[1998-01-21-RINGS] Volk Han vs Akira Maeda

[Jetlag]

Only 4 minutes, but what a great 4 minute match. Volk Han is an undeniable wrestling god, even when he is not on the offense his movements are poetry. I also always get a kick out of Maeda hitting the mat with anyone who's not Takada. I really liked how Volk sold his demise, you'd think how can you sell your demise well in a fluke match, but him howling when Maeda breaks his grip and grabs the kneebar is how you do it.

[superkix]

At this point, Maeda still can't go as well as 1995 but the fans still love him and Volk Han does such a good job of putting the early pressure on Maeda, who tries to crawl out of each hold only to find himself in a new predicament thanks to Han's impeccable resourcefulness. Maeda knows the weak point on Han is his knee and tries to take It out with kicks to set up his famous kneebar and when he finally grabs it good, Volk yelps and taps in under five minutes. This was very good while it lasted, and maybe Maeda in these short bursts the best Maeda circa '98.