[2006-07-16-IBUKI 1st Anniversary] Kyoko Kimura vs Mariko Yoshida

[Ma Stump Puller]

Kimura's nowhere near Yoshida in technical ability (I mean who is can be counted on one hand at best) but I thought she really got herself over here as a quite competent mat-worker. Of course this has the typical Yoshida-Isms thrown in as Kimura is mostly the brash upstart trying to dethrone a established vet and it starts off strong with the two hitting explosive offence on the other. Kimura is doing fairly well until she gets her leg stuck on the ropes and Yoshida cranks it with a ankle lock, basically cutting her short right then and there. Yoshida's control stuff is fantastic, it's a mix of shoot-style with the crazy submissions, it's rudo shit with the disrespect dished out with boots to the head, all good. Yoshida works on the leg and even tries for a super early Air Raid, the first is reversed for a near fall. Rather than stare in disbelief like a dumbass Yoshida just grabs her out of the hold for a successful second for her own near fall. Rolling inverted figure-four gets the first fall with a tap-out right after. I do like how there's no real padding here, it's just Yoshida just hunting down the crappy leg all throughout the match; as soon as the second round comes up she's right back with either working the leg or trying for a big bomb when the leg's worn out. She dominates the middle half with great bombs or submissions until Kimura plays dead long enough to snatch on a flash pin into a armbreaker. Messy Frankensteiner attempt aside (which gets the fall, of all things, ehh could've been better lol) her stuff here was flush and felt really frantic. Yoshida after this flash pin got noticeably even more grumpy, stomping on Kimura's back.

This especially comes though during a dual Achilles Tendon struggle where Kimura's just stomping her face in while Yoshida's giving her headbutts, just vile nasty aggression on there, absolutely rules. Kimura slaps on a rear naked choke at one point and Yoshida's face is just "shit I'm gonna die here" like it's just masterclass selling to get over a choke as realistic as possible beyond the usual flailing of the arms or instant faint (read: every Minoru Suzuki match of the last 15 years). The double KO strike spots were a bit lame and Kimura does slop up on a few moves, otherwise the finishing stretch is epic, full of reckless strikes and even Yoshida being desperate enough to go back to her old moveset with a couple of lucha roll-ups. Kimura winning with a stiff ass big boot that Yoshida dies for is just the candle on a very well done cake all things considered. Really good outing that actually felt urgent and unpredictable; early on you knew that any submission or strike could end things from what they established and it pretty much carries that weight all the way to the end. Nothing felt certain and the amount of pop-up counters worked given how these two were just spending all of their energy purely to finish this quick rather than sit in heatless holds. Great, great stuff. If we'd got this from Yoshida the last 5ish years rather than a lot of her bumping and getting rookies over she'd be one of the GOAT's very easily.