Vader vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (UWFi, 6/10/94)

In the wake of Vader's passing, I've decided to revisit his run in UWFi from 1993-1995. That SUPER run is, of course, best known for his classic series against Nobuhiko Takada but I've been watching all the little matches (aka squashes) and one of the best is against Kiyoshi Tamura. Tamura, confident in his ways, slaps Vader before the bell because...well, that's just what you do to the monsters in your life, right? Tamura's strategy is an obvious one: take Vader down at the kneecaps. Kick kick kick until he crumbles. Vader's able to catch him with a few shots but then Tamura lets loose a series of slaps and high kicks. For a big dude, Vader's selling is terrific here, as Tamura hacks him down and puts him in a kneebar. Vader struggles to find his mark as Tamura continues kicking, again using that kneebar to take Vader to the ropes. In the end, however, Vader's able to club him down, slam him, and hit the big powerbomb for the TKO victory.  It's the old shoot-style David vs. Goliath and it rules.