Mr. Gannosuke vs. GENTARO (GUTS World, 6/17/16)

Yet another random match that somehow alluded me last year, this time from the magical GUTS World. Mr. Gannosuke, the 48-year old champion, defends against jack-of-all-trades, GENTARO. This isn't a match for everyone -- it's like a game of chess between two old friends. Slow, methodical, deliberate. The matwork is old-school in execution, not quite the prettiest but effective, and GENTARO works as the "by any means necessary" skeazy heel, whose overconfidence spells disaster. They go hold-for-hold to open the match, each targeting a different limb and then trading at points. GENTARO works over the arm on the ground, with a hard-edged chair, and a running armbreaker. When he tries for the bow-and-arrow hold, Gannosuke grabs an ankle and somehow reverses it into an Indian deathlock. The counterwork is really great throughout, with Gentaro poking the eyes or tugging on Gannosuke's shitty little beard to escape a hold. There was some unnecessary outside stuff that felt like a speedbump in the momentum before Gannosuke's back to working the leg inside the ring. After GENTARO tosses Gannosuke from the top rope, he hits a running bulldog, calling for a second but taking a backdrop from Gannosuke. Tons of counters in the home stretch, cradles and pin attempts, with Gannosuke hanging onto his title after a backslide. Not the most exciting match by today's #standards but I enjoyed it!