hybrid style in a promotion that promoted and celebrated all types of wrestling and Usuda did a good job of guiding him through the match. It was a nice showcase for Usuda's talents which is cool if you're familiar with him and not just waiting for an unknown worker's charisma to reach out and grab you. Really good match. BattlARTS had a good month.

[Jetlag]

I'm with OJ in thinking this match was excellent. Starts solid and gets better and better. I actually felt the more subdued submission work early on helped make the reversals in the second half feel bigger. They do a nice job mixing the BattlARTS style kicks and submissions with junior touches and pinfalls. Hidaka just nukes Usuda with big fat rolling senton, and Usuda brains him with a big kick and spinning backfist in return. The timing and pace were spot on and as result the counters and big spots in the second half feel really spectacular. I dug the selling from both guys too, Usuda is so good at selling near submissions. Clever and efficient match.

[superkix]

Hidaka looking like Tidus from FFX. I dug the contrast of Hidaka's luchaesque hybrid junior style against Usuda's more straight up shooter. There was this cool dynamic throughout where Usuda was able to turn most of Hidaka's flashier spots into submissions -- like Hidaka hits the German suplex hold and Usuda slips off into an armbar, or the tornado DDT where Usuda's able to grab a kneebar. I also love how the announcer says "uh-scape". Like Jetlag mentioned above, Usuda does such a good job of selling the submission struggle, especially when Hidaka gets him in the cross kneelock. Hidaka's offense looked good -- really liked his corkscrew senton -- and I thought the finish was great, with Hidaka hitting the powerbomb but Usuda snagging the arm and then transitioning into the cross kneelock when Hidaka tries to escape. Fun stuff.

[Edwin]

This was good fun. Usuda is the more efficient striker and better grappler and Hidaka is more diverse overall. Usuda tries to ground Hidaka with kicks and takedowns and Hidaka holds his own by trying to counter Usuda's matwork or tries a rope escape asap and he tries to catch Usuda's takedown attempts and counter them with DDT's and throws of his own.

 

Loved Hidaka going after Usuda's knee later on in the match as he was trying to weaken it up for the Shawn Capture and I also dug the finish with Usuda smartly transitioning from the armbar to a kneebar when he sees the opening.

 

Nifty little match.

 

***