soup23 Posted April 9, 2017 Report Share Posted April 9, 2017 Sano goes into this match with the same strategy that worked vs Sasuke and why not. I really like how CIMA is being presented in the 1994 Great Sasuke role for this tournament as the up and comer stepping up on the big stage but he is a rudo so for instance he will break a submission attempt by Sano by raking the eyes. He will go for not necessarily cheating tactics but rough tactics like drilling multiple strikes into the corner. CIMA also sold his leg damage that was conducted in the early going in a wonderful way throughout the match. It wasn’t emphasized enough by Sano that it should have been completely neutralized but it was bothering CIMA’s mobility and he made sure you knew that. Sano amps things up as he realizes the match is slipping away so he hits a German, missile dropkick and nip up which is a bunch of flash for him in this tournament. He then goes back to breaking CIMA down utilizing a Boston Crab, surfboard, and Indian deathlock. The big bombs then come from Sano with a double stomp, splash mountain bomb and working towards a tiger suplex. CIMA was able to find an opening and run through his finishing repertoire although he is unable to hit the Iconoclasm. After a struggle he pops it off, hits the frog splash and advances to the final. I really appreciated the tonal shifts in this match as they were really assertive. This was a match that really paid off watching the tournament as a whole. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Lots of nuance in the way this was worked, which was appreciated. They have the youngster vs vet thing going, but CIMA dominates most of it. The interesting thing about it is that even though he is on offense most of the time, he is also selling most of the time, because Sano can do a lot less to accomplish a lot more and quickly even the odds. Sano's Boston Crab and the accompanying drama over reaching the ropes was outstanding, maybe the highlight of the match. I also like the unspoken booking of this looking like we could get a Liger-Sano final, picking up their rivalry 10 years later, but CIMA pulls off what I wouldn't quite refer to as an upset, but what I would call a hard-earned victory. He started off 2000 great, but he seems to be improving with each outing all the same. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroBoy Posted June 5, 2017 Report Share Posted June 5, 2017 It's funny. I always think of CIMA as kind of a smug, arrogant, flashy wrestling character but he was able to channel that into a fiery performance that helped turn this into a really strong match. Things are humming along and the work is good and then you get the gutbuster, the big double stomp, and suddenly the crowd is dying to turn things around for CIMA. And his performance in these moments is awesome. Gutty babyface expressions, wild fighting comeback to recover from the powerbomb and to fight off the Tiger Suplex. He even sells the leg as well as the fatigue and disorientation. We get a run to the finish that is built around his struggle to hit the Iconoclasm and it's fantastic. This fell short of greatness but is firmly very good. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 This was all right. It was set up by the commentators as a contrast in styles between the more orthodox Sano and the flashier CIMA. Sano, the 16-year vet, was portrayed as being from the Showa generation while CIMA was presented as the younger generation Heisei wrestler. And that was pretty much how they wrestled. But there wasn't a lot of passion in it from Sano and the match was lopsided when it came to who wanted it more. The fact that it was a young upstart heel wanting it more than the vet was an interesting twist but there wasn't enough fight from Sano to make this terribly compelling. And it was even less interesting outside of the tournament context. I think Sano went from being underrated to a tad bit overrated in our circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laney Posted July 2, 2017 Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 I thought this was a great match. An amazing performance by CIMA here as he does a great job playing the gutsy young guy going up against an experienced veteran. CIMA plays the face here as the crowd can't help but get behind him. Sano takes much of the offense here, but CIMA won't give up and keeps fighting back. I enjoyed the finishing sequence here quite a bit as Sano makes CIMA really work to hit the iconoclasm. Best match of the tournament so far. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonsault Marvin Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 I felt like CIMA oversold the first boston crab, which didn't leave him anywhere to go when he was in it for a long time the second time around. I did find myself getting into the match as it went on, and I liked the dizzy selling of CIMA in the latter stages of the match. I also liked the struggle to pull off his move where he slams Sano off the ropes. Very good match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted September 12, 2017 Report Share Posted September 12, 2017 On paper this seemed like a complete style clash but somehow it worked out great. CIMA beating Sano is a huge win for sure. When I was watching a bit of Toryumon back in 2000 I did not think much of CIMA and thought that there were at least a couple of better guys in Toryumon but so far he is the clear star of the bunch fully justifying his push. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattsdmf Posted October 15, 2017 Report Share Posted October 15, 2017 This is so far my favorite of the tournament. I love the kind of slow burn in the beginning with the mat work and I liked CIMAs selling of the leg. The match really picked up with Sano hitting the release German and belly to belly and going into the Boston Crab which was a great pacing transition. I thought the Boston Crab spit was quite the battle. CIMA ultimately winning was great and really showed he had to work for it as everything leading up to it was a struggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin Posted December 24, 2017 Report Share Posted December 24, 2017 This was another good match in this tournament. CIMA was on his way to become a star and this match just placed him a step closer to it. I love Crazy MAX as interfering seconds in Toryumon, but here they played a different role as they were seconds behind CIMA and they were excellent at ringside coaching CIMA. Loved how CIMA had to exchange his Venus as it wasn't as effective against a veteran and he had to do a headbutt with it and also he had to exchange the Iconoclasm for the Goriconoclasm. Even despite that, I loved how one Mad Splash was more than enough. Good stuff. ***3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.