[1998-01-20-BattlARTS] Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Minoru Tanaka

[KB8]

This was alright, though more like your red hot New Japan juniors fare than what you'd typically associate with Battlarts. Still, red hot is red hot and it had excellent heat. You'd think they'd hit a point of diminishing returns with the nearfalls considering literally every pin attempt from word one was a 2.999 count, but the crowd didn't seem to peak early. Tajiri was rolling out all sorts of lucha submissions like a nippy little Blue Panther and you're reminded that he worked Mexico for a minute there. I don't love Tanaka, but he's crisp and his stuff looks good so...that's a thing, I guess.

[cactus]

More of a juniors.match with some BattlARTs influence thrown in. Taijiri is full of fire and attempts to put Tanaka away with a Dragon Suplex straight out of the gate. His lucha submission didn't look at all out of place.

 

A easy to digest sprint with plenty of near falls that feel like they could actually end the match.

 

★★★½

[Jetlag]

SPOT and GO! Tajiri is super hyped about getting to show off all the stuff he learned in mexico! Tanaka is worthless at BattlARTS style matwork, but in this kind of mindless match where he can just hit spots and the pace is pushed, he's tolerable. Tajiri's lucha pin combos and submissions were ridiculously smooth and more interesting than the usual impact moves and flying, especially his setups. I guess his thigh slapping was embarassing. Also, because submissions are actually threatening in BattlARTS, the match never got dull. MOVEZ~! match done right.