A 30-minute Ultimate Submission match featuring Dick Togo. That's really all you need to know. Togo puts on one of his best performances since returning to wrestling, at least from what I've seen of his work, with Sasaki's weasel heel shtick kept to a minimum (minus the obligatory referee interference). Both men sold well but Togo really shined as he largely fought from underneath, working in some hot comebacks and taking the champ to the limit. Good back-and-forth groundwork to open as each man tries to assert control over the limb of their choice while also teasing the crossface hold. Togo hones in on Sasaki's left arm, using a swank neckscissors with an armbar and tenderizing it for the first submission fall via a chickenwing. Really good selling from Sasaki here as Togo continues the attack, snagging him in a bodyscissors and applying the sleeper to score another submission.
After some thumping chops from Togo in the corner, Sasaki's able to stop Togo's momentum with a thrust kick to the face and a DDT. He works over Togo's leg and there's a fantastic visual of Togo crawling around on the mat, trying to avoid Sasaki. Loved Sasaki's top rope elbow drop to the back of the knee and the follow-up figure-four leglock, with Togo trying to resist, grabbing the hair out of desperation and looking for a reversal only to succumb to the pressure and give up. Sasaki stays on him, countering out of a Pedigree attempt and catching him in a reverse figure-four to even the score. When Togo's finally able to hit the Pedigree after failing to lock in the crossface hold, his slow ascent to the top is well-sold and allows Sasaki to utilize the referee as a foreign object. The action spills to the floor and back inside, Togo misses a crucial enziguri and Sasaki snags an ankle. Smart counter by Togo but Sasaki gets him in the crossface hold, rolling back to the middle of the ring and trapping the arm to quickly submit him, taking the lead.
They trade slaps and punches and Togo destroys him with a lariat before hitting the Pedigree > Senton combo and submitting him with the crossface hold to bring it back to 3-3. Togo hits an awesome somersault plancha through the ropes as the clock winds down. They try a few failed crossface efforts and in the end, Togo's able to snag the champ with a cross armbreaker but time expires before he can score the winning submission and the match ends on a draw. Time limit draws can go either way but this one thankfully goes the right way, thanks to the performances of both men, especially Togo. Between this and the first Sekimoto/Suzuki match, time limit draws are ruling in 2017.
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