May 2022

My first incursion into OZ as it seems like heading into the match, Shida was unveiled as a mystery partner for Matsumoto & Yamashita. Matsumoto & Yamashita enter the match as OZ Academy tag team champions. And it seems as well like the memo for this match is it's "Beat Up Yamashita Even If She's Your Tag Team Partner" as Shida immediately whacks Yamashita with her kendo stick upon entering the ring - which prompts everyone to beat her up to start the match - which is contested under 2 out of 3 Falls rules. The mistreatment of Yamashita even by her partners is a recurrent theme in the match, including a Tower of Doom Spot as Yamashita is attempting a superplex in …

There’s a certain broad appeal to this match that I think just about anyone can enjoy. Everyone lays in their offense and brings a controlled energy to the bout. Sato takes a shellacking from the most proficient striker in the match, Sakaguchi. Sato and Sakaguchi trades kicks, but Sakaguchi always gets the better of his adversary. It builds to a crescendo where HARASHIMA and Higuchi come in, and when they do, boy does the pace ever pick up. Both competitors batter each other, going back-and-forth with chops and kicks. Higuchi’s selling as the unwavering yet beatable giant is phenomenal. He registers the damage of the strikes but stays one step ahead of HARASHIMA. There wa…

The appeal of this match is real simple. It's a guy who's built like a tank vs. a kicky boy. That dynamic plays out exactly how you'd imagine. Nozaki steamrolls Umeda with shoulder blocks, but Umeda makes good use of the Steamboat rule, fighting back whenever possible. Nozaki tries to take away the impact of Umeda's kicks, grounding him with a Boston Crab. Umeda bounces back with rapid-fire kicks, going after the leg to try and wear out his larger opponent. Umeda's been wrestling sporadically for the past few years, but the attitude and confidence that first drew me to him is still present. If he ever decides to return to wrestling full-time, he has star potential. Umeda …

Sasaki choked out Watanabe in a tag match before this one, leading to Soma calling out Sasaki. Sasaki and Watanabe begin, kicking us off where the last match between them ended. Sasaki scrambles for holds, smothering Soma on the mat, but he's unable to gain the advantage. Tensions are high as Watanabe kicks away Sasaki's attempt at a friendly handshake. Tags to Hara and Tanaka follow. The holds aren't just for show. Both Hara and Tanaka look like they want to hurt one another and sink in deep leg locks that end in a stalemate. Hara forces Tanaka into the corner, but Sasaki allows his opponent a brief respite. Sasaki traps the legs and twists Tanaka into an armb…

The first fall established Averno's dominance. Averno jumps Guerrero on the ramp, whipping him with his jacket. Guerrero monkey flips Averno into the ring and follows up with a quick flurry of offense, but Averno takes the fight outside and whips him into the barricade. Back inside, Averno shuts down Guerrero with a double underhook facebuster, following up with a cross arm breaker to submit Ultimo. Picking up where he left off, Averno targets his opponent's arm. Averno is a wonderfully slimy rudo, snapping Guerrero's bum limb across the ropes, putting the boots to him, and chopping his chest into raw meat. Averno revels in the boos of the crowd, almost as if h…

Nomura rushed Fudo but quickly got caught in a headlock, forcing him to use an escape early on. He would have to rely on his technique to gain small advantages throughout the match. Nomura delivered a dropkick and followed up with a sleeper to pressure Fudo into using an escape of his own. Fudo was unrelenting in his attack and downed Nomura with a forearm to the face. I especially liked how whenever Nomura was down, Fudo would get impatient and deliver an errant kick or elbow drop to maintain control. When people talk about wrestlers not wasting any motion, more often than not, it's a buzz phrase. Not with Rikiya Fudo, however. The way he applies his side headlocks …

Sasaki and Watanabe are tied one to one in tag matches, but Hitamaru has a fall over Soma, and Soma's victory came at the hands of partner Minoru Tanaka. This is the rubber match. Sasaki has the superior mat game, so he tries to goad Watanabe into trading submissions early on. Watanabe fights back by lighting up Sasaki with slaps, but Sasaki weaves in and out of holds seamlessly, turning a leg lock into an armbar. Sasaki's top-notch ground game was further established when he caught a leg-scissors from Soma and turned it into a single-leg Boston Crab, causing Watanabe to use his first escape. Sasaki made Soma scratch and claw for every submission, locking his h…

This is the kind of hidden gem I live for. The match transpires on a mat at Ikemoto's publication party somewhere in Japan. He's facing off against fellow professional MMA fighter Atsunori Suzuki. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the pop music blaring in the background the entire time. It makes for an incredibly unique atmosphere juxtaposed with the hard-hitting action of the match. Both start in a guarded stance, and Ikemoto immediately rocks Suzuki with a knee strike. Suzuki's grounded punches looked awesome, anf he immediately turned his advantage into a kneebar. He'd fit in well in Hard Hit or CAPTURE. The mat work was terrific, as you'd expect from two ski…

The Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Matt Menard, Angelp Parker, Daniel Garcia & Jake Hager) vs The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson), Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz --- ANARCHY IN THE ARENA A wild, hate-filled spectacle with forks, sunglasses, a jib camera, and a turnbuckle being among a few weapons used. “Wild Thing” blared throughout the first few minutes until Jericho smashed a soundboard. Garcia’s piledriver onto the steps looked gnarly. Mox channeled his inner-L.A. Park by chucking a full cooler at Jericho’s head. Most everyone was willing to let the juices flow, and there was insane energy to all of it. Danie…